Office of the Chief Economist, Europe and Central Asia

Clean Growth with Costas Arkolakis 

March 28, 2024 | Presentation by Costas Arkolakis

During this ECA Talk we discussed the recent study "Clean Growth" by Costas Arkolakis and Conor Walsh. This study provides an economic framework to analyze the regional and aggregate economic impact of the cost reductions in solar and wind across the world.

Out-of-Pocket Health Expenditures - Challenges and Policies in Europe and Central Asia 

March 21, 2024 | Presentations by Winnie Yip and Jishnu Das

During this ECA Talk, we discussed recent trends in OOP health spending in the ECA region and presented new evidence on policies designed to reduce out-of-pocket outlays.

Getting to Net-Zero in Europe and Central Asia – Fighting Climate Change with Data

January 24, 2024 | Presentation by Wolfgang Fengler, the CEO of the World Data Lab

This ECA Talk presented the “World Emissions Clock” and the underlying data model, which includes greenhouse gas projections for 180 countries, including all ECA countries, 5 sectors, and 24 subsectors in 3 scenarios until 2050. This dataset allows for benchmarking each country’s sector against peers and best-practices. 

Conference on Business Dynamism in Europe and Central Asia

January 22, 2024

In Europe and Central Asia (ECA), economic growth has trended down since the global financial crisis. This has been accompanied by a slowdown in productivity and more sluggish creative destruction. What is necessary for a more vibrant business environment? This conference highlighted recent research on business dynamism and discussed its implications for future work in the ECA region.

How Can Cities Thrive in a Changing Climate?

January 18, 2024 \ Presentations by Megha Mukim, Mark Roberts, and Somik Lall

The recent World Bank study about the two-way relationship between cities and climate change shows that cities hold one of the keys to solving the climate crisis. Watch the replay of this ECA Talk to learn more about how to help cities become greener, more resilient, and more inclusive in a changing climate.

Digital Governance in Action - Lessons from Estonia and Ukraine

December 11, 2023 \ Presentations by Gulsanna Mamediieva, CEO of Digitality.GovTech Center of Excellence, and Luukas Ilves, Chief Information Officer of Government of Estonia

During this ECA Talk, we discussed the paths that Estonia and Ukraine have taken toward public sector digital transformation. The speakers covered topics including building civil service capacity for digital innovation, balancing investments in digital services with ongoing operational costs, and the joint efforts of Estonia and Ukraine in creating shared digital solutions that are both cost-effective and scalable.

Estonia’s Education Miracle - Higher Social Mobility, More Innovation

November 10, 2023 \ Presentation by Kristina Kallas, Minister of Education and Research of the Republic of Estonia

According to the PISA 2018 test, Estonian students were the top performers in both Europe and the OECD in all three domains of assessment - reading, mathematics and science. Watch the event replay to learn more about Estonia’s education system and what policy lessons other countries can draw from its success.

Fall 2023 Europe and Central Asia Economic Update "Sluggish Growth, Rising Risks"

October 12, 2023 \ Presentation by Ivailo Izvorski

This ECA Talk presented the analysis of the latest Fall 2023 Europe and Central Asia (ECA) Economic Update. The report shows that the region continues to be negatively impacted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, tighter global financial conditions, persistent inflation, and global economic fragmentation. Watch the recording to learn more about growth outlook, key opportunities and priorities for ECA countries.

Growing United - Upgrading Europe’s Convergence Machine

June 21, 2023 \ Presentation by Peter Berkowitz

This ECA Talk presented work on convergence, development traps and the geography of discontent in Europe, then looks at the challenges this raises for policies aiming at national and regional convergence.

Firms, Energy Efficiency and Responses to High Price

May 16, 2023 \ Presentation by Lionel Fontagné

This ECA Talk explored firm level data in the French manufacturing sector to see the impact of energy shocks and energy prices on businesses. The discussion suggested that over time, the impact of electricity shocks had weakened, suggesting that only firms capable of adapting their production process to weather cost shocks have survived.

Weak Growth, High Inflation, and a Cost-of-Living Crisis

April 20, 2023 \ Presentation by Julia Roseman Norfleet and Michael Lokshin

This conversation discussed the analysis and main findings of Spring 2023 Europe and Central Asia Economic Update. Economic growth slowed sharply last year in the region, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a surge in inflation, and the sharp tightening of monetary policy and financial conditions hit private consumption, investment, and trade. The marked increase in food and energy prices boosted inflation to a pace not seen in 20 years. 

Conference "Returns to Education" Turns 50

March 29, 2023

2023 marks 50 years since the publication of Returns to Education: An International Comparison. This conference recognizes this milestone and reassesses the progress in measuring the benefits of education.

Decentralization and Conflict

March 28, 2023 \ Presentation by Jennifer Murtazashvili

During this ECA Talk, University of Pittsburgh Professor Jennifer Murtazashvili presented on decentralization and conflict, discussing lessons from Afghanistan, Ukraine, and beyond. Based on her extensive research, she presented a big picture review of what we know, lessons we can learn, and ways forward.

How Much Should We Trust the Dictator’s GDP Growth Estimates?

February 15, 2023 \ Presentation by Luis Martinez

Should we trust GDP growth estimates provided by autocratic regimes? The focus of this discussion was on evidence that data from nighttime lights (NTL) recorded by satellites from outer space suggests autocracies are significantly overestimating GDP growth.

Education and Innovation

January 18, 2023 \ Presentation by Ufuk Akcigit

How do innovation and education policy affect individual career choice and aggregate productivity? This talk discussed the various layers that connect R&D subsidies and higher education policy to productivity growth. We put the development of scarce talent and career choice at the center of a new endogenous growth framework with individual-level heterogeneity in talent, frictions, and preferences. Education and innovation policies not only alleviate different frictions, but also impact innovation at different time horizons.

Learn more about previous events between 2019 and 2022