After having been relatively mildly affected in the first wave, Eastern Europe is currently in the midst of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with much higher levels of infected and dead compared to the spring. This health crisis not only has economic consequences, but also has contributed to political instability in parts of the region. Learn more on the presentations and discussions held at the SITE Development Day conference 2020!

Every week, the Swedish state pumps billions in support, grants and investments to keep Sweden in the roll. How can Sweden - which for many years saved money to reduce the central government debt - now offer a gigantic bill of money? Where does all this money come from? Torbjörn Becker explains in the latest episode of SVT Aktuellt.

Russia’s oil dependence will once again contribute to an economic downturn that most certainly will follow the Covid-19 outbreak in Russia as in other countries. The decline in oil prices alone could lead to a drop in GDP of more than 8 percent. Will Russia face difficult trade-offs in dealing with the crisis at a time?

Although significant growth has been achieved since 2000, all of this came in the first two tenures of Putin in the Kremlin during the increasing oil prices. But is Russia still a hostage to the whims of international oil market?

On December 16-17, 2019, the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics hosted the annual Academic Conference at the Stockholm School of Economics that brought together researchers and scholars in economics and political science from all over Europe and North America contributing to a better understanding of the political economy of Eastern Europe.

Working paper: This paper looks at economic growth and its fundamental determinants in Russia over the last decades. It starts by showing that, contrary to the views of some political commentators, growth is highly important for the popularity of president Putin.

Working paper: This paper looks at how the Russian economy has developed under the leadership of Putin and how it spills over to its neighbours in the CIS region.

By Torbjörn Becker and Anders Olofsgård, SITE Working Paper

By Torbjörn Becker, SITE Working Paper

by Torbjörn Becker, SITE Working Paper