The Forum for Research on Eastern Europe: Climate and Environment (FREECE) and the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE) invite paper submissions from economics, political science, and related fields for a one-day workshop at the Stockholm School of Economics on Friday, November 28, 2025.

Ukrainian civil society groups across Northern Europe are doing vital, but often invisible, work to support both displaced Ukrainians and advocacy for Ukraine. A new policy brief by Anna Anisimova (SITE) and Alina Zubkovych (NUF) explore how these groups operate, where they struggle, and how governments could better support their efforts.

Just weeks before Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion, a nationwide survey showed that while Eastern Ukrainians were more skeptical of democracy and EU integration, they didn’t reject liberal values like LGBT rights or personal freedoms more than those in western Ukraine. This policy brief analysis, published by Anders Olofsgård (SITE) and Cecilia Smitt Meyer (SITE), uses this snapshot of Ukraine to show that the real divide wasn’t values—it was trust in institutions.

A new study shows that Ukraine’s postwar recovery isn't just about repairing roads and homes, but about creating a stronger economy, democratic institutions, and a future-proof nation. In this study, Torbjörn Becker, Yuriy Gorodnichenko, and Beatrice Weder di Mauro offer a sweeping review of hundreds of policy proposals in the Annual Review of Economics, outlining what it will take to rebuild Ukraine after war.

We are pleased to welcome Anastasiia Arbuzova and Olle Folke to the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE).

On June 18, 2025, the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE), supported by the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, hosted a high-level public seminar exploring the evolving landscape of international sanctions on Russia. This seminar also marked the official launch of SITE’s new Sanctions Web Portal—an open-access platform offering data, analysis, and resources for policymakers, journalists, and researchers. The full recording is now available on SITE’s YouTube channel.

As Ukraine continues to defend itself and rebuild from war, one idea is gaining traction: seize Russia’s frozen assets to help foot the bill. This policy brief, by Anders Olofsgård, Deputy Director of SITE, explores legal and economic arguments that support the case for turning these resources into a long-term support fund for Ukraine’s recovery.

A new digital portal launched today provides a comprehensive, research-driven overview of the effect of international sanctions imposed on Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Designed to help policymakers, researchers, journalists, and the public navigate the complexities of economic sanctions and their consequences, the portal offers a data-rich, systematic examination of one of the most significant tools in modern geopolitics.

Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant dream in the energy sector—it’s already reshaping how power is generated, distributed, and consumed. This new policy brief, published by the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE) offers insights from SITE Energy Talk 2025 on how AI is helping countries like Ukraine, Sweden, and those in the Baltics build more flexible, efficient, and resilient energy systems.

On May 13, Torbjörn Becker, Director of the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE), presented SITE’s latest report on the Russian economy to the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) in Brussels. The meeting brought together EU Finance and Economy Ministers to address the Union’s internal economic and financial priorities, while also making space to consider the broader implications of Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine. This discussion comes at a particularly timely moment, coinciding with the EU’s preparations for its 17th sanctions package, which is expected to be formally adopted by the Council on May 20.