1. Free-market institutions and income inequality : did the link persist around the world even in times of falling within-country inequality, 2000–2021?Tibor Rutar, 2025, izvirni znanstveni članek Opis: High or rising economic inequality can exacerbate political inequalities and is plausibly linked with some social harms, such as health problems and declines in happiness and trust. Within-country income inequality increased sharply across most of the world since the 1980s. One prominent critical sociological account of this occurrence points toward institutions of free-market capitalism, or “neoliberalism,” as a key cause that unleashed inequality during the globalization age. This article empirically operationalizes free-market institutions with the use of Fraser Institute’s index of economic freedom and examines the issue with fixed-effects regressions in a novel dataset of 130 countries between the years 2000 and 2021. It finds a substantial positive correlation between the two variables in the developing, though not the developed, world. This finding is robust to a variety of alternative specifications. Moreover, across specifications, modest size of government and freedom of international trade stand out as the two clear components of economic freedom driving the aggregate relationship. Finally, mediation analysis suggests there also exists an indirect ameliorative relationship between economic freedom and inequality through the conduit of economic development. Ključne besede: economic freedom, free-market capitalism, income inequality, neoliberalism, capitalism Objavljeno v DKUM: 08.10.2025; Ogledov: 0; Prenosov: 3
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2. Tourism-driven economies and income disparity : insights from a regression discontinuity designZdravko Šergo, Jasmina Gržinić, Anita Ilak-Peršurić, 2024, izvirni znanstveni članek Opis: This paper aims to answer two questions: (1) Does overtourism incline countries to favorise the capital asset holder instead of workers in income distribution? (2) Does income inequality come hand in hand with overtourism? Employing Kaldor's theory of income distribution, this study adapts its theoretical framework to assess countries with a specialization in tourism. The analysis encompasses data from 115 developed countries over the period of 2000 to 2019. A Regression Discontinuity Design (RDD) methodology is utilized for the empirical investigation, categorizing key variables based on the exposure of a country's unit to a tourism-focused developmental strategy. The study reveals that adopting overtourism as a developmental strategy has led to increased inequality, characterized by a rising capital share and a declining labor share over time. Evidence supporting these findings is presented through both parametric and non-parametric Regression Discontinuity Design (RDD) analyses. Robustness checks and placebo tests corroborate these results. Ključne besede: overtourism, developmental strategy, income distribution, regression discontinuity design, economic inequality, RDD Objavljeno v DKUM: 13.08.2025; Ogledov: 0; Prenosov: 8
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3. Do large, sustained economic freedom reforms hurt or improve women’s economic rights?Tibor Rutar, 2025, izvirni znanstveni članek Opis: Does economic freedom come at the expense of women’s economic rights, or does it instead help improve them? Presently, there are almost no studies investigating this issue, and what evidence exists is mostly correlational. This paper presents findings from matching analyses with the explicit aim of addressing the likely endogenous relationship between economic freedom and respect for women’s economic rights. Using the latest data (up to 2022), estimates from matching methods, as well as supplementary regressions based on conditional mixed-processes, all point to economic freedom having an improving effect. Two components of economic freedom – sound money and freedom of international trade – seem most likely to drive the aggregate result. The uncovered positive aggregate effect is robust to an extensive set of control variables, tweaks in the operationalization of treatment, and varying the post-treatment period. Ključne besede: economic freedom, women's economic rights, market liberalization, economic gender inequality, gender discrimination Objavljeno v DKUM: 09.07.2025; Ogledov: 0; Prenosov: 5
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4. Determinants of income inequality in the selected group of European countries : a panel data analysisDarja Boršič, Simon Matej Podgoršek, 2024, izvirni znanstveni članek Opis: The paper focuses on providing basic characteristics of income inequality in a group of selected European countries in the period from 2000 to 2019. After presenting stylized facts and brief literature review, the paper proceeds to empirical analysis of income inequality in the observed countries by panel data techniques. Fixed and random effects models are estimated. After Hausman test approved the usage of fixed effects model, it was tested for serial correlation and robust standard errors were calculated. The empirical analysis of the determinants of income inequality shows that GDP growth, share of population in upper 10% of income percentile, Human Development Index and unemployment rate increase income inequality measured by Gini index, while share of workforce and share of population with tertiary education decrease income inequality. The results of the empirical analysis provide insight into determinants of income inequality, which may be useful for economic policy decision makers in their efforts to decrease the income inequality. Ključne besede: income inequality, Gini index, economic growth, panel analysis, fixed effects model Objavljeno v DKUM: 30.06.2025; Ogledov: 0; Prenosov: 8
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5. Fiscal multiplier and the role of income and wealth inequalityMarko Senekovič, Jani Bekő, 2025, izvirni znanstveni članek Opis: There is a lack of research concerning the influence of economic inequality on the size of fiscal multipliers. To address this, we apply a VAR methodological framework to assess the magnitude of fiscal multipliers for 47 economies, using a new quarterly dataset spanning the period from 1995 to 2021. We then gauge the impact of the battery of income and wealth inequality measures on the size of government consumption multipliers. To ensure the robustness of the results, a yearly panel data sample was also tested. The key findings of our empirical exercise can be outlined as follows. First, the estimated government consumption multipliers exhibit a generally positive trajectory throughout the forecast horizon in approximately 66% of the countries analysed, while in 19% of the sample, they remain largely negative, and in the remaining 15% of cases, they display a mixed pattern, being positive only during certain periods. Second, in 53% of the countries examined, the fiscal multiplier exceeds the threshold of one at least once during the forecast period, suggesting a greater output effect of fiscal expansion in these countries. Third, the more pronounced the income and wealth inequality in a country, the higher the value of the fiscal multiplier. This research outcome supports the proposition that higher economic inequality, especially income inequality, will generate greater government spending effects. Ključne besede: fiscal policy, fiscal multiplier, economic inequality, panel VAR Objavljeno v DKUM: 12.06.2025; Ogledov: 0; Prenosov: 465
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6. Countries' structural characteristics and the magnitude of fiscal shockMarko Senekovič, 2025, izvirni znanstveni članek Opis: The transmission channels of stabilizing fiscal policy remain partially unexplored, which presents a challenge for the effective management of economic policy. Using a broad dataset and vector autoregression methodology, this paper examines the relationship between selected structural characteristics of economies and the magnitude of fiscal multipliers. The results indicate that fiscal multipliers tend to be smaller in more developed economies, in business-friendly environments, and in EU and EMU member states. Additionally, findings on public and private debt, as well as savings levels, suggest that fiscal multipliers are higher in countries where a larger share of economic agents faces liquidity constraints. Consequently, increased public spending, driven by households' higher marginal propensity to consume, produces a stronger impact on output through the multiplier effect. Our results provide a foundation for fiscal policymakers to design appropriate measures tailored to the specific characteristics of individual economies, aiming to enhance the effectiveness of stabilization policies. Consequently, fiscal stimulus can achieve a greater impact while ensuring the efficient allocation of taxpayer resources. Ključne besede: fiscal multiplier, structural determinants, wealth inequality, VAR Objavljeno v DKUM: 28.05.2025; Ogledov: 0; Prenosov: 7
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7. Economic inequality and the size of government expenditure shocks : an empirical exerciseMarko Senekovič, 2024, izvirni znanstveni članek Opis: Empirical literature explains the heterogeneity of fiscal multiplier
estimates through the analysis of various cyclical and structural
determinants of economies, with economic inequality, as one of the key
structural characteristics, receiving relatively little attention so far. In
this study, using a wide sample of countries and applying the vector
autoregression methodology, we first estimated fiscal multipliers and
the impact of fiscal stimuli on the dynamics of the price level. The
findings indicate that the estimated fiscal multipliers are mostly
positive, and fiscal stimuli tend to produce an inflationary effect.
Subsequently, we examined the variability in the size of fiscal
multipliers in relation to various indicators of income and wealth
inequality. The key findings of this study reveal that as economic
inequality increases, particularly in the context of income disparities,
the size of fiscal multipliers also rises. This insight is particularly
important for policymakers in designing appropriate fiscal measures in
an evolving macroeconomic environment. Ključne besede: fiscal multiplier, income inequality, wealth inequality, VAR Objavljeno v DKUM: 28.05.2025; Ogledov: 0; Prenosov: 2
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8. Impact of social networks on the labor market inequalities and school-to-work transitionsMahmut Özer, Matjaž Perc, 2021, izvirni znanstveni članek Opis: Countries invest in education systems in order to increase the quality of their human capital. In this context, it is seen that especially after the expansion of the higher education systems, countries try to increase higher education graduation rates in order to improve the quality of human resources in the labor market. The ultimate goal of these efforts is to facilitate the transitions from school-to-work, and to increase social welfare by meeting the human resources needs of the labor market. The facilitation of school-to-work transitions has a direct impact on youth unemployment. School-to-work transitions are influenced not only by the quality of education from primary to higher education but also by the dynamics of the labor market. Social network analysis can provide important insights into this dynamics, and in doing so reveal that there are indeed many factors that play a key role in determining who gets a job and why, including, first and foremost, social contacts. An analysis of job search channels reveals that partners, friends, and relatives are those social contacts that are most decisive for employment outcomes. Research reveals that employers use social-contact-based reference channels much more frequently than formal channels for recruitment. Thus, employers frequently use such reference channels in recruitment. It has also been shown that the use of social-contact channels reduces employers' costs of finding suitable employees and increases productivity since employees hired through these channels also stay longer in their firms. We here explore the full potential of social network analysis to better our understanding of school-to-work transitions, to reveal in no uncertain terms the importance of social contacts, and to show how these insights can be leveraged to level the labor market for all involved. An important take-home message is that the labor market dynamics is strongly affected by the Matthew effect, such that the inequalities and the gaps between opportunities only grow and widen as the underlying social networks evolve. It is therefore important to mitigate these effects well before school-to-work transitions come into play, namely during the education. In particular, we assert that minimizing the inequalities during education should effectively mitigate the uneven impact of social networks on school-to-work transitions. Ključne besede: employment, higher education, inequality, labor market, Matthew effect, social network Objavljeno v DKUM: 04.10.2024; Ogledov: 0; Prenosov: 7
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9. Past, present, and intended digitalization around the world : leading, catching up, forging ahead, and falling behindMahsa Samsami, Thomas Schøtt, 2022, izvirni znanstveni članek Opis: Businesses around the world are rapidly adopting digital technologies.
Adoption, though, is not even, but it varies over time and differs from
society to society, depending on resources in the ecosystem. This study
addresses how past, present, and future digitalization is developing globally
and, in each society, depending on its resources. A survey of businesses in
47 countries, conducted by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor in 2021,
provides national-level measures of digital technology adoption before
and during the pandemic and the intention for adoption in the near future.
Adoption of digital technology is found to vary significantly across both time
and place. Before the pandemic, adoption was concentrated in the wealthiest
societies. The pandemic was an external enabler, pushing less digitalized
societies to catch up, independent of national economies, thus entailing
some convergence. The early pandemic has been followed by intentions
to digitalize, which differ widely, entailing some divergence. Intentions are
strong in some societies that are forging ahead, but they are weaker in some
less-digitalized and low-income societies that may be falling behind. The
findings contribute to understanding digitalization as a global phenomenon
and the pandemic as an external enabler that has promoted catching up
and convergence in digitalization. Still, recovery is uneven and entailing
divergence, as some societies are forging ahead while others are falling
behind. Ključne besede: digitalization, adoption of technology, external enabler, globalization, inequality, convergence, divergence Objavljeno v DKUM: 19.06.2023; Ogledov: 499; Prenosov: 55
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10. Tax policy and income inequality in the Visegrad countriesAnna Moździerz, 2015, izvirni znanstveni članek Opis: The financialisation of economies is believed to be the primary cause of the increase in income inequality in the world, occurring on a scale unseen for more than 30 years. One can hypothesise that it is the state that is responsible for the widening inequality, as the state has not sufficiently used the redistributive function of taxation. The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of tax policy on income inequality in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. These so-called Visegrad countries have, in the last several years, carried out some controversial experiments with tax policy, specifically in terms of the flattening of tax progressivity or its replacement with a flat tax, which led to the weakening of the income adjustment mechanism. The imbalance between income tax and consumption tax has contributed to perpetuating income inequality. The verification of tax systems carried out during the recent financial crisis has forced the countries included in this research to implement tax reforms. The introduced changes caused various fiscal and redistributive effects. Analyses show that the changes in income taxation and an increase in the consumption tax rate had the most negative impact on the income and asset situation in Hungary. Ključne besede: tax, tax policy, income inequality, Gini coefficient Objavljeno v DKUM: 14.11.2017; Ogledov: 1606; Prenosov: 438
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