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In the context of economic recovery and structural reforms to boost Serbia’s living standards, understanding the impact of fiscal policy on inequality and poverty is key to inform policy choices. This paper’s key research question is to analyze the redistributive effect of fiscal policy on income distribution and poverty in Serbia. It advances on the previous literature by comprehensively assessing the individual and combined effects of taxes and social spending on both inequality and poverty in Serbia, using the Commitment to Equity Assessment approach. The findings suggest that Serbia’s fiscal system is redistributive, reducing the Gini coefficient of income once taxes, transfers, and in-kind benefits in education and health are taken into account. However, the inequality-reducing impact of the fiscal system in Serbia is somewhat smaller than what is observed in other countries in Central and Eastern Europe and Latin America, where similar analysis has been applied. Moreover, and like in some other countries in Europe and Central Asia, the fiscal system increases poverty. Direct social transfers in Serbia are pro-poor and inequality reducing, but their impacts are not large enough to fully offset those of taxation since spending on these programs is small. This analysis of fiscal incidence in Serbia provides a useful basis for assessing the impacts of potential changes in taxes or benefits, which can inform options to mitigate short-term adverse impacts and build support for reforms.

The public health measures implemented to limit the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to affect economic inequalities. In this paper we first provide a theoretical framework to analyse how income inequality contributes shaping the trade-off between economic lockdown and contagion. Our empirical analysis on EU countries shows that the lockdown is likely to significantly increase inequality and poverty and that the magnitude of the change is larger in more unequal countries. To avoid social collapse, countries must consider inequality as an additional source of fragility, while supranational, coordinated health and fiscal policies are needed in the interest of all European economies.

Despite years of women's progress toward equality, gender disparities in the labour market persist, and parenthood has been identified as one of its key drivers. In this paper we investigate the child penalty in Russia by using longitudinal data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS) and the methodological framework of event studies. Our findings show that five years after child birth women suffer an earnings penalty, while the same effect is not observed for men. The child penalty for women stems from lower employment after birth. In contrast to similar studies on Western European countries and the US, we do not find child penalties in terms of working hours or hourly wage rates. We further find that mothers' employment penalty is strongly driven by household characteristics and by their spouses' beliefs, while their own beliefs and background play no role.

U 2014. godini, fiskalni deficit u Republici Srbiji iznosio je 6,6% bruto društvenog proizvoda (BDP) i bio je među najvišim u Evropi. Reagujući na deficit, Vlada Srbije je, krajem 2014. godine donela mere fiskalne konsolidacije koje su, između ostalog, uključivale i smanjivanje zarada u javnom sektoru u iznosu od 10% za zarade više od 25.000 dinara. Osnovni cilj ove disertacije bio je da se detaljno ispitaju efekti fiskalne konsolidacije na premiju zarada javnog sektora (razliku u zaradama između javnog i privatnog sektora kada statistički kontrolišemo efekte ostalih relevantnih varijabli), ali i efekti koje je fiskalna konsolidacija imala na ostale ishode na tržištu rada. S tim u vezi, u ovoj disertaciji detaljno su prikazani ekonometrijski metodi kojima se ocenjuje premija zarada javnog sektora, ali i metode koje možemo da koristimo da ocenimo efekte fiskalne konsolidacije na promenu premije. Korišćena je najpre Minserova jednačina zarada, u kojoj se premija zarada javnog sektora računa kao koeficijent uz veštačku promenljivu koja označava rad u javnom sektoru. Nakon toga, premija zarada javnog sektora ocenjena je uz pomoć Blajnder-Ohaka dekompozicije, u okviru koje se ukupna razlika u zaradama između sektora razdvaja na objašnjeni i neobjašnjeni deo. Objašnjeni deo se duguje različitim karakteristikama radnika u javnom i privatnom sektoru (različiti nivoi obrazovanja, radno iskustvo itd.), dok se neobjašnjeni deo duguje razlikama u uslovnim zaradama za te karakteristike na tržištu rada i kao takav predstavlja još jednu ocenu premije zarada javnog sektora. Premija zarada javnog sektora zatim je ocenjena i drugim metodama dekompozicije. Kod JMP dekompozicije, ukupna razlika u zaradama deli se na tri komponente: razliku u karakteristikama (Q), razliku u cenama (P), koja predstavlja ocenu premije zarada javnog sektora, i razliku u neopaženim karakteristikama i cenama (U), a koja se procenjuje na osnovu razlika u distribuciji reziduala dva sektora. U okviru Nopo dekompozicije, najpre se određuje deo uzorka u kojem su radnici u dva sektora uporedivi iz perspektive karakteristika na tržištu rada, a zatim se u okviru uporedivog dela uzorka razlika u zaradama deli na deo koji se duguje razlikama u karakteristikama i deo koji predstavlja premiju zarada javnog sektora. Konačno, Njuman-Ohaka dekompozicija uzima u obzir Hekmanovu ideju da radnici ne biraju (nisu izabrani u) javni ili privatni sektor na slučaj, usled čega su ocene koeficijenata u Minserovoj iv regresiji i Blajnder-Ohaka dekompoziciji pristrasne. Ocenjujući selekciju u javni sektor zajedno sa jednačinom zarada ocene koeficijenta postaju nepristrasne. In 2014, the fiscal deficit in the Republic of Serbia amounted to 6.6% of GDP and was among the highest in Europe. In response to the deficit, the Government of Serbia adopted a set of fiscal consolidation measures at the end of 2014, which included a 10% reduction of public sector wages for wages higher than 25,000 RSD. The main objective of this dissertation was to examine the effects of fiscal consolidation on the public sector wage premium (defined as the difference between public and private sector wages, when statistically controlling for the effects of other relevant variables); as well as the effects that fiscal consolidation had on other labour market outcomes. The dissertation presents econometric methods used to assess the public sector wage premium, and the effects of fiscal consolidation on the change of premium. Firstly, we used Mincer earnings equation, in which public sector wage premium is estimated as a coefficient next to the dummy variable for the public sector job. Subsequently, the public sector wage premium was estimated via Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition, in which the total difference in wages between the sectors is divided to explained and unexplained part. While the explained part is attributed to different labour market characteristics of the workers from public and private sectors (different levels of education, work experience, etc.), the unexplained part is due to different constants and returns to characteristics, and represents an estimate of the public sector wage premium. The public sector wage premium was then estimated by other decomposition methods. Within JMP decomposition, total wage difference is divided to: the difference in characteristics (Q), the difference in prices (P), which represents an estimate of the public sector wage premium, and the difference in unobserved characteristics and prices (U), estimated based on the differences in the distributions of the wage equation residuals. Nopo decomposition suggests that labour market characteristics of the workers from two sectors are not fully comparable. Therefore, after determining the comparable sample, the difference in earnings within the comparable part of the sample is divided to two parts: first – due to differences in characteristics and second which represents the public sector wage premium. Finally, the Neuman-Oaxaca decomposition takes into account Heckman's notion that workers do not choose (are not selected to) public or private sector randomly, therefore causing a bias in Mincer's regression and viii Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition estimates. Joint estimate of the selection into the public sector and of the wage equation corrects for this bias.

Although women are paid less than men, face worse working conditions, lower promotion opportunities, and work-place discrimination, they typically report job satisfaction higher or similar to men's. Twenty years ago Clark (Clark, 1997) suggested that the reason behind women's higher job satisfaction are their lower expectations, driven by a number of factors related to current and past positions of women on the labour market. Although this hypothesis is one of the leading explanations of the gender differences in the job satisfaction, cross-country research investigating the relationship between the gender inequality and gender job satisfaction gap are rare and only descriptive. In this paper we use the data from EU-SILC module on subjective well being from 2013 to analyse adjusted gender job satisfaction gaps in 32 European countries and relate them to the country differences in gender inequalities. Results provide extensive and robust evidence of a relationship between exposure to more gender equal settings in the early stages of life and smaller gender gaps in job satisfaction, once all other possible drivers are controlled for. This suggests that women who experienced higher gender equality have expectations increasingly aligned to those of their male counterparts. Our results also show that this alignment is further favoured by being employed in typically male occupations, whereas higher levels of education do not play a similar effect.

Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je konstrukcija skale koja bi procenjivala sklonost sujevernim verovanjima i ponašanju i bihejvioralna validacija skale. Oslanjajući se na tripartitni koncept stava, sujeverje smo definisali i analizirali kao stav prema konkretnom objektu sujeverja, koji podrazumeva verovanje, afektivni odnos i definisano ponašanje u odnosu na objekat. U prvoj fazi istraživanja, na osnovu analize sadržaja internet foruma, web stranica i neformalne komunikacije, prikupljen je uzorak sujevernih verovanja. Uključena su kako negativna sujeverna verovanja (određeni objekat ili događaj izaziva negativne posledice, 'donosi nesreću'), tako i pozitivna sujeverna verovanja (određeni objekat izaziva pozitivne posledice, 'donosi sreću'), kako bi se proverila pretpostavka da ona mogu biti relativno nezavisna. Početna lista skraćena je na 44 opisa, na osnovu prosečne poznatosti (zadržana su samo visoko poznata verovanja). Preliminarnu verziju instrumenta popunilo je 266 studenata Beogradskog univerziteta. Faktorska analiza rezultata otkrila je prisustvo jednog glavnog faktora, i tri visoko korelirana subfaktora ('Negativne posledice', 'Pozitivne posledice' i 'Predviđanje budućnosti'), u skladu sa početnim teorijskim modelom. Instrument je pokazao zadovoljavajuću pouzdanost (.94 u dužoj verziji, a .87 u skraćenoj verziji). U poslednjoj fazi istraživanja, validirali smo instrument preko bihejvioralnih varijabli. Na odvojenom uzorku ispitanika primenili smo konačnu verziju skale sujeverja a zatim smo kreirali situacije u kojima su imali prilike da demonstriraju sujeverno ponašanje (da prođu ispod merdevina u jednom slučaju, odnosno da proslede 'lančani' e-mail koji navodno donosi sreću, u drugom slučaju). Grupa ispitanika koja je ispoljila barem jedno sujeverno ponašanje značajno se razlikovala u ukupnom skoru na skali sujeverja od grupe koja nije ispoljila nijedno. The main goal of this study was to create an instrument for assessing tendency towards superstition-related beliefs and behavior and validate it in real life situations. Superstition was considered and analyzed as an attitude toward specific objects of the superstition. In the first part of the study, a sample of superstitious beliefs and behaviors was collected, after which the former list was reduced to 44 descriptions, based on the average familiarity. A preliminary version of the instrument was administered to 266 participants. The factor analysis suggested a presence of one main factor and three highly correlated sub-factors. In the last part of the study, in order to validate the instrument through behavioral variables, the final version of the instrument was administered to a different sample and subjects were put in two situations that challenged their potential superstitious behavior (passing below or going around a ladder in a computer laboratory; forward a chain e-mail for good luck). Group of participants that exhibited at least one superstitious behavior and the group of participants that did not, differed significantly in the average superstition score.

Предмет истраживања докторске дисертације представља теоријска и емпиријска анализа ефеката субвенција на пословање малих и средњих предузећа у агро-прехрамбеном систему, а са посебним освртом на Републику Србију у периоду од 2013. до 2018. године. Основни циљ истраживања јесте идентификација детерминанти које одређују смер, интензитет и каузалност процењених ефеката субвенција. Емпиријско истраживање се заснива на коришћењу квантитативних метода погодних за естимацију ефеката субвенција у агро-прехрамбеном систему. Примени квантитативних метода претходила је систематизација литературе и резултата као оквира и полазне основе за постављање истраживачких хипотеза. Осим литературе из одговарајућег научног опуса, докторска дисертација садржи систематизован преглед законодавног, стратешког и финансијског оквира пословања малих и средњих предузећа у агро-прехрамбеном систему. Свеобухватан приступ научној литератури и регулативи има изузетан допринос у осмишљавању економетријског модела за процену ефеката субвенција, кроз одабир детерминанти које утичу на висину финансијског резултата посматраних предузећа. Оцена естиматора регресије панел анализом спроведена је на узорку од 1,130 јединица посматрања - малих и средњих предузећа регистрованих у делатностима од 01.1 до 01.7 и 10.1 до 10.9. Резултати истраживања указују да субвенције имају значајну улогу у пословању малих и средњих предузећа у агро-прехрамбеном систему. Оцена естиматора регресије уз варијаблу субвенције има позитиван и статистички значајан утицај, те раст субвенција од 10% доводи до раста нето профита предузећа за 0,6%, односно 0,8%. Ефекат субвенција задржава знак и статистичку значајност уколико се делатности агро-прехрамбеног система посматрају одвојено. Величина предузећа не мења ефекат субвенција. The subject of the dissertation is a theoretical and empirical analysis of the subsidies effects on the development of small and medium enterprises in the agro-food system in the Republic of Serbia, during the period from 2013 to 2018. The main goal of the research is to identify the determinants of the direction, intensity and causality of the estimated subsidies effects. Empirical research is based on the quantitative methods suitable for estimating the effects of subsidies in the agro-food system. The implementation of quantitative methods was preceded by the literature review and systematizing main results in the field, as a framework to define research hypotheses. In addition to the literature, the doctoral dissertation contains a systematic overview of the legislative, strategic and financial framework of small and medium enterprises in the agri-food system. A comprehensive approach to the scientific literature and regulations has made an outstanding contribution to the design of an econometric model. An econometric model is used to assess the effects of subsidies, through the selection of determinants that affect the financial performance of the selected companies. The evaluation of the regression estimator by panel analysis was performed on a sample of 1,130 observation units - small and medium enterprises registered in agricultural activities, according to the classification. The results of the research indicate that subsidies play a significant role in the business of small and medium enterprises in the agri-food system. The subsidies have a positive and statistically significant impact on profit, an increase in subsidies by 10% leads to an increase in the company's net profit by 0.6% and 0.8%, respectively. If the activities of the agro-food system are viewed separately, the effect of subsidies retains its sign and statistical significance. The size of the company does not change the effect of subsidies.