Despite their historic and ethnic ties, trade and investment between Albania and Kosovo remains underdeveloped. To be sure, even if fully developed, Kosovo is unlikely to play a major role in Albanian external economic relations. Nonetheless, increased economic integration between the two countries can serve as the basis not only for enhancing the ties between the two countries, but also for spurring the measures that could act as a springboard for Albania’s integration with respect to other countries in the Balkans as well as with the EU.
The World Economic Forum in Davos last week gave me the opportunity to reflect on Latin America, its predicament and the lessons we should extract from the region's recent experience. I was asked to moderate a panel of Ministers from the region. Argentina was represented by my friend, colleague and co-author Federico Sturzenegger, the recently appointed President of the Central Bank. Brazil was represented by the newly appointed Minister of Finance Nelson Barbosa. Chile, Colombia and Peru were represented by my old friends and ministers of finance Rodrigo Valdés, Mauricio Cárdenas and Alonso Segura.... Read more about Davos16: Latin American countries hit by low commodity prices but their performance is diverging
I appeared on VizionPlus TV earlier this week and discussed Albania's economic reforms in 2015 and the forecast for 2016, along with investments, and regional cooperation.
The U.S. is home to more than 200,000 ethnic Albanians, about half of whom are emigrants from the Republic of Albania. Despite the significant Albanian population in the U.S., official trade of Albanian goods in the U.S. almost does not exist.
We surveyed about 200 Albanian-Americans and several stores offering goods imported from the Balkan region of Europe in three U.S. metropolitan areas with large Albanian population in order to study their purchasing habits. We found that the willingness to purchase products from the region of...
In an attempt to recuperate its dysfunctional electricity distribution system, Albania privatized its sole electricity distribution company in 2009. Disappointed with the results of the privatization, just four years later, the State of Albania renationalized the company.
The case study “Revitalizing the Albanian Electricity Sector” analyzes the key sources of inefficiencies in the electricity distribution sector in Albania and the structural problems of the current state-owned company. It explains how the tariff setting and the failed...
The Center for International Development’s thirteen master’s level interns (Team Albania 2015) are returning to Cambridge this week to start the final year of their studies. In Tirana, they have left behind not only their reports and recommendations but living projects that are now tangible instruments for Albania’s economic transition. They take with them fond memories, lessons both large and small, and experiences in governance that will soon become learning tools for the larger community at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
Albania is blessed with a long marine coast and abundant inland waters including rivers, lakes, agricultural reservoirs and coastal lagoons. But in spite of the abundance of its water resources, Albania is a net importer of fish. The Ministry of Agriculture, Rural...
Albania has a two-headed eagle on its flag to symbolize a country that looks both towards the West and the East. However, since the end of the Second World War, Albania has been curled up and unable to open up to a dynamic Europe. During the Cold War it was the most reclusive country in Europe, finding an ally only in the distant People’s Republic of China, and even after the fall of communism, Albania remained an anomaly among its Balkan neighbors who were painfully taking back their place at the heart of Europe. Why would a country just...
Since 2001, a growing number of developing countries have established ministries, government departments or other official institutions dedicated to their diasporas. Albania, which has a Diaspora Unit within its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is among this group. This shift worldwide is consistent with the recognition that diasporas can contribute greatly to both economic and social development...
This year, Albania’s Parliament approved an ambitious new electricity law. With it, the country is trying to complete the unbundling of its electricity generation, transmission and retail; move toward a non-discriminatory competitive market; and integrate more fully with the rest of Europe, both in energy markets and energy priorities. If that sounds complicated and technical, that’s because it is.
Upon the foundation of the law, the Ministry of Energy and Industry is now working to develop specific procedures and regulations...
