Barbara Fajdetić

Kao jedan od glavnih problema u postizanju održivoga ekonomskog rasta ističe se degradacija okoliša. Globalizacija, brz rast i razvoj gospodarstava te velika ovisnost o fosilnim gorivima predstavljaju velike izazove, posebice za male otvorene ekonomije poput Hrvatske. Cilj ovoga istraživanja jest analizirati kratkoročne i dugoročne učinke ulaganja u istraživanje i razvoj (R&D) u području zaštite okoliša, kao i utjecaj učinkovitosti vlade te ekoloških poreza na kretanje bruto domaćeg proizvoda (BDP). Empirijska analiza provedena je primjenom autoregresijskog modela s distribuiranim pomakom (ARDL) za Republiku Hrvatsku u razdoblju od 2000. do 2023. godine. Rezultati pokazuju da porezi na okoliš imaju stabilan, pozitivan i statistički značajan utjecaj na razinu BDP-a u dugom i kratkom roku. Nakon uvođenja dummy varijable za godinu pristupanja EU-u, dugoročni učinak ulaganja u R&D u području zaštite okoliša gubi statističku značajnost. Provedena analiza ističe važnost uvođenja kontrolnih varijabli radi razdvajanja specifičnih učinaka okolišnih politika od širih makroekonomskih trendova.

The adoption of the Paris Agreement and the EU Green Deal has put the European Union on the path to a low-carbon, sustainable economy. As one of the key points to achieve sustainable economic growth, the low-carbon transition requires the use of renewable energy sources and the increase of energy efficiency. The aim of this study is therefore to analyse the impact of a higher share of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency on economic growth. The panel data analysis was conducted for 27 EU Member States in the period 2009-2021. The results show a statistically significant and positive relationship between renewable energy sources and energy efficiency and economic growth. This means that sustainable development can only be achieved by taking into account the environmental component, which attracts investment and boosts economic growth.

Throughout history, women have struggled to find their place in the labour market. Their participation in the labour market is usually characterised by worse working conditions; they tend to work in lower-paid jobs, under worse social conditions, and in the vast majority of cases their work in the household is not credited. Women make up half of the world’s population, and their non-participation in the labour force has negative consequences for economic growth. Therefore, this paper examines the impact of women’s participation in the labour market on living standard in the European Union. Data on women’s participation in entrepreneurship and politics were also analysed as part of this work. Panel data analysis was conducted for the period 2009–2022 for 27 members of the European Union, using fixed and random effects. The results show that long-term unemployment has a negative impact on GDP per capita. Moreover, a higher share of women in parliament and better education of women is confirmed to be crucial for GDP per capita growth. Failure to include women could have serious consequences for economic growth. The key to success is education and social change that enable women to play the same role as men in the labour market.

The issue of globalisation-induced greenhouse gas emissions is an ongoing topic and a major challenge to the EU climate goals of achieving non-zero emissions by 2050. In the light of this ongoing debate on the globalisation–environment nexus, the paper examines the impact of economic globalisation on climate in EU countries over the period 2000–2019 and provide some new empirical evidence. After applying the panel cointegration analysis and the Granger causality test, the dynamic panel analysis is performed for 26 EU countries using the Arellano–Bond estimator. For the policy perspective, the analysed sample of countries is grouped into two subpanels according to their level of development—EU countries with above-average and below-average GDP per capita. After testing the effects of different dimensions of economic globalisation and environmental taxes on GHG emissions, the results revealed the following: (1) Trade globalisation is detrimental to the climate, as trade openness significantly increases emissions in both country groups. Financial globalisation has a weaker impact and increases emissions only in below-average countries, suggesting that FDI inflows could be important for the transfer of green technologies when a country reaches higher development level. (2) Passenger transport reduces GHG emissions in both groups of countries, while FDI are beneficiary for the climate in above-average countries. (3) Environmental taxes as a proxy for environmental policy show statistically significant results, but with different outcomes in the two groups; they have a negative impact on emissions in countries that are below the GDP p/c average, indicating the shortcomings of the tax system in addressing climate change. (4) The total energy consumption increases emissions in both country groups and, thus, harms the climate. Therefore, despite the current unfavourable circumstances, EU countries should continue to expand the green economy, increase energy consumption from renewables, and develop low-carbon technologies that do not depend on imported fossil fuels.

Purpose: Migrations are a complex economic variable that is highly influenced by conditions such as social, societal, economic, political, environmental, and the like. The preferences of the population vary and in accordance with their own needs, the population decides to migrate. Many economies of the world are facing the problem of out-migration of the young population. Moreover, the elderly population is increasing as a percentage of the total population. The aim of this research is to show the gender and age structure of the population, the state of migration and the impact on the economic growth in the Republic of Croatia. Methodology: Data on the population structure and migration in the Republic of Croatia are analyzed for the period 2004-2019. Results: The research conducted suggests that the population of the Republic of Croatia is facing a large outflow of young people and a decline in the birth rate. Conclusion: In the Republic of Croatia, the age structure of the population follows global trends, which means that there is a larger proportion of the elderly population. Such changes have serious consequences for sustainable economic growth for any country, including the Republic of Croatia.

The European Union (EU) has adopted a new development strategy based on “green” growth and announced carbon neutrality by 2050. Still, the EU’s previous development path was mainly based on trade openness and globalization, with positive economic and negative climate impacts. The aim of this paper was to test the hypothesis of globalization-induced carbon emissions in order to evaluate a possible future development path. The Arellano–Bond estimator was employed for dynamic panel analysis in 26 EU countries over the period 2000–2018. A significant and positive relationship was found between economic globalization and passenger mobility and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, while environmental taxes can correct the negative climate effect. On the other hand, social and political dimensions of globalization reduce negative climate impacts. To achieve net zero emissions, the EU needs to continue its global climate leadership, extend the use of environmental taxes, and stimulate economic growth based on low-carbon technologies such as hydrogen, energy storage, and CCUS.