Predrag Trpeski

This paper analyses the role of institutional quality in determining the economic growth in the OECD countries from 1995 to 2021 concerning the institutional economics framework developed by North (1990) and further advanced by Rodrik (2000) and Acemoglu et al. (2005). Institutions are viewed as the formal and informal structures that regulate economic, political and social activities and are considered the key to influencing economic performance through the minimisation of transaction costs, encouragement of innovation and human capital development. The theoretical framework assumes that inclusive institutions foster sustained economic growth while extractive institutions stifle development by consolidating power and assets. This paper hypothesises that institutional quality positively influences economic growth in OECD countries. Using panel regression models and Employing the Fraser Institute’s Economic Freedom Index and the Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom as measures of institutional quality, it examines how government size, property rights, regulation, and trade freedom affect growth. The findings reveal that institutional quality has a positive but varying impact on economic growth. In particular, small government, low taxes, and good monetary policy are positively related to higher growth rates. However, factors such as property rights and trade freedom have either weak or negative coefficients of correlation with growth. The results suggest that fiscal prudency and sound money supply policies are conducive to growth, but other institutional factors are not as straightforward in their influence on growth. This study is useful for policymakers who wish to improve economic growth through institutional change.

Labor markets worldwide are increasingly strained by skill shortages, mismatches, and migration pressures, disrupting workforce stability and economic growth. This study conducts a comparative sectoral analysis in North Macedonia, Türkiye, Ethiopia, and Ukraine, focusing on the manufacturing, information and communication technology, and hospitality sectors, to examine the root causes and economic consequences of these challenges. Using a qualitatively driven mixed-methods approach, the research integrates expert interviews, surveys, and labor market data to assess skill gaps, workforce imbalances, and the role of migration. The findings reveal education–industry misalignment, inadequate vocational training, and low wages as persistent drivers of shortages. Additionally, the war in Ukraine, internal conflicts in Ethiopia, and refugee inflows in Türkiye amplify workforce instability, while North Macedonia faces severe emigration, particularly in the sectors of manufacturing and information and communication technologies. These insights are essential for policymakers, industry leaders, and educators in designing labor market interventions that foster workforce resilience. The study recommends national qualification reforms, industry–education collaboration, and improved wage structures to mitigate talent loss and strengthen labor market sustainability. By offering empirical evidence from diverse socio-economic contexts, this research contributes to global discussions on workforce development, migration economics, and labor policy reforms.

Purpose: This paper gives a systematic literature review of the research field of institutions and economic growth. The goal of the paper is to provide information on predominant trends in publishing studies, prevailing sentiments on the role of institutions, and emerging themes in the field, to identify gaps in the existingliterature and possible avenues for further research.Methodology: The study systematically reviews papers on institutions and economic growth from the Scopus database following the PRISMA protocol. The research uses descriptive analysis (annual distribution of articles, frequently referenced papers, central and emerging topics), sentiment analysis, and keyword co-occurrence network analysis.Results: A total number of 78 papers published between 2006 and 2023 were analysed. The results suggest a growing interest in the subject, encompassing topics such as governance, human capital, trade openness, and the resource curse. Sentiment analysis suggests that most of the literature is optimistic about the impactof institutions on fostering economic growth. Keyword analysis indicates that institutions, governance, and economic growth remain key areas of interest, with increasing emphasis on region-specific research and empirical approaches.Conclusion: The prevailing research indicates that quality institutions play a crucial role in economic growth, enhancing the impact of other factors like financial development, trade openness, and human capital.The review underscores the pivotal role of institutions in sustaining long-term economic progress and suggests further exploration of less researched areas, such as regional development and entrepreneurship, and the utilisation of additional scientific databases to deepen our comprehension of institutional dynamics.

This paper discusses the functional distribution of income, as a consequence of decoupling phenomenon between workers’ compensation and labor productivity. This issue has been observed since the mid- 1970s in most developed economies, resulting in a trend of decreasing labor income in national income or GDP. Despite conventional economic theory predicting a proportional increase in workers’ income with increases in labor productivity, empirical results suggest that this relationship is not being realized. The study analyzes the distribution of labor income and capital income in relation to GDP in European countries, in order to gain insight into the conditions and trends of labor income and to evaluate the functional distribution of income at the level of an individual country. The paper provides a detailed analysis of labor share on the example of all countries in Europe and compares countries to determine the direction and degree of trend of the labor share. The results highlight the need for further research on this topic and provide insight into the factors contributing to the decoupling of productivity from workers’ compensation.

As most empirical evidence indicates, health has a positive impact on economic well-being and contributes to solving fundamental economic problems, this paper aims to analyze the relationship between health expenditures, as an indicator of human capital, and economic growth. In the process of globalization, human capital is a critical factor for an economy based on knowledge. Therefore, applying the Lucas model, the study aims to present the role and analyze the impact of human capital on economic growth in North Macedonia from 2000 to 2019, using econometric analysis of health expenditures time series that are widely accepted in theory and empirical research. In this regard, regression analysis (OLS method) is performed, followed by an examination of the stationarity of the series, as well as an examination of the necessary conditions for selecting the best model from the available alternatives. The results show a positive relationship between health expenditures and economic growth in North Macedonia, while this analysis contributes to the broader literature on the importance of human capital for economic growth in North Macedonia. Moreover, the results show that by adding an additional unit of human capital, the returns on investments in physical capital will be higher. The paper emphasizes the importance of human capital accumulation in North Macedonia, showing that health (measured by health expenditures) is an important factor in understanding the role of human capital in the process of economic growth.

Financial analysis plays a major role in investing the disposable income of various economic agents. Stock markets are predominantly made up of small investors with limited information and low capabilities for a suitable analysis. Researchers, as well as practitioners, are divided over the findings on the adequacy of technical analysis in investing. This paper examines the Markov chain process in the stock market to discover the essential links and probabilities for the stocks transition through three states of stagnation, growth, and decline (i.e., stagnant, bull, and bear markets). The subject of analysis is a randomly selected portfolio of 20 shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange. The data suggest that the portfolio relatively quickly, in four trading days, achieves equilibrium probabilities that allow a certain amount of predictability of future movements. At the same time, when analyzing the expected time intervals for the first transition, we found that the portfolio returns to a state of growth much faster than a decline. In addition, the results negate the basic habits of frequent trading, herding, and taking a short position in events of negative price fluctuations. Our research contributes towards observing regularities and stock market efficiency with a clear goal of improving expectations and technical analysis for small individual investors.

European higher education institutions (HEIs) in the last two decades have faced a number of challenges: reduced public funding, increased competition from foreign and private universities, constant pressures and demands for their greater quality, and constant changes of education laws and legal regulations. The only way for fast adjustment of HEIs to the new competitive conditions is to explore all possibilities for effective implementation of some of the most popular management concepts such as Balanced Scorecard (BSC) system. Although the application of the BSC in the business sector is well documented, limited research has been reported regarding the application of the BSC in the education sector. For this purpose, relied on the existing literature, reported results and experiences from its implementation in business, firstly, we propose a suitable process for building a BSC system for HEI, and then we design a specific Strategy map and BSC system applicable for the Faculty of Economics-Skopje, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, easily adaptable for implementation in other HEIs.