Presentation of research results regarding the impact of digital transformation on the Western Balkans

As a special guest speaker and on behalf of the research team of the Institute of Economics, Zagreb, the Director of the Institute of Economics, Zagreb, Maruška Vizek, PhD will present the results of a research conducted in cooperation with dr. Florian Bieber, the Director of the Centre for Southeast European Studies at the University of Graz, Austria at the first Western Balkans Digital Summit, which will be held from April 18–19, 2018 in Skopje.

Research titled The Impact of Digital Transformation on the Western Balkans: Tackling the Challenges towards Political Stability and Economic Prosperity aims to analyze the current state of digital transformation in Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Kosovo, and Albania and assess the social, political, and economic impacts an accelerated digital transformation has on these countries. The analysis of the economic impacts of digital transformation encompassed its effectiveness in relation to economic growth, employment, productivity, and regional economic cooperation. Research also highlights an estimate of the multiplicative effects of investment into digital infrastructure for each of the region’s country.   

In the foreword of the study, Ms. Mariya Gabriel, European Commission's Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society emphasized the importance and timeliness of the research and the changes that the digital transformation will bring to the countries of the Western Balkans―a transformation of their economies into state of the art, modern, digital societies.

You can access the research and the policy paper in the attached documents. 

Members of the research team of the Institute of Economics, Zagreb―Tajana Barbić, PhD; Tanja Broz, PhD; Goran Buturac, PhD; Davor Mikulić, PhD; Marina Tkalec, PhD; Iva Tomić, PhD were also joined by the Associate Professor Nebojša Stojčić, PhD as an affiliate member from the University of Dubrovnik.

More information about the summit can be found here. The event can also be followed via Facebook here.