Finance think

The perfect storm: Food and energy insecurities threaten the economies of the Western Balkan

Implementing organizations:

  • FINANCE THINK- Economic Research and Policy Institute, Lead applicant, North Macedonia
  • Center for Advanced Economic Studies-CEVES, Partner, Serbia
  • GAP Institute, Partner, Kosovo
  • Albanian Center for Competitiveness and International Trade – ACIT, Partner, Albania
  • Centre for Development Evaluation and Social Science Research – CREDI, Partner, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Institute for Strategic Studies and Prognoses – ISSP, Partner, Montenegro

Summary of the project

The main goal of the project is to generate evidence and foster a policy dialogue for the food and energy insecurities in the Western Balkan economies pertinent to four key fronts: household livelihoods, firms’ competitiveness, fiscal space and the regional integration. The specific objectives include:

-To employ and empower the WEBecon network with respect to the national and regional policymaking processes on food- and energy-related policies, by generating evidence on the effects of the crisis on the WB economies and on the regional integration,

-To enhance the policy dialogue and cooperation on energy and food supply security, by creating space for wide stakeholders’ consultations and networking at the regional level,

-To increase the public awareness for the importance, consequences of and solutions to the food and energy crisis, including through regional approaches.

Estimated outputs of the project are:

  • Generated evidence-based recommendations and roadmaps for food & energy-related policies: 6 policy studies and published joint book focused on key impacts of the crisis at the regional level and/or with regional comparisons; 6 roadmaps at national level and one at regional level
  • Enhanced policy dialogue and cooperation at regional level through: organized 6 policy dialogue debates at national level; two policy dialogue debates at regional level (one on food and one on energy insecurities), one policy forum at regional level, one strategic meeting of the WEBecon network;
  • Sensed public discourse and intensified pressure on national authorities and their regional creations in WB-6 to improve efficiency and effectiveness of food and energy policy design, through producing 25 visual tools (infographs, GIFs, videos), 6 podcasts with and for targeted stakeholders; 6 journalistic stories.

Beneficiaries

Policymakers, media, experts, researchers, the wider business sector, vulnerable households and society, CSOs, WEBecon Network and national institutions responsible for economic, agricultural and energy-related measures.

Main activities

  • Generating knowledge and evidence-based recommendations on food & energy-related policies at national and regional levels addresses purpose, specific activities comprise a set of analytical activities at regional level;
  • Establishing policy dialogue mechanism and expanding regional cooperation addresses, specific activities include policy dialogue building by bringing together knowledge and expertise from the stakeholders as CSOs, policymakers, business sector, thereby seeking to increase efficiency and effectiveness of food & energy-related policies;
  • Reinforcing advocacy (impact, influence) and public awareness addresses, Specific activities include a set of advocacy and awareness-raising interventions in steering changes in food and energy-related trends and policies, and sparking public debate among CSOs, national authorities and policymakers and the other relevant stakeholders.