Eva Kagan

Supervisors: Dr Raphael Espinoza and Dr Allan Sikk

Present status: PhD candidate, Post-graduate Teaching Assistant
Modules taught: The Emerging Market Economies of Eastern Europe and Russia (Term 1 and 2)

Working title of thesis: The determinants of public debt accumulation: An empirical analysis of the political economy effects on public debt in Central and Eastern Europe

Research: In theory governments are expected to respond to high levels of debt and slow economic growth by tightening fiscal policy. However, in some domestic and international government settings, political influences make it difficult for policy makers to agree on legislation aimed at adjusting changes in public debt. My research attempts to explain cross-country differences in public debt accumulation by adopting a framework of political fragmentation, drawing on political economy models from both common pool and veto-players perspectives.

My thesis employs a nested analysis approach with both quantitative and qualitative research methods to investigate the primary budget balance, its linkage to policy development, and the role of various actors in the fiscal policy decision-making process including civil society and the international community in Central and Eastern Europe.

Research interests: Political economy, public debt, macroeconomic policies, fiscal policies, political competition, veto players, financial crisis, emerging markets.