02203cas a2200265 a 4500 AALejournalIMF017548 230101c9999 xx r poo 0 0eng d 5.00 USD 9781475590616 1018-5941 BD-DhAAL BD-DhAAL Funke, Norbert. Identifying Structural Reform Gaps in Emerging Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia / Norbert Funke, Asel Isakova, Maksym Ivanyna. Washington, D.C. : International Monetary Fund, 2017. 1 online resource (43 pages) IMF Working Papers <strong>Off-Campus Access:</strong> No User ID or Password Required <strong>On-Campus Access:</strong> No User ID or Password Required Electronic access restricted to authorized BRAC University faculty, staff and students Using data from the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report as an example, this paper compares structural indicators for 25 countries in Emerging Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia with a generic country with similar charactersitics that is 40 percent richer as well as a country with the average EU income. This comparison suggests that improvements will be particularly crucial in the areas of institutions, financial market development, infrastructure, goods and labor market efficiency and areas related to innovation. For the generally more ambitious goal of reaching average EU income, the reform needs are correspondingly larger. The methodology focuses on (approximate) comparisons between countries and does not try to establish the link between structural reforms and growth. While we test for changes in empirical specifications, caveats relate to the quality of structural indicators, possible non-linearities, and reform complementarities. The approach can be applied to other indicators and at a more granular level. Mode of access: Internet Isakova, Asel. Ivanyna, Maksym. IMF Working Papers; Working Paper ; No. 2017/082 Full text available on IMF http://elibrary.imf.org/view/journals/001/2017/082/001.2017.issue-082-en.xml IMF e-Library