Research directions – Eurasian Development Bank

In its analytical activities, the EDB Centre for Integration Studies specializes in applied quantitative research on a broad range of issues, including macroeconomic modelling in the EAEU context, currency and monetary issues, mutual investments, mutual trade, regional organisations and their activities, development of cross-border infrastructure, labour migration trends, and public perceptions of integration.

Research is organised and implemented, and analytical reports based on the findings are published, within the framework of the following research directions of the EDB Centre for Integration Studies:

The EDB Centre for Integration Studies is involved in the implementation of projects to analyze tools to deepen EAEU integration and the effects of those tools. This is the largest component of the Centre’s analytic work completed to date.

The deepening and widening of integration processes in the EAEU can be economically beneficial for its member states (reduction of transaction costs, intensification of mutual investments and mutual trade, growth of GDP and household income). There is also a potential for enhancement of advantages to the EAEU countries from more intensive interaction in their mutual economic relations. However, despite those prospects, the launch of many integration projects, such as transition to deeper coordination of macroeconomic policies, concurrently entails massive costs and may give rise to additional risk exposure. In its analytical publications, the EDB Centre for Integration Studies seeks to thoroughly scrutinize those factors and draw conclusions regarding the relative optimality of certain policy measures that may be taken by the EAEU under different integration and socio-economic development scenarios. To assure effective implementation of such analytical projects, the Centre has developed a proprietary quantitative research base.

Year

Reports

  • Uzbekistan and the EAEU: Prospects and Potential Impact of Economic Integration
    The report estimates the potential effects of Uzbekistan’s integration with the EAEU and outlines promising areas for cooperation between the current Union member states and Uzbekistan 09 July 2021
  • Eurasian Economic Integration – 2019
    The report presents the insights into evolution of Eurasian economic integration as at the end of 2018. It offers information on essential features of trade and economic interactions among the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member states and between the EAEU and third countries, and on the most significant aspects of integration processes both within the EAEU and across the world 12 August 2019
  • National Currencies in Mutual Payments within the EAEU: Barriers and Prospects

    The aim of this research project is to identify regulatory, institutional, economic, and other restrictions impeding the use of EAEU national currencies in settlements. Based on a high-level survey and a comprehensive analysis of its findings, the authors have developed recommendations on ways to strengthen the role of EAEU national currencies in mutual settlements. 

    09 January 2018
  • Eurasian Economic Union

    The monograph serves as a full-fledged introduction to the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) — its institutions, legal foundation, evolution, and, above all, economic integration issues. The authors focus on the common markets for goods, services, capital, and labour, as well as the EAEU foreign economic policies.

    17 October 2017
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This long-standing research project is dedicated to monitoring of mutual direct investments in the CIS and Eurasia. The project is being implemented by the EDB Centre for Integration Studies in partnership with the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences since the end of 2011.

The analysis is built on the two databases (one for the CIS, the other for certain Eurasian countries) which have been maintained on the basis of diverse data obtained from publicly available sources. The database is generated “from the bottom up”, as its creators rely on corporate statements and other primary information. As a result, the project makes it possible to take into consideration such factors as investments made through offshore structures and other “trans-shipping destinations”, and reinvested foreign profits.

The project contains detailed information on the scope, dynamics, geographical and sectoral structure of mutual investments in the CIS and a number of Eurasian countries. Special effort was made to thoroughly analyze investment activities of companies representing EAEU member states.

Year
Investments in the CIS
Investments in Eurasia

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Reports

  • EDB Monitoring of Mutual Investments
    The Eurasian Development Bank has relaunched its flagship analytical project to monitor mutual direct investments by twelve states (CIS countries and Georgia). The project is based on a bottom-up database of mutual direct investments, its main sources being company reports and other primary information. The project makes it possible to account for investments made through offshore structures and other “trans-shipping destinations”. In this respect, the project’s database differs from official central bank statistics 18 November 2021
  • EAEU and Eurasia: Monitoring and Analysis of Direct Investments 2017

    According to the new findings of the ongoing research project, Asian investors continue to increase direct investments in the EAEU. During the monitoring period (2008–2016), FDI stock originating from 12 Asian countries (China, Japan, Turkey, India, Israel, Mongolia, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iran, Singapore, and Vietnam) has increased from $32 billion in 2008 to $75.6 billion in the beginning of 2017.

    21 December 2017
  • Monitoring of Mutual Investments in CIS Countries 2017
    According to the eighth report of a years-long research project, after three years of decline (2013-2015), mutual FDI of the EAEU member states grew by 15.9% reaching US $26.8 billion, mutual CIS and Georgia FDI stock increased by 7.9% to $45.1 billion. 10 October 2017
  • EAEU and Eurasia: Monitoring and Analysis of Direct Investments 2016

    The report presents new results of the permanent research project dedicated to monitoring of direct investments in Eurasia. It focuses on investments made by Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, and Ukraine in all countries of Eurasia outside the CIS and Georgia as well as reciprocal direct investments made by Austria, the Netherlands, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, India, Singapore, Vietnam, China, the Republic of Korea, and Japan in the eight CIS countries listed above.

    27 December 2016
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The project of the EDB Centre for Integration Studies “EDB Integration Barometer” has a long-term status and presents the results of a comprehensive research study of public attitudes towards integration in the CIS region. It is based on yearly monitoring surveys of public opinion in 12 states of the CIS region on a diverse range of issues, such as multilateral economic cooperation, interstate political relations, social and business contacts and cultural interactions. One of the key goals of this project is studying of the social support for the Customs Union and the Single Economic Space (the future Eurasian Economic Union), identified not only in the three member-countries, but also throughout the region, which have common border with the CU and the SES and which do not have it. The research presents a detailed picture of public attitudes, including the dynamics, common indices, fundamental regularities and forecasts of future developments in integration processes, as well as public evaluation of the degree of integration between the countries of the CIS region.

Year

Reports

  • EDB Integration Business Barometer
    The EDB has published survey results as part of the EDB Integration Business Barometer project. Most companies feel positive about Eurasian integration. The most welcome measures adopted in the EAEU are digital transformation, in particular, the one window system 25 January 2022
  • EDB Integration Barometer – 2017

    The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU, Union) continues to enjoy significant trust and support from between 50% and 83% of the population of its five member states, as well as Tajikistan (69%). At the same time, positive attitudes towards Eurasian integration have been declining gradually, both in the EAEU countries and beyond. 

    13 December 2017
  • EDB Integration Barometer - 2016

    The report presents the results of the EDB Centre for Integration Studies’ ongoing research project “EDB Integration Barometer”. In 2016, 8,500 people from 7 CIS countries (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, and Tajikistan) answered about 20 questions concerning the Eurasian integration and various facets of economic, political, and sociocultural cooperation in the CIS region. The research has been conducted by the EDB Centre for Integration Studies since 2012 annually in partnership with an international research agency “Eurasian Monitor”.

    26 October 2016
  • EDB Integration Barometer - 2015

    The fourth wave of public opinion surveys on integration preferences in the CIS countries suggests that the "integration core" of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) continues to consolidate. In Kazakhstan, Russia and the Kyrgyz Republic 78-86% of the population support the Eurasian integration. At the same time, in Belarus and Armenia the rate of approval of Eurasian integration reduced in the recent year. These are the findings of The EDB Integration Barometer, a yearly research conducted by Eurasian Development Bank's (EDB) Centre for Integration Studies. In 2015, over 11,000 people from nine CIS region countries - Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, and Ukraine - took part in the poll. The research has been conducted by the EDB Centre for Integration Studies since 2012 annually in partnership with “Eurasian Monitor”, an international research agency.

    16 October 2015
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The purpose of this ongoing project of the EDB Centre for Integration Studies is systemic review of regional integration organizations throughout the world to enable subsequent practical application of international best practices to Eurasian integration. The core of the project is the periodically updated database of regional economic organizations and treaties (Regional Integration Database, RID).

Regional Integration Database (RID)

RID is a publicly available, open-access resource. The most up-to-date version of the database can be found at: Regional Integration Database (RID). The EDB Centre for Integration Studies invites the experts to extensively use the database when conducting qualitative and quantitative research. The proper attribution to RID must be given by including a link to this source.
We welcome any feedback on Regional Integration Database (RID).

Year

Reports

  • Regional Organizations: Typology and Development Paths

    The report presents the results of the EDB Centre for Integration Studies’ ongoing project “Regional Integration in the World.” One of the aims of this project is comprehensive analysis of regional integration organizations in the world and later application of the findings in facilitating the processes of Eurasian integration. 18 August 2016

  • Regional Integration Database: Analytical Report

    The EDB Centre for Integration Studies has completed the work on its first analytical report based on Regional Integration Database (RID). The author of the report conducted the structural analysis comparing the EAEU with other regional organizations (ROs). The application of RID enabled to provide a comprehensive profile of the advantages and disadvantages of different integration models, the elements of which can be effectively used in the context of the EAEU development.

    13 November 2015
  • Regional Integration Database

    The Regional Integration Database is an applied research project implemented by Eurasian Development Bank’s (EDB) Centre for Integration Studies. The objectives associated with the establishment and advancement of the Eurasian Economic Union require that both positive and negative global experience in regional integration should be taken into account. To this end the Centre for Integration Studies makes this regularly updated database on regional integration agreements and organisations (RIAs) available to the public.

    17 November 2014
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This bloc includes reviews of economic cooperation with the EU and Asian countries.

EDB promotes normalization and evolution of relations between the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union through its involvement in the long-term international project Challenges and Opportunities of Economic Integration within a Wider European and Eurasian Space. EDB has been implementing the project since 2014 together with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA, Austria) in cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Commission. The purpose of the project is to develop recommendations on bilateral rapprochement, and design the agenda for future negotiations between the two unions. The IIASA-based independent discussion and analysis platform is currently the only forum regularly attended by both the European Commission and the Eurasian Economic Commission representatives.

Starting with 2016, the Centre’s priorities list has been complemented with the expanding economic cooperation with the Asian countries. The central issue is the applied analysis of junction points between the EAEU and the Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB), including investment flows, trade flows, and development of transport corridors. The analysis prepared by the EDB Centre for Integration Studies seeks to shape an optimal behavior model both for the EAEU as a whole, and for its member states, as well as for the Bank itself. In addition to that, the Centre focuses on economic cooperation with other Asian countries, such as South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Iran, India, Mongolia, etc.

Year

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Reports

  • Belt and Road Transport Corridors: Barriers and Investments
    The report presents an analysis of the impact that international freight traffic barriers have on logistics, transit potential, and development of transport corridors traversing EAEU member states. Restrictions discussed in this report include infrastructural (transport and logistical infrastructure), border/customs-related, and administrative/legal barriers. The authors also provide the recommendations regarding removal of barriers that hamper international freight traffic along the China-EAEU-EU axis. 10 May 2018
  • Silk Road Transport Corridors: Assessment of Trans-EAEU Freight Traffic Growth Potential
    The report presents the results of quantitative assessment of freight traffic growth prospects along the China–EAEU–EU axis. It provides a description of general trends affecting development of shipments subject to commodity structure and mode of transport. Special attention is paid to factors driving changes in freight traffic. The final part of the report offers an assessment of additional freight traffic which may be attracted to transport routes along the China–EAEU–EU axis, in the short and long term 12 April 2018
  • European Union and Eurasian Economic Union: Long-Term Dialogue and Perspectives of Agreement

    This report presents preliminary results of conceptual analysis of developing EU-EAEU economic relations and search of practical approaches to achieving that goal. This work is processed by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA, Austria) and the Centre for Integration Studies of Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) within long-term ongoing joint project “Challenges and Opportunities of Economic Integration within a Wider European and Eurasian Space”.

    19 August 2016
  • The Conflict of Two Integrations

    The research was conducted for the Committee for Civic Initiatives and devoted to the challenges, costs, and benefits that the post-Soviet states have been recently facing when choosing between the two integration regimes – the “European” one (European Union) and the “Eurasian” one (Customs Union and recently established Eurasian Economic Union). The authors of the book paid special attention to economic aspect of both of the regimes.

    01 January 2015
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