Elvina Merkaj
Biographic Data
| ID | 3082236 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Elvina Merkaj |
| GIVEN NAMES | Elvina |
| FAMILY NAME | Merkaj |
| SIGNATURE | MERKAJ E |
| AFFILIATIONS | Marche Polytechnic University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-2776-812X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 9 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 7 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 9 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2017 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Electoral democracy, corruption, and tax evasion
A key challenge of developing and emerging economies is establishing effective tax systems, as fiscal capacity is essential for state building and economic growth. This study examines the relationship between electoral democracy, public sector corruption, and tax evasion through trade misinvoicing, using data from 53 developing and emerging economies to explore how political and institutional factors shape tax evasion. The analysis reveals a posi…
Impact of cigarette price and tobacco control policies on youth smoking experimentation in Albania
Price is a significant predictor of smoking experimentation among teenagers in Albania for both males and females. A combination of increasing taxes and strengthening the rule of law to control tobacco use in public spaces, in addition to public awareness campaigns targeting both youth and smoking parents, could help to significantly reduce the probability of smoking experimentation
The blatant phenomenon of 'election-driven legalization of informality
Informal construction has been rife in Albanian cities since the fall of communism in 1990. This study investigates the fluctuations in the housing legalization process in conjunction with national and local elections in Albania from 2008 to 2021. Government revenues from legalization fees are used as a proxy for the pace of the legalization process. The key finding is that the legalization of informal buildings intensifies prior to an election a…
Italian national policies in response to the Covid-19 pandemic: The case of the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia and Umbria Regions
Electoral Politics of Disaster: How earthquake and pandemic relief was used to earn votes
Disasters can be good for incumbent governments. Amidst an emergency, budgets can be revised and reallocated in a hurry, framing the government as a ‘saviour,’ issuing contracts to the government’s business clientele and/or prioritising the electoral base more than the victims. Thus elected officials can curry favour with voters and increase their chances of retaining their seats. We examine this claim in the context of Albania, a middle-income c…
Unlanded Class: Albania's Gender Gaps in Land Ownership and Inheritance
This study investigates gender gaps in access to land ownership and land inheritance in Albanian rural areas by combining a large-scale survey and five in-depth focus groups discussions. The article considers three sets of variables: place-based characteristics; family characteristics; and individual characteristics. Results find that rural societies lack awareness around legal property rights, undermine the confidence of women in myriad ways, an…
The role of local leaders in regional development funding: Evidence from an elite survey
Many postsocialist countries are run by an elite with links to the socialist legacy and often share similar challenges and issues. We investigate formal and informal factors shaping the role of mayors in accessing regional development funds in Albania, a postsocialist country. With data from one of the largest elite (mayors) survey, we analyze both channels of influence of the mayors: the number of applications and the success rate. We find that …
Local Government Access to Funds—It Is about Who Your Friends and Party Are
The competitive grants schemes, a financing mechanism established for achieving social welfare as well as balanced and efficient territorial development, would have to be applied through a transparent and objective competition process. However, political influence of the ruling party and informal networks with central government decision-makers may influence access to competitive grants. This paper explores the extent to which the political affil…
Fiscal Decentralization in Albania: Trends and Challenges at the Dawn of Territorial Reform
Decentralization reforms in Albania started very late compared with other countries of the Western Balkans. Only in early the 2000s were important fiscal decentralization reforms undertaken in Albania. The objective of this paper is to analyse the evolution of decentralization in terms of its legal and institutional paths, with a focus on the governance of intergovernmental transfers. Local government in Albania has inherited a fragmented legal f…
Electoral Politics of Disaster: How earthquake and pandemic relief was used to earn votes
Disasters can be good for incumbent governments. Amidst an emergency, budgets can be revised and reallocated in a hurry, framing the government as a ‘saviour,’ issuing contracts to the government’s business clientele and/or prioritising the electoral base more than the victims. Thus elected officials can curry favour with voters and increase their chances of retaining their seats. We examine this claim in the context of Albania, a middle-income c…
Unlanded Class: Albania's Gender Gaps in Land Ownership and Inheritance
This study investigates gender gaps in access to land ownership and land inheritance in Albanian rural areas by combining a large-scale survey and five in-depth focus groups discussions. The article considers three sets of variables: place-based characteristics; family characteristics; and individual characteristics. Results find that rural societies lack awareness around legal property rights, undermine the confidence of women in myriad ways, an…
The blatant phenomenon of 'election-driven legalization of informality
Informal construction has been rife in Albanian cities since the fall of communism in 1990. This study investigates the fluctuations in the housing legalization process in conjunction with national and local elections in Albania from 2008 to 2021. Government revenues from legalization fees are used as a proxy for the pace of the legalization process. The key finding is that the legalization of informal buildings intensifies prior to an election a…
Fiscal Decentralization in Albania: Trends and Challenges at the Dawn of Territorial Reform
Decentralization reforms in Albania started very late compared with other countries of the Western Balkans. Only in early the 2000s were important fiscal decentralization reforms undertaken in Albania. The objective of this paper is to analyse the evolution of decentralization in terms of its legal and institutional paths, with a focus on the governance of intergovernmental transfers. Local government in Albania has inherited a fragmented legal f…
The role of local leaders in regional development funding: Evidence from an elite survey
Many postsocialist countries are run by an elite with links to the socialist legacy and often share similar challenges and issues. We investigate formal and informal factors shaping the role of mayors in accessing regional development funds in Albania, a postsocialist country. With data from one of the largest elite (mayors) survey, we analyze both channels of influence of the mayors: the number of applications and the success rate. We find that …
Local Government Access to Funds—It Is about Who Your Friends and Party Are
The competitive grants schemes, a financing mechanism established for achieving social welfare as well as balanced and efficient territorial development, would have to be applied through a transparent and objective competition process. However, political influence of the ruling party and informal networks with central government decision-makers may influence access to competitive grants. This paper explores the extent to which the political affil…
Italian national policies in response to the Covid-19 pandemic: The case of the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia and Umbria Regions
Electoral Politics of Disaster: How earthquake and pandemic relief was used to earn votes
Disasters can be good for incumbent governments. Amidst an emergency, budgets can be revised and reallocated in a hurry, framing the government as a ‘saviour,’ issuing contracts to the government’s business clientele and/or prioritising the electoral base more than the victims. Thus elected officials can curry favour with voters and increase their chances of retaining their seats. We examine this claim in the context of Albania, a middle-income c…
Unlanded Class: Albania's Gender Gaps in Land Ownership and Inheritance
This study investigates gender gaps in access to land ownership and land inheritance in Albanian rural areas by combining a large-scale survey and five in-depth focus groups discussions. The article considers three sets of variables: place-based characteristics; family characteristics; and individual characteristics. Results find that rural societies lack awareness around legal property rights, undermine the confidence of women in myriad ways, an…
Impact of cigarette price and tobacco control policies on youth smoking experimentation in Albania
Price is a significant predictor of smoking experimentation among teenagers in Albania for both males and females. A combination of increasing taxes and strengthening the rule of law to control tobacco use in public spaces, in addition to public awareness campaigns targeting both youth and smoking parents, could help to significantly reduce the probability of smoking experimentation
The blatant phenomenon of 'election-driven legalization of informality
Informal construction has been rife in Albanian cities since the fall of communism in 1990. This study investigates the fluctuations in the housing legalization process in conjunction with national and local elections in Albania from 2008 to 2021. Government revenues from legalization fees are used as a proxy for the pace of the legalization process. The key finding is that the legalization of informal buildings intensifies prior to an election a…
Electoral democracy, corruption, and tax evasion
A key challenge of developing and emerging economies is establishing effective tax systems, as fiscal capacity is essential for state building and economic growth. This study examines the relationship between electoral democracy, public sector corruption, and tax evasion through trade misinvoicing, using data from 53 developing and emerging economies to explore how political and institutional factors shape tax evasion. The analysis reveals a posi…
Political science (9 works) · Economics (7 works) · Business (4 works) · Politics (4 works) · Biology (3 works) · Geography (3 works) · Law (3 works) · Local Government Finance and Decentralization (3 works) · Sociology (3 works) · Democracy (2 works)