One of the major challenges for policymakers in Serbia is to improve the competitiveness of the Serbian economy. Universally applicable solution to this problem does not exist, but there are certain segments which can be a significant driver of improving the effectiveness and productivity of the economy by implementing diverse possibilities offered by the digital economy. A critical factor in the development of digital economy is the sector of information and communication technology (ICT), which has the potential to extremely improve the competitiveness of Serbia and start production towards modern business processes, but also contribute to a notable synergistic effect in terms of the competitiveness of micro-enterprises. Accordingly, the aim of this paper is to highlight the importance of information and communication technologies (ICT) as a factor for competitiveness and development of the digital economy, to analyze the application of ICT in the economy of Serbia, to highlight the benefits of development and acceptance of new solutions in the field of ICT, to create recommendations that would contribute to improving the business environment in the ICT field, and consequently of the digital economy as a whole.

In this paper authors review the issue of relationship between economy, society and environmental protection. This could not be done without the three sustainability principles being incorporated in the concept of sustainable development and later in the concept of green economy. Many definitions of both concepts refer to the fact that these relationships are complex, as economic well-being and environmental protection cannot 'reconcile' in the short run. The aim of green economy is to even economy, society and environment. Green finance was developed within this new economic concept. One instrument of green finance, i.e. socially responsible finance is the Equator principles. This thesis shows the mechanism of action of financial institutions which accepted these new principles, but also points out disadvantages that must be removed over time so that these principles could have a positive impact on society and environment.

Background Although smoking prevalence and intensity in Serbia have decreased in recent years, expenditures on tobacco products still represent a significant portion of household budgets. As households have limited resources at their disposal, consuming tobacco means that they spend less on other items such as food, clothing, education and healthcare. This is particularly true for low-income households, for whom the pressure on the household budget is even higher. Objectives In this research we estimate the effect of tobacco consumption on other consumption items in Serbia, which is the first estimation of this type for the countries in Eastern Europe. Methods We use microdata from the Household Budget Survey and estimation approach that includes the combination of seemingly unrelated regression and instrumental variables. Besides estimating the overall effect we analyse the differences in effects between low-income, medium-income and high-income households. Results Expenditures on tobacco reduce consumption on food, clothing and education and increase the budget shares spent on complementary consumption items such as alcohol, hotels, bars and restaurants. In most cases, the effects are more pronounced for low-income households than for other groups. These results suggest that aside from the negative effects of tobacco consumption on health, it also distorts household consumption structure, while affecting intrahousehold allocation and future health and development of other household members. Conclusions The results from this research underline the negative effect that tobacco expenditures have on consumption of other products. The only way for households to decrease expenditures on tobacco is to stop smoking, as the consumption of those who continue smoking changes less than cigarettes prices. To ensure that households stop smoking and instead direct their expenditures towards more productive purposes, the Serbian government should adopt new policies and strengthen enforcement of existing tobacco control measures.

Subsidies for the development of agriculture of the Republic of Serbia are an important instrument of agricultural policy that enables improving the position of agricultural holdings in the modern agribusiness environment, but also the business performances of small and medium-sized enterprises that have fulfilled the conditions for their use. As the needs and interests of primary farmers are different in relation to the needs and interests of other entities in the agrarian sector, the emergence of conflicting interests within the sector is not uncommon in lowand middle-income countries. The fact that business entities have different interests and different models of organizational structure implies a focus on the realization of different and uneven business goals. Accordingly, the subjects of research in this paper are subsidies for agricultural development as one of the current forms of institutional support. The subsidies are considered by analyzing their importance for the agrarian sector, aimed at enhancing the business performance of profit-oriented family farms registered as micro, small and medium-sized companies. The aim of the research is to review the types, planned and realized amounts of subsidies that are important for the development of small and medium-sized enterprises in the agricultural sector in the period from 2015 to 2019.

In this paper, we use Deaton’s demand model and Household Budget Survey data from 2006 to 2017 to provide a first robust and reliable estimate of cigarettes price elasticity for Serbia. The case of Serbia is particularly interesting and important as it provides evidence for a country in which tobacco market is characterised by the high tobacco consumption, low prices and large perceived impact of multinational tobacco companies on public revenues, export and employment, given their considerable cigarette production in Serbia. The price elasticity of cigarettes is estimated at −0.639, in line with the previous estimates for the low-income and middle-income countries. Estimated negative cigarettes price elasticity for Serbia suggests that tobacco tax policy could be used effectively to reduce cigarette consumption in Serbia, which could lower the harmful health effects of cigarettes. Furthermore, a calculation based on the estimated elasticity suggests that increasing tobacco taxes could also have positive fiscal effects, as the expected revenue from the taxes would increase.