MEĐUNARODNI PROBLEMI

Application of Paul Collier\'s principles within the strategy for overcoming the development challenges of the Republic of Serbia as a landlocked country

Krasić Bogdan (Save the Children International, Beograd), krasicbogdan@gmail.com

This paper explores the economic features and difficulties encountered by continental nations, with a specific emphasis on the Republic of Serbia, a landlocked country. The author begins with the assertion that landlocked countries make up 38 percent of the population of the world’s poorest billion, and the absence of maritime access alone hinders their economic growth. British economist Paul Collier suggests a number of strategies that landlocked countries can implement to overcome these challenges. Even when the governments of landlocked countries implement all the planned strategies in practice, this is not a guarantee of their success, bearing in mind that a good part of them depends on external factors, primarily the will of neighbouring countries. The research methodology includes the analysis of existing public and economic policies through the prism of Collier’s strategies, which include relying on the economic growth of neighbouring countries, improving economic policies in the region, better access to the coast, tax incentives, improving air connectivity and developing the digital economy, encouraging remittances, creating a transparent environment for investors in the field of natural resources, rural development and attracting foreign aid, in the form of a case study of the Republic of Serbia. The aim of the research is to examine how the strategies of Paul Collier, developed on the basis of his experiences in other landlocked countries, can be applied in the Republic of Serbia, in order to overcome these challenges. The results of the research show that, although the public and economic policies of the Republic of Serbia de facto correspond to Collier’s strategies to a large extent, there is no single national strategic framework for overcoming the development challenges that are a consequence of the lack of access to the sea, and this indicates room for improving existing and introducing new national strategies in order to find systematic solutions to the problem of the landlocked status of the Republic of Serbia.

Keywords: landlocked countries, geographical position, economic development, maritime access, strategic planning.