Minerva
Research Institute
“Standing on the shoulders of giants”
Minerva Research Insitute
Our Resarch Approach
Our research strategy has transitioned from conventional team structures to a dynamic, flexible approach, fostering collaboration among members with shared interests as much as supporting individual research endeavours. Whether it's a collective effort or an individual's unique perspective, Minerva thrives on producing impactful policy briefs, insightful literature reviews, and in-depth scientific research papers. While policy briefs are research into substantial pieces of policy that lead to policy recommendations and literature reviews capture the diverse opinions and ideas of scholars on a contemporary event; scientific research papers go more in depth about a specific topic that is appealing to the writer. Please take a look at our Semester Review if you want an overview of the work done by our committee,
Latest Release
Empirical Analysis
COP-29's Sustainability Commitments & the Green Digital Action Declaration: Economic Growth, Green Investment, and Digital Climate Tools
December 2024 - By Vo, A. & Brar, H.
Supervised by Burak Can
This paper explores the relationship between the political party of U.S. presidents and key economic indicators, inviting readers to consider how partisan leadership might correlate with economic trends. While the U.S. economy is a vast and multifaceted system influenced by countless factors, we focus on identifying any consistent shifts that might align with presidential partisanship, without implying causation. Rather than claiming that political affiliation drives economic outcomes, we present an analysis that highlights recurring patterns worth considering. Through this approach, we aim to offer fresh insights into the intersection of politics and economics.
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Discover our Research Papers
Empirical Analysis
The U.S. Partisanship and the Economy
November 2024 - By Lipek, F. & Mateušs, M.
This paper explores the relationship between the political party of U.S. presidents and key economic indicators, inviting readers to consider how partisan leadership might correlate with economic trends. While the U.S. economy is a vast and multifaceted system influenced by countless factors, we focus on identifying any consistent shifts that might align with presidential partisanship, without implying causation. Rather than claiming that political affiliation drives economic outcomes, we present an analysis that highlights recurring patterns worth considering. Through this approach, we aim to offer fresh insights into the intersection of politics and economics.
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Empirical Analysis
Adapting in Crisis: Swedish and Latvian Labour UNion Recruitmnets Strategies (2020-2022)
June 2024 - By Krumins, E. & Mateušs, M.
Labor unions play a vital role within organizations, with research indicating that larger firms are more likely to have union representation. Recent crises, such as the migration influx in 2016 and the coronavirus pandemic from 2020 to 2023, have deeply influenced the landscape of labor unions within firms across various industries and nations. This article seeks to examine changes in hiring strategies and approaches in response to these crises in Sweden and Latvia.
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Keywords: crisis management, labour unions, European Union, Covid-19, Ukraine war
Policy Brief
Policy Brief
The Critical Raw Materials Act
January 2024 - By Ortuño Camacho, P.
Supervised by Dr. Janjaap Semeijn
The Critical Raw Materials Act proposed by the EU Commission presents a promising policy to ensure a resilient supply chain of critical resources. Still, the Act remains in legislative deadlock, How is its introduction affecting EU politics? Is the Union getting any closer to the Act's intentions? Or does China remain the dominant suppier? Take a closer look at this policy brief to find out the effectiveness of the Act into nudging the EU towards a resilient supply management of critical raw materials.
The Digital Market Act: A Critical Review
November 2023 - By Krumins E. and Olla J.
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) represents a novel approach to regulating the digital market in Europe, addressing shortcomings in previous competition laws. However, experts anticipate challenges and limitations in addressing emerging issues. Economically, the European Commission pledges improved competition, consumer choice, and innovation through the DMA. While there is expected to enhance competition, it fails in addressing important issues such as end users pretections. Additionally, the act's impact on innovation is still up to debate.
Literature Review
Literature Review
The perspective of Neo-Medievally United Europe
April 2023 - By Vantsev V. and Risueño Navarro L. Supervised by Dr. Andrea Parziale and Assistant Prof. Karin van Leeuwen
This paper focuses on the analysis of various trends in European integration. Describing the ongoing transition to federalisation, it clarifies the main reasons for the rise of Euroscepticism in member countries of the European Union and discusses the potential consequences of a withdrawal from the block, particularly the ones associated with Brexit.
Empirical Analysis
Stagflation Analysis
December 2022 - By Kasior B., MateusÌŒs M.,
and Paggen L.
The inflation at the beginning of this decade has been rising significantly across Europe. Academics, businesses, and governments have different visions over the source of this phenomenon specifically for this period. Standard economic theory has several suggestions to explain inflation, but most of them root in the supply of money, be it regulated by fiscal or monetary policy or affected by the private sector. Others consider the COVID-19 pandemic as a primary source of accelerated inflation while other blame the Russian invasion of Ukraine and gas prices.
Literature Review
How Should Governments Tackle the Energy Prices
June 2022 - By The Economic Team
Supervised by Assistant Prof. Dr. Max Löffler
Energy resources such as natural gas and coal play a vital role for everyone in the EU as the two resources combined supply more than 35% of the EU's total production. Having a significant excess demand disrupts the economy as citizens in countries such as Spain, Italy, France and Poland are encountering all-time-high energy costs adding to the economic problems of the pandemic. This paper investigates how the government should tackle energy prices to ensure prosperity in Europe.
Empirical Analysis
Special Edition: Ukraine-Russian War Economic Consequences
March 2022 - By The Economic Team
The ongoing war as a result of Russian aggression has far-reaching economic consequences. Our Economics Research Team brings you an overview of everything you need to know about the impact on our economic system.
Empirical Analysis
The Effect of the BRI and its Associated Soft Power on the Economic Outset of Indebted Countries
September 2024 - By Haimerl, P. & Nuboer, M.
Analysis of the Belt and Road Initiative utilised by China in which aid and project funding is provided to countries across the globe. The different forms of power that China expands through the project are examined with a particular focus on the associated soft power through the cultural influence and connection China has exerted through the initiative
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Empirical Analysis
Debt, Investments in Education, and Tax Rates in Greece and Estonia: An Empirical Analysis
April 2024 - By Mateušs, M.
The paper analyzes the effect of change in tax rates and investments in education to the debt-to-GDP ratio in Estonia and Greece. It is expected that higher taxes and higher investments generates lower debt and higher GDP, hence the ratio should fall. However, it may also generate an opposite effect due to constraining nature of taxes and need for financial resources for investments. This study tests which effect prevails in two countries.
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Keywords: government debt, tax revenues, tax rates, budget deficit, external borrowing, education
Empirical Analysis
Deconstructing Dutch GDP – A Comparison of Methodologies
November 2023 - By Haimerl, P. and Nuboer, M.
Supervised by Prof. Lenard Lieb
Trend-cycle decomposition of GDP is subject to a rich set of different approaches. We demonstrate this heterogeneity in the literature by applying a selected list of commonly used techniques to Dutch real GDP.
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Keywords: GDP, trend-cycle, business cycles
Empirical Analysis
Effects of Fiscal and Monetary Policies on Inflation Among Eurozone Countries
April 2023 - By Mateušs M.
This paper aims to investigate whether there are notable variations in inflation behavior and the efficacy of fiscal and monetary policies across different countries in the eurozone. The study indicates that monetary policy is more influential in controlling inflation than fiscal policies. Additionally, there is no discernible pattern in the impact of these policies based on geographical location or the order of countries joining the monetary union. The findings remain consistent across various tests using different fiscal policy variables.
Empirical Analysis
Socioeconomic Characteristics of Crypto Investors and Financial Consequences of Crypto Trading: a Literature Review
February 2023 - By Kasior B., MateusÌŒs M., and Olla J.
Technological developments change our habits and affect our lives. This destiny has not bypassed the financial industry as well, and the most recent and popular example is the spreading use of blockchain and trading of cryptocurrencies. Read the newest paper of the PES research team to find more about the financial consequences of cryptocurrency trading for the broader market and whether financial cycles typical for traditional assets are characteristic of cryptocurrencies.
Literature Review
Literature Review on the Dutch Energy Security
December 2022 - By de Ridder M. and van der Zee S.
The North Sea has long provided the Netherlands with a stable and profitable source of energy, with the extraction of gas beginning in the 1960s. However, the Paris Climate Agreement prompted a shift in Dutch energy policy, leading to a move away from gas drilling and towards investment in offshore wind parks. The North Sea also offers opportunities for exporting electricity or hydrogen, further benefiting the national economy.
Literature Review
Literature Review
The EU Taxonomy and the Impact of Including Nuclear and Natural Gas – A Commentary
June 2022 - By Geraldes F., Krutisch L. N., and Bosticco R. Supervised by Associate Prof. Dr. Anna Herranz-Surrales
Over the past years, major players in the financial market aimed to move toward greener and more sustainable (business) models and products. Besides various explanations for their motives, the shift itself is observable. Many actors in this field, such as asset managers, distinctly market their sustainability engagement and state these efforts as a long-term necessity to sustain their clients' wealth and their business activities.
Empirical Analysis
Special Edition: Ukrain-Russian War Political Consequences
March 2022 - By the Political Team
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has enacted the economic and specifically the political intention to stop the European Union’s dependency on Russia’s energy, especially in times of profound uncertainty. Thus, finding alternatives to importing energy sources from Russia is paramount for the EU. Our Politics Research Team brings you an overview of everything you need to know about this topic.
Our Semester Review
Capture the essence of our committee's dedication and cherished moments with our Review. It includes summaries of papers made during the semester, offering a valuable insight into our team's work.
Coming Soon!
We are in the process of compiling our papers into books accessible online. Sign up below to receive more information once they are available.
