Merike Kukk Curriculum Vitae

Senior Economist, Ph.D.
E-post: [email protected]

Research topics:

Household consumption, saving and borrowing
Household tax behaviour
Housing market, determinants of house prices
Non-performing loans of the banking sector

Education:

2016 — Ph.D. in Economics, Tallinn University of Technology
2004 — MA in Business Administration, Tallinn University of Technology
1999 — BA in Economics, University of Tartu

Work experience:

2016 – Bank of Estonia, Economics and Research Department, Senior economist 
2026 – Tallinn University of Technology, Department of Economics and Finance, Adjunct professor (part-time)
2016–2025 Tallinn University of Technology, Department of Economics and Finance, Senior researcher (part-time)
2013, 2015 Bank of Estonia, Economics and Research Department, Visiting Researcher (part-time)
2012–2016 Tallinn University of Technology, Department of Economics and Finance, Researcher
2005–2008 SEB, Marketing and PR division, Deputy Head
2000–2004 SEB, Marketing and PR division, Project Manager

Publications: 

Articles in international peer-reviewed academic journals

• Triin Bulõgina and Merike Kukk (2025). „How the large-scale early withdrawals from private pension plans were used: insights from young adults“, Baltic Journal of Economics, Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 255–289.
• Merike Kukk, Jan Toczynski and Christoph Basten (2025). "Beyond the Headline: How Personal Exposure to Inflation Shapes the Financial Choices of Households“, Journal of Monetary Economics, Vol. 153, 103800.
• Liina Rebane, Merike Kukk and Tairi Rõõm (2024). "Wealth disparities between elderly immigrants and natives: a study of Estonia and Latvia", Baltic Journal of Economics, Vol. 24, No. 2, pp.203−238.
• Merike Kukk and Natalia Levenko (2024). "Loan interest rate spreads in Estonia: different stories for different types of loans", Research in International Business and Finance, Vol 72, Part A, 102524.
• Merike Kukk and Natalia Levenko (2024). "Measuring the effects of borrower-based policies on new housing loans", Economic Analysis and Policy, Vol. 82, pp. 666−684.
• Juan Carlos Cuestas Olivares, Merike Kukk and Natalia Levenko (2023). "Misalignments in house prices and economic growth in Europe.” Applied Economics, Vol 55,  No 28, pp 3215−3237.
• Merike Kukk, Jaanika Meriküll and Tairi Rõõm (2022). "The gender wealth gap in Europe: Application of Machine Learning to Predict Individual Level Wealth", Review of Income and Wealth.
• Merike Kukk and Fred W van Raaij (2022). "Joint and Individual Savings within Families: Evidence from Bank Accounts", Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Vol 43, pp 511−533.
• Merike Kukk (2022). "What are the triggers for arrears on debt over a business cycle? Evidence from panel data", International Journal of Finance & Economics.
• Jaanika Meriküll, Merike Kukk and Tairi Rõõm (2021). "What explains the gender gap in wealth? Evidence from administrative data", Review of Economics of the Household, Vol 19, pp 501–547.
• Juan Carlos Cuestas Olivares and Merike Kukk (2020). "The interaction between housing prices and housing credit: evidence from a country with rapid credit accumulation", Journal of Economic Studies, Vol 48, No 1, pp 191−209.
• Merike Kukk, Alari Paulus and Karsten Staehr (2020). "Cheating in Europe: underreporting of self-employment income in comparative perspective", International Tax and Public Finance, Vol 27, No 2, pp 363−390.
• Juan Carlos Cuestas Olivares and Merike Kukk (2020). "The Spanish housing market: is it fundamentally broken?", Applied Economics Letters, Vol 27, No 15, pp 1295−1299.
• Merike Kukk (2019). "Debt repayment problems: short-term and long-term implications for spending", Review of Economics of the Household, Vol 17, No 2, pp 715−740.
• Merike Kukk and Karsten Staehr (2017). "Macroeconomic Factors in Corporate and Household Saving. Evidence from Central and Eastern Europe", Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Vol 53, No 11, pp 2585–2608.
• Merike Kukk and Karsten Staehr (2017). "Identification of Households Prone to Income Underreporting: Employment Status or Reported Business Income?", Public Finance Review, Vol 45, No 5, pp 599–627.
• Merike Kukk (2017). "How does household debt affect financial asset holdings? Evidence from euro area countries", Studies in Economics and Finance, Vol 34, No 2, pp 194−221.
• Merike Kukk (2016). "How Did Household Indebtedness Hamper Consumption during the Recession? Evidence from Micro Data", Journal of Comparative Economics, Vol 44, No 3, pp 764−786.
• Merike Kukk, Dmitry Kulikov and Karsten Staehr (2016). "Estimating Consumption Responses to Income Shocks of Different Persistence Using Self-Reported Income Measures", Review of Income and Wealth, Vol 62, No 2, pp 311−333.
• Merike Kukk and Karsten Staehr (2014). "Income Underreporting by Households with Business Income. Evidence from Estonia", Post-Communist Economies, Vol 26, No 2, pp 257−276.
• Madis Aben, Merike Kukk and Karsten Staehr (2012). "Housing Equity Withdrawal and Consumption Dynamics in Estonia 2002-2011", Research in Economics and Business: Central and Eastern Europe, Vol 4, No 1, pp 19−40.

Working Papers (selected):

• Merike Kukk, Alari Paulus and Nicolas Reigl (2022). "Credit market concentration and systemic risk in Europe". Working Paper series of Eesti Pank, No. 4/2022.

• Merike Kukk and Natalia Levenko (2020). "Alternative financing and the non-performing loans of the corporate sector in Estonia", Working Paper series of Eesti Pank, No. 6/2020.

• Merike Kukk and Natalia Levenko (2019). "Macroeconomic imbalances and loan quality in panels of European countries", Working Paper Series of Eesti Pank, No 6/2019.

Academic networks

E-1202-2017 (Researcher ID). 0000-0001-9804-8472 (ORCID), ETIS, Google Schola