We investigate whether employment protects against and/or postpones recidivism among males who committed their first crime late in life. We use administrative data on 34,401 individuals, 44% of whom were employed at least once during the analysed period. We apply a multi-state model and difference indifferences approach. The results of the multi-state model indicate that employment reduced the risk of recidivism by 7% for those who were at risk of a second incarceration. On the other hand, employment increased the probability of subsequent recidivism by 8-10% for those who were at risk of a third or fourth incarceration. Our results suggest that institutional interventions should seek to increase the labour market attachment of former prisoners, and, in particular, should focus on ex-offenders with only one conviction. Being attached to the labour force seems to matter more, the fewer imprisonment spells an individual has experienced.
THE POWER OF THE PLACE WE LIVE: WHAT ROLES DO HOME AND THE COMMUNITY PLAY IN WELLBEING?
Author(s): Katalin Lőrincz,Kornélia Kiss,Zsuzsanna Banasz / Language(s): English
/ Issue: 1/2023
Keywords: well-being; residential well-being; residential satisfaction; attachment to the community; Hungary;
The place where we live has a significant impact on the way we live, feel and assess our lives. Housing conditions, the characteristics of the neighborhood around the dwelling or of the community, and commuting conditions have a relationship with the multidimensional construct of well-being. This paper examines the roles that home and the community play in well-being. Background literature on quality of life, wellbeing and its domains and the role of the place where we live is interpreted in the paper. The empirical analysis aims to describe the relationships between home and wellbeing and the community and well-being. The quantitative method used to conduct this investigation included a representative survey in Hungary. Our results confirm previous research findings in many areas (weak or moderate significant relationships between some sociodemographic and other often-examined well-being domains and well-being) and identify weak and positive significant relationships between home and well-being and the community and well-being. The overall well-being of the Hungarian population is significantly influenced by their attachment to their community.
IS THERE HAPPINESS IN MONEY? AN ATTITUDINAL STUDY OF NATIVE LITHUANIAN SPEAKERS
Author(s): Tomas Kačerauskas,Ilona Valantinaitė / Language(s): English
/ Issue: 1/2023
Keywords: concepts of happiness; factors of happiness; Lithuanian speakers; gender differences;
The paper considers the different notions of happiness known since antiquity, such as the Greek concepts of harmonia, eudaimonia, makarioi, and hēdonē, and explores the factors of happiness. The aim of this research is to form a more complete understanding of Lithuanian speakers and their attitude(s) towards happiness. The research surveyed 210 Lithuanian speakers aged 15 to 35 who were residing in Lithuania, France, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The analysis shows that today people’s individualism reveals itself through gender differences. The list of factors determining happiness is shorter for men than it is for women, and men have one distinctive factor for happiness – friends. The respondents of both genders valued health, family and love the highest, however, the other factors for happiness reveal gender differences. Women need several happiness-determining factors at the same time, which conforms to the psychological nature of women as gatherers, whereas men create their happiness in a more specific, more focused and less scattered way.
RETURNS TO HUMAN CAPITAL IN A DEVELOPING COUNTRY: A PSEUDO-PANEL APPROACH FOR COLOMBIA
Author(s): Jhon James Mora,Diana Y. Herrera,Juan F. Álvarez,Jose S. Arroyo / Language(s): English
/ Issue: 1/2023
Keywords: returns to education; human capital; repeated crosssectional models; selection bias; wages differences by sex;
This article analyzes the recent returns to human capital in Colombia. Using a pseudo-panel approach, the results show a human capital return of 9.7% from 2016 to 2020. Comparisons with previous data show a reduction of approximately 5 p.p. in return on human capital. Our results show the importance of investing in Colombia’s human capital due to the positive externalities compared to other forms of investment in Colombia. Also, we find statistically significant differences between men and women; Around 2 percentage points (p.p.). A more effective public policy is needed to correct these disparities, despite Colombia's public policies such as equal pay for equal work or advances in equal parental leave.
Differences in behavior between women and men have long been observed in the labor market. Occupational segregation, lack of equal opportunities and lower wages are still linked to the lower opportunity cost that leaving the labor market implies for women. In this paper we analyze, using decomposition techniques, the gap in the employment rate between young women and men. These techniques allow us to separate the weight of observed characteristics from the weight of preferences or unobserved factors. Our results reveal that both types of factors are relevant in the gender gap in the employment rate. Preferences or unobserved factors, such as the different perception that both genders have of family and involvement of women in housework, which leads to greater female labor abandonment, are likely to be behind the gender gap in the case of already having job.
DRIVING SUSTAINABLE AND COMPETITIVE TRANSITION IN ENTERPRISE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT AND MEASUREMENT: THE CHANGING ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE JAPANESE LABOUR MARKET
Keywords: performance management; performance measurement; competitive enterprise; Japan; women workforce; labour market;
The objective of this paper is to examine the relationship between sustainable and competitive transition in enterprise performance management and measurement and the changing role of women in the Japanese labour market. The work correlates the proportion of female employees in leadership positions in relation to the sector type, firm age, profits and encouragement of women’s participation in the labour force over six significant periods. The study also examines correlations between the encouragement of women’s participation in the labour force and high productivity, improvement of work-life balance and higher integration of female staff in the workforce. A questionnaire survey was conducted in 152 Japanese companies as part of the research. Non-parametric tests and exploratory data analysis were used for evaluation. The linear-by-linear test was applied to ordinal categories to determine the trend between the proportion of female employees in leadership positions and the encouragement of women’s participation in the labour force. The results indicate that partial changes have occurred as far as women in the Japanese labour market are concerned and confirm that working women are faced with persistent obstacles in terms of higher integration of female staff in the workforce and improvement of work-life balance. A future research direction worth considering is a study focused on other countries in Asia, comparing the findings with this paper.
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE DOMESTIC TOURISM DEMAND: EVIDENCE FROM ARMENIA
Author(s): Gayane Tovmasyan / Language(s): English
/ Issue: 2/2023
Keywords: domestic tourism; OLS and WLS; Breusch-Pagan heteroskedasticity test; Breusch-Godfrey LM test; CochraneOrcutt regression; Republic of Armenia;
Armenia has great opportunities and resources for tourism development. In 2021, the number of domestic tourists in Armenia was 1595826, an increase of 52.6% compared to 2020. In 2022, the number of domestic tourists was higher than in previous years - 1929940. The article evaluates the factors which influence domestic tourism demand with the use of ordinary and weighted least squares regression models. The main variables discussed in the models are: real GDP growth rate, consumer price index, average cost of tour packages from Armenia to other countries that can be considered as an alternative to domestic tourism, and dummy variables. The time series are based on quarterly data from 2005-2021. According to the analysis results, 1% increase in GDP will lead to a 0.22% increase in the number of domestic tourists, 1% increase in prices will lead to a decrease in the number of domestic tourists by about 0.12%, and 1% increase in foreign tour package prices will increase the number of domestic tourists by about 0.14%. The article also presents some suggestions for domestic tourism development in Armenia. The results may be useful for similar studies, as well as for state and private sectors conducting forecasts, planning, etc.
Keywords: cost of illness; cost of pandemic; COVID-19 pandemic; crisis; labor market; measures;
Labor markets have been strongly affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Much empirical evidence exists on how they operated since the COVID-19 outbreak, illustrated predominantly by public statistics. However, there is limited primary research on labor market stakeholders who experienced significant changes in border regions. The aim of this study is to explore the perceptions and experiences of labor market experts, especially entrepreneurs, regarding labor market functioning in border regions of Poland and Germany after the COVID-19 outbreak. The main focus has been put on examining how the COVID-19 crisis affected enterprises in terms of employment and how the labor market stakeholders assessed mitigation measures undertaken in the border regions. The study utilizes a mixmethod approach. Primary data have been gathered through an online questionnaire targeted at entrepreneurs and labor officers in Germany. Next, a qualitative descriptive study design has been developed, involving one-on-one interviews and focused discussions. The analysis revealed several positive and negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the functioning of the labor market in border regions. The study explored differences in the management of the unemployment crisis in Poland and Germany in measures undertaken to mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic. Crucial issues, such as cross-border cooperation and communication have also been discussed. The study highlights the role of labor market stakeholders’ perceptions and experiences in defining future cross-border joint preparatory plans and strategies to combat potential threats and unpredictable situations. The findings of the study revealed that there is a strong need to establish cross-border cooperation in terms of tackling unemployment. It has also been indicated that border regions need an approach to combating crises such as pandemics that differs from that of other interior regions. That highlights the importance of joint security policy adaptations and the need to develop joint preparatory and support plans, especially for entrepreneurs. Study findings could also be helpful for regional policymakers by providing a better understanding of border-region labor market issues. Thus, policymakers, both in Poland and Germany, should focus their economic policies more on border regions cooperation to prepare for future economic crises and disruptive situations.
PHENOMENA OF PRECARITY AMONG YOUNG GRADUATES – HUNGARIAN CASE STUDY
Author(s): Mihály Fónai,Anita R. Fedor / Language(s): English
/ Issue: 2/2023
Keywords: labour market insecurity; precariousness; young graduates; risk of precariousness;
In our study we analyse the risk factors of precarity among young graduates. We aim to explore the characteristics that can turn young graduates towards precarity. The position of young graduates is better on the labor market than that of job seekers with lower qualification. Nevertheless, there are some risk factors that can also affect young graduates, such as the uncertainty on the labor market, and the chance and danger of falling into precarity. In this paper, different interpretations of and approaches to precarity are validated as a theoretical framework, taking into account the main theories dealing with the concept of precarity and with precarity as a class. We focus on young graduates as a group at risk of precarity, and thus also analyse the theories dealing with their situation. Our empirical investigation tests the claims of the main theories. For this purpose, we conduct a secondary analysis of the 2018 database of the Graduate Tracking System based on the responses of 15 102 recent graduates. Studies show that the risk of precariousness in Hungary is mainly shaped by the level of education and the post-graduation job. However, since no similar empirical analysis has been conducted for the country, our study is exploratory in nature, which gives it both its value in terms of novelty and its limitations.
“Our Best for Four for Five”: Slogans as Party Propaganda in the Totalitarian State
Author(s): Dafina Genova / Language(s): English
/ Issue: 2/2022
Keywords: communist ideology; communist propaganda; linguistic features of slogans; communicative function of slogans;
The article focuses on how the Communist Party in Bulgaria used slogans in the physical environment as party propaganda. An account of the historical context in the country after the Second World War is provided that lead to the establishment of a Communist regime and the drastic changes it brought in all spheres of life. The books of two Bulgarian philosophers written before the democratic changes in 1989 are commented on – an inside criticism of the inherent flaws of the Communist ideology and its practices that countered the innumerable official laudatory appraisals of the system. In the text, a distinction is made between Marxist- Leninist ideology and ideologies in liberal democracies. Discussed are the repetitiveness, the omnipresence and the key signifiers used in the slogans. Structurally, slogans are viewed as single-sentence texts whose communicative function is explained in terms of speech acts. Analysed are their most frequent topics and linguistic features.
Transfer of Cultural Codes in Intercultural Communication: Information and Semantic Errors
Author(s): Oksana Leontjeva / Language(s): English
/ Issue: 2/2022
Keywords: codes of culture; cognitive system; information and semantic errors; intercultural communication;
One of the factors affecting the quality of intercultural communication is the correct transmission of the information and semantic component of the codes that implement the model of culture. Coming into contact with the codes of a foreign culture through the language, the communicant involuntarily makes mistakes when the codes are transformed into the system of codes of their own culture. As a result of this, there is a misunderstanding, and often a misunderstanding of cultural meanings, which leads to a certain conflict - hidden or explicit - in intercultural communication. We have singled out several such errors that have occurred occur during the transfer of information and its transformation - this is a code perception error, a decoding error, a mismatch error, a linking error resulting from a transient error, a replication error, and a transposition error with a violation of semantic integrity. All these errors occur in the individual cognitive system as a result of insufficient knowledge and understanding of a foreign culture and as a result of a discrepancy between the system of codes of one culture and the system of codes of another culture.
The centripetal and centrifugal dynamics of selected Judaic symbols as hieratic markers from the semiotactic perspective
Author(s): Małgorzata Haładewicz-Grzelak / Language(s): English
/ Issue: 2/2022
Keywords: semiotactics; centripetal/centrifugal forces; sacrosphere of Judaism; fortition;
The paper focuses on the semiotic salience of the main hieratic markers of Judaism in the form of the Menorah and Magen David. They are necessarily cast against other Judaic symbolism, as for example the semiotic presence of Hamsa, which is not however a hieratic marker. The analysis is based on two (illusory) contrastive forces that have also been widely used to analyze linguistic phenomena: the centrifugal and centripetal. Framing them as implicational preferences operating on the investigated areas of the semiosphere, I accordingly propose several functional and structural categorizations of the investigated signs. The analytic corpus for a bottom-up study was collected in various European countries and Morocco in the years 2010‒2022 and consists of hundreds of tokens of digital documentation of encountered Judaica and concatenations of Judaism symbols in pragmatic contexts. The discussion is also indexed by a cultural dyad of the sacred/profane. The analysis brings to light some synchronic processes which that type of signage undergoes, e.g. the process of fortition of the Magen David (centrifugal direction - diffusive, dividing, with a concomitant lenition of the menorah (centripetal position – confusive, binding) and postulates the Shield of David as a floating semiotactic prime.
The United States and Germany’s policy towards
the Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2022
Author(s): Łukasz Jureńczyk / Language(s): English
/ Issue: 1-2/2023
Keywords: war in Ukraine;German-American relations; arms supplies; energy security; economic sanctions; humanitarian aid
The aim of the article is to analyze and evaluate Germany’s policy toward the 2022 war in Ukraine from the standpoint of the United States, anti-Russian coalition leader.
The main research problem is the question: Does Germany’s policy of supporting Ukraine and sanctioning Russia meet US expectations? The main hypothesis is that after Germany’s disgrace in the first months of the war, its reputation as a reliable ally of the United States in Europe was gradually restored as a result of its successively increasing support for Ukraine and breaking off cooperation with Russia. Germany saw significant revaluations in consequence of the war in Ukraine, especially in the military and energy sectors. Regardless of the outcome of the war, a return to „business as usual” in terms of economic and energy cooperation with Russia is very unlikely. In turn, the military improvements that have been announced, including a major boost in the combat potential of the Bundeswehr, will probably only partially be carried out. Germany will continue to be one of US key allies in Europe during the coming years, but it is likely that Washington will tighten cooperation with the countries of NATO’s eastern flank, to some extent at Germany’s expense. Interviews with American scientists and analysts specializing in international politics were conducted as part of the research.
Employee Capital Plans performance through the lens of the participant — how to (better) measure and inform about the returns
Author(s): Adam Barembruch,Kamila Bielawska / Language(s): English
/ Issue: 1/2023
Keywords: IRR; investor perspective; employee capital plans; defined-date funds; state subsidies;
In recent decades, an increased effort to increase private retirement savings can be observed, especially in countries where public pensions have been the main source of livelihood during retirement. To increase participation in occupational as well as individual pension plans, states often use financial incentives (personal income tax reductions, preferential tax rates, subsidies). However, experience from studies in various countries shows that these incentives may not be efficient and/or attract mainly high earners. Mobilizing Poles to save for retirement in light of the paradigm shift in pension security in Poland caused by the 1999 reform has proven to be a major challenge. Given the mediocre development of the private pension plan market, a new type of workplace pension plans based on automatic enrollment called Employee Capital Plans (ECP) began to be implemented in 2019. However, despite the plan’s favorable funding mechanism, especially from the perspective of low- and middle-income earners, participation remains low. In the article, we argue that a change in the manner in which program participants are being reported their earned rates of return could increase interest in ECP participation. Following the investment performance of 60 FZDs, operating within the framework of ECP in Poland, we show that the total returns presented by the managers of FZDs and Polish FSA are lower than the returns measured from the perspective of participant contributions using the IRR method. Significantly higher results are also achieved by those with low earnings, who can make reduced contributions to ECP. Thus, we recommend the introduction of a standard for the presentation of ECP investment results from the participant’s point of view, taking into account the ECP financing mechanism.
Perception of old age versus saving in Employee Capital Plans
Author(s): Iwona Olejnik,Magdalena Stefańska / Language(s): English
/ Issue: 1/2023
Keywords: perception of old age; saving; Employee Capital Plans;
Consumer attitudes and behaviors aimed at financial security at old age are determined by many factors. They include the perception of old age and expectations towards this period of life. The research and considerations presented in this paper were inspired by the introduction of Employee Capital Plans in 2019. They are a new institution on the Polish pension market allowing employees to save to achieve financial security at an old age. The purpose of the paper is to identify whether and how the perception of old age affects behavior related to additional saving in Employee Capital Plans (ECP). The paper presents the results of own quantitative research conducted with the use of the CAWI method in 2021. The survey was performed among 148 employees of Poznań University of Economics and Business (PUEB). The conducted research shows that the hypothesis about the influence of the perception of old age on decisions regarding saving in employee capital plans should be rejected.
The purpose of the article was to present the basic reasons for the lack of interest in the government pension scheme — the Employee Capital Plans, and to draw attention to the question of its profitability for future pensioners. The article sought to answer the question of what is the public’s familiarity with the assumptions of this program and why is there so little interest in participating in it. To this end, attention was paid to the main obstacles undermining confidence in this program.
Elderly employment in the European Union: Active aging or overcoming poverty?
Author(s): Wioletta Nowak / Language(s): English
/ Issue: 1/2023
Keywords: inclusive labor market; elderly employment; poverty; active aging;
The aim of the paper is to identify scale of and trends in elderly employment in the twenty seven European Union countries and to show determinants of employment in the context of active aging and overcoming poverty. The paper is based on the analysis of empirical data and a critical review of literature. Empirical data for the study are the secondary data retrieved from Eurostat, ILOSTAT and national statistics. The employment rate of people 65 years of age and older has tended to increase in the EU-27 over the period from 2011 to 2021. However, the elderly’s income situation has worsened. In a few countries that recorded a rapid growth of elderly employment, older workers continue to work in order to increase their current income. People 65+ were generally continuing to work based on a voluntary choice than a necessity to earn additional income in most of the richest EU-27 countries. Older European workers are more likely to be employees and own-account workers. At the aggregate EU-27 level, agriculture, forestry and fishing stopped to be the largest employer of people aged 65 years and more in 2021. Older EU workers have been more frequently engaged in human health and social work activities.
Assessment of the performance persistence of Employee Capital Plans
Author(s): Dawid Banaś / Language(s): English
/ Issue: 1/2023
Keywords: long-term saving; retirement security; Employee Capital Plans; performance persistence; repeatability of results; pension funds;
Estimating the future return rates is virtually impossible. However, it is possible to verify whether financial institutions that invest entrusted funds are able to maintain high rates of return for a long time. This phenomenon is referred to as performance persistence, and has become the object of interest of the author of this article in relation to Employee Capital Plans (ECP). A research hypothesis was adopted that performance persistence in ECP does occur. It was verified using contingency tables that were created for defined date funds that operate in ECP, using monthly rates of return and the Sharpe index. The results obtained by the author allowed concluding that the performance persistence of rates of return in the case of ECP occurs for a maximum of half of the research period.
The design thinking method as an example of social innovation in action based on the case study of ProPoLab
Author(s): Mariusz Dybał / Language(s): English
/ Issue: 1/2023
Keywords: co-creation; design thinking; social innovation;
The aim of the paper is to explain and to understand the processes of public services delivery from the perspective of social innovation. Concepts of co-creation and social innovation were elaborated on the basis of one of ProPoLab’s milestones: Design Thinking Workshops. Hence the research object are the residents (mostly seniors) of the district of Popowice, while the quality of life of seniors is its subject. The main research goals were firstly to identify needs of residents in relations to public services, and secondly to design a socially innovative solution that will increase the quality of life of seniors. To achieve these goals, the following research tasks have been set: (a) identifying the needs of seniors, (b) identifying which of those needs are being met locally and which are not, (c) to identify what are the relations between neighbors and the attitude towards cooperation, (d) identifying how the needs of seniors could be met. The research mainly covers the period of 2018–2019. Following research methods have been used: analysis of scientific literature and normative documents, design thinking methodology, comparative analysis and statistical analysis. Utilizing design thinking methodology helped to reveal that the problem of communication between residents can be solved by creating a small, accessibly located community/activity center in their housing estate. This place should meet the needs of activity and self-fulfillment, exchange of information and intergenerational exchange. Time availability is very important, and the space intended for seniors should function in an hourly timeframe similar to daycare centers. Residents should be included in drafting a program to better identify and respond to their needs. Seniors would likely be happy to provide volunteer work in such a place. The facility should be located in the middle of the housing estate so that all residents have easy access to it, optimally in pleasant natural surroundings (i.e. near vegatation), as well as in close proximity to playgrounds for children.
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