![Rationalization of Health-Care Services in Macedonia](/api/image/getgrayliteraturecoverimage?id=document_cover-page-image_293720.jpg)
The purpose of this essay is to investigate the meaning of “homeland” for Bulgarians under Ottoman rule. The formation of a collective territorial identity can be traced to the period between the late 18th century to 1878 and the creation of a sovereign Bulgarian state. The transition from pre-modernity to modernity is marked by the gradual emergence of an educated elite, a network of schools, and a Bulgarian-language press. The system of mass education is a classical mechanism for homogenizing communities at the supra-local level, and the formation of the Bulgarian nation is no exception to this rule. In other respects, however, the development of Bulgaria’s system of mass education had several peculiarities, and this is what makes it interesting to study. First, the educational system developed free of bureaucratic supervision. It was controlled neither by the Church nor by the state, and it comprised schools maintained and governed by local village and town parishes. Second, the people employed in this system studied at lyceums and universities in different foreign countries and introduced elements from the respective country’s educational standards in Bulgarian schools. None of these countries however controlled the transfer of textbooks and programs.
More...Price liberalization occupies a central place in every stabilization program. Its purpose is to reach a rational relative price structure and thus to eliminate the imbalance between the solvent demand and supply of goods and services, set up in the terms of administrative valuation of prices. By removing price level control arises a possibility of unfolding hidden inflationary processes in the economy. The choice of a liberalization scheme is an important problem in this aspect. It is to direct the completion of price liberalization process so that an optimum effect is reached.
More...Keywords: Weimar Defence Cooperation
On 4 November 2011 a Report “Weimar Defence Cooperation – Projects to Respond to the European Imperative” was presented in Berlin. The paper was prepared by an international team of experts from the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM), the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) and the Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques (IRIS) in a framework of a research project kindly supported by the Heinrich Böll Stiftung.
More...Keywords: Middle Volga Region; Volga Bulgaria; Golden Horde sites;historical geography;
The author provides general characteristics for over a hundred of archaeological sites of the Golden Horde time on the territory of the Volga Bulgaria, such as forts, unfortified settlements and necropolises. He studies history of their research, area of distribution, topography of some sites, stratigraphy and chronology, archaeological material, and historical context of their emergence and development.Archaeological research of 19th—20th cc. detected at least 330 settlements — both fortified and unfortified. Best studied are forts, i. e. remains of towns and fortresses. Yet, only a small part of archaeological forts can be identified as historical towns mentioned in written sources. Thus, the article first studies towns known from written sources (with Bilyar and Bulgar as the largest ones), then the forts that emerged in pre-Mongol period and continued to exist over the Golden Horde time, and then the forts emerged during the Golden Horde time and unfortified settlements, and last — necropolises of late nomads on the territory of Bulgar Ulus. Necropolises left by the settled population are considered in parallel with the respective settlements.
More...Keywords: New Framework; Euro-Med Cooperation; Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Support; Union for the Mediterranean;
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are the driving force behind economic development in the Mediterranean. They perform an essential roleas providers of employment and innovation opportunities and act as key players for regional and local development and social cohesion.
More...Keywords: European Parliament; legislative footprint; EP Bureau and Conference of Presidents; EU decision-making;
The code of conduct that was agreed by a cross-party working group of the European Parliament (EP), the EP Bureau and Conference of Presidents is a watered-down compromise that lacks provision for the introduction of the ‘legislative footprints’ that the plenary requested the Bureau to set up. The legislative footprint is a document that would detail the time, person, and subject of a legislator’s contact with a stakeholder. Published as anannex to legislative reports, it would provide insight into who gave input into draft legislation. Unfortunately, the Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) Committee with Mr Carlo Casini (EPP) as Chair and Rapporteur has so far failed to improve the draft in this respect.
More...Keywords: Nationality; EU; ILEC; loss of citizenship;
Within the European Union (EU), much progress has been made over the past years with regard to the collection of comparable and reliable information on the regulations with regard to the acquisition and loss of nationality in the Member States of the EU. The ILEC project provides much-needed additional information on the regulation and administrative practices on involuntary loss of nationality in the EU. While EU and international law provide important normative standards for the evaluation of these regulations and practices, in order to understand their practical relevance it is also important to have an insight in how many people are affected by such rules and practices.
More...Keywords: molecular biology; genetics; gene; DNA; RNA; genome; protein; inheritance; medicine
Academic textbook presenting topics from the field of molecular biology. The author discusses fundamental concepts and processes from genetics, such as siRNA, genomic imprinting, structures of DNA, RNA, RNA as catalyst, etc. She presents the key methods and techniques of molecular biology. The textbook includes a description of human genetic diseases, which are caused by dysfunctions of particular processes taking place in the cells. The text is illustrated with numerous photographs, diagrams and figures.
More...Keywords: molecular biology; genetics; gene; DNA; RNA; genome; protein; inheritance; medicine
Academic textbook presenting topics from the field of molecular biology. The author discusses fundamental concepts and processes from genetics, such as siRNA, genomic imprinting, structures of DNA, RNA, RNA as catalyst, etc. She presents the key methods and techniques of molecular biology. The textbook includes a description of human genetic diseases, which are caused by dysfunctions of particular processes taking place in the cells. The text is illustrated with numerous photographs, diagrams and figures.
More...Keywords: economy; agrarian policy; land market; property relations; agricultural association and cooperation; rural economy; rural development; land consolidation; Romanian agricultural economics; agricultural
The volume "Agricultural Policy Issues. Points of view" brings together the opinions of specialists in the field, that reflects the current situation and the stage of evolution of the romanian agricultural sector, as well as the problems encountered in achieving and implementing the economic and productive legal framework of great interest for agriculture and its modernization. This book is a broad scientific event, which treats responsibly the defining segments of the economy and agricultural policy, with emphasis on issues related to the architecture of ownership and exploitation structures, property relations, involvement of the agricultural sector in association actions and cooperation under the influence of new modernization and development strategies subject to the area of scientific debate of the academic and university personalities present at the event. The present research focuses on the perimeter of economics and agricultural policy, addressing important strategy points, which capitalize on the scientific knowledge of specialists and decision-making bodies that forms the pyramid of romanian society, whose opinion completes a set of synergistic actions for efficiency and development of agriculture in Romania. The indisputable value of the scientific materials included in the volume can be recognized by the very essence of the debate – the involvement of the act of knowledge in finding solutions and opportunities for solving problems that affect the natural economic course of agriculture.
More...1. State decisions // 1.2. Anti-crisis package focuses on finances rather than economy // 1.3. Counteracting Russian expansion in Crimea // 2. Economic situation // 2.1. Anti-crisis package is a key to the IMF financing // 2.2. Amendments to the 2014 budget // 2.3. Government tax initiatives // 2.4. Assessment of the approved initiatives // 3. Political competition // 3.1. Synergy of Petro Poroshenko and Vitali Klitschko // 3.2. Regional fate of the Party of Regions // 3.3. Difficulties the Maidan representatives face // 3.4. Change in Tymoshenko’s rhetoric
More...2006 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS: CONDITIONS, ACTORS, AND IMPLICATIONS // 1. THE FACTORS THAT WILL INFLUENCE THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN // 2. POLITICAL PARTIES AND VOTERS AT THE START OF THE CAMPAIGN // 3. EXPECTED CONDUCT AND RESULTS OF THE ELECTIONS // 4. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS // UKRAINIAN POLITICAL PARTIES AT THE START OF THE 2006 ELECTION CAMPAIGN // THE 2006 ELECTION CAMPAIGN IN EXPERT ASSESSMENTS // THERE WILL BE NO LARGESCALE DIFFUSION AND REDISTRIBUTION OF THE BODY OF ORANGE AND BLUEWHITE VOTERS // THE FORMAT OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS AND PUBLIC DEMAND FOR RECONCILIATION // WILL PROMOTE A TEMPERATE AND CONCILIATORY CAMPAIGN // UKRAINIAN VOTERS, JUST LIKE VOTERS IN THE WEST, ARE PRIMARILY INTERESTED IN DOMESTIC, NOT FOREIGN AFFAIRS // I HOPE THAT AFTER THE ORANGE FOG HAS CLEARED AWAY, UKRAINIAN VOTERS WILL BE READY FOR A MORE DIFFICULT BUT MORE CONSCIOUS CHOICE // IF THE LEAD POLITICAL FORCES ABSTAIN FROM SPECULATIONS ON DIFFERENCES, UKRAINE WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO IMPLEMENT THE PRINCIPLE “SUCCESS THROUGH DIVERSITY” // THE 2006 ELECTIONS WILL BE THE MOST DEMOCRATIC IN THE HISTORY OF INDEPENDENT UKRAINE // UKRAINE’S ELECTIONS: THE EXTERNAL FACTOR // ELECTIONS 2006: RIFT LINES AND SCENARIOS // SPECIFICITY OF ELECTORAL SPIRITS DURING THE 2004 ELECTIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE PARLIAMENTARY CAMPAIGN-2006 // UKRAINIAN POLITICAL PARTIES
More...Keywords: BiH; labour market; institutions; reforms; flexible labour;
The labor market in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) faces serious problems: in 2014, the employment rate was at a very low 31.7%, and the unemployment rate for persons 15 and above was as high as 27.5%. Wartime destruction of industrial infrastructure, loss of business networks due to the dissolution of Yugoslavia, inadequate adaptation to the new business and technological environment, as well as unsuccessful privatization processes in the post-war transition period are some of the factors that have negatively impacted both the creation of new and the maintenance of existing jobs. The consequences of this state of affairs include a low labor force participation and high structural unemployment, migration of the working age cohort to other countries, the unresolved status of workers “lost in transition,” as well as social insecurity and a high poverty rate. Although there is consensus in BiH that the status quo is unsustainable, labor market reforms to date have been slow and partial, lacking a clear vision of the labor market model to be pursued. Recently, labor market reforms have found their way onto the agenda of decision-makers, primarily due to the obligations BiH undertook towards the International Monetary Fund (IMF) within the standby arrangement, as well as commitments under the “Reform Agenda,” which is “closely aligned with the aims of the EU’s new approach to economic governance in the Western Balkans.” The Agenda has been adopted by entity and state-level governments in the context of acquiring candidate status for membership in the European Union (EU). Reform proposals in this area have also been articulated within the “Compact for Growth and Jobs” (CGJ) initiative of the European Delegation to BiH, as well as the BiH Council of Ministers’ National Economic Reform Programme (NERP) for BiH for 2015. To encourage employment and creation of new jobs, reform proposals primarily focus on increasing the flexibility of working conditions by improving the labor law and changing collective agreements , but also by reducing the tax burden on labor. The proposed reforms are primarily concerned with increasing labor market flexibility, but to a lesser extent pertain to issues of protecting workers and their income security in the event of unemployment, and are only marginally concerned with the issue of employability (e.g. through lifelong learning, active employment measures, etc.), even though these are important aspects of the “flexicurity” policy in the European Union. In other words, the current discourse on policy change in the field largely disregards important elements of the labor market. This begs the question to what extent reform proposals have taken into account the existing institutional environment of the BiH labor market and how the flexibility of working conditions, as the key aspect of reforms, would affect labor market performance in interaction with the institutional environment. Concerning the above, this study rests on the assumption that different reform options should be considered in their wider institutional context. This would mean focusing not only on the impact of labor legislation on labor market performance, but also on the impact that institutions, such as collective bargaining mechanisms, policies, programs and the institutional framework for employment, social insurance policies, minimum wage, labor taxation and making work pay policies, as well as existing configurations of institutions, have on labor market performance. Based on insights into policies and practices in the labor market realm in other European countries, particularly the European Union, this study aims to contribute to an understanding of available reform needs and options, and their possible implications for BiH. In order to assess the state of the labor market and the reform path in BiH, the analysis is situated within a wider conceptual framework that defines the basic terminology, indicates important elements of the labor market and provides an overview of the main discussions and their implications for public policies in this field. A more detailed analysis is performed with respect to employment protection legislation, labor cost and taxation, collective bargaining mechanisms, and employment policies. Comparative experiences from other European countries are taken into account in order to consider possible reform paths, but also to understand the impact of different institutional and other contextual factors on labor market performance. European countries are used as points of comparison, not just because of their similar institutional environments and the European perspective of BiH, but also because current reform proposals heavily rely on EU standards and practices in this domain. In terms of methodology, this is a comparative study that combines multiple methods of data gathering: a review of secondary literature and available statistical indicators, an analysis of the institutional and legal framework in BiH and EU countries, and semi-structured interviews with representatives of organizations and institutions in BiH involved in different aspects of the BiH labor market or in labor market reforms. Given that this research is limited by the dearth of important statistical indicators about the BiH labor market, and also given the fact that it was conducted for the purposes of a study that aims to inform an expert debate in the context of public policy making in this domain in BiH, it is important to note that it does not aim to explain the impact of various contextual factors on the performance of the labor market in BiH. Such analyses would certainly be useful for a better understanding of the BiH labor market, but they fall outside the scope of this study. An overview of conceptual debates in the domain of the labor market and its institutions is given below. This is followed by an overview of BiH labor market dynamics and trends, various BiH labor market institutions in comparative perspective, and concluding remarks.
More...Keywords: Local self-governments; public-private partnership at the local level; Montenegro; Municipalities; corruption;
The analysis „Local Self-Governments and Public-Private partnership” has been produced within the project Corruption at the local level- zero tolerance!, with the aim to draw attention to the importance of transparent implementation of the public-private partnership and concessions as instruments for improvement of the quality of services and facilitation of the development of the infrastructure facilities of public importance at the local level. At the same time, this analysis represents a continuation of the research activities of the Institute Alternative in these areas which resulted in production of several publications.
More...Keywords: Higher education; students for sustainable development; Faculty of political sciences in Montenegro; finding a job;
Youth unemployment is one of the greatest problems which countries of region and Europe are facing. There are numerous reasons for such state. Incompatibility of educational system with needs of labour market results in saturation of certain professions, while highly specialised areas remain in deficit, are only some of those reasons. Global economic crisis, as well as the absence of adequate state intervention do not contribute to resolving the identified challenges.
More...Keywords: Montenegro; media; marketing; politics; monitoring; 2020; online media;
The recently concluded parliamentary elections in Montenegro have brought a series of specificities to the election campaign. Instead of party rallies and door-to-door campaigns, the election race has largely shifted to traditional and new media. Thus, share and like have become a dominant feature of that competition, which was coloured by identity issues and emotional charge. In such an environment, the electoral lists marginalized specific economic programmes, issues of living standard of citizens, specific measures to combat corruption and fight against organized crime, and many other important topics. The two opposing narratives of “endangerment of the state” and “defence of the shrines” have suppressed also both the global threat of the COVID 19 virus pandemic and the worrying economic perspective. The media scene in Montenegro is deeply polarized and this rift is reflected in media coverage of the activities of political entities. Perhaps the most noticeable one daily was via front pages of the printed media, which were almost fan-edited. There was almost no media that reported neutrally and objectively on a certain electoral list, excluding the minority parties towards which a special kind of sensibility was expressed. The list „Decisively for Montenegro – DPS“ was represented in the media more than the three thus far opposition lists together („For the Future of Montenegro“, „Peace Is Our Nation“ and „Black On White“). At the same time, the DPS was the most attacked party, which is logical having in mind that it acted from the position of the government. Once again, the strong involvement of state officials in the campaign was not lacking, which the OSCE Monitoring Mission stated in its preliminary report as an „institutional advantage“. This was supported by the research of the Centre for Civic Education(CCE) through the analysis of media appearances of state officials who used these positions to promote the programmes of their parties and lists. Instead of changing the channel, the citizens of Montenegro preferred to click and scroll, and this is supported by the fact that over 65% of announcements about the elections were on online media, and the remainder on television and in printed media. However, the power of television as a still influential medium among the middle and older generation should not be neglected. Worrying, however, is the trend that approximately 50% of the analysed articles on online portals has had readers’ comments of controversial content, and there were examples that all comments on a certain text contained controversial content - from severe insults to hate speech. The comments comprise of insults to persons on national and gender grounds, but also insulting insinuations on personal grounds. Recently adopted legal solutions, following the initiative of the CCE, concerning comments on online media, must come to life in order to decontaminate the space of online comments from inappropriate content. In this election, Facebook has become perhaps a key arena where the battle for votes is taking place. Announcements have become more creative compared to all previous statements, and there is a visible greater investment in this form of political marketing. In particular, the growing influence of MEME pages is visible, which have openly classified themselves politically and have become agitators of certain political options. CCE has been monitoring election campaigns in the media for several election cycles, and this time on social networks as well and through comments from readers on portals. The objective of the project “SPINoFACT - monitoring of parliamentary elections in Montenegro 2020” is to contribute to the democratization and Europeanization of Montenegro by strengthening professional and independent media coverage. More precisely, the objective is to contribute to the fact-based informative value of media coverage of political campaigns and better informing citizens about the election offer for the 2020 parliamentary elections. We owe a special gratitude to the Embassy of the United Kingdom in Montenegro, which recognized the importance of this topic and supported it through the implementation of this project.
More...