Keywords: Monetary policy; macroeconomics
Throughout the period following its monetary independence, Macedonia has experienced unsatisfactory performances in the real sector of the economy: low average growth rate and high unemployment rate. At the same time, since the mid – 1990s, Macedonia has maintained low and stable inflation. These divergent tendencies of nominal and real variables point to the need for restatement of the future course of monetary policy. In this regard, the paper deals with the options for a modification in the monetary policy strategy in the near future. Specifically, we focus on the following issues: the goals of monetary policy, the choice between the leading monetary policy strategies (monetary targeting, exchange rate targeting and inflation targeting), and the role of monetary policy in economic growth. On the basis of both economic theory and empirical research, the paper offers tfe policy makers some alternatives for the future implementation of monetary policy.
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Keywords: Social security; EU common policies
It is a common sense fact that the unregistered workforce negatively influences the functioning of the social services and labor market, and it endangers the financing of the social funds used for funding of many essential social programs for the citizens. The intention of this paper is to make an effort in answering the questions, such as: what is this phenomenon? Which category of citizens is involved it? How much this phenomenon is spread and how can we decrease the number of those that do not register certain amount of the labor in order to benefit from evasion of payment of the social contributions? In that sense, the author gives an overview of the current situation in different countries of the EU and he describes the models for reduction or prevention of the phenomenon of unregistered and uninsured workers in Danmark, the Netherlands and France.
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Keywords: Public administration reform; EU integration
IMPLEMENTATION IS A CRITICAL PROBLEM of public administration reform in the Republic of Macedonia and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Implementation is the “missing link” between policies designed to achieve administrative reforms, on one hand, and goals of reform set forth by the European Union and the Organization for European Cooperation and Development. Evidence shows that policy design and implementation are linked vessels; according to the author, the conditions that facilitate and retard the process of implementation - and more importantly, efficiency, equity, democracy and other expected outcomes of implementation - still need to be established. The guidelines for effective implementation outlined in this paper may be helpful in finding the “missing link” in public administration reform in Macedonia and elsewhere.
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Keywords: EU integration; stabilization and association
The Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) Regulation has to be seen in the context of the revision of the External Aid framework of EU for the forthcoming financial perspective from 2007 to 2013 with a purpose to harmonize and simplify (as far as possible) the Community’s external aid instruments. The instrument will focus on two main priorities: 1) helping countries to fulfill the political, economic and acquits-related criteria for membership and to build up administrative and judicial capacity; and 2) helping countries prepare for the EU funds after accession. The Instrument will have five Components: Transition Assistance and Institution Building; Regional and Cross-Border Cooperation; Regional Development; Human Resources Development; and Rural Development. In the light of the current progress of the application of the Republic of Macedonia for EU membership, the author gives an overview of the IPA Regulation, putting accent on the possibilities for financial assistance and cooperation that this instrument opens for the Republic of Macedonia.
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Keywords: Public health; human rights
The common health and social policy in the EU, despite the differences of the national health systems, is placing the same rights of patients, consumers, users, family members, weak populations and ordinary people at risk. In most of the countries of Southeastern Europe prior to the transition there was no single legislation regulating the rights of patients. In the Republic of Macedonia, the patients’ rights are still regulated only partially and scattered in few legal documents. Through the two alternatives, the author proposes improved implementation of the existing legislation, as well as introduction of new mechanisms for exercising, but also monitoring of the conditions with the rights of this large stakeholders group in the health system.
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Keywords: Gender policy; EU common policies
Gender equality issues are dealt with in Chapter 13 (Social Policy and Employment) of the Questionnaire and according to the provided answers there is evident lack of the proper anti-discrimination and equal opportunity legislation. The problem addressed in this paper is that existing national mechanisms for gender equality in the Republic of Macedonia are not functioning effectively thus contributing to widening of the gender inequality in the society. According to the author or this article, the emerging issue is: whether the existing gender equality development policies are sufficient enough to guarantee the real equality of opportunities for men and women and consequently, are they in compliance with EU standards?
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Keywords: EU integration; public administration reform
The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of the management and coordination mechanisms for the EU integration process in the Republic of Macedonia and give some recommendations for improvement. The importance of having a wellfunctioning institutional framework for the management of EU affairs during the pre-accession period is critical. The quality of the institutions, structures and procedures created will influence the timetable for membership, taking into consideration the conditions set out in the avis, and the conditions under which membership will be granted, i.e. the extent to which the accession treaty will reflect the real economic and political conditions in the country. The author, having participated in the preparation of numerous crucial documents for the public administration reform, is giving an overview of the current conditions, but also gives recommendations for improvement of the coordination mechanisms in the negotiation process for accession of Republic of Macedonia in the EU.
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Keywords: Eastern European countries; Catholic Church; cities; bureaucracy; post-communist landscape; job; business competition;
How much can we tell about Eastern Europe's democracies from its public spaces?
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Keywords: Chernobyl; Ukraine; Deputy Prime Minister Sergiy Tigipko; President Viktor Yanukovych; Russia; Felix Corley writes; Jehovah’s Witnesses; human rights; Latvia; whistleblower; Communist Youth League; EBRD; Baltic countries; Estonian businesses; Serbia; JAT
Plus, Latvia's banking whistleblower resurfaces, and Serbia tries again to sell its ailing national carrier. Around the Bloc is TOL's daily digest of the important, the trivial, the tragic, the weird, and the sober from its coverage region.
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Keywords: Central Europe; Slovakia; Prime Minister Iveta Radicova; SDKÚ-DS; Mikulas Dzurinda; coalition partners; Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban; political leadership; Russian minority; Fidesz; GDP; Ivan Miklos;
Recent examples show that in hard times, leaders need a backbone – and voters need to be not so easily led.
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Keywords: George Soros; CEU; donation; Hungary; Ukraine; Vitali Klitschko; Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform; World Boxing Council champ; Armenia; Nagorno-Karabakh; Russia; Kremlin; Moldova; Transdniestrian Republican Bank; tax; Bulgaria; railroad security;
Plus, Russia pursues Transdniester leader’s son for embezzlement and a group aims to lure Armenia’s diaspora back home. Around the Bloc is TOL's daily digest of the important, the trivial, the tragic, the weird, and the sober from its coverage region.
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Keywords: Bulgaria; communism; government; GERB; Prime Minister Boyko Borisov; Rosen Plevneliev; president; EU Commissioner Meglena Kuneva; NATO; EU member; Ognyan Minchev;
Bulgaria’s election wasn’t just about picking a new president: it may have ushered in a new way of politicking and governing.
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Keywords: Serbia; Tadic; Romanian president; Traian Basescu; traces of Vlach cultural influence; Romance languages; SAA ratification; EU leaders; European Council; Vlach shepherds;
This is a story about Serbia, two quintets, and walnuts.
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Keywords: Moldova; Transdniester region; President Marian Lupu; Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin; Russian-Kazakh-Belarusian customs union; EU investment; Czech economy; Vietnamese minority; Caspian gas; EU; Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou; Poland;
Plus, Armenia opposition wary of Putin’s Eurasian Union plan and Poland’s top banker waxes enthusiastic about the euro, despite everything. Around the Bloc is TOL's daily digest of the important, the trivial, the tragic, the weird, and the sober from its coverage region.
More...Keywords: microfinance; funding; sustainable; demand; market assessment
Since the beginnings of modern microfinance in the 70s, the industry continued to grow rapidly, albeit fueled by dubious assumptions related to market potential. Boosted by Nobel Prize award, thousands of new MFIs are currently being created in the lure of market potential, estimated at one and half billion of unattended clients. The estimates, however, differ drastically and there is no wide scale assessment available deducing the unattainable market strata, detrimental to sustainable microfinance, from the inflated estimates. The exaggerations are to be denoted as unrealistic and excluded from the global estimates. This study intends to quantify the market wrongly assumed to form part of the microfinance market and to deduce the real size of the potential global microfinance sector, appraising the size of the market that should not be counted into the integral demand, since it is unsustainable or harmful to the players involved.
More...Keywords: Financial Services; Poverty Reduction; Financial Inclusion; Modelling
The inflexibility of poverty is being met with increasing impatience from governments of diverse ideologies, donors and other international agencies. Recent data compilations show that many poor and non-poor people in many developing countries face a high degree of financial exclusion and high barriers in access to finance. Therefore, financial inclusion plays a critical role in reducing poverty. Hence, this paper examines the relationship between sustainable financial services and poverty reduction in Nigeria from 1965 - 2010 using Error Correction Model (ECM). It was observed that total value prime lending rate, financial savings, credit to private sector and rate of inflation all have significant impact on the financial deepening. In the final analysis, the study concludes that financial inclusion tends to strengthen financial deepening and provide resources to the banks to expand credit delivery thereby leading to financial development. The study therefore recommends that these findings, in turn, will inform the policy makers and stakeholders to build more inclusive financial systems.
More...Keywords: the migrants from Serbia and Montenegro; Denmark; external migration; social life; social relations.
This paper discusses some socio-geographical characteristics of contemporary labor migration from Serbia and Montenegro in Denmark, analyzed in terms of social life and social relations of migrants. At the beginning of the sixties, slow economic development of the country (former Yugoslavia), caused the decision of the Serbian and Montenegrin workers to go abroad. Among these countries, it was certainly and Denmark. Serbian and Montenegrin communities of migrants, although not many (about 8,000), is interesting for researchers, because in the middle of Denmark that is economically dependent, maintained their ethnic or social identity. Since the notion of a complex identity, it must be viewing within the more theoretical approach or framework. Therefore, there are two interpretations: one given by the respondents, and other researchers. In this study, on the one hand the most outstanding are moments in the life and character of the Serbian and Montenegrin man in the time immediately preceding the external migration to Denmark and on the other, new life and a different occupational mobility of respondents. Among the latter, include, for example, communication between Serbian and Montenegrin migrants with their homeland through: print media, broadcasting, internet. Important place in the identification of the Serbian and Montenegrin migrants are in the family, relatives, churches, associations and clubs, where they can develop their activities. Thus, forming a social network within the community and are wider environment.
More...Keywords: Developing countries; FDI; Economic Freedom; Numerical Taxonomy
In this paper we’ve ranked developing countries based on the Economic Freedom index. Therefore we are trying to do the analysis how this ranking is done using numerical taxonomic methodology. To do this, by estimating the effects of the determinants of FDI in 123 developing countries from 1997 to 2010, results showed that with regard to the degree of economic freedom or Economic openness, attract foreign direct investment in each country is different. In this study china, Equator, Liberia, Azerbaijan, Angola, Turkmenistan, Cape Verde, Kazakhstan, Panama, Vietnam, Bulgaria, Congo, Maldives, Bahrain, Cambodia, Jordan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Sudan, Trinidad, Belarus, Lesotho, Russian are the top 23 countries have been successful in attracting foreign direct investment thanks to appropriate economic and structures policies.
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