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Hidden Economy in Macedonia Policy Brief 1: The Economics of Blurs and Shadows – The Hidden Economy in Macedonia

Hidden Economy in Macedonia Policy Brief 1: The Economics of Blurs and Shadows – The Hidden Economy in Macedonia

Author(s): Author Not Specified,Center for Research and Policy Making CRPM / Language(s): English

he Center for the Study of Democracy, in collaboration with the Center for Research and Policy Making (CRPM) elaborated a series of policy briefs analyzing the hidden economy in Macedonia. The topics encompass the issues of countering undeclared labour, tax evasion and fraud, media reporting on hidden economy and corruption, etc. The current policy brief underlines that undeclared work, being one of the main manifestations of hidden economy, becomes the bull’s-eye for many countries focusing on reshaping their social and economic policies in order to tackle this issue, especially since the onset of the economic crisis that hit Europe and the World in 2008. The most recent economic indicators coming from Europe show that this crisis has not concluded and European economies are yet to deal with its mid and long-term consequences. Macedonia and other Western Balkan countries are not exempt from this process, with job creation and policies targeting unemployment (28.2% as of Q2 2014) being a major concern and a focal point of political activity. Low growth prospects in the EU and sluggish economic conditions forecasted in 2014 are also limiting Macedonia’s growth prospects, which at this point are still positive at around 4% GDP growth annually (4.3% as of Q2 2014). The authors highlight several key points: According to results from the population survey, the proportion of employees with a primary employment receiving ‘envelope’ payments or temporary service contracts in addition to their salary is about one-third of the employed population; Almost 7% of employees work without a contract and are not being paid social security contributions. Combined with the abovementioned fact, this indicates the salary of about 40% of employees with a primary employment is partially or completely undeclared; More than half of employers confirm that signing contracts with ‘hidden clauses’ happens in their sector; Macedonia’s main focus in tackling undeclared work, just as most Eastern European Countries, is on Labor Law violations). Repressive measures and others aimed at improving detection are the dominant policy approach.

Tracing Back the Bulgarian Clerk: Public Images of the Profession (Late 19th – early 20th centuries)

Tracing Back the Bulgarian Clerk: Public Images of the Profession (Late 19th – early 20th centuries)

Author(s): Galina Goncharova / Language(s): English

The traditional sociological notion of the role combines the presumption of rationality with the metaphor of theatrical performance. On the one hand, the role notion presupposes typization and instrumentality, or setting up and upholding certain normative prescriptions. On the other hand, it refers to a situation of communication and representation – assessment and orientation of your own acts in accordance with the “presence” of the others’ roles – that comes to the fore. As two ultimate explications of these two characteristics we can treat the ideal model of Webber of bureaucracy and the interactive symbolism of Goffman; and as an attempt to bridge them together we can view the definition of Berger and Luckmann.

Neither “East” nor “West”: The Past and Present Life of Yugoslav Identity

Neither “East” nor “West”: The Past and Present Life of Yugoslav Identity

Author(s): Zala Volčič / Language(s): English

Keywords: Serbia between East and West;

The above research explores questions about the ways in which group identities are formed, and the functions that they serve. It simultaneously recognizes that it is not just the legal statutes, but also the every-day practices to which they are attached, that define identities of any community. It is this array of cultural and symbolic resources that I am interested in developing further in my article. I focus here on how and which generational (and class) distinctions are understood, negotiated and put to work by actors themselves. Through in-depth interviews with young Slovenian and Macedonian intellectuals from the last Yugoslav generation I explore the perception of Yugoslav identities and I argue for its understanding as a hybrid. I suggest that understanding it as a hybrid helps to unveil the complexities of social reality, its diverse and multiple dimensions, the overcoming of traditional/modern/postmodern models, and at the same time, it resists the boundaries and dichotomies (neither/nor).

Price Reform and Pricing in the Transition to Market Economy, August 1994

Price Reform and Pricing in the Transition to Market Economy, August 1994

Author(s): Vesselin Passev / Language(s): English

As a result of factors, characteristic of centralized planned economy and particularly pronounced in Bulgaria due to the lack of a significant private sector as had been preserved in Poland, Hungary, GDR, and Czechoslovakia, the economic reform in Bulgaria began with a liberalization of prices and dismantling of the monopolistic structures in industry and the services. The shock liberalization of prices was the only way to a speedy overcoming of the huge disproportion between the supply and demand. It is our view that if the liberalization of prices had begun already in the first year of the reform - 1990, their rise might have been more moderate and would not have had such a strong negative impact on the standard of living of the population. Unfortunately, the liberalization of 40 per cent of the prices of goods and services included in the government's program was not introduced and that for purely political reasons, as the government of the ruling Communist Party was driven by populist considerations. In February 1991 the first government with the participation of ministers from outside the Communist Party undertook a liberalization of about 80 per cent of the prices of goods and services. Within a month following the liberalization of prices, inflation, measured through the consumer price index, reached 222.9 per cent. Only a group of 14 essential goods and services, among which fuels and electric power, as well as certain staple foods, remained under state control.

Global Problems of Mankind and Their Effects on Romania

Global Problems of Mankind and Their Effects on Romania

Author(s): Cristina Barbu / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: climate change; pollution; financial crisis; European Union; Romania

Around, the world is changing. Phenomena as pollution, global warming and financial crisis are irreversible change our life. In first sub-chapter, I made o short review of this processes and their effects over the world and over Romania. In the sub-chapter 3.1. I located Romania on world map. In the sub chapter 3.2. I wrote about global warming and the consequences of this global climate change on health, and on Romanian health. In the sub-chapter 3.3. I described the pollution in Romania, the main industries and their environmental effects, in sub-chapter 3.4. I made a short description of the global financial crisis, and the crisisaffecting Romania and Oltenia, part of Romania, I searched the crisis effects on the environment of our country and the environment from Oltenia. Finally, the chapter has a short case study, regarding the amount of heavy metals on Jiu River, an important river from Oltenia, before the-crisis and in crisis years.

Review of the Economic Development in the Western Balkan States

Review of the Economic Development in the Western Balkan States

Author(s): Paulina Biernacka / Language(s): English

Keywords: Economic Development; Western Balkan States

Foreword Ten years after the end of the armed conflict, the Western Balkans are still being considered as the "land of the unsuccessful policies". Enormous financial and technical assistance transferred by the International Community has not managed to meet the goals of integrating the region within itself as well as within the European markets. Explanation for this can be found in the consequences of the war and the remnants of the socialist state. The complexity of current institutional/ political arrangements combined with the limited willingness of the regional actors to introduce and implement much of the needed reforms have additionally contributed to the current state of affairs.The economy and politics in the region intertwine to an extent as probably in none of the other post-communist states. Therefore, the paper presents the recent economic performance of the Western Balkan countries in the light of their limited institutional development and lack of efficient regional cooperation. The paper discusses the importance of foreign direct investments' inflow for the economic growth of the "latecomer" states and presents major drawbacks which limit the influx of the foreign capital to the region. It presents private sector activity and regional cooperation programmes. It discusses the role of the International Community with the main focus on the activities of the European Union. The EU is examined not only as the main aid donor but more importantly as a foreign trade partner. Furthermore, it analyses the impact of the presence of the International Community and their strategies towards the region with the special attention to the EU. Finally, it presents recommendations for the improvement of the economic performance in light of the enhanced political cooperation between the EU and the region.

Energy poverty in Macedonia

Energy poverty in Macedonia

Author(s): Ana Stojilovska,Sonja Zuber / Language(s): English

Keywords: Macedonia; energy poverty; EU integration; market economy; policy reforms;

Energy poverty has challenged the already socially fragile Macedonia on its way to EU integration. This paper analyzes the state of energy poverty in Macedonia and the policies tackling it in order to draft policy recommendations for their improvement to the respective stakeholders. Tackling energy poverty is important in order to bring the country on a sustainable path.

Prisons in Serbia (July – October, 2010)

Prisons in Serbia (July – October, 2010)

Author(s): Marija Jelić,Gordana Lukić-Samardžija,Ljiljana Palibrk,Ivan Kuzminović / Language(s): English

Keywords: Požarevac penitentiary; reformatory for women; quality and conditions of life; security; legality of the prison regime; re-socialization; contact with the outside world; institutional personnel; special prison hospital; county prison in Novi Sad;

The team of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia (HCHRS) has always paid particular attention to the Penitentiary-Reformatory for Women in Požarevac given that it is the only institution in Serbia for women under sentence, with numerous specificities this entails. Having in mind the reports on previous visits, it can be concluded that the prison conditions are still far from adequate, although steps have been taken regarding the maintenance and renovation of this institution. Certain parts of the prison are decently adapted and furnished given that these activities are funded by modest working capital, however the majority of accommodation facilities remain in need of urgent transformation. This refers to an entire wing of the prison ward in particular, as well as to the numerous premises used both by the prisoners and the staff. It should be noted that some of the buildings of the Penitentiary-Reformatory for Women in Požarevac are among the oldest in the system of the execution of criminal sanctions of the Republic of Serbia. The main building was built 136 years ago, and has since been considerably reconstructed twice (in 1911 and 1971).

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. CONFUCIUS INSTITUTES

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. CONFUCIUS INSTITUTES

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Keywords: Confucius Institutes; educational institution; Chinese government; Chinese language and culture; intellectual freedom;

The Confucius Institutes (CIs) are non-profit educational institutions funded by the Chinese government, with the stated purpose of promoting Chinese language and culture. Since the launch of the Confucius Institutes programme in 2004, the large-scale initiative has been described as a Chinese “soft power” success. The Confucius Institutes have secured a number of partnerships with universities in 146 countries around the world, including in NATO member states. In 2017, there were 525 Confucius Institutes at colleges and universities, as well as 1,113 Confucius classrooms at primary and secondary schools. The CI initiative takes on a number of measures that differentiate it from other cultural institutions, particularly in the way the CIs become a structural unit of a host university and employ a double directorship system. However, the motives behind this large-scale initiative and the procedures of installation in host countries have attracted criticism, in particular the lack of transparency concerning the university contracts, hiring policies and financial aspects. Moreover, reports of self-censorship on sensitive political and historical topics (such as Tibet, Taiwan, or the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989) by both Chinese teachers and local university professors have raised concerns about intellectual freedom. Several scandals in 2014 involving instances on censorship cast light on the hard-line approach applied by the previous Director General, and the tight control exerted by the CI’s governing body Hanban and the Chinese Ministry of Education. The controversy resulted in the non-renewal of CI contracts in several universities in the US and Europe and greatly contributed to the perception of CIs as an instrument of Chinese influence.

Centre for European Policy Studies. Highlights 2015-16

Centre for European Policy Studies. Highlights 2015-16

Author(s): Karel Lannoo,Daniel Gros,Kerstin Born-Sirkel,Sally Scott / Language(s): English

Keywords: European Union; migration crisis; Grexit; Brexit; energy policy; climate change; environmental policy; asylum seekers; refugee crisis; economic development; economic policy; investments; trade;

Turbulent times continue to provide plenty of food for thought. We are proud that CEPS has managed for several decades to provide expert analysis to an increasingly broad group of stakeholders on topical issues. For example, we have recently examined the migration crisis and the implications of a possible Grexit or Brexit for the EU. We have also addressed more long-standing policy problems such as Energy Union, innovation and deep and comprehensive agreements with important trading partners. With an eye to long-term global issues, CEPS was active in the negotiations for a new international climate change regime, providing a valuable and officially acknowledged contribution to the agreement reached at the COP21 in Paris. The last few months have also seen a worsening of the refugee crisis. Building on decades of research in the fields of migration and asylum, we have put forward concrete and evidencebased policy recommendations to decision-makers both in Brussels and in the national capitals.

Centre for European Policy Studies. Highlights 2016-17

Centre for European Policy Studies. Highlights 2016-17

Author(s): Joaquín Almunia / Language(s): English

Keywords: European Union; migration crisis; Brexit; populism; policy making; economic policy; international relations; foreign policy; trade; economic development; security;

CEPS’ mission statement seems even more compelling today than it did when it was first adopted many years ago. Thinking ahead for Europe is imperative in light of the urgent challenges confronting the EU today, such as migration, Brexit and the rise of populism. This also applies to the many complex policy domains, such as energy union, capital markets union, economic governance, foreign policy and institutional reform, that require independent, authoritative and evidence-based analysis. Assessments by experts and carefully produced facts and figures tend to remain below the radar screen of current public discourse and they rarely make headlines. But these elements fully retain their value in today’s world in which policy-makers regularly face immensely difficult choices to address problems that are not susceptible to simple solutions or slogans. It is in this spirit that we pursue our work at CEPS.

CEPS. Annual Report 2017-18

CEPS. Annual Report 2017-18

Author(s): Joaquín Almunia,Karel Lannoo / Language(s): English

Keywords: European Union; populism; fake news; political manipulations; economic policy; jobs; human resources; energy; climate changes; governance; economic development; policy making; security;

Populists usually don’t have much use for complexity. They prefer to build their proposals on the basis of simplistic ideas about the pluralism of our societies and the definition of their electoral platforms. Moreover, we are in the midst of a period when “fake news” competes with reality in an attempt to attract the support of citizens or to manipulate their understanding of what is actually going on. Nowadays, the role of think-tanks is more important than ever before in exposing and countering these trends and providing authoritative analysis to policy-makers and other stakeholders. Based on rigorous analysis of the relevant literature, facts and data, think tanks make an essential contribution to the decision-making process by increasing the awareness of the new challenges and providing educated insights. Their findings and recommendations are instrumental in the design of effective policies, capable of achieving viable outcomes.

Modernist Borderland. Architectural Concepts of the Praesens Group

KRESY MODERNIZMU. ARCHITEKTONICZNE KONCEPCJE GRUPY PRAESENS

Author(s): Katarzyna Uchowicz / Language(s): Polish / Publication Year: 0

Postwar Foreign Economic Relations

Postwar Foreign Economic Relations

Author(s): Jozo Tomasevich / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

The wartime damages sustained by the Yugoslav economy influence and will, for a number of years, continue to influence the production and export capacity of the country and its import needs. Most of the following data come from the reports of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration Mission in Yugoslavia, which obtained them from official Yugoslav sources and, when possible, checked them. Since most of the data were compiled by local liberation committees which were inexperienced in administrative work, and since statistical services in Yugoslavia have always been poor, final computations of damages will necessitate much revision. Nevertheless, the data are sufficient to convey the order of magnitude of the destruction and damage sustained during the war.

The nature of the industrial enterprise

The nature of the industrial enterprise

Author(s): Dariusz Nowak,Iskra Panteleeva / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: division of enterprises;enterprises;industrial enterprises;features and functions of the enterprises;industrial market;consumer market;industry;

This chapter presents basic information about the nature and essence of the enterprise. The first subchapter shows both the well-known and less popular definitions of an enterprise and an industrial enterprise. They have been shown through the prism of various approaches, including definitions from various countries. The second part discusses the features of an industrial enterprise,with particular emphasis on: organizational separateness, economic separateness, legal separateness (legal personality), territorial separateness and technical and production separateness. The next part focuses on the goals and tasks of an industrial enterprise, with particular emphasis on the way they are formulated. Both strategic, tactical and operational goals were discussed. The subject of the considerations in the fourth part were the functions of an industrial enterprise, including a detailed description of the production, technical, organizational and personnel functions. The division of enterprises according to various criteria is presented in the next section. It focuses on such criteria as business profile, the size of the enterprise, form of ownership, production type, type of production process and market legal form. The last part discusses the market on which an industrial enterprise operates. Its features were presented, as well as the type of industrial products, types of customers and differences between industrial and consumer marketing. Particular attention was also paid to OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and MRO (Maintenance Repair and Overhaul).

Moldova: Decentralisation of the Education Reform and Spending for Education

Moldova: Decentralisation of the Education Reform and Spending for Education

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Keywords: Education; financing education;

The aim of the SPENDING FOR EDUCATION IN R.MOLDOVA is to assess the current statute of the financing of pre-university education, highlight the main setbacks of the system and track relevant indicators to the educational services provided to the population. This study emerged from in partnership with the Brookings Institution. // The Study combines several kinds of data: official statistics provided by the National Bureau of Statistics, regular monitoring indicators of the Ministry of Education, as well as data collected from the schools of Moldova, through a comprehensive Survey, implemented during the months of February – April 2008. The analysis considers in great details the institutional dynamics of the pre-university education in the last decade, in correlation with the overall demographic and social-economic trends of the country. // Budgetary spending for the pre-university schools reflect a growing concern for the effective use of resources from the public budget on education in Moldova. Beyound the obvious demand to accelerate the reformation of the current system of public education, which implies an overwhelming agenda of decentralization, territorial relocation, rationalization, privatization and other policies that shall improve the current way of spending for compulsory education in Moldova, we aimed to provide specific policy recommendations how to improve the functioning of the system.

2015 - Annual Review of Labour Relations and Social Dialogue Romania

2015 - Annual Review of Labour Relations and Social Dialogue Romania

Author(s): Victoria Stoiciu / Language(s): English

Although the macroeconomic indicators point to a solid economic recovery in 2015, the social situation in Romania is not marked by considerable improvement. Despite the country’s high economic growth, the Government’s recent announcement of freezing the minimum wage in 2016 seems to have put an end to a five-year period of regular augmentation of the minimum wage. Inequality has increased while the unemployment rate and the percentage of people at risk of poverty declined insignificantly. // Albeit, some efforts have been made to improve social dialogue and labour legislation even though few actual changes have occurred in the area. The Social Dialogue law was amended in December 2015, bringing some changes to the Social Dialogue Act (62/2011) that en-larges trade union powers in the collective bargaining process. The draft law amending the Labour Code, which was the result of a legislative initiative carried on by the National Trade Union Block, one of the biggest Romanian umbrella organisations, is being debated in the Parliament.

Romania’s Trade Unions at the Crossroads. Challenged by Legislative Reforms, Economic Crises and a Power-loss of 60 per cent

Romania’s Trade Unions at the Crossroads. Challenged by Legislative Reforms, Economic Crises and a Power-loss of 60 per cent

Author(s): Victoria Stoiciu / Language(s): English

Keywords: Romanian Trade Unions;

The 2011 labour law reform considerably diminished employees’ freedom of association and restricted the right to form unions to an extent that the ILO has criticized as non-compliant with its standards. // Through legal reforms, the collective agreement coverage rate dropped by twothirds to only 35 per cent. The enterprise level is now the main level of collective bargaining, in effect crowding out representative trade union organisations. // The abolition of national collective bargaining in 2011 has effectively deprived union federations of their most important instrument of action, while new tripartite mechanisms for minimum-wage determination have so far been unable to fill the gap. // Chronic strategic shortcomings and a legitimacy crisis had contributed to the trade unions’ inability to influence labour legislation reforms in 2011. The impact of economic recession was less severe for trade union membership than the economic transition period that preceded it. // While changes to the 2011 reform package appear to be critical, that would not solve the trade unions’ structural problems, which need to be addressed from within.

The system of diatheses in Bulgarian and stative predicates

The system of diatheses in Bulgarian and stative predicates

Author(s): Svetla Koeva / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: diathesis; stative predicates; passives; middles; anticausatives; reciprocals; optatives

The investigation is intended to provide a clear distinction between the category of grammatical voice in Bulgarian (grammatical diatheses) and lexical diatheses by analyzing grammatical facts and by applying semantic criteria. The category of (grammatical) voice is used to describe a wide range of phenomena. Only the lexical diatheses are presented in more detail: se passives, impersonal passives, middles, anticausatives, lexical reciprocals, optatives, impersonal optatives, property of “oblique” subject. The semantic and grammatical characteristics (arguments and semantic roles, verb aspect, transitivity, and morphological categories of the verb lemma) of the source and derivative diatheses are studied, compared, and described. A large number of the source diatheses affect imperfective verbs that may express activities or states; in such cases, the alternations may lead to one of the following configurations: activity – activity; activity – state; state – state. We trace the correlation between the diathesis type and the eventuality type in the context of the ontological description of the state predicates proposed in this study. The investigation is intended to provide a clear distinction between the category of grammatical voice in Bulgarian (grammatical diatheses) and lexical diatheses by analyzing grammatical facts and by applying semantic criteria. The category of (grammatical) voice is used to describe a wide range of phenomena. Only the lexical diatheses are presented in more detail: se passives, impersonal passives, middles, anticausatives, lexical reciprocals, optatives, impersonal optatives, property of “oblique” subject. The semantic and grammatical characteristics (arguments and semantic roles, verb aspect, transitivity, and morphological categories of the verb lemma) of the source and derivative diatheses are studied, compared, and described. A large number of the source diatheses affect imperfective verbs that may express activities or states; in such cases, the alternations may lead to one of the following configurations: activity – activity; activity – state; state – state. We trace the correlation between the diathesis type and the eventuality type in the context of the ontological description of the state predicates proposed in this study.

Promoting Mental Health through the Classics

Promoting Mental Health through the Classics

Author(s): Edoardo Pecchini / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: Hercules; psychology; pedagogy; education; autism; disruptive behaviours; conduct problems

The chapter discusses Hercules’ myth against the backdrop of selected psychological and pedagogical theories. The hero is compared with other characters, and the pros and cons of their use as models in psycho-educational situations are discussed. The author reflects on possible applications of Hercules’ Twelve Labours cycle in clinical and educational contexts, and particularly in cases such as disruptive behaviours and conduct problems.