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Economic and Security Challenges, Plus Foreign Financial Interests, To Cause Early Greek Elections

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English / Issue: 07/2016

Keywords: Greece; Tsipras; Syriza; Kyriakos Mitsotakis; Nea Demokratia; austerity measures

This article discusses the economic, political and security factors that may cause an early election in Greece.

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With the Paris Summit, the EU’s Balkan Connectivity Agenda Takes Shape

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English / Issue: 07/2016

Keywords: EU; RYCO; Regional Youth Cooperation Office; Aleksandar Vučić ; Paris Summit; JOhannes Hahn; Federuca Mogherini

This detailed analysis of the recent Paris Summit on the Balkans discusses detailed programs the EU is offering for regional integration and interconnectivity, including youth and student programs.

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“The EU and Turkey Need Each Other”: Interview with Ambassador Selim Yenel

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English / Issue: 07/2016

Keywords: Selim Yenel; turkey; eu; turkish coup attempt; Erdogan

In one of the first post-coup attempt interviews given by any Turkish official, Turkish Ambassador Selim Yenel informs Balkanalysis.com on Turkey's relations with the EU and the unfolding situation..

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Macedonian Parties Make Progress towards New Elections

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English / Issue: 07/2016

Keywords: Nikola Gruevski; Zoran Zaev; SDSM; VMRO-DPMNE; elections

This article recaps the Julu 20 agreement that parties in Macedonia reached to allow elections after 5 months.

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SDSM Adopts New Campaign Strategy, Appeals to Ethnic Albanians

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English / Issue: 09/2016

Keywords: SDSM; ethnic Albanians; DUI; DPA; Besa; Macedonia; elections

This article discusses the newest strategy of Macedonia's opposition to expand its demographic base in advance of December elections.

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PATTERNS OF DELIVERY, FINANCING AND CONTROL FOR HEALTH SYSTEMS

Author(s): Cristina Tomescu / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2014

Keywords: health services; systems; patterns; European Union; financing; supply of health care

In this article, I analyse different types of health systems, in terms of funding, control, supply schemes and level of social redistribution. I show that the state plays a central role in determining the coverage and the nature of benefits, choices of financing the health systemand the structure of servicesin every European health system. Two major types are ideal in terms of funding, supply and control in Europe: Health insurance system (German type) and The National Health System (British type). A private insurance system is met in The USA. Private insurance does not play an important role in European Union countries, as in The USA or Australia. The governments of UE countries act according to the principles of state-funded health care or social security available to all citizens. This model leads to health systems characterized by almost full covering.

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INTRODUCTORY ASPECTS ON THE SUSTAINABILITY OF SOCIAL ENTERPRISES

Author(s): Adriana Neguţ / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2014

Keywords: sustainable development; sustainability; social enterprise; social economy; European Social Fund

Debates on sustainable development have intensified due to social, economic and environmental changes. Sustainability has become an integral element in the development strategies of many organisations, an evaluation criterion for project proposals or efficient allocation of funds, an important element on the school curriculum, especially in business schools, and even a research topic. The interest in the sustainability of social enterprises covers two main directions: on the one hand, more broadly, the contribution of these structures, which are regarded as sustainability-driven business models (Alter, 2007; NEEsT; Borzaga, Depedri&Tortia, 2014), to sustainable development, and on the other hand, the survival of these organisations in the context of their extremely high dependence on donors. Considering the still non-unified definitions of social economy and social enterprise at national level, and the large number of newly established social enterprises, in Romania concerns seem to be directed more towards the second perspective on sustainability, the survival of a social enterprise after the funding ends being one of the biggest challenges. This paper is an introduction to the sustainability of social enterprises and summarises the theoretical framework of sustainable development and sustainability; it also presents some of the elements that will form the basis for future qualitative research.

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WORK-LIFE BALANCE AND SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING IN ROMANIA1

Author(s): Cosmina-Elena Pop / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2014

Keywords: work-life balance; families with children; subjective well-being

An essential element for children’s quality of life is represented by the time spent together with their family, especially with their parents. However, for most of the families, the time spent together is quite limited by the work obligations on one side and on the other hand by the household living arrangements. In this paper I will approach the relationship between work-life balance and subjective well-being. The paper will focus on families from Romania in a comparative perspective with the families from other countries of European Union. For this propose, I will appeal to secondary analysis using data for the research European Quality of Life Survey (2011/2012) made by European Foundation for The Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. In the analysis, there will be included indicators referring to family status of subjects, indicators referring to relationship between work and family life, also indicators of subjective wellbeing, like life satisfaction and other evaluation indicators. The theme of this paper is treated from quality of life perspective.

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PERCEPTIONS OF CHILD COSTS AS PROXIMATE DETERMINANT FOR ROMANIAN FERTILITY DECLINE

Author(s): Iulian Stanescu / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2014

Keywords: Romania; population decline; births; fertility; children; perceived child costs.

This paper explores the issue of demographic decline in Romania by looking at the three proximate factors of the Oppenheim Mason theoretical model of fertility transition. For two of these factors, child survival probabilities and cost of prenatal and postnatal controls, we used macro level data (population indicators). With low infant mortality and wide availability of prenatal birth control methods, these factors would favour low fertility. The third and last proximate factor is the perception of child cost and benefits for the household. The analysis of this factor we used both macro level data and individual level data from a representative national survey. As in almost all other European countries, there is a difference in Romania as well between the ideal and actual number of children. A plurality of adult Romanians in the sample (45 per cent) have fewer children that they would like to have; more than one third (37.6 per cent) have as many children as they would like to have, while a minority (17.3 per cent) have more children than they would like to have. Qualitative data analysis on the perceived reasons for which Romanians do not have the number of children they desire was carried through an indirect, openended question. A clear majority (55 percent) pointed to material issues concerning the standard of living at household level as the main reason. Health issues and infertility was the second category in a distant second (10 percent). Almost all social and economic variables have no influence, at individual level, with the variance of the answers to the open ended question. As the perception of high child costs acts as a third factor that also favours low fertility, we conclude that the cultural shift towards a restrained natality culture became more entrenched.

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TUBERCULOSIS, URBAN PLANNING AND POLITICS1: SOCIAL HOUSING IN BUCHAREST (1906 – 1910)

Author(s): Andrei Răzvan Voinea / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2014

Keywords: social housing; allotments; Societatea Comunală pentru Locuințe Eftine; Gardencity; socialism; Town planning; social reformers

This article places a series of lines of inquiry to clarify what role the social housing played in the public health reform, who were the social reformers who campaigned for the construction of affordable dwellings, what was the state's answer to these initiatives, and finally how the architects perceived their own role in this narrative. These processes happened on the background of a capitalist state, in a race to catch up the West in manifold aspects and this particular factor decisively influenced the type of intervention that led to that precise chain of events. Dealing with the topic means asking certain questions and their answers are to be found in the discourse of the physicians who are the main pioneers of the public health and social housing reform, while the other social and political agents, such as politicians, architects and engineers, are rather responding to this quest than initializing it.

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SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF BEEKEEPING IN ROMANIA

Author(s): Eugen Glavan / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2014

Keywords: apiculture; socio-economic analyses; honey

The evaluation of the beekeeping activity from the perspective of social sciences needs the integration of specialist information from various knowledge fields. Biology, economy, agricultural sciences, as well as some border line disciplines, such as climatology or environmental sciences, contribute to the process of presenting and explaining nature and the changes which are associated with the activity of beekeeping. Although the importance of apis mellifera is emphasized in natural sciences, the potential impact of their extinction, and the analyses which include the social dimension generated by the production and the economic exploitation of beekeeping products, are limited. In this article we shall proceed towards the critical evaluations of the approaches to beekeeping, trying to identify the limitations and the internal consistency, and evaluating the level of empirical support sustaining the theory, in order to draft a holistic approach. This procedure is necessary in order to understand the way this activity, which has a long tradition in Romania, can adapt and develop in the context of modernity and its challenges, of climate changes, and of the standards imposed by national and international organizations.

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ROMANIAN DIASPORA: THE 2014 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS AS POSITIVE COMMUNITY PRACTICE

Author(s): Diana-Alexandra VILCU / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2014

Keywords: immigrant communities; elections; active citizenship; return migration;media communication;

Romania has a very complex history of outbound migration, which resulted in numerous Romanian communities in several countries of the world. And on the occasion of the presidential elections in November 2014, all these communities united, in a higher turnout than usual, towards the achievement of two major common purposes. The first one was exerting a democratic right in difficult conditions, as the organization of the elections at the Romanian Embassies and Consulates abroad was poorly organized. The second one, and with the most important long-term consequences was contributing to the creation of a new Romanian society, to which they might want to return someday. In this paper, we shall analyze the theoretical explanation of the phenomenon in relation with active participation, and then we will apply the theoretical concepts to the responses of a group of Romanians living abroad, regarding their motivation behind their decision to vote, whether they encountered any difficulties, and what are the hopes they associated with casting their vote. The willingness to participate and make their voices heard and the passion manifested in pursuing a collective goal, especially for a country with a fairly recent tradition in the field, make the voting participation of Romanian diaspora a lesson in active citizenship, and, consequently, positive community practice.

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EVIDENCE OF THE CHANGING ACTIVITIES, GOALS AND ROLES OF HR PRACTITIONERS

Author(s): Andries J. Du Plessis / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2015

Keywords: human resources; organisation; performance; benefits

This research considers the role, activities and contribution of HR and managers in six closely related themes that should be addressed to maintain high workplace productivity in a complex business environment in which there are many competing interests. Previously a reward approach was simple with two main streams pay and benefits. In New Zealand HR practitioners have been exposed to global competition creating the need for their roles, goals and activities to be recognised in adding value in organisations to be successful. The outcomes of this research shed light on when is an employer an employer of choice, employee empowerment, employee engagement, rewards based on individual and the whole organisation’s performance including the remuneration component that is a reward system classifiable into monetary- and in-kind payments.

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PROFESSIONALIZATION OF ROMANIAN PUBLIC SOCIAL WORK SERVICES: AN IMPOSSIBLE CHALLENGE?

Author(s): Daniel Arpinte / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2015

Keywords: social assistance services; social work professionalization; social inclusion; social workers

The article aims at analysing the state of the professionalization in social work system, identifying the main factors of the low share of specialists, particularly social workers, in public social work services. Successive surveys investigating the professionalization of social work in Romania show that the share of specialised social workers in total of staff in public social services is increasing very slow, while the gap between the total of graduates in social work and employed social workers in public and private social services providers is increasing. The article tries to explain the main reasons of the lack of professionals in public social services, particularly at primary level. Another objectives is to analyse the main strategic documents that aims to increase the share of the specialised professionals at community level and to contribute to the development of public services, particularly in rural area. The article ends with an analyse of the main weakness and risks of these strategic plans.

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THE LIMITS AND THE SPECIFIC INSTRUMENTS OF POLICY EVALUATION

Author(s): Cosmin Briciu / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2015

Keywords: policy evaluation; literature review; theory of intervention; policy cycle.

This paper offers arguments that policy evaluation should be considered and researched as a distinctive field with its own challenges and limits. The paper puts forthsome of the approaches that might be useful in policy evaluation endeavors. In order to achieve this task, the definition and some of the most important concepts of evaluation are reviewed first, using a variety of sources. The concluding discussion emphasizes some of the directions for research in the area of policy evaluation, singling out strategies as a useful policy tool for the use of policy evaluation attempts.

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HEALTH AND AUTONOMY: A REVIEW FOR STUDYING PATIENT DECISIONS

Author(s): Alexandra Gheondea-Eladi / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2015

Keywords: sociology of health; decision-making; patient decisions; autonomy; health diagnosis

The purpose of this paper is to synthesize the meaning of two important concepts in the literature on sociology of health: health and autonomy. The review presented here has been performed as part of a research on patient's decision-making and it is meant to reveal differences in definitions which are likely to change the underpinning perspectives of patient decisions.

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THE MODERNIZATION OF RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE UNDER THE MEASURE 322 OF THE NATIONAL RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME 2007-2013

Author(s): Flavius Mihalache,Adriana Neguţ / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2015

Keywords: rural development; local development; NRDP; measure 322

In the context in which rural areas represent 92% of the EU territory and gather over 50% of the EU population, and many rural areas face significant challenges such as migration and aging, reduced access to services, poor infrastructure or reduced employment opportunities, the concerns for rural development and improved quality of life in these areas have increased. Rural development is one of the strategic objectives of the European Union, which is pointed out by the consistent financial allocations: over a third of the total available funds at EU level between 2007 and 2013, and an estimated 38% for 2014-2020. The main institutional mechanism to support the development of rural areas in Romania was represented by the implementation of the National Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 (NRDP) financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. In the absence of other major government initiatives for rural development, the absorption of EU funds has been the main funding opportunity after 2007, for the initiatives of modernizing the Romanian rural areas. Based on a mix of secondary data analysis and the analysis of official documents provided by The Agency for Financing Rural Investment, the article aims to examine how the public investments program was carried out under the measure 322 of the NRDP, to identify its strong and weak points and its impact on rural infrastructure.

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MIGRATION POLICIES FROM ORIGIN PERSPECTIVE IN THE CASE OF ROMANIA. TESTING A DEFINITION1

Author(s): Monica Şerban / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2015

Keywords: migration policies; emigration policies; diaspora policies; returning policies; defining; operationalizing; codifying; Romania

Recently, the effort of investigating migration policies and the role they play in international migration development has consistently increased. The most consistent part of this interest is related to immigration and associated policies to manage it. Just few studies approach the issues from the origin side perspective. This paper addresses the gap by discussing how migration policies from the origin perspective may be defined and operationalized and trying to test one such a definition/operationalization schema on the case of Romania. With a consistent out migration, a democratic country, EU member, Romanian case is assessed here as a proper research site for this type of investigation. The paper is based on a policy on paper approach to migration policies. Relevant pieces of legislation are identified and codified according to a systems of codes designed to register the changes in time. The time span of the analysis is 1990-2013. All changes in legislation during 1990-2013, according to dimensions and sub-dimensions of the operationalization schema are analyzed (using graphic means) in order to observe to internal consistency and connections with international migration developments. On the specific case of Romania, the paper points to one consistent connection of sub-dimensions for emigration and return migration related interventions, but a poor internal consistence in the case of diaspora related interventions. The same weak connection seems to relate diaspora related interventions (when treated together) to the other two dimensions: emigration and return migration related interventions.

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THE EVOLUTION OF THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR FAMILY IN ROMANIA AFTER THE ECONOMIC CRISIS1

THE EVOLUTION OF THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR FAMILY IN ROMANIA AFTER THE ECONOMIC CRISIS

Author(s): Raluca Popescu / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2015

Keywords: family policies; financial benefits; family allowances; leave entitlements

The assessment of the policies and programs to support the living standards of families and children is difficult to complete, considering the variety of programs, benefits in cash or in goods and services. This paper aims to analyze the configuration of the family support system and its evolution in the recent years. The analysis covers the financial transfers, due to insufficient data about the system of services and the lack of comparability between them. The research target is to look at the state’s support for the widespread family, not for particular categories or specific situations in which family could live. After a general evaluation of the financial effort, I take a closer view on four specific instruments of support: the state allowance for children, the family allowance and the paid parental leave together with incentive for work. The analysis reveals a minimal family protection; all indicators examined showing the same pattern: low level of transfers in a decreasing trend for most aspects.

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VATRA LUMINOASĂ: CONSTRUCTING A DISTRICT, BUILDING A COMMUNITY (1933 – 1945)

Author(s): Andrei Răzvan Voinea / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2015

Keywords: social housing; allotments; Casa Autonomă a Construcţiilor; Vatra Luminoasă; oral history; urban planning; everyday life

This article investigates the construction of the working class district “Vatra Luminoasă” in Bucharest between 1933 and 1945 using two complementary methods of analysis. On the one hand, the research in the haze of archives and magazines from the forties redeems the chronological chain of events that led to the construction of the dwellings and the institutional structures involved in this act. On the other hand, the social aspects of the everyday life in the district can’t be researched only by the references to the files in the archive, but by adopting a different perspective which consists of oral interviews with the old lodgers of the neighborhood. The four interviews that I will refer, conducted starting 2012 on the streets of the district, on phone or in separate meetings with the lodgers recompose a social life framed by the constructed environment and determined by the urban and architectural composition. The article shows the process in which the lodgers appropriated their dwellings and their district and how the architect’s and urban planners’ plans determined the life in the district.

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