Transitions Online_Around the Bloc-25 May
Our news roundup: protests break out in Belarus; Russian airspace violations; NGOs in Kyrgyzstan targeted; remote voting in Russia; and a cross-ethnic, Balkan friendship.
More...We kindly inform you that, as long as the subject affiliation of our 300.000+ articles is in progress, you might get unsufficient or no results on your third level or second level search. In this case, please broaden your search criteria.
Our news roundup: protests break out in Belarus; Russian airspace violations; NGOs in Kyrgyzstan targeted; remote voting in Russia; and a cross-ethnic, Balkan friendship.
More...
The aim of the article is to select characteristics of people with disabilities affecting remain on unemployment, as well as the qualification of those characteristics that have a positive influence on the time without job. For this purpose, the odds ratio is used. This measure allows to compare the probability of occurrence in the register of unemployed up to 12 months depending on the selected features. Analyzed factors include gender, age, seniority, education, disability level and place of residence. The analysis used data on the labor market in Pomorskie voivodship from the register of the Regional Labour Office in Gdansk at the end of the first half of 2013.
More...
In recent years there has been an increase in employment of people with dis-abilities in Poland. However, the activity rate of the population is still low. The author based on extensive review of the literature on the subject has made international comparisons. The main goal of this article is to examine the influence of gender, place of residence, educational level, age and degree of disability of people with disabilities in their passivity employment as well as the influence of gender, place of residence and degree of disability on the probability of the rea-sons for this passivity. The study used data from CSO of Poland. The data were analyzed using logistic regression models binomial and multinomial. A relative risk of passivity in relation to activity was determined and the probability of inactivity of people with disabilities from a specific cause was calculated.
More...
Tax systems in some countries only serve to prevent the onset of the financial crisis and excessive public debt and budget deficit in relation to GDP. The article presents the author's analysis of the impact of taxes scale on financial stability and economic sustainability of countries. The concept of a hypothetical share of tax on GDP for the analysis of social inequality is introduced. An assessment of fiscal policy in the European Union and Norway between 2000 and 2010 was prepared. Usefulness of higher taxation (consumption, labor and capital) in the context of the need to reduce public debt in many countries was estimated, too.
More...
This article presents a typology of EU countries based on criteria of the exports value in the different types of services and their participation in the total value of services exported. An analysis of the competitive position ex post of the European Union states in the Community trade of services was prepared based on a constructed typology. The study of competitiveness takes into account the transport and tourism (the largest share of turnover) services as well as communications, construction, insurance, financial, IT and information services. The typology of EU countries was created using Ward's method, with a group of hierarchical agglomeration clustering methods.
More...
This paper presents the results of research on the situation and aspirations of young people in the area of employment activation. In addition to presenting key indicators showing the latest and most significant changes in the labor market, particular attention was paid to the assessment by the young people of the work, life chances, career plans, seeking a satisfactory and job consistent with employment skills, etc. The main source of information were the Labour Force Survey (LFS) , a special study of unemployed people conducted by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and the quantitative and qualitative study, made by the Institute for Market, Consumption and Business Cycles Research.
More...
This article aims to analyze spending on R&D activities and the number of patent applications to the European Patent Office. The study groupings similar to each other European countries in terms of spending on these activities and the number of patent applications. The cluster analysis with the Ward method was used to the country grouping.
More...
Obtaining (on the 1st May, 2004) by Poland and nine other countries, the status of a member of the European Union and the subsequent expansion of the group in 2007 resulted in changes in the Polish trade in services. The purpose of this article is to analyze whether and to what extent there has been intensification of Polish exports and imports to the EU services market? The identification of the effects of our country's accession to the EU in the competitiveness of Polish service providers, measured of the export specialization index. In addition, the author examined the scale of incidence between the Polish and other EU Members of the internal branch exchange. On this basis it was stated, how the differences in technology and equipment in the production factors between the Polish and the EU determined the mutual trade in services. This study uses information of the OECD. The service sector was divided into groups according to the Extended Balance of Payments Services classification (EBOPS 2002).
More...
The article analyses the demand and supply effects of temporary increase in government spending on the labour market. The analysis was performed using a model of the new Keynesian economics. Estimates of model parameters were determined by the Bayes method. The simulations show that government spending greater impact on the labour market through demand effect than the supply side. Demand effect is stronger for both employment and wages.
More...
The article presents the application of compatibility analysis to assess the extent to which the main objective of the National Development Strategy (SRK) was realized (Raising the level and life quality of the Polish population in the provinces in 2010). The analysis uses a complex matrix of compliance tags created by comparing the indicator values of Polish provinces with their assumed value (standard) in SRK’2010. The proposed method also identified regions in which the goal was achieved, and those in which the objective has not been achieved. With the method the visualization of results was made in two-dimensional space. The study was based on data from the Central Statistical Office (GUS).
More...
The article presents the existing systems of monitoring and evaluation of the strategy of selected cities, as well as the author’s proposal for monitoring the extent to which urban development strategy is implemented (example – the Strategy of Szczecin). The monitoring the implementation of specific strategic objectives, as well as evaluating the selection of indicators have a high importance. The authors also pointed out assessment limitations for the extend of realisation of the Strategy specific goals due to difficulties to quantify as well as penetration of certain goals.
More...
With the Polish accession to the European Union regions and regional policy took on special significance. Preparation of a comprehensive strategy for the development of regions has become a permanent part of public management. Their development should be preceded by a diagnosis of the state of socio-economic development, and implementation subject to continuous monitoring. Making current decisions by local governments should also be held after the analysis of data about issues that are the subject of decision-making. The growing role of self-governments in policy development leads to an increase in demand for regional statistics data. The article attempts to identify possible use of regional statistics and information to determine deficiencies in this regard.
More...
The article attempts to identify factors that influence the length of time spent unemployed persons to 30 years of age. For this purpose, were used two econometric models: the binomial logit and multinomial logit-ordered. Authors made theoretical description of these models. Then, the results obtained from the estimation were presented. They allowed to extract variables having a significant impact on the amount of the unemployment duration. Among the important variables on the studied phenomenon, among others affect age, the situation of surveyed persons a year ago, the place of residence and professional experience.
More...
Sustainable development is one of the major challenges of the modern world. Its implementation should be monitored at every level of management, with particular emphasis on monitoring the implementation of this concept at the local level (gminas and powiats) and regional (voivodships). The basic assessing tool are indicators to provide a statistical picture of a given territorial unit. Within the Local Data Bank (BDL) a universal module was created, which is designed to monitor sustainable development at a level lower than the country. The reference point were indices developed by the Eurostat. Module developed in the BDL is not a set of monitoring a specific strategy development at local and regional level but is a basic set of indicators for analysis of sustainable development and allows to evaluate and compare local government units.
More...
The paper analyzes the revenue and expenditure of the Social Insurance Fund (SIF) from 1999 to 2010. This period covers the first years of the reformed social security system and the time at which a number of regulatory change was introduced. In the analyzed period both revenue and expenditure of social insurance increased, while revenues grew faster than expenses. The higher revenue growth marked by subsidies from the state budget than revenues from social security premiums. Among the largest share of expenditure accounted for transfers to the population, which were paid primarily in the form of pensions. The analysis shows that the reform of social security system, despite the delays in the implementation of certain objectives, contributed to many positive changes. It affected the growth of insured persons, a drop in payments of inability to work, and the increase in the average age of persons who have been granted pension benefits.
More...
The task of statistics is to provide reliable information to different user groups, including recipients of statistics at different levels of decision-making. Providing information support in decision making and policy-making in socioeconomic development is an ambitious challenge and requires a lot of responsibility. The article presents the activities carried out by the Polish official statistics, which are used to improve the effectiveness of strategic management at national and European level. In particular, the role of statistics was presented in the development and monitoring of strategic documents and in the process of implementing new mechanisms to coordinate economic policy.
More...
The starting point of the analysis in the article is the notion of Norway’s High North policy (nordområdepolitiken) and the profile of it. What is under investigation is the question, whether this policy is founded on the ideals of cooperation or whether it is rather to be conceived as a disguise. The explanation of the sources and essence of the policy, including Norwegian-Russian relations, suggest that it is characterized by stability, continuity, dynamism and strong ties with Norway’s interests in the domain of domestic policy. These qualities justify the conclusion that Norway’s policy in the High North is really based on the ideals of cooperation between the states.
More...Adam Gendźwiłł, "Wybory lokalne w Polsce. Uczestnictwo, konkurencja i reprezentacja polityczna w demokracjach mniejszej skali"
More...
Guns are deadly. Most homicides, robberies and other types of criminal activities are mostly committed by guns, therefore many politicians try to regulate them in hope to decrease crime rates and are wildly supported by public. To determine how gun-control laws influence crime rates, regression analysis has been conducted with many control variables, however it hasn’t found any statistically significant relationship between gun ownership and homicide rates. Then the logical question arose: if it is really so, then why do the politicians regulate gun-ownership? To answer that question, an experiment has been conducted to determine public’s attitude towards gun-control. The experiment results showed that people generally see guns in negative light and have less information about their good uses, therefore politicians, influenced by that attitude, try to regulate guns, as it is hard not to do anything when masses are expecting action from you. These findings motivate research on law-making process to determine whether and which laws have intended results.
More...
After the collapse of USSR, Central Asia becomes independent but the ethnical non homogeneity as well as the instability are the main factors for the existence of the “European Balkans”. This is the reason for the acquired independence to be balanced between the both regional neighbors – Russia and China. A possible display of the similar “balancing” is compliance with “soft” power plus participation in tree initiatives: Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Eurasian Economic Union and “One Belt, one Road” as well as obedience with the upcoming strategic triangle Russia-Iran-China.
More...