scholarly journals A century of monetary reform in South-East Europe: from political autonomy to the gold standard, 1815–1910

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Morys

This article documents and analyses monetary reform in Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Romania from 1815 (Serbian autonomy within the Ottoman Empire) to 1910, when Greece became the last country in the region to join the gold standard. It explains the five key steps towards monetary reform which the four countries took in the same chronological order, and asks why national coinage and the foundation of a bank of note issue came late in the reform process. The South-East European countries tried to emulate West European prototypes, yet economic backwardness meant such institutions were often different from the outset, remained short-lived or both.

Author(s):  
Matthias Morys

Abstract We add a historical and regional dimension to the debate on the Greek debt crisis by analysing repeated cycles of entry and exit from the gold standard, government default, and financial supervision for four South-East European countries from political independence to World War II. The prevailing pattern of fiscal dominance was broken only under financial supervision, when conditionality scaled back the treasury’s influence; only then were central banks able to stabilize their exchange rates. A political economy analysis for Greece finds that financial supervision was politically acceptable as it made successfully adhering to gold more likely in the view of contemporaries.


Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatrice Belfiori ◽  
Valentina D’Angelo ◽  
Claudia Riccioni ◽  
Marco Leonardi ◽  
Francesco Paolocci ◽  
...  

The ectomycorrhizal fungus Tuber magnatum produces the white truffle appreciated worldwide for its unique aroma. With respect to other Tuber spp. of economic interest, T. magnatum presents a narrower geographical range. This species has, in fact, long been considered endemic to Italy. However, over the last few decades several reports have documented the presence of white truffles in different Mediterranean countries and in particular in various areas of south-east Europe. In this study, samples from several Pannonian and Balkan countries such as Hungary, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece have been collected and genotyped with microsatellite markers and the data merged with those available for Italian populations. Our objectives were to test whether Italian and south-east European populations are differentiated and to evaluate the genetic diversity of T. magnatum all over its distributional range. We show the genetic structure of T. magnatum populations with the differentiation of four main groups: northern Italy, central-northern Italy, southern Italy and the Balkan/Pannonian region. The present study allowed us to refine the evolutionary history of T. magnatum and track the possible post-glacial expansion route of this species. The assessment of T. magnatum’s genetic structure is not only of scientific relevance, but it is also important for the conservation and market traceability of this prestigious fungus.


2019 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Vilenica ◽  
Natalija Vučković ◽  
Zlatko Mihaljević

Man-made freshwater habitats have been widely used to successfully modify the environment for human benefit, including purposes of irrigation, flood control or electricity generation. Over the past decade, our knowledge about the mayfly fauna and its ecology in South-East Europe has been growing, yet the data related to lentic assemblages remain very scarce. In this study, littoral mayfly assemblages were investigated at artificial and heavily modified lentic habitats in the Dinaric Western Balkan (n=21) and Pannonian Lowland (n=15) ecoregions. Mayfly nymphs were sampled during the summer months of 2016 or 2017. At each sampling site, ten samples were collected using a benthos hand net. A total of 21 mayfly species were recorded, though species richness per site was rather low (i.e., between zero and seven species). Cloeon dipterum (Linnaeus, 1761) was the most frequent species recorded, while Caenis horaria Linnaeus, 1758 was the most abundant. This study showed that the Croatian mayfly fauna is still growing, with the first record of Siphlonurus aestivalis Eaton, 1903 for the country. The assemblage structure was mainly dominated by lower reaches and lentic (potamal and littoral) elements and detritivores (gatherers/collectors and active filter feeders). Orthophosphates and chemical oxygen demand had the highest influence on mayfly assemblages, reflecting a higher level of pollution at sites in the Pannonian Lowland ecoregion, and consequently markedly lower mayfly abundances. As mayflies are widely used as bioindicators of freshwater ecosystems, detailed information about their assemblages in heavily modified and artificial habitats could contribute to future conservation activities of freshwater habitats and their communities. Additionally, these results could be applied in creating a monitoring system for artificial lakes according to the requirements of the European Water Framework Directive.


2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 538-566
Author(s):  
Mirko Petric ◽  
Inga Tomic-Koludrovic

This article discusses the significance of social capital in Bourdieu-inspired analyses of contemporary South-East European societies. We first recapitulate Bourdieu?s theorization of social capital, emphasizing that it allows different operationalizations expressly because of its rather abstract theoretical character. Following that, we explain what is meant by ?South- East European societies? and that their inequality-generating mechanisms are largely based on social closure. In the central part of the article, we comment on some attempts at operationalization of social capital in the SEE region. While we also discuss two cases of eclectically mixing Lin?s operationalization with Bourdieusian concepts, at the center of our attention is the elaboration of Bourdieu?s theorization of social capital put forward by the Serbian sociologist Predrag Cveticanin. The relevance of his concepts of ?social capital of solidarity? and ?social capital of informal connections? for the study of class relations in post-socialist societies in South-East Europe highlights the advantages of a consistent application of the Bourdieusian framework in a contemporary (post-Bourdieusian) context.


Author(s):  
Darko Tipurić ◽  
Lana Cindrić ◽  
Domagoj Hruška

This chapter aims to describe how one of the leading business schools in South East Europe responded to market pressures for training competent leaders by installing novel practices in leadership education at the university level. The purpose of the chapter is twofold: (1) to outline the key steps in the process of a graduate study program development; (2) to present the advantages of adopting a holistic approach in leadership education. The chapter calls for more discussion on curriculum development and emphasizes the importance of sharing experiences in improving the quality of university leadership education.


Author(s):  
Marina Vilenica ◽  
Viktorija Ergović ◽  
Zlatko Mihaljević

Despite increasing numbers of studies on aquatic insects in South-East European streams, there are still gaps in the knowledge about their distribution and assemblage composition in many regions. As one of the most abundant and sensitive aquatic insects, mayflies are widely used as bioindicator taxa. With the main goal of improving the knowledge of South-East European mayflies, a study was conducted of 15 streams along a Pannonian lowland mountain, in spring and summer 2017. A total of 18 mayfly taxa were recorded, where Ephemera danica Müller, 1764 and Baetis rhodani (Pictet, 1843) were the most widespread. All sites were characterized with the domination of rhithral elements, with similar shares of grazers/scrapers and detritivores. Nevertheless, sites at lower altitudes generally had a higher share of potamal and littoral elements, and a higher share of detritivores than at higher altitudes. NMDS analysis separated sites mainly based on sampling period. Although Heptageniidae nymphs were recorded in all streams, the parasitic chironomid Symbiocladius rhithrogenae (Zavrel, 1924) was recorded attached to three nymphs of Rhithrogena group semicolorata, each in a different stream. These records represent the first report of this species for Croatia. The current study contributes significantly to our knowledge of mayfly assemblages and species distribution in South-East Europe. Moreover, with a newly recorded species, this study indicates that the knowledge of the Croatian chironomid fauna is still growing.


SEER ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-180
Author(s):  
Bruno S. Sergi ◽  
Paul Arkoh ◽  
Chaimae Batta ◽  
Rim Drissi ◽  
Antonio Licastro ◽  
...  

With ever-growing sensibilities concerning environmental protection, the shift towards a greening the economy is becoming a top priority. In order to realise sustainable development, however, sufficient resources are required, as well as an innovative approach based on social needs, environmental considerations and other aspects of social responsibility. The authors focus in this article on how a selection of south-east European countries have started to implement a broad spectrum of policies in support of a more sustainable economy, reviewing the choices in this area made by Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Romania and Slovenia. The article also discusses the major drivers and barriers to greening the economy, in particular how far EU membership is a major driver. The authors conclude that the main barriers impeding change are usually internal, as a result of policies remaining dependent on national governments and domestic social attitudes. However, access to European funds as a result of EU membership may well, where the local will is in accordance, encourage moves in support of a green transition.


2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 31-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanja Damjanovic

The states in South East Europe are joining forces to set up a large-scale competitive research infrastructure – the South East European International Institute for Sustainable Technologies (SEEIIST, https://seeiist.euh). Due to the recent history in South East Europe all scientific and economic activities have very much slowed down. As a consequence this region has suffered ever since from a strong brain drain of the young generation, affecting in particular the best.


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