scholarly journals Experiences, causes and measures to tackle institutional incongruence and informal economic activity in South-East Europe

2018 ◽  
Vol 68 (7) ◽  
pp. 950-971
Author(s):  
David Littlewood ◽  
Peter Rogers ◽  
Colin Williams
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Economic Activity ◽  
Informal Institutions ◽  
Formal Institutions ◽  
East Europe ◽  
Republic Of Macedonia ◽  
South East Europe ◽  
Values And Beliefs ◽  
Qualitative Focus Groups ◽  
Yugoslav Republic

To explain the prevalence and persistence of informal economic activity globally, scholars have recently advanced an institutional incongruence perspective. Institutional incongruence exists where there is a misalignment between what is considered legitimate by a society’s formal institutions (e.g. its laws and regulations) and its informal institutions (e.g. norms, values and beliefs). Reporting findings from a series of qualitative focus groups in Bulgaria, Croatia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, this article explores relationships between such institutional incongruence and informal economic activity. In particular, it sheds light on how informality and institutional incongruence are experienced by individuals in South-East Europe. It furthermore provides insights on the causes of such incongruence, and how it can lead to informal economic activity. Finally, it reports on individuals’ perceptions towards different measures to tackle institutional incongruence and informal economic activity, with implications for policymakers in South-East Europe and more widely.

scholarly journals Explaining the Undeclared Economy in Bulgaria: an Institutional Asymmetry Perspective

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 33-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin C. Williams ◽  
Josip Franic ◽  
Rositsa Dzhekova
Keyword(s):  
Social Contract ◽  
Informal Institutions ◽  
Formal Institutions ◽  
East Europe ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
South East Europe ◽  
The Social ◽  
Formal And Informal Institutions ◽  
Values And Beliefs ◽  
Civic Morality

Abstract This paper proposes a way of explaining the undeclared economy that represents participation in undeclared work as a violation of the social contract between the state and its citizens, and as arising when the informal institutions comprising the norms, values and beliefs of citizens (civic morality) do not align with the codified laws and regulations of a society’s formal institutions (state morality). Drawing upon evidence from 1,018 face-to-face interviews conducted in Bulgaria during 2013, the finding is that the greater is the asymmetry between formal and informal institutions (i.e., citizens’ civic morality and state morality), the greater is the likelihood of participation in the undeclared economy, and vice versa. The outcome is that tackling the undeclared economy requires a focus upon reducing this lack of alignment of formal and informal institutions. How this can be achieved in Bulgaria in particular and South-East Europe and beyond more generally, is then discussed.

scholarly journals Organizational Alignment in Ict Company in the Republic of Macedonia

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjan Bojadziev ◽  
Ana Tomovska Misoska ◽  
Antoni Pesev ◽  
Miodraga Stefanoska Petkovska
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Organizational Alignment ◽  
East Europe ◽  
Organizational Functioning ◽  
Complex Concept ◽  
Republic Of Macedonia ◽  
South East Europe ◽  
Organizational Leader ◽  
The Republic

This article focuses on organizational alignment as a very important aspect of the organizational functioning. Organizational alignment is a complex concept and is sparsely researched and measured especially in South East Europe. There are different theoretical views on alignment but most of them focus on organizational culture, the values and the structure and strategy as main elements of alignment. Therefore, the model outlined in the paper, Vox Organizationis, proposes that the alignment should be achieved between the non-formal aspects of the organizational functioning appraised by the organizational culture as seen by the employees and the values of the organizational leader as non-formal aspects of the organizational functioning, and the formal aspect visible in the strategy, structure and policies of the organization. The paper presents a case study of one company from the ICT sector in the Republic of Macedonia to show the application and the usefulness of the model. The results in that company show good levels of overall alignment with few areas that need improvement. The significance of the paper is not only in outlining the results of the case study company, but also in showing the applicability of the model in achieving better organizational alignment. 

scholarly journals Fear of the unknown: local knowledge and perceptions of the Eurasian lynxLynx lynxin western Macedonia

Oryx ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 600-607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Lescureux ◽  
John D. C. Linnell ◽  
Sabit Mustafa ◽  
Dime Melovski ◽  
Aleksandar Stojanov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Local Knowledge ◽  
Lynx Lynx ◽  
Eurasian Lynx ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
East Europe ◽  
Republic Of Macedonia ◽  
South East Europe ◽  
Social Nature ◽  
The People ◽  
The Republic

AbstractThe remnant population of Balkan lynxLynx lynx martinoiis small, isolated and highly threatened. Since 2006 a conservation project has surveyed its status and promoted its recovery in Albania and Macedonia. Eurasian lynx are often associated with conflicts of an economic or social nature, and their conservation requires a focus on the people sharing the landscape with the species. In this study we adopt methods and conceptual frameworks from anthropology to explore the local knowledge and perceptions of lynx among rural hunters and livestock breeders in the western mountains of the Republic of Macedonia in south-east Europe. The main finding was that local people rarely saw or interacted with lynx. As the level of interactions with this species is very low, the lynx doesn’t appear to be a species associated with conflicts in Macedonia. There was also a general lack of both scientific and local knowledge, which has led to somewhat negative attitudes, mainly based on myths and rumours. Poaching of lynx and their prey seem to be the main barriers to lynx conservation.

The impac t of carbon prices on CCS investment in South East Europe

2014 ◽  
pp. 91-120
Author(s):  
Vladimir Franki ◽  
Vladimir Valentic ◽  
Alfredo Viskovic
Keyword(s):  
East Europe ◽  
South East Europe ◽  
Carbon Prices

Determinants of Export Oriented Entrepreneurs from Southeast Europe Region

2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 439-452
Author(s):  
Bojan Leković ◽  
Miodrag Petrović ◽  
Nemanja Berber
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Southeast Europe ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
East Europe ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
International Orientation ◽  
Entrepreneurial Behaviour ◽  
South East Europe

Abstract The subject of this research represents analysis of internationalisation activity of early-stage entrepreneurs in South East Europe region (SEE). The goal of this study is to determine characteristics of export oriented entrepreneurs from SEE region through the study of factors influencing international orientation. Geographical area of this research consists of countries from the South East Europe region. The research sample was formed on the basis of GEM - Global Individual Level Data, covering six countries (Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and FYR of Macedonia), 12027 respondents of which 645 export-oriented entrepreneurs were identified. Collected data are processed using the software package for statistical analysis. With the help of Ordinal Logistic regression, significant influence of individual factors on the international orientation of entrepreneurs was identified. Research results showed that entrepreneurial motives, entrepreneurial KSA’s, innovation and new technology have a positive relationship with internationalization activity. One of the significant limitations of this paper is the lower Nagelkerk coefficient, which is characteristic for social phenomena. Bearing in mind the fact that this research trying to explain entrepreneurial behaviour, lower coefficients can be very meaningfull.

Integrated development strategy of the catchment area of the Tisza river

2014 ◽  
pp. 31-36
Author(s):  
Pompei Cocean ◽  
Ana-Maria Pop ◽  
Lelia Papp
Keyword(s):  
Development Strategy ◽  
Catchment Area ◽  
Contemporary Literature ◽  
Great Emphasis ◽  
East Europe ◽  
South East Europe ◽  
Living Space ◽  
Main Challenge ◽  
Transnational Cooperation ◽  
Tisza River

The main challenge for mankind has always been to eliminate the borders of its living space, as well as to explore and discover its new faces. Contemporary literature strengthens this postulate. It is the preference of the experts of various fields in spatial analysis is to consider space to be repairable, changeable and organisable. In accordance with this axiom, the five affected countries in the catchment area of the Tisza river (Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, Slovakia and Serbia) worked out an integrated, mutual standpoint to support the problems of the catchment area and to exploit its opportunities with the aim to support transnational cooperation. They laid great emphasis on the existing resources which could become the driving force behind regional development directions. This study contains the summarised outcomes of the TICAD project (SEE/A 638/4.2./X) which was drawn up as a result of cooperation between renowned institutions of the five affected countries within the South East Europe Transnational Cooperation Programme (lead partner: VÁTI, Hungary).

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