scholarly journals Efficiency of the European Social Fund Contribution to the Regions of Latvia

2013 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-19
Author(s):  
Ilze Latviete

Abstract From 2004 till mid-2007, the economics of Latvia experienced fast development, which to some extent was influenced by accessing the European Union (EU), which in its turn provided access to the EU funds and subsequently to significant investment in the country’s development, thus also affecting the topicalities of social security and employment. Because of the world recession, the EU has experienced an economic downfall which hit Latvia and its regions very hard, causing a significant reduction in the economic activity, increase in the unemployment level, and the risk of social stratification. To facilitate the socio-economic development of the regions, to increase the level of welfare in the regions with lower socio-economic development indicators, as well as to prevent the possibility of appearance of unfavourable situations in the future, it is necessary to use correctly the EU funds available in Latvia, including the financing of the European Social Fund (ESF). In the period from 2004 till 2010, the Riga region has acquired 33% of the total ESF financing in the welfare sector, Latgale has the second largest financing - 25%, but the other resources have been acquired in a more or less equal amounts in the other regions: Kurzeme (16%), Zemgale (14%), and Vidzeme (12%). The ESF financing in the welfare sector has influenced the socio-economic indicators of the regions. Functional correlations are observed among the ESF financing in the welfare sector and the value changes in the number of registered unemployed persons, job seekers and the territory development index.

2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (8) ◽  
pp. 28-46
Author(s):  
Janusz Rosiek

One of the key challenges currently faced by the European Union countries is ensuring sustainable socio-economic development. The article aims to present the results of the study concerning the effectiveness of expenditures incurred by the EU countries on sustainable development and their effects, tak ing into account the average three-year delay between the expenditures and the effects of the implemented policy. Data Envelopment Analysis was employed in the research. As an approximate measure of sustainability, the DEA efficiency indicator was used. This was due to the fact that the indicator was constructed on the basis of the value of expenditures and effects, which were crucial for the assessment and comparison of the degree of sustainable development. The research covered 28 EU countries and was carried out on the basis of data collected by Eurostat for the years 2011—2013 (expenditures) and 2014—2016 (effects). In general it can be stated that all analysed countries were characterized by high values of sustainable development indicators, which proves that the implementation of the EU sustainable development policy is highly effective. However, it is worth noting that the ranking of the countries considered to be the most economically developed is relatively low. In order to explain this fact, further indepth theoretical and empirical analyses are required.


2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 5-19
Author(s):  
Marta Kuc

This paper proposes the use of synthetic variable to examine differences in the standard of living in the EU countries. The synthetic variable allows to replace the whole set of variables into one aggregated variable. This variable is the basis for organizing and grouping countries in terms of standard of living. The subject of empirical analysis are 24 member states of the European Union in 1995-2010. The analysis of synthetic variable reveals that there are significant disparities between countries in the field of overall socio-economic development. The analysis show favorable situation in Ireland and very unfavorable conditions in Romania, Bulgaria and the Baltic countries.


Author(s):  
N. Matviienko ◽  
V. Matviienko

International tourism is gaining increasing influence on the country’s competitiveness in the world markets. The article is dedicated to Croatia, one of the most successful countries in the former Yugoslav republic. Its disintegration became one of the world’s national conflicts, where many human bloods were shed, by the way, it is similar to that which Ukraine is going through today. The Croats managed to put an end to the separatist conflict, embark on a plan for economic stability and enter the European Union. It was investigated that tourism was one of the priority development areas that the country focused on. It is determined that Croatia is one of the most important tourist destinations in the Mediterranean region, and the tourism industry is developing successfully and generating a stable income. The article considers the system of factors which became the prerequisite for the development of the tourist industry in Croatia. Their role in the development of the modern tourism industry in Croatia has been characterized. The main natural-geographical factors are investigated – relief, climate, water factor and nature reserve fund. It is determined that the advantage of Croatia is not only the clean and warm Adriatic sea but also the availability of thermal waters and mineral springs, as well as a unique natural reserve fund. The significance of human-geographical factors – socio-geographical position, historical-geographical, demographic, cultural-historical, level of socio-economic development, material and technical base and transport factors are revealed. Interestingly, the accession of Croatia to the EU was not prevented either by the territorial problems that the country had with Slovenia, nor the restrained attitude of the population towards European integration, nor the external debt of the country, which exceeded the crisis mark for the European Union. An analysis of the level of economic development in Croatia showed that Croatia had become one of the poorest countries of the EU at the time of its accession to this organization. The analysis of the main indicators of socio-economic development of the country in 2017 showed that today Croatia has become a very attractive European country, which tourists are willing to visit. The basis of Croatia’s economy is the service sector, whose share in the country’s GDP is 70.8%, of which direct revenue from tourism is 10.9%. The key factor in the development of tourism in Croatia is the material and technical base. In particular, the system of accommodation of Croatia for quality and service is not inferior to other European countries. Roads are the most modern and safe in Europe. The importance of tourism development in Croatia for the ecological and geographical factor is analyzed. It has been determined that an effective system of governance has been created in Croatia for the protection of the environment. Effective state tourism policy contributes to improving the attractiveness of Croatia in the tourist market and accelerates integration processes in the world economy.


Author(s):  
Dorota RYSZKOWSKA ◽  
Czesław ADAMIAK ◽  
Barbara SZYDA

National Rural Network is an important instrument for rural development in Poland. NRN is an instrument of the Rural Areas Development Programme. The main objective of NRN is to support the rural areas of the European Union by providing information, experiences and good practices for sustainable rural development. These measures are intended to improve the quality of life of rural residents and the conditions of their work. The aim of the paper is to demonstrate whether the implementation of NRN initiatives contributes to socio-economic development of rural areas in Podlaskie Voivodship. In order to achieve this objective, the projects supported by NRN for the years 2010-2017 were reviewed, and the numbers of the projects in individual poviats were compared to the changes in values of socio-economic development indicators derived from the Central Statistical Office data.


2014 ◽  
pp. 147-153
Author(s):  
P. Orekhovsky

The review outlines the connection between E. Reinert’s book and the tradition of structural analysis. The latter allows for the heterogeneity of industries and sectors of the economy, as well as for the effects of increasing and decreasing returns. Unlike the static theory of international trade inherited from the Ricardian analysis of comparative advantage, this approach helps identify the relationship between trade, production, income and population growth. Reinert rehabilitates the “other canon” of economic theory associated with the mercantilist tradition, F. Liszt and the German historical school, as well as a reconside ration of A. Marshall’s analysis of increasing returns. Empirical illustrations given in the book reveal clear parallels with the path of Russian socio-economic development in the last twenty years.


2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-56
Author(s):  
Milan Palat

Bu çalışmanın amacı, Türkiye’den göç ve Almanya’nın ekonomik göstergeleri arasındaki ilişkiyi, nicel metot yöntemleri kullanarak değerlendirmektir. Türkiye’nin belirsiz Avrupa ile bütünleşme beklentilerine rağmen  Avrupa Birliğinin köklü üyelerine olan Türk göçü devam edecektir. Çok sayıda Türk azınlığın yaşadığı ve hayat standartlarının yüksek olduğu Almanya, Hollanda ve Fransa’ya  büyük bir göç dalgası gerçekleşebilir. Çalışmanın istatistiksel bölümünün sonuçları, toplam göç ile gayri safi yurtiçi hasıladaki büyüme arasında pozitif, toplam göç ile işsizlik arasındaki negatif ve tahmin edilen bağımlılık yönüyle uygunluk içerisinde olan toplam göç ile aylık gelir arasında pozitif ilişki olduğunu göstermektedir. Türkiye’den göçle işsizlik arasındaki ilişki, toplam göçle olan ilişkiden daha düşüktür. Ancak, Almanya’daki yabancı mevcudiyeti ile Türkiye’den göç arasında bir ilişki bulunmaktadır. Bu durum, var olan göçmen topluluğunun olduğu yerin, yeni göçmenleri, köken bağlarına dayanarak cezbetmesi ve maliyet- riskler sebebiyle göçün düşük seviye de olduğuna dayanan kuramsal Ağ teorisi görüşü ile uygunluk göstermektedir. Göç ve işsizlik arasında gözlenen ilişki, Almanya’ya göçün  işgücü piyasasında talepte meydana gelen değişime karşılık geldiği gerçeğini göstermektedir. İşsizlik ve göç olgularının meydana geliş zamanlarında bir aralık  olsa bile  göç, Alman emek pazarında var olan dengesizliklerin azaltılmasında nispeten etkili bir mekanizma gibi görünmektedir. ENGLISH TITLE & ABSTRACTTurkish Immigration to the European Union: The Case of GermanyThe objective of the paper was to evaluate the relationships between immigration from Turkey and economic indicators in Germany using  quantitative methods. Despite Turkey’s unclear European integration prospects, it is predicted that Turkish immigration to  established member countries of the EU will continue. The strongest waves may flow to Germany, Netherlands or France, where numerous Turkish minorities are already present and where the living standards are high. Results from the statistical analysis of the paper showed a positive correlation between immigration total and the growth of gross domestic product. On the other hand, a negative correlation of immigration total and unemployment was found and a positive relationship between immigration total and income total which is in agreement with the expected dependency direction. With regards to  immigration from Turkey it is less correlated to unemployment than immigration total. But there is a correlation between immigration from Turkey and the stock of foreigners in Germany This is in accordance with the theoretical concept of network theory where an existing community of migrants keeps attracting new migrants because the costs and risks associated with migration are lower, thanks to established linkages to the country of origin. The observed correlation of migration and unemployment points to the fact that immigration to Germany responds to changes in demand in the labour market. Even though a time lag may occur in the case of unemployment and immigration, migration appears to be a relatively effective mechanism to offset existing imbalances in German labour markets. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (10) ◽  
pp. 3-18
Author(s):  
Valeriy HEYETS ◽  

Self-realization of the individual in the conditions of using the policy of “social quality” as a modern tool of public administration in a transitional society is largely related to overcoming the existing limitations of the individual in acting in such a society and economy transitioning to a market character. Given that, in particular, in Ukraine the market is hybrid (and this is especially important), the existing limitations in self-realization of the individual must be overcome, including, and perhaps primarily, through transformations in the processes of socialization, which differ from European practices and institutions that ensure its implementation. Thus, it is a matter of overcoming not only and not so much the natural selfish interests of the individual, but the existing gap in skills, which are an invisible asset to ensure the endogenous nature of economic growth. It is shown that there is an inverse relationship between the formation of socialization and the policy of “social quality”, which is characterized by the dialectic of interaction between the individual and the group and which is a process of increasing the degree of socialization. The latter, due to interdependence, will serve to increase the effectiveness of interaction between the individual and the group, which expands the possibilities of self-realization of the individual in terms of European policy of “social quality” as a tool of public administration, whose successful application causes new challenges and content of the so-called secondary sociology. The logic of Ukraine's current development shows that new approaches are needed to achieve the social development goals set out in the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union and to minimize the potential risks and threats that accompany current reforms in Ukrainian society. They should introduce new forms of public administration to create policy interrelationships of all dimensions, as proposed, in particular, by the social quality approach to socialization, the nature of which has been revealed in the author's previous publications. As a result, the socio-cultural (social) dimension will fundamentally change, the structure of which must include the transformational processes of socialization of a person, thanks to which they will learn the basics of life in the new social reality and intensify their social and economic interaction on the basis of self-realization, thereby contributing to the success of state policy of social quality and achieving stable socio-economic development.


Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
Stefania Leopardi ◽  
Pamela Priori ◽  
Barbara Zecchin ◽  
Gianpiero Zamperin ◽  
Adelaide Milani ◽  
...  

Bats are often claimed to be a major source for future viral epidemics, as they are associated with several viruses with zoonotic potential. Here we describe the presence and biodiversity of bats associated with intensive pig farms devoted to the production of heavy pigs in northern Italy. Since chiropters or signs of their presence were not found within animal shelters in our study area, we suggest that fecal viruses with high environmental resistance have the highest likelihood for spillover through indirect transmission. In turn, we investigated the circulation of mammalian orthoreoviruses (MRVs), coronaviruses (CoVs) and astroviruses (AstVs) in pigs and bats sharing the same environment. Results of our preliminary study did not show any bat virus in pigs suggesting that spillover from these animals is rare. However, several AstVs, CoVs and MRVs circulated undetected in pigs. Among those, one MRV was a reassortant strain carrying viral genes likely acquired from bats. On the other hand, we found a swine AstV and a MRV strain carrying swine genes in bat guano, indicating that viral exchange at the bat–pig interface might occur more frequently from pigs to bats rather than the other way around. Considering the indoor farming system as the most common system in the European Union (EU), preventive measures should focus on biosecurity rather than displacement of bats, which are protected throughout the EU and provide critical ecosystem services for rural settings.


Author(s):  
Lutz P Breitling

Abstract Background The most commonly cited argument for imposing or lifting various restrictions in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is an assumed impact on the reproductive ratio of the pathogen. It has furthermore been suggested that less-developed countries are particularly affected by this pandemic. Empirical evidence for this is lacking. Methods Based on a dataset covering 170 countries, patterns of empirical 7-d reproductive ratios during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic were analysed. Time trends and associations with socio-economic development indicators, such as gross domestic product per capita, physicians per population, extreme poverty prevalence and maternal mortality ratio, were analysed in mixed linear regression models using log-transformed reproductive ratios as the dependent variable. Results Reproductive ratios during the early phase of a pandemic exhibited high fluctuations and overall strong declines. Stable estimates were observed only several weeks into the pandemic, with a median reproductive ratio of 0.96 (interquartile range 0.72–1.34) 6 weeks into the analysis period. Unfavourable socio-economic indicators showed consistent associations with higher reproductive ratios, which were elevated by a factor of 1.29 (95% confidence interval 1.15 to 1.46), for example, in the countries in the highest compared with the lowest tertile of extreme poverty prevalence. Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic has allowed for the first time description of the global patterns of reproductive ratios of a novel pathogen during pandemic spread. The present study reports the first quantitative empirical evidence that COVID-19 net transmissibility remains less controlled in socio-economically disadvantaged countries, even months into the pandemic. This needs to be addressed by the global scientific community as well as international politics.


1996 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Hix ◽  
Christopher Lord

THE SINGLE EUROPEAN ACT AND THE MAASTRICHT TREATY attempted to balance two principles of representation in their redesign of the institutional structures of the European Union: the one, based on the indirect representation of publics through nationally elected governments in the European Council and Council of Ministers; the other, based on the direct representation of publics through a more powerful European Parliament. There is much to be said for this balance, for neither of the two principles can, on its own, be an adequate solution at this stage in the development of the EU. The Council suffers from a non-transparent style of decision-making and is, in the view of many, closer to oligarchic than to democratic politics. On the other hand, the claims of the European Parliament to represent public sentiments on European integration are limited by low voter participation, the second-order nature of European elections and the still Protean nature of what we might call a transnational European demos. The EU lacks a single public arena of political debate, communications and shared meanings; of partisan aggregation and political entrepreneurship; and of high and even acceptance, across issues and member states, that it is European and not national majority views which should count in collective rule-making.


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