Modeling regional cooperation in the Balkans after 1999: European experiences and their application

In this paper, the authors comparatively analyze the development of regional cooperation in Europe after the Second World War and in the Western Balkans since 1999. They compare and contrast regional cooperation in the Western Balkans (with a particular focus on the period after 2006, when the Stability Pact for Southeastern Europe was transformed into the Regional Cooperation Council, and after 2014, when the Berlin Process was launched) with similar forms of cooperation in Europe, such as the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Visegrad Group, and the Benelux. Therefore, the authors approach a comparative analysis of the composition of these regional forums and their areas of cooperation with the Regional Cooperation Council, the Southeast European Cooperation Process, and the Berlin Process. In this regard, the authors state that there are more than obvious similarities between regional cooperation in the Western Balkans, primarily with the Visegrad Group, and to a significant extent with the Benelux. Regional cooperation on the Balkan Peninsula and between the Nordic countries is similar to a lesser extent, owing to the absence of the formation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Western Balkans, which was overlooked in 2013. The authors conclude that there are numerous obstacles to establishin g more intensive and deeper regional cooperation in the Western Balkans, the most significant of which are the lack of a multilaterally accepted regional identity, the different interests of regional leaders regarding its "originality", the conflicted views of dominant opinions, and the predominant influences of various Western actors.

Monetary Stability and the Stability of the Open Society

Historical experience shows that the welfare state is what holds democracy and the market economy together. Neither a welfare state that is too small nor one that is too large can fulfill this connective function. A “stability pact” between citizens and the state is needed: 1. A welfare state to provide citizens security even in their old age. 2. In order to preserve appropriate incentives, the retirement system has to be a form of “saving” (forced saving) for old age. 3. In addition, most citizens also undertake voluntary saving. 4. The state provides for monetary stability. 5. The state uses itsfiscal policy to promote high employment. A modern understanding of personal freedom includes the security provided by a welfare state of appropriate dimensions. It follows that in the twenty-first century, a large part of the wealth of citizens consists of net claims on the state.

MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS EFFICIENCY OF ENTERPRISES TRADE IN KOSOVO

An important role for the country's economic development is the adaptation of structural changes, opportunities and development conditions based on market demands for the products and services realized. The development of industry and natural resources are of particular importance in this regard.The industry contributes mostly to economic development and division of labor. It provides opportunities for the reconstruction and advancement of other economic branches such as agriculture, traffic, trade and more. The influence of industry on transforming the country's economic and social structure is high or low, depending on the level of overall economic development of the country.The post-war Kosovo economy faced great challenges, as a result of poor management for a decade and a devastating war. Nevertheless, Kosovo successfully e passed the reconstruction phase, which was quite difficult. The beginning of privatization, the dynamic development of the private sector in small and medium enterprises, with particular emphasis on the production sector, the first initiatives of the integration process with the region's economy through the signing of the Free Trade Agreement, the inclusion in the Stability Pact as unequal only the first steps of long and serious processes towards the development of market economy and integration into regional and international institutions. In the post-war period, Kosovo's economy was a consumption economy and its needs largely met by imports, using "cash" as a means of payment in the absence of organized financial institutions. The economic structure of a country, for economic development, more than any other indicator represents the development and development reality. So it is treated as the current generator at all times and in every contemporary society.In this paper we tried to define the management and efficiency of small and medium-sized businesses, and we also understood the importance and contribution of SMEs in economic development. Almost no definition is the same as what small and big business differentiates. The main factor in which theorists and economists are based is the number of employees.

The European Employment Strategy as Enhanced Coordination

The article proposes a holistic approach to the European Employment Strategy, from a conceptual, structural and functional point of view, within the framework of what the Author calls the Enhanced Coordination of EU and national Employment policies. The holistic approach encompasses all the stages of life of the human being, from education to retirement, in the perspective of guaranteeing social inclusion through work, focusing on the flexicurity pathway. In order to do this, the Author advocates for the need of earmarking investment at EU and national levels in favour of inclusive growth within the Stability Pact.

How Does Public Deficit Affect Public Investment in Senegal?

Purpose: This paper proposes an assessment of the non-linear relationship between public deficit and public investment in debt situation.Methodology: We use an endogenous growth model, with productive public spending, that we test empirically using the interaction model of Brambor et al. (2002), over the period 1980-2015, in Senegal.Results: The results of the estimates show a change in the regime of the relationship between public investment and public deficit for public debt level equal to 80% of GDP. When public debt is below this threshold, any increase in the deficit has an expansive effect on public infrastructure spending. When public debt is above the threshold of 80% of GDP, an increase in the deficit has a recessive effect on public investment.Policy recommendation: An important contribution of this study is to show that the PCSCS implemented in the WAEMU zone cannot register only in a nominal sense to inking with the euro. The budgetary rules laid down in the Stability Pact should be studied in depth. The study would benefit from further study. One of the extensions of this study would be to determine the impact of this debt threshold of 80% on long-term economic growth in Senegal.

Europe on the Move. A Commentary

Erhard Busek, former special coordinator of the Stability Pact for Southeastern Europe, assesses the present European crises—the refugee crisis, the financial crisis, the Greek crisis, the Ukrainian crisis, the Brexit crisis—from a Southeast European perspective, and from the perspective of one who has worked substantively toward the stabilization of the postwar societies of the successor states of Yugoslavia in the 2000s. This stabilization process has been a long and arduous task, albeit one that has borne fruit in spite of all the remaining fragilities. It would be a great mistake to forfeit what has been achieved, and not to take the achievement as a lesson for meeting the present challenges: developing a real conflict and crisis management process is a worthwhile endeavor.