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Purpose: This paper aims to explore the existence of convergence in non-monetary working conditions in Europe resorting to widely used definitions of this phenomenon and composite indexes of job quality. Design/methodology/approach: The analysis relies on composite indexes, widely used in previous literature, for 207 regions in six different areas of job quality drawing on the microdata of the European Working Conditions Survey from 1995 to 2015. This study assesses the occurrence of convergence both in terms of dispersion of job quality outcomes (sigma-convergence) and, especially, regarding the existence of a catch-up process (beta-convergence). Findings: This study finds evidence of both types of convergences in all the domains, with the exception of skills and discretion and prospects dimensions according to the sigma-convergence approach. The results do not suggest substantial differences between the 15 European Union countries before the 2004 enlargement and the new Member States and are robust to a wide range of changes in the sample and different econometric specifications. Originality/value: Tot he best of the authors' knowledge, this paper represents the first rigorous and systematic attempt of addressing the existence of convergence in non-monetary working conditions, applying formal and widely accepted definitions of this phenomenon. It contributes to our knowledge on this topic providing strong evidence of convergence in job quality. Those results can be of interest for scholars in Economics and other Social Sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to use multidimensional approach to provide a well-being description across European regions. Design/methodology/approach – By considering the set of socioeconomic indicators provided by Eurostat for the EU 266 NUTS-2 regions, three main analyses have been performed for the year 2009: first, the “ideal point” technique has been used to identify: the best EU performances; the number and type of indicators that needs to be improved in every European regions. Second, a map of well-being has been elaborated to provide a picture summarizing the regional values in comparison to the European average. Third, Gini coefficient has been calculated to identify the indicators performing the largest inequalities across EU. The method presented in this paper is suitable to be complemented with subjective ranking of values and preference, making the proposed methodology useful to investigate well-being in a national, regional or individual scale. Findings – By providing a multidimensional description of well-being across the 266 EU regions, the present paper identifies and maps the existing differences on socioeconomic performance. Originality/value – The results provided can be useful to design policies oriented to reduce inequalities and to promote socioeconomic and environmental convergences across European regions. As far as the authors know, this is the first paper that provides a map of regional socioeconomic well-being across Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Terra: Revista de Desarrollo Local is the property of Terra: Revista de Desarrollo Local and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The need to advance a cogent panacea to the perennial challenge of development on the African continent cannot be overemphasized. Thus, the collaboration among African States under the international cooperation for development within the framework of the African Union is an option with enormous prospects precisely because it is an effort that aims at sustainable development. This position is further corroborated by an examination of the nature and character of the European Union as well as its operations hitherto, particularly on three main sectors, Agriculture, Infrastructural Development and Trade. While the African Union typifies an imitation particularly in institutionalized form, its promoters ignore the centrality of the nature of the State and the need to first strengthen its essential capacity to effectively and efficiently benefit from the gains of regional cooperation. This paper therefore argues that the African Union as presently constituted lacks the requisite capacity to stimulate the desired development on the continent irrespective of adopted policies and existing institutions. Consequently, a reengineering of the state and its institutions should be the first step in this direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, which peaked in 2020, and the unprecedented demand for home delivery services have led to the growth of platform work in many countries all over the world. The article analyses the situation of platform workers in the Lithuania’s labour market in the context of other EU countries. The paper presents the findings of a survey of platform workers carried out to define the social-economic picture of platform workers and identify their attitudes towards platform work in Lithuania. The survey has shown that the labour market situation of platform workers in Lithuania follows trends similar to other European countries in terms of socio-demographic characteristics, preferences and challenges. Slightly more significant differences between EU countries and Lithuania can be observed when analysing platform workers’ working time and earnings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Papers in Regional Science is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper illustrates how a university-based project management office (PMO) can provide focused support across the entire grant project lifecycle within a European research context. In recent years, EU (European Union) research and innovation grant programs have increasingly shifted to support multidisciplinary consortia composed of industry, academia and end-users, which collaborate to achieve tangible and sustainable socio-economic impact. This scope change, from traditional academic research projects to research and innovation projects, has created the need for professional project management and has provided a fertile environment for PMOs to flourish. The paper includes discussion of an illustrative case study based on the EDEN2020 project - an ongoing, international, multidisciplinary consortium project in robotic neurosurgery that is coordinated by Imperial College London and supported by a grant from the EU's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program. Imperial College's PMO provides project management and dedicated support to the academic team to enable delivery of the overall consortium project. In so doing, the PMO involved in EDEN2020 clearly adheres to the PMO roles identified by the PMBOK standard, i.e. supportive, controlling and directive, albeit at different levels depending on the grant lifecycle stage. In EDEN2020, the PMO was predominantly confined to a supportive (advisory) role in the project's ideation and grant negotiation stages, a controlling (supporting delivery through standardization, templates) role in the proposal preparation stage, and a more directive (leading) role in project implementation. The paper concludes with a recommendation to increase the number of cases under investigation and expand the scope beyond Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the fact that an important target of the EU27 is the socioeconomic cohesion, the global crisis forced the increase of the poverty rate across the Member States. The paper deals with the idea that the disparities connected to the poverty rate increased and the European Cohesion Policy is not able to find solutions to face this negative trend. The analysis is based on the latest official statistical data and is followed by pertinent statistic tables and diagrams. A distinct part of the paper deals with a forecast connected to the poverty rate for the next two years. There are at least two obvious conclusions of this analysis. First of them is that the EU27 is not able to face the global crisis' challenges and is far away from a solid socio-economic recovery process. The second conclusion is that the risk of poverty will increase especially in the latest Member States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses and characterizes actions undertaken for the development of electromobility as part of the incentive policy pursued by the state. In most European countries, development of the electric vehicle market is largely contingent on electromobility policies, but the measures adopted with a view to supporting it do not always yield the expected results. Effectiveness of supporting actions depends on the cooperation of entities which are responsible for development and social-economic cohesion. The situation requires a multi-level approach to the implementation of electromobility development policy, consolidation of actions of various stakeholder groups, and one common direction in the national development of the electric vehicle market. Development planning acts are the very instruments which serve to enhance the efficacy of efforts undertaken jointly by public administration bodies and foster partnership-based relations between state, regional, and local authorities and their social and economic partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oceans and coastal seas provide mankind with many benefits including food for around a third of the global population, the air that we breathe and our climate system which enables habitation of much of the planet. However, the converse is that generation of natural events (such as hurricanes, severe storms and tsunamis) can have devastating impacts on coastal populations, while pollution of the seas by pathogens and toxic waste can cause illness and death in humans and animals. Harmful effects from biogenic toxins produced by algal blooms (HABs) and from the pathogens associated with microbial pollution are also a health hazard in seafood and from direct contact with water. The overall global burden of human disease caused by sewage pollution of coastal waters has been estimated at 4 million lost person-years annually. Finally, the impacts of all of these issues will be exacerbated by climate change. A holistic systems approach is needed. It must consider whole ecosystems, and their sustainability, such as integrated coastal zone management, is necessary to address the highly interconnected scientific challenges of increased human population pressure, pollution and over-exploitation of food (and other) resources as drivers of adverse ecological, social and economic impacts. There is also an urgent and critical requirement for effective and integrated public health solutions to be developed through the formulation of politically and environmentally meaningful policies. The research community required to address 'Oceans & Human Health' in Europe is currently very fragmented, and recognition by policy makers of some of the problems, outlined in the list of challenges above, is limited. Nevertheless, relevant key policy issues for governments worldwide include the reduction of the burden of disease (including the early detection of emerging pathogens and other threats) and improving the quality of the global environment. Failure to effectively address these issues will impact adversely on efforts to alleviate poverty, sustain the availability of environmental goods and services and improve health and social and economic stability; and thus, will impinge on many policy decisions, both nationally and internationally. Knowledge exchange (KE) will be a key element of any ensuing research. KE will facilitate the integration of biological, medical, epidemiological, social and economic disciplines, as well as the emergence of synergies between seemingly unconnected areas of science and socio-economic issues, and will help to leverage knowledge transfer across the European Union (EU) and beyond. An integrated interdisciplinary systems approach is an effective way to bring together the appropriate groups of scientists, social scientists, economists, industry and other stakeholders with the policy formulators in order to address the complexities of interfacial problems in the area of environment and human health. The Marine Board of the European Science Foundation Working Group on 'Oceans and Human Health' has been charged with developing a position paper on this topic with a view to identifying the scientific, social and economic challenges and making recommendations to the EU on policy-relevant research and development activities in this arena. This paper includes the background to health-related issues linked to the coastal environment and highlights the main arguments for an ecosystem-based whole systems approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explains urban management as a reform of city administration and claims that the primary task is to bring about a much-needed balance between the social and economic development of the city. Empirical research, presented in the paper offers several conclusions. The most relevant conclusion is that EU cities already commonly employ this concept of urban management, despite the lack of academic consensus. Other conclusions are that if a city is large, there is a greater possibility that the city administration will adopt urban management; that if the city is more successful economically, there is a greater possibility that the city administration will adopt urban management; and that the city's power and urban management are not correlated. Based on the survey conducted, we conclude that applying the urban management concept, when that concept is defined as proposed in this paper, has a positive effect on some aspects of a city's performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of positive conditionality has been seen as 'the golden carrot' of the EU's external relations, enlargement and neighbourhood policies. Regarded as a mutually important and valuable method of partnership between the EU and its partner countries to develop social, political and economic progress with an effective motivation system, positive conditionality is nowadays used in areas ranging from development cooperation to neighbourhood policy, and most successfully in the enlargement agenda. The EU and its member states have characterised conditionality as a functional cooperation or pre-accession method of integration, where guidance and strict rules are needed to provide effective convergence with the EU and to support transitional societies in the modernisation process. The motivation of conditionality has been characterised as functional and in the mutual interests of both the target states and the EU. This paper will study the driving force behind the pre-accession conditionality from the first to fifth enlargements: has it been a neo-functional motive to support the fulfilment of accession criteria by candidates, or a neo-imperial motive to use the accession conditionality mainly in the interests of the existing member states to fix their advantages in economic and political affairs? This paper will offer a comparative analysis on the pre-accession situation, conditionality levels and argumentation of motivation for the first five EU enlargements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the adoption of the EU's first Sustainable Development Strategy in 2001, the European Commission has been committed to undertaking impact assessments of its major policy proposals, covering the potential positive and negative economic, social and environmental effects both inside and outside the European Union. This paper provides as evaluation of a sample of the Commission's recent EC Impact Assessments, focusing on the extent to which the goal of sustainable development has been integrated into the impact assessment analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - To explain the sources of jobless growth in Poland, the country undergoing economic system transition and integration with the European Union (EU). Design/methodology/approach - The research used the Harrod-Domar model together with an interpretation proposed by Barro and Sala-i-Martin to determine the growth threshold level of jobless growth in Poland. The technical, econometric calculation does not dominate the paper, which is destined for both academic and non-academic readers studying the phenomenon of jobless growth. Findings - The paper provides a review of literature and theories of jobless growth. The calculations show that Poland has a high threshold of jobless growth. The Polish GDP needs to grow at least 4 per cent to add new jobs. Research limitations/implications - To evaluate the overall long run impact of labor productivity on the job market one needs to include the growth of non-manufacturing jobs in the service sectors which accommodate the needs of more affluent worker/consumers. This long-term analysis is outside the scope of the paper. Practical implications - The authors calculated an important variable for the Polish economy, i.e. the threshold growth rate of jobless growth, which indicates a minimum rate of growth, needed to create a net demand for labor. This research is likely to be quoted by the economists studying sources of unemployment in Poland and as well as in any high growth economies. Originality/value - It is the only research known to the authors attempting to explain high level of unemployment in transition economies using recognized economic theories. The paper contributes to a better understanding of the phenomenon of jobless growth in market economies in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Scientific Journal European Policies, Finance & Marketing / Polityki Europejskie, Finanse & Marketing is the property of Wydawnictwo SGGW and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Many studies have demonstrated the existence of simple, unidimensional socioeconomic gradients in body mass index (BMI). However, in the present paper we move beyond such traditional analyses by simultaneously considering multiple demographic and socioeconomic dimensions. Using the Spanish National Health Survey 2011–2012, we apply intersectionality theory and multilevel analysis of individual heterogeneity and discriminatory accuracy (MAIHDA) to analyze 14,190 adults nested within 108 intersectional strata defined by combining categories of gender, age, income, educational achievement and living situation. We develop two multilevel models to obtain information on stratum-specific BMI averages and the degree of clustering of BMI within strata expressed by the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). The first model is a simple variance components analysis that provides a detailed mapping of the BMI disparities in the population and measures the accuracy of stratum membership to predict individual BMI. The second model includes the variables used to define the intersectional strata as a way to identify stratum-specific interactions. The first model suggests moderate but meaningful clustering of individual BMI within the intersectional strata (ICC = 12.4%). Compared with the population average (BMI = 26.07 Kg/m2), the stratum of cohabiting 18-35-year-old females with medium income and high education presents the lowest BMI (-3.7 Kg/m2), while cohabiting 36-64-year-old females with low income and low education show the highest BMI (+2.6 Kg/m2). In the second model, the ICC falls to 1.9%, suggesting the existence of only very small stratum specific interaction effects. We confirm the existence of a socioeconomic gradient in BMI. Compared with traditional analyses, the intersectional MAIHDA approach provides a better mapping of socioeconomic and demographic inequalities in BMI. Because of the moderate clustering, public health policies aiming to reduce BMI in Spain should not solely focus on the intersectional strata with the highest BMI, but should also consider whole population polices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development is not limited to the opportunity to life and access to basic social services; it is also the creation of an environment enabling people to realize their rights and participate in society. Obstacles to development are enormous for many girls and women, with particular challenges in poor countries; the figures support this: Two-thirds of the world's illiterate are women, making it harder for them to earn a living, benefit from opportunities available in their societies. Women's role is essential in the development, but their particular needs and rights are not often reflected in development policies and practices. Consequently, empowering women and enabling them to participate and contribute to social, economic and political activities is important for sustainable growth. Women's empowerment and economic development are interrelated: development alone can significantly drive down inequality between men and women; empowering women may promote development. This paper reviews the socio-economic status of women in Turkey and European Union Countries. In this context, cluster analysis will be used from the statistical methods. Basic variables used are Labor Force Participation, Estimated Earned Income, Legislators, Senior Officials/Managers, Professional/Technical Workers, Literacy Rate, Enrollment in Primary Education/Secondary Education/Tertiary Education, Healthy life Expectancy, Women in the Parliament/Ministerial Positions, Years with Female Head of State. The primary aim is to determine the socio-economic status of Turkish women among the European countries. The basic subjects are women and development and the results of Cluster analyses and discussions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HRST (human resource in science and technology) is one of the indicators which reflects a country's degree of implication in supporting the development of the science and technology field as an important factor of the economic and social progress. In this paper we propose a EU classification based on similarities in the evolution of HRST, during the period 2002-2012. The methodology involves clustering time series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explains the difficulties that have been emerging for the Southern Caucasus regarding these countries' relationship with and towards the EU. Through the deconstruction of the area's particularities and specificities, and its framing in the EU's policy to the region, this paper aims at analyzing the implications of the transition efforts and stability in the area for Europe in general, along with the different roles each of these pieces - Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia - play in the complex strategic Caucasian puzzle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Different studies have found that socioeconomic determinants influence the prevalence of chronic diseases in older people. However, there has been relatively little research on the incidence of how social isolation may affect them. We suggest that social isolation is a serious concern for people living with chronic illnesses. Method: In this paper, we examine whether there is an increase in the propensity of being diagnosed with chronic illnesses because of a decrease in social relations for elderly Europeans. We have used a panel data for Waves 1–6 (2004–2015) of Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and logistic regressions. Besides, we have studied three geographic macro-areas (Nordic, Continental and Southern). Being diagnosed with three or more chronic diseases is considered as a dependent variable, and as social control variables we have used three isolation proxies (living alone, providing help to family, friends or neighbours and participation-club activities). Other socio-demographic variables are included (gender, age, educational level, job situation, area of location and quality of life). Results: Our results for the full sample indicate that people who participate in social activities have fewer probability of suffering from chronic diseases (OR = 0.70, 95% CI 0.54, 0.92). For people who live alone the reverse effect is observed (OR = 1.20, 95% CI 1.04, 1.39). Differences are shown by macro-areas, e.g. providing help (OR = 0.58, 95% CI 0.34, 0.97) isolation proxy is significant for the Nordic macro-area. Club-participation activities and living alone are significant for Continental and Southern macro-areas, respectively (OR = 0.65, 95% CI 0.55, 0.82; OR = 1.46, 95% CI 1.21, 1.77). Conclusions: Social isolation increases the risk of being diagnosed with chronic illnesses. That is, people with greater social participation have lower risk of suffering from multiple chronic diseases. This risk linked to isolation, together with the traditional one associated with lifestyles, should be considered in the development of new public policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the article is to compare the available digitalisation indexes in the EU (European Union) and Pacific Asia. The first step to tackling the between-country digital gap is to measure digital development. However, the available indexes differ substantially in terms of construction, metric used, and the areas they cover. Research Design & Methods: The first part of the study is a descriptive analysis of the scope and metrics used by three digitalisation indexes: digital economy and society index (DESI), ASEAN digital integration index (ADII) and digital intelligence index (DII). In the second part, we approach the problem from a quantitative perspective, using correlation coefficients and comparing countries’ rankings obtained using different indexes. Lastly, we performed clustering analysis with the use of an agglomerative algorithm with Euclidean distances and the Ward method. The data covers 13 countries from the Pacific Asia and 24 from the EU. Findings: We found that the specifications of indexes differ considerably, not only in the choice of particular metrics but in whole digitalisation areas. Some indexes include overall economic or social development measures that are not strictly related to the digital sphere. Despite that, for countries covered by two indexes, we found high correlations of scores: 0.932 between ADII and DII, and 0.883 between DII and DESI. Comparing rankings and using clustering analysis, we found that the indexes for Pacific Asia are more similar than for the EU, possibly because Asian countries are more heterogeneous both in digital and economic development. Implications & Recommendations: Any study of the digital divide and its causes is affected by the choice of digitalisation measure. We found that DII and ADII indexes include some socio-economic metrics that may interfere with the results in the studies of the links between economic and digital development. Although the indexes’ scores are quite highly correlated, in some cases, they can judge a country’s development very differently. This is a problem, especially in the EU, where countries are more similar in digital development than in Pacific Asia. Contribution & Value Added: The study compares digitalisation indexes from a quantitative perspective that has not yet been established in the literature. It shows how different indexes perform in ranking and clustering procedures. Researchers can use our article as a guide in choosing digitalisation indexes for the EU and ASEAN countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the second half of the 1990s, cross-sectoral, sectoral and company-level bargaining has developed into a key movement in transnational industrial relations in the European Union. Originally stimulated by EU institutions, these forms of bargaining have since progressed autonomously. At present, it is difficult to say exactly what effect, if any, they can have on individual working conditions. Based on a 2005 report to the European Commission, this paper argues for EU legislative action to create an optional framework for transnational collective bargaining, in the form of a Council regulation to be adopted under the social and economic cohesion chapters of the EU Treaty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the developmental status of four of the next candidate countries' information infrastructures for accession into the European Union (EU). It develops significant relationships between nations' levels of information infrastructure development and their economic and social developments, and applies these relationships to evaluate investment needs for a select group of accession countries called the Visegrad Four. Using cross-country analysis the candidate countries were compared to other countries and were classified into like groups using cluster analysis while their relative developments were evaluated using regression modeling. Developmental requirements and capital needs to promote growth in their information and communications industries were then identified. It is hoped that the paper will offer a comparative glimpse of the information and communications infrastructures of some Central and East European countries as compared to other nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research in many countries has confirmed that teenage mothers and their families are often at a disadvantage compared with those whose children are born in their 20s or 30s. There has, however, never been an opportunity for a systematic comparison between countries, based on a common data source. This paper analyses the current positions of women whose first child was born when they were teenagers across 13 countries in the European Union, based upon the European Community Household Panel Survey. Outcomes considered are mother's employment, family employment, family structure, and household income. The severity of disadvantage on outcome measures varied substantially by country. The findings also enable us to consider the theoretical value of attempts to classify countries according to the nature of their family formation norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND The European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) are increasingly used in demographic analysis, due to their large country coverage, the availability of harmonized socioeconomic measures, and the possibility to merge partners. However, so far there exists no comprehensive analysis of the representativeness of the fertility behavior reported by EU-SILC. OBJECTIVE This paper quantifies the quality of periodic fertility measures in EU-SILC. We compare periodic fertility measures obtained with EU-SILC to unbiased measures from the Human Fertility Database (HFD) for several European countries, by applying a cross-sectional perspective. RESULTS We show that EU-SILC measures of periodic fertility are biased downward, mainly due to attrition, while births of order one for ages 20-29 are particularly underreported. However, we find no evidence of socioeconomic differentials in attrition. RESULTS We show that EU-SILC measures of periodic fertility are biased downward, mainly due to attrition, while births of order one for ages 20-29 are particularly underreported. However, we find no evidence of socioeconomic differentials in attrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pursuing economic targets of job creation, growth, and innovation while tackling global environmental challenges, has long been seen as impossible. However, any long-term economic competitiveness and security depends on the extent to which natural resources are used sustainably. Therefore, the European Union is investing in nature-based solutions to achieve this double goal. The difference between the prevailing economic model and a sustainable resource use has long seemed insurmountable. While many debates are paralyzed or radicalized, nature-based solutions could offer a transition path with realistic, incremental steps toward a sustainable economy as envisaged by the EU Horizon 2020 vision. This paper outlines the basics of a nature-based scenario for Europe, and proposes criteria to focus, guide, and evaluate the implementation of nature-based solutions, geared at production of wide socioeconomic benefits, provision of jobs, and low-carbon technology innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Governance is a complex phenomenon, with important economic, social and political effects, that reflects the manner of taking and implementing important decisions in society and the methods of cooperation and relations between stakeholders. In this paper we firstly aimed to briefly present the evolution of the concept of governance in correlation with changes occurred in the manifestation of this phenomenon. Knowing the level and dynamics of governance through statistical indicators enables making decisions towards increasing the quality of governance and analysing the relationship between socio-economic performances and the manner of making and implementing decisions in society. This paper aims to highlight the main indicators used in measuring the quality of governance and conduct an analysis of the level and dynamics of this phenomenon in the case of 28 EU countries. The analysis is based on two groups of indicators, WGI (World Governance Indicators) and Eurostat indicators. The statistical data analysed for the period 2008-2015 reflect in both cases (WGI and Eurostat) a tendency of decreasing of the quality of governance in the EU 28 (average level) but also significant differences by country or group of countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current cross-sectional methodologies measuring climate change impacts assume that regions at the same latitude face a similar climate response and therefore have the same adaptive capacity. This paper proves that assumption to be erroneous in the European Union. It does so by ameliorating the Ricardian methodology by restricting which farmers (and therefore which adaptation options) are allowed in the dataset. In doing so, a comparative Ricardian methodology is suggested that makes it possible to examine, for the first time, how the climate responsiveness of a region changes if adaptive capacity changes. The paper combines climate, soil, geographic, socio-economic, and farm-level data in a linear mixed-effect model and examines whether Eastern and Western Europe have the same climate responses and how these responses change if regional adaptive capacity increases. The paper concludes that both regions currently have a significantly different climate response, but that if Eastern Europe were to implement the same adaptation options as Western Europe, it could avoid a large decrease in land value and even benefit from climate change depending on the climate scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Argumenta Oeconomica Cracoviensia is the property of Cracow University of Economics and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The European Union's REACH regulation has introduced Socio-Economic Analyses as a new decision support tool in the domain of chemical policy-making. This paper presents a pragmatic method to review the replacement of chemicals in processes or products in terms of the environmental impact. The aim of this work is to develop a broadly accepted method for environmental impact assessment as part of Socio-Economic Analyses. The method consists of a stepwise and tiered approach for Environmental Impact Assessment whereby the expected impact of the replacement of chemicals is assessed via Risk Characterization Ratios and toxic pressure quantification (expressed as a Potentially Affection Fraction of species), and – if relevant – via a Persistency, Bioaccumulation potential and Toxicity score. The working of the method is demonstrated by the replacement of chemical substances in detergents, gutters and Expanded Polystyrene. Of the three replacements, for gutters, the reduction of the toxic pressure on the aquatic compartment was highest. Based on 50% effect concentrations the Potentially Affection Fraction of species due to the use of zinc gutters was relatively high (15%), while it was 0.6% after replacement by PVC gutters. This indicates that PVC gutters have a lower direct impact on aquatic biodiversity than zinc gutters. This paper demonstrates that even with limited data the proposed method can be used to move from risk indicators to impact indicators. The tiered approach allows finding the most appropriate level of analysis in a cost and resource efficient way. The method allows comparison of results of different scenarios and as such allows selecting the most preferable alternative from an environmental perspective. This is useful in the context of socio-economic analysis and as such, this method is available as a decision-support tool under REACH and other chemical policy frames such as the United Nations Environment Program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complexity of the monetary phenomenon as well as the effects that it induces in the social and economic life of the countries around the world have represented and still represent the subject of much controversy and dispute. The current forms of the monetary circulation organization in different countries, internationally as well, represent the result of a continuous process of changes and innovations in the monetary area. The purpose of this article is to present aspects of the monetary policy and its instruments which have evolved according to the historical conditions of each period. The paper is also a presentation of effectiveness and limits of the monetary policy instruments and their role in solving the current economic problems for which the governments seek solutions. As a consequence to the analysis, it can be seen that in most cases it uses a mixture of monetary policy instruments because, when acting in a complementary way, they have a higher efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) of the European Union is to assure sustainable exploitation of the live aquatic resources and aquaculture in the context of sustainable development considering in a balanced way the environmental, economic and social considerations. Poland as a Member State of the European Union has access to structural funds. Activities financed by the EU through the Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs), i.e. entities associating representatives of widely understood fisheries sector, communes and other public and civic sector entities, that is voluntary associations operating in the areas dependent on fisheries have the largest opportunities for implementing the assumptions of the Common Fisheries Policy. The Fisheries Local Action Groups in Poland are the operators of the Operational Programme “Sustainable Development of the Fisheries Sector and Coastal Fishing Areas 2007-2013” [OP FISH 2007 - 2013] within the framework of priority axis 4 “Sustainable development of fisheries areas”. In the country 48 Fisheries Local Action Groups operate of which 9 are based on access to the Baltic Sea. The amount of over EUR 313 million has been allocated for implementation of priority axis 4 of the OP FISH 2007-2013. This represents ca. 32% of the funds allocated for financing of the entire Operational Programme “Sustainable Development of the Fisheries Sector and Coastal Fishing Areas 2007-2013”. According to the assumptions, the activities of FLAGs are to contribute to stimulation of the communities in areas dependent on fisheries by including social and economic partners from the defined area in planning and implementation of local initiatives. The paper presents the outcomes and Polish experiences from operation of the FLAGs (FLAG operation principles, projects implemented, absorption of funds allocated to financing individual types of activities within the activities of sea coast FLAGs). An attempt will also be undertaken at evaluating the outcomes from implementation of individual actions and Union funds absorption in the maritime fisheries sector resulting from activities of the Fisheries Local Action Groups. The analysis covers the years of the current financial perspective 2007-2013. The results of studies presented in the paper concerning the outcomes from implementation of the individual projects by the FLAGs will be based on the data obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development originating directly from selected Fisheries Local Action Groups and own field studies. Analysis covers the current financial perspective, i.e. the period of 2007-2013. Within the framework of the studies an attempt was also undertaken at determining whether a correlation exists between implementation of operations within the priority axis 4 of the OP FISH and the improvement of socioeconomic situation of the population covered by the Fisheries Local Action Groups. The Hellwig method (1968) was applied to determine the level of socioeconomic development. Indicators concerning the demographic-social, economic and related to technical and social infrastructure domains elaborated based on the data of the Central Statistical Office for the years 2004 and 2012 were applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • More socio-economic and policy research is needed for pollinator protection. • The chance for a MEA is unique since awareness has been raised. • The first LIC, Ethiopia already joined The Coalition of the Willing on Pollinators. • Let us develop low-cost models in benchmark countries. Abstract The Nagoya Protocol (2010) demonstrated that Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEA) are still achievable. Pollination services are essential for biodiversity, agriculture, ecosystem services and human wellbeing, but in jeopardy as The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) confirmed. In 2016, thirteen mostly European countries established the Coalition of the Willing on Pollinators. This group of forerunners increased to twentyone members. Recently, the European Union (EU) decided to join in 2018. What would be necessary to move forward towards a Multilateral Environmental Agreement for pollinator protection during the next three or four Conferences of the Parties (COP) of the Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD)? Current approaches for pollinator protection mostly require subsidies or donations, they are not scalable and might limit the number of countries promoting a multilateral agreement. This paper suggests a mix of four strategies and low-cost policy measures across sectors. They would be affordable even for Low Income Countries (LIC), but require addressing certain research gaps to set the stage for policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods with their complex social, economic and physical situations have increasingly become the focus of governmental policies in the EU. The emphasis has shifted from improving physical qualities to building opportunities for social groups in these areas. While physical upgrade is easier to achieve, at least in the short run, initiatives often fail in outcomes on communities and local participation. This paper aims to improve understanding on how to tackle area-based social exclusion and create socially coherent communities. Building on the results of the NEHOM project, the focus is on examining how various interventions have impacted local communities and their opportunities for better inclusion. A comparison between neighbourhoods shows that mixing social groups to a certain degree is likely to be a necessary step towards opening long-term opportunities for a disadvantaged neighbourhood. The planned initiatives should at the same time directly benefit local communities, and the involvement of local groups in the planning and implementation process helps to guarantee that the overall changes are accepted by the local community. However, the proposed guidelines do not provide a universal recipe for a successful renewal suiting each neighbourhood—the contextual matters should always be a starting point when planning an initiative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that economic and monetary regulation at the supranational level and social deregulation at the national level are two sides of the same coin. Contrary to mainstream multilevel governance literature, it tries to answer why this mode of asymmetrical governance has emerged and what kind of European Union it seeks to promote. Under the heading of competitiveness, economic and monetary decision-making power moves beyond nation-states and democratic accountability, in the process disembedding the European welfare systems and pushing the so-called European model of welfare capitalism towards the `shareholder practices' of Anglo-Saxon capitalism. In the meantime, illusions of national sovereignty and a People's Europe are upheld. Here enters the New Populism: by introducing vagaries such as 'subsidiarity' and 'flexibility' into the European Treaties, and by using terms from consultancy like 'best practice' and `benchmarking', the illusion of national self-determination is maintained while creepingly empowering a European `invisible hand'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world labor market is characterized by growing dynamics and strong volumes of labor export and import, which is realized through international labor migration. The movement of the labor force carries out several important functions in the global economy - from income redistribution and promotion of wages in different countries - to the exchange of professional experience, the spread of new innovative technologies, and the growth of labor productivity. In addition, the socio-economic implications of international labor migration for donor countries and recipient countries are ambiguous, they differ in the short, medium, and long-term periods. The international division of labor, the growth of people's welfare, and the development of transport and communications in the context of the increasing liberalization of foreign economic relations led to massive displacement of the population, in particular the labor force. Labor migration is one of the most difficult subsystems of international economic relations, because it affects not only the national economy, but also, above all, the interests of people, the individual worke r, and members of his family. In 2001, the number of migrants in the world was approximately 140 million people, in 2005 they accounted for 191 million, and in 2015 - already 243 million (World Migration Report, 2018). The study aims to analyze the impact of the socio-economic consequences of international labor migration. The article's methodological basis is general scientific and special scientific research methods. At the core of the research is the use of the principle of the unity of theory and practice, the application of an integrated approach, and the use of abstract and concrete, historical and logical methods, which allows for a scientific analysis of the socio-economic implications of international labor migration for different countries of the world. The article also focuses on the world experience in shaping and influencing the socio-economic consequences of international labor migration for the donor countries and for the importing countries of the labor force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greeks have a long diasporic history that demonstrates significant examples of all major diaspora classifications. Pontic Greeks of the Black Sea in particular, represent an excellent example of non-static diasporic typology. Starting as an imperial diaspora they were transformed to a victim diaspora, when forcefully expelled from their native lands in north-eastern Anatolia, seeking refuge in Greece and in areas of central Asia that were later annexed by the Soviet Union. Greece's socioeconomic environment, during the better part of the twentieth century, was proven insufficient to support the full integration of refugees, while those Pontic Greeks who found themselves behind the Iron Curtain, were subjected to further victimization. In 1960 Greece signed a bilateral agreement with West Germany, allowing its citizens to seek Gastarbeiter employment, resulting in the formation of a Greek labour diaspora in the country, of which an estimated one third self-identifies as culturally Pontic. After Greece's induction in the European Communities, but especially in the post-Maastricht era, the migratory regime for Greeks in Germany changed to that of European-expatriation, therefore progressively transforming their labour diaspora to a cultural one. From imperial, to victim, to labour, to cultural, Pontic Diaspora underwent a long process of reterritorialisation, in their journey from Anatolia to Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the research which takes into consideration the direction of socio-economic development accepted by the EU and Commonwealth of Independent States. It shows the necessity to form and ensure an efficient functioning of the systemic mechanisms of the cross-border and trans boundary development of Polish regions (taking Białystok province as an example) and neighbouring countries situated in the East. The article presents the author concept of the multifunctional development of the cross-border and trans boundary regions which, opposed to the present approach, it suggest implementation of new branches and kinds of activities in a given environment (truism, entrepreneurship, goods processing and others). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Yearbook of Antitrust & Regulatory Studies is the property of University of Warsaw and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article discusses working poverty as a socioeconomic human condition that leads to reduced social quality of daily life circumstances. The analyses are based on the social quality theory (SQT) and approach (SQA). Social quality (as an existential human condition) and working poverty (as a result of a combination of aspects of the conditional factors of social quality) have not yet been investigated as two interconnected phenomena. We analyzed working poverty in the EU and Slovakia by assessing its relationships with these aspects of the conditional factors. On a societal level we also assessed influences of processes in the socioeconomic and financial, sociopolitical and legal, sociocultural and welfare, and socioenvironmental dimensions. Our research was based on Eurostat data, other available databases, and two social quality studies on societal processes in Ukraine. We conclude with specific proposals and recommendations to reduce and mitigate the impacts of working poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Comparative Economic Research is the property of Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Lodzkiego and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Socioeconomic analysis is currently used in the Europe Union as part of the regulatory process in Regulation Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH), with the aim of assessing and managing risks from dangerous chemicals. The political impact of the socio-economic analysis is potentially high in the authorisation and restriction procedures, however, current socio-economic analysis dossiers submitted under REACH are very heterogeneous in terms of methodology used and quality. Furthermore, the economic literature is not very helpful for regulatory purposes, as most published calculations of health costs associated with chemical exposures use epidemiological studies as input data, but such studies are rarely available for most substances. The quasi-totality of the data used in the REACH dossiers comes from toxicological studies.Methods: This paper assesses the use of the integrated probabilistic risk assessment, based on toxicological data, for the calculation of health costs associated with endocrine disrupting effects of triclosan. The results are compared with those obtained using the population attributable fraction, based on epidemiological data.Results: The results based on the integrated probabilistic risk assessment indicated that 4894 men could have reproductive deficits based on the decreased vas deferens weights observed in rats, 0 cases of changed T3 levels, and 0 cases of girls with early pubertal development. The results obtained with the Population Attributable Fraction method showed 7,199,228 cases of obesity per year, 281,923 girls per year with early pubertal development and 88,957 to 303,759 cases per year with increased total T3 hormone levels. The economic costs associated with increased BMI due to TCS exposure could be calculated. Direct health costs were estimated at €5.8 billion per year.Conclusions: The two methods give very different results for the same effects. The choice of a toxicological-based or an epidemiological-based method in the socio-economic analysis will therefore significantly impact the estimated health costs and consequently the political risk management decision. Additional work should be done for understanding the reasons of these significant differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High unemployment rates, forced labour migration, growing social disparities, increasing poverty and unfair distribution of public resources represent only some of the today's imbalances and injustices of the European Union. That is why the past decades witnessed the re-emergence of the concept of social economy/solidarity-based economy. The aims of our paper are to present the theoretical foundations of the social economy concept. The methodological approach is literature review. In our view, the social economy is founded on several key principles (e.g., solidarity, free association, mutualism) and pursues social goals through economic means. It constitutes an alternative to other economic systems such as capitalism or communism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the approval of the Declaration of Independence (August 27, 1991), Moldova lives hoping to strengthen its place among the democratic nations of the world and to build a new socio-economic system which among other things passes through a difficult phase in the conjugation of its own efforts with the international community. Our country has an identical history and shares common values with the European Union Member States, a thing that inspired the initialing of the Association Agreement between the EU and the Republic of Moldova. The article reflects on Moldova's European choice and impacts on agriculture and rural development in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]