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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Social integration – Europe, Eastern'
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1
Akyurek, Engin Ahmet. "Changing Conceptions Of European Identity And Shifting Boundaries." Master's thesis, METU, 2004. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12604993/index.pdf.
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In the end of the 1980s and in the beginning of the 1990s Europe and the world witnessed the collapse of the Soviet Union. In the mid-1990s the member states of the European Union decided to enlarge the Union towards the Eastern Europe. Thus European integration entered into an unprecedented phase. Integration of the Eastern Europeans with the Western Europe contributed to the debates on the notions of European identity and the idea of Europe. Adherence of the East Europeans to the ideals of the Western European civilization brought up some questions about the changing identities and shifting boundaries of Europe. Various theories deal with the problems of identity in general and European identity in particular. However to a great extent they are limited within a rigid description of self-other relationship. They do not intend to investigate the real motives or purposes behind these transformations of the prevailing identities and shifting of the boundaries of Europe. So, it will be argued that, in order to understand construction/reconstruction process of the new European identity, one should also take into consideration the more dynamic effects on changing European identity and shifting borders of Europe.
2
Guzel, Safinaz. "Health Care Policies In Central And Eastern European Countries And European Integration: Competing Approaches." Master's thesis, METU, 2009. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/2/12611271/index.pdf.
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The objective of this thesis is to examine the nature of health care system
change in the Czech Republic and Hungary after the collapse of communism.
In order to do so, the thesis focuses mainly on Europeanization and New
Institutionalism as competing approaches in explaining domestic changes in
Central and Eastern European Countries. While doing so, first this study tries
to explore whether Europeanization is one of the main determinants in the
transition process of the health care systems of the Czech Republic and
Hungary and discusses the EU-level policies, laws and regulations related to
the health care sector. Second, the study looks through the historical legacy
and path dependency theories as branches of the New Institutionalist
approaches to investigate the transition of the health care systems of case
countries. The review of the related literature and empirical case studies
exhibit that the transformation process of the health care systems of the
Czech Republic and Hungary were possibly affected by many factors and it
would be misleading to attribute all consequences to only one determinant. In
this respect, the main argument is that the Europeanization effect is weak
compared to the New Institutionalism approach in explaining the transition
process of health care systems of Hungary and the Czech Republichowever, there are strong opportunities for EU institutions to shape the future contours v of health care systems and public health programs in Hungary and the Czech Republic.
3
Di, Mauro Francesca A. "Essays on foreign direct investment and economic integration: a gravity approach." Doctoral thesis, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/2013/ULB-DIPOT:oai:dipot.ulb.ac.be:2013/211356.
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Romya, Kivilcim. "A Comparative Analysis Of The European Union Financial Assistance To Central And Eastern European Countries And Turkey." Master's thesis, METU, 2008. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/2/12609344/index.pdf.
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This thesis makes a comparative analysis of financial assistances provided to Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) and Turkey by the European Union (EU) prior and pursuant to candidacy. Furthermore, the thesis argues results obtained through comparison of financial assistances provided to CEECs and Turkey by the EU within the framework of integration theories and examines the place of Turkey within the enlargement perspective of the EU by addressing arguments that are dominant in the literature in relation to European integration theories.
The major argument of the thesis is that Turkey has not been treated equally with CEECs as regards financial assistance provided by the EU. As a justification for this, it is assumed that ideational factors have an impact on the enlargement perspective of the EU and they are determinant in the stance of EU towards Turkey.
5
Marinisheva, Vesela. "Corruption and media freedom in Bulgaria and Romania: different levels of European integration." Thesis, Malmö universitet, Fakulteten för kultur och samhälle (KS), 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-23334.
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This research represents a comparative analysis of the Bulgarian and Romanian European Integration in terms of corruption and media freedom. I argue that, however, both states have multiple common grounds to be analyzed together, as is done in the previous academic research, they take rather different paths after their accession in the European Union regarding their progress in fighting corruption and ensuring free media. I analyze why and how this happens through the theoretical lenses of Constructivism on the matters of identity formation, integration, and spread of values. I will present an overview of the IR academic discourse on the topic, then attempting to fill its lapses in the Analysis section. There, I utilize qualitative content analysis on official reports, issued by the European Commission within these 10 years framework of EU membership in order to investigate the research question. I am to interpret the information from these sources and present the four major aspects of the case, leading to the current situation.
6
Santos, Ricardo José dos. "CAME Limites da Integração Socialista no século XX." Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, 2006. https://repositorio.ufu.br/handle/123456789/13484.
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The idea of International Division of Labor (IDL) came along with the diffusion of the capitalism
as production way. However, had a IDL background in the block of socialist countries that if it
organized since the scope of the Council for the Economic Mutual Assistance (CMEA).
Throughout the decades where the CMEA was effective, the countries that were part of the
Council had created an important scene of interdependences uncountable to the exchanges of
merchandises and services, economic control, promotion of cooperation institutions and
specialization, and an infrastructure in which if they supported the economic relations between
the members. However, chain instead of net interdependences no if show mature and solid to
resist, without being damaged, to the re-approach with the capitalist countries, from the
Seventies and to the collapse of the real socialism in the Nineties. Concerning this aspect, we
believe that the referring limitations to the CMEA have origin in the historical and structural
formation of the proper Council. Thus, this work aims to analyze the trajectory of four decades
of existence of the CMEA (1949-1991) from its beddings and proper structures of functioning
and to point elements that can have contributed for the process of weakness and posterior
dissolution of the Council.A idéia de Divisão Internacional do Trabalho (DIT) surgiu com a difusão do capitalismo como modo de produção. Contudo, houve historicamente uma DIT no bloco de países socialistas que se organizou desde o âmbito do Conselho para o Auxílio Mútuo Econômico (CAME). Ao longo das décadas em que esteve vigente o CAME, os países que constituíam o Conselho criaram um importante cenário de interdependências em relação às trocas de mercadorias e serviços, regulação econômica, promoção de instituições de cooperação e especialização, e uma infraestrutura na qual se apoiavam as relações econômicas entre os membros. No entanto, esta rede de interdependências não se mostrou madura e sólida para resistir, sem abalos, à reaproximação com os países capitalistas, a partir dos anos setenta e ao colapso do socialismo real nos anos noventa. Nesse sentido, acreditamos que as limitações referentes ao CAME têm origem na formação histórica e estrutural do próprio Conselho. Dessa forma, este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar a trajetória de quatro décadas de existência do CAME (1949-1991) a partir de seus fundamentos e estruturas próprias de funcionamento e apontar elementos que possam ter contribuído para o processo de enfraquecimento e posterior dissolução do Conselho.
Mestre em Economia
7
Ziegler, Christina. "Exchange Rate Stability and Wage Determination in Central and Eastern Europe." Doctoral thesis, Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig, 2011. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:15-qucosa-81237.
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In Folge der Osterweiterung der europäischen Union (EU) und der steigenden Arbeitsmarktintegration zwischen den EU15 und den neuen Mitgliedsstaaten ist die Lohnfindung in Mittel- und Osteuropa zu einem Schwerpunkt der europäischer Wirtschaftspolitik geworden. Zugleich wird das optimale Wechselkursregime für mittel- und osteuropäische Staaten kontrovers diskutiert. Die Dissertation befasst sich mit der Fragestellung, welche Wechselkursstrategie in Mittel- und Osteuropa vorzuziehen ist, um zum einen den Lohnfindungsprozess zu optimieren und zum anderen den Anpassungsprozess (Konvergenzprozess) an europäische Lohnstandards zu beschleunigen. Diese kumulierte Arbeit besteht aus vier unabhängigen Fachaufsätzen. Zuerst wird der Frage nachgegangen, welche Wechselkursstrategie einen optimalen Rahmen für die Lohnsetzung während des Aufholprozesses mittel- und osteuropäischer Staaten ermöglicht (Kapitel zwei). Im Kapitel drei wird die Rolle der Geldpolitik in Bezug auf die Lohnfindung in Staaten mit flexiblen Wechselkursen untersucht. Die Evaluierung der Prognosefähigkeit alternativer Konjunkturindikatoren für die Euro Zone sowie deren Implikationen für den Lohnverhandlungsprozess in Mittel-und Osteuropa ist Gegenstand der Analyse in Kapitel vier. Im fünften Kapitel wird der Rolle der Lohnpolitik auf Leistungsbilanz(un)gleichgewichte in Mittel- und Osteuropa nachgegangenAfter the Eastern enlargement of the European Union (EU) and increasing participation of labor between the EU15 and the new member states, wage determination in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) has become a key issue in European economic policy making. At the same time there are controversial discussions regarding the appropriate exchange rate regime for the CEE countries. In this thesis it is examined which exchange rate strategy provides a more favorable framework for wage setting in CEE and leads to faster wage convergence in Europe. This thesis has four parts. First, it is analyzed which exchange rate strategy provides a more favorable framework for wage setting during the economic catch-up process of CEE (section two). Second, the role of monetary policy in wage determination in countries with flexible exchange rate regimes is examined in section three. Third, the predictive power of different euro area business cycle indicators is analyzed in section four. Fourth, the impact of wage determination on the balance of payments in CEE is scrutinized (section five)
8
Wilk, Piotr. "Economic determinants of public attitudes toward European integration in central and eastern Europe." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1999. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape10/PQDD_0002/MQ42223.pdf.
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Kats, Jasper. "Financial integration and the financing decisions of SMEs in Central and Eastern Europe." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Företagsekonomiska institutionen, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-319492.
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CHOBANOVA, Yordanka. "MNEs in the CEECs : shaping the microeconomic architecture of states in the context of EU integration : the cases of Unilever, Nestlé and InBev." Doctoral thesis, European University Institute, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1814/10461.
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Defence date: 13 December 2007Examining Board: Prof. Martin Rhodes, (University of Denver/EUI) ; Prof. Colin Crouch, (Warwick Business School) ; Prof. Rajneesh Narula, (Reading Business School) ; Prof. Mladen Velev, (Technical University Sofia)
PDF of thesis uploaded from the Library digital archive of EUI PhD theses
Using Systems of Innovation Approach (SI) and International Business (IB) literature, this dissertation analyzes the level of embeddedness of Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). MNEs are discussed as they link the economy of the host country with the global economy by their regional and global networks. The expansion and successful embeddedness of West European multinational firms is crucial for the industrial integration of CEECs into the EU. The focus of the study is on the largest food processing companies, which invested in the region : namely Nestlé, Unilever and InBev. The dissertation discusses the motives of investment and the entry strategies of food MNEs, outlines their contribution to the local development and stresses the national actors as forces to embedded FDI. The research discovered that EU membership facilitated the processes of global reorganizations of Nestlé, Unilever and InBev in CEE. All of the three MNEs, which form the object of this research, closed partially or completely plants all over CEE (and Western Europe). Hence, in a liberal trade regime it is very difficult to talk about long-term embeddedness of MNEs. It seems that the global strategies of the companies and the size of the market are the factor, which pre-determines the level of embeddedness of food MNEs in a certain economy and not so much the national actors and institutions.
11
Zottarelli, Lisa K. "Coming in From the Cold: Integration into the European Union and Public Opinion on Democracy and the Market Economy in Central and Eastern Europe." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2002. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc3099/.
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The political economy transformations of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe have received a great deal of attention over the past decade. The focus of much research has been to examine the internal national reorientations of the countries with regard to the changes in political and economic conditions. The importance of the international reorientation of these countries toward Western Europe in general and the European Union in particular has been generally overlooked. This dissertation examines public opinion on the political and economic transformations within the framework of the direction of the international reorientations of the countries. The countries were divided into three categories, those that can be expected to be invited to join the European Union in the next enlargement, those that can be expected to join the European Union in a subsequent enlargement, and the countries not seeking European Union membership. Public opinion on democracy and the market economy and attitudinal factors that influence these opinions are compared in 16 countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The data are from the Central and East European Barometers 3-7 (1992 - 1996). The findings suggest that general opinions regarding satisfaction with democracy are not related to the status of the country seeking membership in the European Union while support from the market economy does differ. When examining attitudinal factors that are related to satisfaction with democracy and support for the market economy, differences emerged between the three categories of countries. These findings suggest that public opinion is in part shaped by the international orientations of the country and that changes in public opinion are important in understanding the political and economic transformation processes.
12
Kuznetsova, Maria. "Adjustment of Families with Children Adopted from Eastern Europe." VCU Scholars Compass, 2011. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/2556.
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The purpose of this study was to examine the adjustment of older children and adolescents adopted from Eastern Europe and the impact of their preadoption history and family’s functioning on their adjustment. This is a follow-up study of families first surveyed in 2005 with an addition of new families. One hundred and forty-five families reporting on 194 adopted children (9 to 19 years; 104 girls) participated in this study at Time 2. The project was conducted as an internet-based survey. Parents and adopted children reported on children’s emotional, behavioral and social problems (CBCL and YSR), as well as family environment (FACES-III and PEQ). Children also reported on their attachment to parents (IPPA) and their preoccupation with adoption (ADQ). Results revealed that children adopted as infants or toddlers (18 months and younger) evidenced lower problem behaviors and higher competence scores than children adopted at later ages. History of preadoption abuse and/or neglect also played a role. Children without such history scored better on all problem and competency scales than their peers with reported history of either abuse or neglect. Relationships with the adoptive parents and family environment also contributed to better adjustment in this sample of adopted children. Children from more cohesive families displayed lower levels of internalizing and externalizing problems. Additionally, less conflict between adolescents and their parents was associated with lower levels of these problems. Adolescents with higher attachment levels to their parents self-reported lower internalizing and externalizing problems. Adolescents’ interest in their adoptions is a healthy thing; however, excessive preoccupation was associated with higher levels of internalizing behaviors, such as anxiety and depression. Preoccupation with adoption was not related to externalizing behaviors, as reported by children. This study replicates findings of previous studies of intercountry adoption of children from Eastern Europe. Implications of these findings are discussed.
13
Velander, John. "Military Integration in Europe : A matter of inevitability or choice?" Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för statsvetenskap (ST), 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-90817.
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Bailey, David James. "Legitimation through integration : explaining the 'new' social democratic turn to Europe." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 2005. http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/1774/.
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The turn towards European integration by social democratic parties across the European Union has thus far been inadequately explained. Existing explanations are unable to account for the anticipation that traditional social democratic 'market-correcting' policies can be successfully promoted at the EU-level despite the lack of opportunities to do so. This thesis argues that the 'new' social democratic turn to Europe has enabled social democratic parties to retain a degree of ideological continuity despite the necessary retrenchment of social democracy, thereby contributing to the ongoing (yet increasingly problematic) legitimation of social democracy and the continued maintenance of a viable social democratic constituency. The turn to Europe has provided social democratic parties with the possibility of re-regulating 'globalisation' at the supranational level, thereby cohering with the traditional social democratic practice of promoting market-correcting public policy within institutions of representative democracy. However, there exist sizeable institutional obstacles to the implementation of such an agenda which prevent its realisation. Based on a theoretical discussion of the decline of 'traditional' social democracy, the thesis argues that the moderation of 'traditional' social democratic aims was necessary due to the inability to maintain an expansion of redistributive market-correcting regulations within institutions of representative democracy beyond the medium term. The 'new' social democratic turn to Europe enables redistributive market-correcting policies to be promoted, yet not realised, at the EU-level. Moreover, the non-realisation of a social democratic agenda at the European level can be understood in terms of the institutional obstacles to policy implementation at the supranational level, thereby partly obfuscating the failure of 'traditional' social democracy and contributing to its ongoing legitimation. This argument is illustrated through case studies of social democratic parties in the UK, Sweden, France, Spain and Italy, and at the European level.
15
Birch, Sarah. "The social determinants of electoral behaviour in Ukraine, 1989-1994." Thesis, University of Essex, 1998. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.242231.
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Kozlova, Alexandra. "Family support for meeting the needs of families with children in Eastern Europe (Lithuania, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine)." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2014. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.669818.
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Lau, Garrett. "Roma Education in Post-Communist Eastern Europe: Pathways for Intervention to Reduce Incidents of Social Exclusion." Thesis, Boston College, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/bc-ir:106782.
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Thesis advisor: Peter SkerryThe post-communist political shift to liberal democracies in Eastern Europe has given new hope to Romani communities scattered across the region. However, plagued by a history entangled with episodes of slavery, persecution, and extermination, many Roma remain wary about this transition, lacking faith that it truly extends beyond a nominal domain. This paper first offers a critical exploration into unpacking Roma culture – specifically their material disadvantage and discrimination – from both an abstract and realist perspective. By properly understanding the relationship between their experience with poverty and desires for cultural autonomy, forming a rational, multi-level plan to intervene becomes more accessible. Ultimately, this leads to a series of policy interventions, particularly in the realm of primary and secondary education. Looking closely at this one area of the Roma experience with non-Roma institutions could provide key insights into their interaction with other overlapping exchanges, help to break down the centuries-old legacy of distrust and antagonism between the two sides, and promote a healthier environment for cooperation
Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2016
Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: Scholar of the College
Discipline: International Studies
18
Cassis, Ramírez-Gastón Alékxandre Juan-José. "Östeuropéer på Gotland : om anpassning, integration och europeisk gemenskap." Thesis, Högskolan på Gotland, Institutionen för humaniora och samhällsvetenskap, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hgo:diva-1050.
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Eastern Europeans in Gotland is an essay with the purpose to find out how persons born in Eastern Europeans countries have adapted and integrated on Gotland. European community and notions about other groups of immigrants on Gotland have been relevant questions besides. The results of the essay show that the conditions for adaptation and integration are very different between the periods of time and for the individuals, depending on how they arrived to Sweden. The migrant workers quickly adapted to the labour market and had good premises to be in a position of financial independence. The demands of skills were low in the 60’s, but as a result of this, many of them didn’t learn the Swedish language very well and during the crisis in the 90’s they were no longer that attractive on the labour market. My essay also shows that most Eastern Europeans today are more aware of the benefits of their origin countries now becoming members of the EU, compared to immigrants from other parts of the world, they consider themselves to have better chances on the labour market and in the society on Gotland. A curious observation is that the immigrants on Gotland are not automatically seen as “the others” in the society; the local population more likely distinguish “the islanders” and “the mainlanders”.Östeuropéer på Gotland är en empirisk studie med syfte att ta reda på hur personer som har sina rötter i Östeuropeiska länder har anpassas och integreras på Gotland. Det har även varit relevant att ställa frågor om europeisk gemenskap samt föreställningar om andra invandrargrupper i det gotländska samhället. Uppsatsens resultat visar att förutsättningar för anpassning och integration skiljer sig avsevärt mellan de undersökta tidsperioderna och för individerna, beroende på hur de kom in i landet. Medan de flesta arbetskraftsinvandrare anpassades snabbt på arbetsmarknaden och hade de bästa premisser för att bli ekonomiskt oberoende i samhället, hade de flesta flyktingar under slutet av 1980- och början 1990-talet det väldigt svårt att hitta ett arbete överhuvudtaget. Min studie visar även att de flesta östeuropéer idag är mer medvetna om de fördelar som finns nu, när deras ursprungsländer har blivit/blir medlemmar i EU och att i en jämförelse med utomeuropeiska invandrargrupper, anser de flesta, att det är just de som har bättre förutsättningar för att komma in i det gotländska samhälls- och arbetslivet. En kuriös observation är att invandrarna på Gotland inte ses direkt som ”de andra” i samhället; den lokala befolkningen drar gränserna i första hand mellan ”gotlänningar” och ”fastlänningar” .
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Denca, Sorin Stefan. "European integration and foreign policy in Central and Eastern Europe : the cases of Hungary, Slovakia and Romania." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2011. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/1462/.
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This thesis examines the impact of Europeanization on the foreign policy of the new member states of the European Union, using as case studies Hungary, Slovakia and Romania. It asks what the extent of Europeanization of foreign policy is and whether and to what extent there has been divergence in the way in which the new member states have responded to the similar constraints and opportunities of the European integration. Insofar as divergence can be identified, a third research question asks why there is policy divergence. It argues that the governmental politics and the politics of national identity play a key role as mediating factors for the Europeanization of the system of policy making, the process of elite socialization and the conduct of foreign policy itself. Three critical international events are used as sub-case studies in order to assess the extent of Europeanization of foreign policy of the CEE counties: the US-led war in Iraq in 2003, the NATO airstrikes against Yugoslavia in 1999 and the Kosovo declaration of independence in 2008. The study’s findings suggest that the pressures of Europeanization leads to convergence in some policy areas, but domestic factors such as governmental and national identity politics offer a more convincing explanation of divergence. Overall, Europeanization is uneven not only across issue-areas, but also across countries. The limits of convergence as an outcome of Europeanization and the persistence of diversity are therefore best accounted for by the diversity of domestic factors.
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Dynner, Glenn. "Yikhus and the early Hasidic movement : principles and practice in 18th and 19th century Eastern Europe." Thesis, McGill University, 1997. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=27940.
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Yikhus--the salient feature of the Jewish aristocracy--may be defined as a type of prestige deriving from the achievements of one's forbears and living family members in the scholarly, mystical, or, to a lesser degree, economic realms. Unlike land acquisition, by which the non-Jewish aristocracy preserved itself, yikhus was intimately linked with achievement in the above realms, requiring a continual infusion of new talent from each generation of a particular family.A question which has yet to be resolved is the extent to which the founders of Hasidism, a mystical revivalist movement that swept Eastern European Jewish communities from the second half of the eighteenth century until the Holocaust, challenged prevailing notions of yikhus. The question relates to the identities of Hasidism's leaders--the Zaddikim--themselves. If, as the older historiography claims, the Zaddikim emerged from outside the elite stratum, and therefore lacked yikhus, they might be expected to challenge a notion which would threaten their perceived right to lead. If, on the other hand, the Zaddikim were really the same scions of noble Jewish families who had always led the communities, they would probably uphold the value of yikhus. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
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Steiner, Emil. "European Defence-Industrial Integration and its Effect on European Integration." Thesis, Malmö universitet, Fakulteten för kultur och samhälle (KS), 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-23056.
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This study uses the English School theoretical perspective in investigating European Integration. The research aims to understand how the European Defence-Industrial integration affect the European integration. By mapping the European Defence industrial block's political intention, and coupling it with the increased strength the block has received through the defence-industrial integration, the paper is able to conclude that the defence-industrial integration has led to the creation of a more integrated European defence-industrial society, that pressures the integration process-structure towards more politics of integration and cooperation.
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Knipp, Shereene Natacha. "The academic and social integration of first-year students into higher education: a systematic review." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/17978.
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Success rates remain a critical challenge in higher education. National and international data continue to suggest that the majority of students entering higher education withdraw before graduation. There is a strong indication in the literature that a student’s integration into the academic and social systems of higher education plays a critical role in student retention, persistence and success. In addition, research data demonstrates that student success is strongly influenced by the experiences students encounter in their first year of study. Established interventions have not helped to stem the tide of dropout rates. The primary aim of the study was therefore to investigate the academic and social integration of first-year students into the higher education system. The specific objectives were to explore the factors that contribute to academic and social integration, as well as the outcomes of academic and social integration in the first year of study. The study is grounded in Tinto’s theory of student integration, which holds at its centre, the constructs of academic and social integration. Tinto’s model proposes that academic and social integration are instrumental to students’ persistence in higher education. The methodology employed for the study is a systematic review, in an attempt to sum up the best available research in response to the research question. It involved identifying, selecting, appraising and synthesising all quality research relevant to the academic and social integration of first-year higher education students. Several themes emerged from the systematic review. The main factors found to be contributing to academic integration were: interaction with academic staff, classroom and curriculum centrality, preparatory education, self-efficacy, interaction with peers, academic engagement, motivation and issues related to first-generation higher education students. Those for social integration were: interaction with peers, sense of belonging and identity, interaction with staff, involvement and accommodation issues. The main outcomes for both academic and social integration were found to be student retention, persistence and academic success. The findings are consistent with past research on academic and social integration. Based on the emergent themes, recommendations were made with the aim of improving success rates in higher education. The results of the study could be of particular value in the South African higher education context by offering insights into the global and local trends with regard to academic and social integration. The findings could hopefully offer possible responses to current critical student success challenges experienced in South African higher education, especially in the light of the call by the #FeesMustFall movement for free and decolonised education.
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Erdemir, Burcu. "The Specifity Of The Eastern Enlargement:." Master's thesis, METU, 2005. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/2/12606138/index.pdf.
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This thesis analyses the Eastern enlargement of the EU in comparison with the past four enlargement rounds, as a result of which it proves that Central and Eastern enlargement (CEE) is a unique experience for the EU. After the fourth enlargement, the EU turned its face to the CEECs, which witnessed unexpected events of a historic nature, with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. This date symbolises a great change for the CEECs, such as the end of communism, transition to open market economy, democratisation and stability. A special focus is given to the inclusion of the CEECs into the EU necessitating to make adjustments both in the EU and in the CEECs. The specifity of the fifth enlargement derives from all the changes and challenges that it poses to the applicant countries and the Union but also to its neighbours. It concludes that the factors of uniqueness of the Eastern enlargement will strengthen the probability of the inclusion of the future applicants in the Eastern part of the continent. This enlargement is a positive development for the old and the new member states, it is one of the most important &lsquopolitical necessities&rsquo
and &lsquo
historical opportunities&rsquo
that the EU is facing since its establishment, because it will not only ensure the unification, stabilisation, security, economic growth and general well-being of the continent but also because it has opened the way of membership to the future possible applicants in the Eastern part of the continent.
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Makhavikova, Hanna [Verfasser]. "Determinants of foreign direct investment in Central and Eastern Europe : the effects of integration with the European Union / Hanna Makhavikova." Magdeburg : Universitätsbibliothek, 2017. http://d-nb.info/1142232980/34.
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Radin, Dagmar. "Too Ill to Find the Cure? - Health Care Sector Success in the New Democracies of Central and Eastern Europe." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2006. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc5348/.
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This study examines the factors that have contributed to the success of some Central and Eastern European countries to improve their health care sector in the post communist period, while leaving others to its demise. While most literature has been focused on the political and economic transition of Eastern Europe, very little research has been done about the welfare aspects of the transition process, especially the health care sector. While the focus on political consequences and main macroeconomic reforms has shed light on many important processes, the lack of research of health care issues has lead to consequences on our ability to understand its impact on the future of the new democracies and their sustainability. This model looks at the impact of international (World Bank) and domestic institutions, corruption and public support and how they affect the ability of some countries to improve and reform their health care sector in the post-transition period.
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Broad, Matthew. "Joining Europe : the British Labour Party, Danish Social Democrats and European Integration, 1958-72." Thesis, University of Reading, 2017. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.731710.
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Tomescu, Irina. "Social structure, redefinition of the past, and prospective orientations a study of the post-communist transformation in Poland /." Columbus, Ohio : Ohio State University, 2006. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=osu1164816458.
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Temple, Paul R. "Social capital and institutional change in higher education : the impact of international programmes in Eastern Europe." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2004. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10020464/.
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This thesis examines institutional change in higher education, through case studies of aspects of two broadly similar institutions in Poland and Romania. It finds that, during the 1990s, international programmes supported institutional change in these cases to a significant extent, although probably not with the results that the funding organisations anticipated. The case studies suggest that such programmes have been most effective in supporting change when they have encouraged relatively small-scale, academically-led initiatives, in contrast to national-level, externally-driven programmes. It is proposed that this difference in effectiveness in promoting sustainable organisational change relates to the extent to which international programmes have assisted in the formation of social capital within the institutions. Organisational social capital is formed through intense, local engagement in the activity concerned, leading to individual and institutional learning. Social capital created in one context may then be available to support other aspects of organisational development. Social capital theory thus provides insights into the process of organisational change, particularly in the complex structural and procedural circumstances of higher education. This thesis examines why social capital is an important, if often overlooked, factor in understanding change in these settings, particularly in Eastern Europe, where political arrangements before 1989 were not generally conducive to social capital formation. The particular organisational arrangements of the universities there are also important factors in understanding institutional change. A theoretical account of social capital formation and organisational change in higher education is offered, with proposals as to how this may be relevant to structural and operational matters in higher education institutions in transitional countries more widely. The thesis draws conclusions about how international projects in higher education might be designed so as to create social capital more effectively, and thereby to support sustainable institutional change.
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Pikhardt, Hynek. "Social and psychosocial determinants of self-rated health in seven countries of Central and Eastern Europe." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2000. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1349438/.
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Life expectancy in countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CCEE) is substantially shorter than in Western Europe, and similar divide exists in self-rated health. The project described in this thesis was set up to study the effects of socio-economic factors (such as material deprivation, education and inequalities) and psychosocial factors (perceived control, psychosocial work environment) on self-rated health (a predictor of mortality in prospective studies). Cross-sectional surveys were conducted in seven CCEE: Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary. Data were collected by interviews in randomly selected national samples in all seven countries (total 7,599 subjects), and by questionnaires in random community samples in 4 countries (total 6,642 subjects). The data included socio-economic and psychosocial factors, self-rated health (SRH) and behavioural risk factors. Overall, 17% of men and 23% of women rated their health as worse than average. In the national samples, perceived control, material deprivation and education were strongly related to poor SRH. In the pooled data, adjusted odds ratio (OR) of poor health for 1 standard deviation (SD) increase in perceived control was 0.59 (95% Cl 0.54-0.63). The OR for 1 SD increase in the material deprivation score was 1.35 (95% Cl 1.26-1.46). The ORs for vocational, secondary and university education, compared with primary education, were 0.75,0.58 and 0.53, respectively. We also examined the ecological effects of income inequality; the OR for the most versus the least unequal populations (using the Gini coefficient of income inequality) was 1.88 (95% Cl 1.55-2.28). In multivariate analyses, however, the effect of inequality was eliminated by adjustment for material deprivation and perceived control. In the community samples, the results were similar. Among psychosocial factors at work, the effort-reward imbalance appeared to be the strongest predictor of self-rated health; work variety was also a predictor of self-rated health. Job strain was not associated with SRH. Our results suggest that (a) the prevalence of poor SRH in CCEE is high, and (b) socioeconomic and psychosocial factors are strongly related to self-rated health in these populations. The gradients were present in all populations, and were of the same direction and similar magnitude as in the West. Prospective studies are needed to address the problems of temporality and reporting bias, which are the major problems of these results.
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Arcostanzo, F. "CONTESTING EUROPE ON TWITTER. SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE POLITICIZATION OF 'EUROPE' DURING THE SPANISH ELECTIONS, 2015 AND 2016." Doctoral thesis, Università degli Studi di Milano, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2434/519418.
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Since Maastricht onwards, political conflicts concerning European integration have intensified, mobilizing a wide range of actors in a global process of politicization of the EU. The ‘politicization’ of European integration, which until a decade ago was seen as conspicuously absent, is thus now widely recognized: the EU is increasingly addressed by political parties, is a key concern for voters, and often the lead news item across the region. As current events suggest, the European Union is increasingly subject to regular critiques of its policy choices but also to more principled forms of opposition, which question not only its institutional and constitutional architecture but even its rationale of existence. Understanding the mechanisms behind such a process of politicization, its manifestations and consequences has thus become a crucial research topic for political scientists. How do political actors conceive the basic alternatives? Can debates over European integration, despite their complexity, be reduced to a relatively small number of dimensions? Is there a substantial difference between citizens and political elites? How is contestation over European integration related to the left-right cleavage, which has characterized political life in Western Europe over the past century or more?
With our work we contribute to the literature on EU politicization in national arenas by proposing an innovative design to study EU politicization by analysing Twitter big data, presented through an in-depth case study on the 2015 and 2016 Spanish general elections. The aim of our work is accordingly threefold. Firstly, it provides a comprehensive understanding of the type, directionality and intensity of conflicts over European integration in present times in Spain, both at the level of political elite and at that of mass public. Secondly, it empirically verifies the assumptions and findings of the literature on the EU politicization in relation to the case under scrutiny. Thirdly, it introduces an innovative method for the study of issue politicization on Twitter-based communication that combines NLP technology, network analysis and qualitative content analysis. On the one hand, by using a combination of human coding and machine learning, we are able to separately analyze the three main components of EU politicization: salience, conflict, and expansion to the public. On the other hand, hence critical tweets are identified, the analysis of their textual content and networked structure allows us to identify the specific issues around which contestation towards European integration is rooted, thus allowing us to unpack the reasons which have fostered and are still driving the mobilization of a wide range of actors.
From a public sphere perspective, EU-politicization and democratization are interlinked in a way that public contestations pose a challenge to executive decision-making, raise democratic standards and trigger processes of public opinion formation. By answering our RQs we will thus be able not only to analyse the content of the electoral debate and its matching with our theoretical expectations, but also to contribute to the study of the European(ized) public sphere.
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Avlijaš, Sonja. "Explaining variation in female labour force participation across Eastern Europe : the political economy of industrial upgrading and service transition." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 2015. http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/3341/.
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This thesis proposes a theoretical model to explain the variation in female labour force participation (FLFP) across post-socialist Eastern Europe. The model is then tested empirically on 13 post-socialist Eastern European countries during the period 1997- 2008 using a combination of quantitative and qualitative data analysis. Embedded in insights from economics and comparative political economy literature, my theoretical model moves beyond linear causal relationships and suggests how different components of post-socialist economic restructuring in Eastern Europe have affected one another and have translated into specific FLFP outcomes. The model specifies the following three components: industrial upgrading, educational expansion and growth of knowledge intensive services and theorises their relationship to each other and to FLFP as the dependent variable. The model suggests that those countries that embarked on the trajectory of economic development driven by re-industrialisation and industrial upgrading created a vicious cycle for FLFP. This took place because industrial upgrading that was driven by foreign direct investment led to the defeminisation of manufacturing. Such a trajectory of economic restructuring also shaped these countries’ education policies and impeded the development of knowledge intensive services, which would have been more conducive to female employment. The virtuous cycle of FLFP, on the other hand, occurred in those Eastern European countries that turned to reforming their educational sector towards general skills and expansion of tertiary education, with the aim of transforming themselves into knowledge economies. Such a transformation required an active social investment state and growth of knowledge-intensive public and private sector employment, which provided greater employment opportunities for women. This development path created a positive causal loop for FLFP.
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Geduld, Deidre Chante. "Promoting social inclusion in school: reflecting on ourselves." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1522.
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This thesis is an account of the transformation of my personal thinking and practice, as I developed my own new living theories about my practice. As I chose an action research approach for my research, my research is practice based, as outlined by Whitehead (1989), McNiff, Lomax and Whitehead (2003), McNiff and Whitehead (2005b), and Whitehead and McNiff (2006). As McNiff et al. (2003) explain, action research focuses on learning and embodies good professional practice and praxis; it will hopefully lead to personal and social improvement; it is a response to a social situation; it demands critical thinking and political intention; and the focus is on transformation within this thesis. The thesis comprises an account of my learning at both theoretical and practical levels, as I discovered how to live my values more fully in my practice. Inclusivity and leadership establish a set of values and purposes that underpins the educational process in a school. The individual commitment of the teachers and leader drives the values and purposes into reality. Values without implementation do little for school improvement. It is in dealing with the challenge to change and improve, often by confronting unacceptable practices, that teachers and leaders show their educational values. The thesis is the story of how I learned to speak for myself and came to regard her as a person who has something to say for herself in the context of the impoverished schools of South Africa. My thesis is an articulation of my belief that teachers and learners should be counted „among those with the authority to participate both in the critique and in the reform of education‟ (Cook-Sather, 2002:3). It also articulates my commitment to a scholarship of teaching that allows teachers to learn from pedagogical experience and exchange that learning in acts of scholarship that contribute to the wisdom of practice across the profession (Shulman, 1999:17). Collaborative and reflective discussion allowed me to capitalise on the social nature of learning. I not only considered how education could be used to assist children‟s growth, learning and development, but also applied the same concepts in the development, growth and learning of their teachers. I would argue that through my own work, I have attempted to establish a community of enquiry within my school that draws on a multi-generational model of knowledge production through bringing together teachers, researchers, students and critical friends.
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Gérard, Marc. "Economic catching-up and monetary integration of Central and Eastern European countries." Thesis, Paris 10, 2011. http://www.theses.fr/2011PA100021.
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Cette thèse s’intéresse au défi que représente le rattrapage des niveaux de prix pour la stabilité macroéconomique des pays en transition d’Europe centrale et orientale, dans la perspective de leur future participation à la zone euro. A cet égard, une modélisation du taux de change réel d’équilibre suggère que l’appréciation réelle liée au rattrapage économique recouvre des évolutions de prix relatifs différentes suivant les régimes de change, dont témoignent des trajectoires d’endettement extérieur contrastées. Dans les économies en changes flexibles, la hausse du taux de change nominal favorise une appréciation endogène des termes de l’échange à moyen terme, en orientant les investissements directs étrangers et la réalisation des gains de productivité vers le secteur exposé de l’économie, ce qui se traduit par une appréciation du taux de change réel d’équilibre et une amélioration des comptes extérieurs. Dans les économies en changes fixes, les effets de valorisation liés à la hausse des prix relatifs domestiques tendent à orienter les investissements vers le secteur abrité de l’économie, entraînant une érosion de la compétitivité extérieure, dont témoigne le gonflement de la dette externe. Par ailleurs, l’intégration monétaire comporte des risques spécifiques pour la stabilité macroéconomique des économies en rattrapage, dans la mesure où elle s’accompagne d’un processus marqué de convergence des conditions de financement entre Etats membres, dès lors que la perspective de l’adhésion à l’espace monétaire commun devient crédible. Un modèle dynamique à anticipations rationnelles permet de montrer que face au choc de demande lié à une telle convergence financière, l’appréciation du taux de change nominal se révèle cruciale pour limiter la surchauffe de l’économie. A l’inverse, dans les économies en régime de change fixe, l’abaissement des primes de risque pays est susceptible de provoquer une montée de l’endettement extérieur, suivi d’enchaînements déflationnistes une fois dans l’union monétaireThis research investigates the challenges of price level catching-up for macroeconomic stability in Central and Eastern European transition countries seeking to enter the Euro area. In this respect, an equilibrium real exchange rate model suggests that the process of real appreciation observed along economic catching-up in these countries can be ascribed to different relative price developments, depending on the exchange rate regime, as exemplified by contrasted external debt trajectories. In flexible exchange rate economies, the increase in the nominal exchange rate fosters an endogenous appreciation of the terms of trade in the medium run, by channelling foreign direct investment and associated productivity gains to the exposed sector of the economy, thus appreciating the equilibrium real exchange rate and strengthening the current account over time. In fixed exchange rate economies, positive valuation effects associated with the increase in domestic relative prices tend to divert investment to the sheltered sector, thus undermining external competitiveness and bringing about higher external debt. Furthermore, monetary integration entails specific risks for macroeconomic stability in catching-up economies, because it implies a process of rapid convergence in the financing conditions across member States, which takes place as soon as the perspective of accession to the common monetary area appears credible. A dynamic, rational expectations model shows that the appreciation of the nominal exchange rate becomes crucial to curtail the economic overheating triggered by the demand shock associated with financial convergence. By contrast, diminishing country risk premia under fixed exchange rate regimes are likely to cause ‘boom bust’ cycles, with an increase in external indebtedness followed by deflationary developments once in the monetary union
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Khan, Parves. "The dynamics of migration policy-making in the European Union under conditions of European integration." Thesis, University of Bristol, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/1983/f5beaf36-8a38-41e7-8ea2-8de196ff4c75.
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Li, On-ki, and 李安琪. ""Mental Bloc": Western European constructionsof Eastern Europe and the integration project, 1945 to 2002, withparticular reference to Germany, France and United Kingdom." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2003. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B29245837.
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Carbone, Valentina. "LE ROLE DES PRESTATAIRES LOGISTIQUES EN EUROPE - INTEGRATION DES CHAINES ET ALLIANCES LOGISTIQUES." Phd thesis, Ecole des Ponts ParisTech, 2004. http://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00011339.
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La logistique, qui désigne à la fois une famille d'opérations physiques de traitement des produits et les méthodes de gestion des flux et de gestion par les flux, entre dans le questionnement sur les modes de gestion d'une firme dans le cadre de la supply chain : quelles sont les pratiques et les raisons de l'externalisation / internalisation de la logistique par les clients ? Quelles relations de service président à leur gestion partagée ? Comment les prestataires logistiques s'organisent-ils pour satisfaire les contraintes et les attentes des chaînes ? C'est le rôle des prestataires en tant qu'organisateurs ou opérateurs des flux de marchandise et des flux informationnels qui est exploré dans cette thèse. Le travail s'articule autour de deux objets complémentaires bien qu'inspirés de deux champs disciplinaires différents, l'économie industrielle et la gestion.
Le premier objet porte sur l'analyse de l'évolution du secteur des transports et de la logistique, à l'échelle européenne, en réponse aux évolutions des systèmes de production et de distribution. Cependant, la nécessité de saisir certaines caractéristiques spécifiques échappant à la tendance européenne nous amène à développer la même analyse à une échelle nationale. Plus précisément, nous avons mené une enquête originale sur le comportement stratégique des prestataires agissant dans le contexte italien.
Le second objet s'inscrit dans la lignée des études de gestion concernant les théories interorganisationnelles et analyse les modes de coordination client/prestataire logistique. Ce volet est à interpréter comme une analyse des liens entre les systèmes productifs et l'organisation logistique et de transport. Il s'agit d'effectuer le repérage fin des relations et des mécanismes de coordination entre les acteurs afin de préciser le rôle des prestataires dans la gestion du processus logistique.
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Ovseiko, Pavel Victor. "The politics of health care reform in Central and Eastern Europe : the case of the Czech Republic." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2009. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:d8f1c4d3-9dda-4a2b-94d1-5afcb0cf5c87.
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This thesis examines the political process of health care reform between 1989 and 1998 in the most advanced sizable political economy in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) – the Czech Republic. Its aim is to explain the political process bringing about post-Communist health policy change and stimulate new debates on welfare state transformation in CEE. The thesis challenges the conventional view that post-Communist health care reform in CEE was designed and implemented to improve the health status of the people, as desired by the people themselves. I suggest that this is a dangerous over-rationalisation, and argue that post-Communist health care reform in the Czech Republic was the by-product of haphazard democratic political struggle between emerging elites for power and economic resources. The thesis employs the analytical narrative method to describe and analyse the actors, institutions, ideas and history behind the health policy change. The analysis is informed by welfare state theory, elite theory, interest group politics theory, the assumptions of methodological individualism and rational choice theory, and Schumpeter’s doctrine of democracy. Its focus is on the interests of health policy actors and how they interacted within an unhinged, but fast-consolidating, institutional framework. The results demonstrate that, while historical legacies and liberal ideas featured prominently in the rhetoric accompanying health policy change, in Realpolitik, these were merely the disposable, instrumental devices of opportunistic, self-interested elites. The resultant explanation of health policy change stresses the primacy of agency over structure and formulates four important mechanisms of health policy change: opportunism, tinkering, enterprise, and elitism. In conclusion, the relevance of major welfare state theories to the given case is assessed and implications for welfare state research in CEE are drawn.
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Hassanen, Sadia. "Repatriation, Integration or Resettlement : The Dilemmas of Migration among Eritrean Refugees in Eastern Sudan /." New Jersey : Redsea Press, 2007. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-6641.
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Beckfield, Jason. "The consequences of regional political and economic integration for inequality and the welfare state in Western Europe." [Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2005. http://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations/fullcit/3183488.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Sociology, 2005.Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-08, Section: A, page: 3111. Adviser: Arthur S. Alderson. Title from dissertation home page (viewed Oct. 5, 2006).
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Meyer, Michael, Clara Maria Moder, Michaela Neumayr, and Peter Vandor. "Civil Society and Its Institutional Context in CEE." Springer US, 2019. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11266-019-00106-7.
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Although civil societies in Central and Eastern Europe are often portrayed as similar, united by a shared communist past, they have developed along increasingly divergent trajectories over the past three decades. This article investigates the current state of civil society in the region and the role the institutional context plays in it. Drawing on historical institutionalism and the process of European integration, we classify the 14 countries under investigation into three distinct groups and analyze data from a survey of more than 350 local civil society experts. We find that, together with domestic governments, international donors and the EU are perceived as the most influential institutional actors for civil society organizations. Their respective influences, however, depend largely on a country's stage in the EU accession process. Overall, the study provides a differentiated mapping of civil society in this region and a better understanding of how the institutional context relates to a Country's civil society.
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Olujobi, Omobola. "International students in South African universities: an examination of their academic choices, challenges and social integration at the University of Fort Hare and Rhodes University." Thesis, University of Fort Hare, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1020183.
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International students have become major role players in international education across the globe. Their enrollment in different universities has increased in the past few decades worldwide. Most of these students bring rich cultural diversity and skills to their various host institutions and countries. These trends signal the need to examine and understand international students within the South African context. Against this background, this study explores the factors that influence academic choices of international students, academic and social challenges they face and the role of social capital in influencing international student integration at the Universities of Fort Hare and Rhodes in South Africa. A qualitative research design was employed in this study. Thirty international students were selected (and interviewed) using purposive sampling and snowballing. The study found that some of the main factors that influence the academic choices of international students include availability of scholarships and funding, recommendations of the institution by family and friends, availability of preferred course and the reputation of the institution. Some of the main challenges faced by international students in these two institutions include language barriers, financial difficulty, expensive but improperly maintained accommodation and culture shock. These challenges impede the smooth integration of international students into their new academic and social environment. However, the students employ several strategies in attempt to address the challenges they face. These include joining a student or community social organization, community engagement and making friends. These social networks and organizations serve as a support system and connection hub for the students. The study recommends that it is pertinent for the University of Fort Hare and Rhodes University to meet the needs and expectations of its international students through regular surveys that give them room to speak about their experiences. The need for efficient International Offices at both institutions is crucial as well as the employment of open‐minded multicultural trained staff in these offices. The study also suggests the need for the both institutions to provide affordable and comfortable accommodation for its international students.
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Krutišová, Alena. "Integration of the equity markets in the CEE countries - opportunity for international portfolio diversification." Master's thesis, Vysoká škola ekonomická v Praze, 2011. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-96351.
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There are several advantages of capital markets integration, such as increasing overall market liquidity, improving the scope for diversification and risk sharing. Therefore, the European institutions try to boost capital markets integration among the member states. The aim of this empirical paper is to analyse the level of integration of the main equity markets in the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE): the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria from 2001 until 2010 using an integration score analysis. This methodology was proposed by Akdogan (1996; 1997) and later extended by Barari (2004) and by Birg & Lucey (2006). The paper focuses on the developments of regional and global integration of these countries. Findings from this research can be of interest to investors as well as policy makers because the degree of capital markets integration has important implications for cross-border capital flows, financial management, and for the conduct of monetary policy. The results from this paper suggest that the opportunities for portfolio diversification are diminishing in the CEE countries. The diversification benefits were mainly reduced by the accession to the EU, but they did not completely disappear. The findings showed that the global financial crisis in 2008 brought about a rapid change in integration. Global integration increased during the crises, whereas the regional started to decline after years of rising.
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Sokutu, Nonkuselo. "Towards sustainable municipalities : an evaluation of sustainability integration in Elundini Local Municipality strategy." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013018.
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This research study evaluated and assessed the extent to which strategic management processes integrated economic, environmental and social sustainability elements in the fiveyear strategy (2012) of Elundini Local Municipality (ELM). The study focused on three areas of strategic management, that is, environmental analysis, strategic direction and strategy formulation. The study also looked at possible reasons for sustainability integration in ELM strategy or lack thereof and also recommended possible solutions. The literature reviewed revealed that there was adequate basis for municipalities to integrate sustainable development in their strategies even though sustainability was noted as an evolving, complex and changing phenomenon. Local Agenda 21 principles, national legislative & policy framework, regulations and other relevant guidelines were found to be adequate for municipalities to develop credible sustainability strategies. The objectives of the study were achieved by data collected through the review of existing literature; the review of ELM Five Year Strategy (2012-2017); and SIAT-based questionnaires that were filled in by ELM employees. The results of the study showed that economic and social sustainability activities were identified most in the ELM strategy compared to environmental sustainability. The study then mainly recommended the review of the current strategy in order to improve all areas of strategy formulation; introduction of Economic, Social and Environmental sustainability – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (ESEs-SWOT) for internal analysis as an improvement of SWOT analysis; introduction of Sustainability Integration and Strategic Management Framework (SISMF) as an improvement to existing framework.
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MELONI, Gabriella. "Wider Europe : the influence of the EU on neighbouring countries : the case of Russia and Ucraine." Doctoral thesis, European University Institute, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1814/10467.
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Defence date: 7 December 2007Examining Board: Prof. Adrienne Héritier, (EUI/RSCAS) ; Prof. Olga Potemkina, (Russian Academy of Science, Moscow) ; Prof. Gerda Falkner, (Institute for Advanced Studies, Vienna) ; Prof. Marise Cremona, (EUI, Department of Law)
PDF of thesis uploaded from the Library digital archive of EUI PhD theses
The EU has engaged in the promotion of an unprecedented process of policy export which involves not only candidates to enlargement, but also a wide range of countries beyond the Union’s present and future expected (at least at the moment) borders. In this framework, Russia and Ukraine have been an important test-case for the European Union which asked them to 'endeavour to ensure' that their legislation will be 'gradually made compatible with that of the Community' already in the mid-90s. This dissertation is intended to explore the mechanisms which have allowed the EU to promote legislative approximation in these 2 countries across 3 policy areas which are at the core of the internal market and where I, thus, expected the pressure for Europeanisation to be higher: competition policy, company law and consumers’ protection. In particular, I tried to understand if and how far the EU has been able to induce Russia and Ukraine towards the desired outcome as a result of the engagement of the parties in strategic inter-action. Then, on the other hand, I tried to assess if and how far rule adoption has been motivated by internalized, socially constructed identities, values and norms. The analysis has shown that there are interesting cases of Europeanisation not only in Ukraine, but also in Russia, allowing me to highlight the limits deriving from the use of conditionality in the new neighborhood and the need to reconsider the mix between different Europeanisation strategies.
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Šerić, Adnan. "Three empirical essays on determinants of industry and investment location patterns in the context of economic transition and regional integration : the evidence from Central and Eastern European countries." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/2098.
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The factor determinants of industry and investment location patterns in transition economies can be expected to differ from those frequently observed in developed countries. Historically, centrally planned economies have suffered from inefficient industrial policies that are generally assumed to have had distortive effects on spatial location of industry. The process of economic transition and regional integration that followed the demise of socialist structures is assumed to have subsequently affected the geographical distribution of economic activities within and between countries of the region. Given the above this thesis capitalises on the quasi-natural experiment setting to further explore industry and investment location decisions in transition economies. In particular, the research presented here follows three main objectives. First, it intends to provide a comprehensive picture of changes in industry location patterns over time. Second, it aims to contribute to the debate on factor determinants of industry location at various levels of spatial aggregation. Third, it seeks to explore location determinants of foreign direct investors in particular, given their pivotal role for economic development of transition economies. In all instances, the research is geared towards a better understanding of the role of institutional factors, such as reforms and policies, in affecting distribution of economic activity across space. Thus, the work conducted qualifies as a further contribution to the analysis of structural changes that have affected the economies under examination. In broad terms, the findings presented here point towards significant changes in spatial location patterns of industry and investments that are leading to increased polarisation of economic landscape over time. Nonetheless, we find evidence that certain institutional factors qualify as viable policy levers, thereby providing ample scope for policy makers to impact existing location patterns of economic activity.
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Ilinitchi, Cristina. "Analýza ekonomického vývoje Rumunska - od počátku transformace po vstup do EU." Master's thesis, Vysoká škola ekonomická v Praze, 2008. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-12178.
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Romania, as other Central and Eastern European countries, was after 1989 in the position to make the choice regarding its future development. Economists have added a new word to their vocabulary -- the economic transformation. The work focuses on the process of economic transformation in Romania after 1989. The first part deals with the main theoretical approaches to the process of transformation. The theoretical part is followed by the analysis of the most important economical indicators and other features of the Romanian economic transformation. The accession of Romania to the European Union is also stressed out. The conclusion of the work summarises the successes and failures of the transformation process in Romania.
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Turton, David John. "The changing social geography of energy impacted communities with particular reference to coal mining in Eastern England : an investigation into the social interaction of mining families in village communities across the Selby Coalfield." Thesis, Manchester Metropolitan University, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.285875.
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Irvine, Philippa Margaret. "Post-apartheid racial integration in Grahamstown : a time-geographical perspective." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005521.
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This research is situated within the context of the post-apartheid era in South Africa, which includes the dominant ideologies and policies that have shaped the urban landscape of the past and present. It investigates the extent and patterns of integration that exist twenty years after the country’s political transition and it uses Grahamstown, a small education and cultural centre in the Eastern Cape Province, as its case study. The investigation incorporates the traditional geographical focus of residential and educational integration, using conventional means of investigation such as segregation indices, dissimilarity indices, percentages and maps. However, in identifying the broader nature of ‘segregation’ and ‘integration’, the study moves beyond these foci and approaches. It adopts the timegeographical framework to reveal the dynamic use of urban space that reflects the lived space of selected individuals from the community of Grahamstown: the extent and patterns of their behavioural integration or spatial linkages. Together, these approaches reveal that Grahamstown is still a city divided by race and, now, class. Schools and residential areas remain tied to the apartheid divisions of race and the white community exists almost entirely within the bounds of apartheid’s blueprint of urban space. Rhodes University, which is located within Grahamstown, has experienced admirable levels of integration within the student body and within the staff as a whole, but not within the staff’s different levels. In essence, where integration has occurred it has been unidirectional with the black community moving into the spaces and institutions formerly reserved for whites. The limited behavioural integration or spatial linkages are shown to be tied to city structure and, within the white group, to perceptions of ‘otherness’ held by the individuals interviewed. While the study shows limited differences in the time-spatial movements between members of different races who are resident in the former white group area, it highlights the differences between those more permanently resident in the city and the temporary educational migrants or students. The study argues that the slow pace of change is related to the nature of South Africa’s democratic transition and its attending political and economic policies.
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Tezcan, Seden. "European Union's Relations with South Eastern Europe: A Case Study of Bosnia and Herzegovina&the Implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Process." Thesis, Linköping University, Department of Management and Economics, 2005. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-2710.
Full textAbstract:
Since the beginning of the 1990s important changes took place, such as the collapse of Communism and the dissolution of Yugoslavia. Consequently, the European Union (EU) has faced a new agenda in SouthEastern Europe. The EU policies towards this region were not very well coordinated in the first half of the 1990s. From the second half of the 1990s onwards, the EU has become more focused in its policies towards South Eastern Europe. Since 1999, the Stabilisation and Association Process is the new institutional framework of the EU towards this region. The main purpose of the Stabilisation and Association Process is to promote peace, prosperity and stability in this region.
This study aims to explore the EU relations with South Eastern Europe with a single case study of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Process. The main research questions are: What are the main aims and dynamics of the EU’s relations with South Eastern Europe? What are the main problems concerning the implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Process in the case of Bosnia? How do the norms, values and culture of Bosnia affect the implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Process?
The focus of this study is on democratization as an open- ended process. Thus, it is relevant to apply democratization theories, with a focus on the Transition Approach as a theoretical framework. Democratization theories aim to explain how authoritarian regimes change into liberal democratic ones. The transition approach makes a clear distinction between democratic transition and democratic consolidation phases, and identifies the necessary conditions for the success of each phase. New Institutionalism is another theoretical orientation that will be applied to this study. New Institutionalism is used in this study to discuss the concepts of institutional change and democratic governance, and to further study both the formal and informal institutions in Bosnia and how they limit the implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Process.
This study comes up with the conclusion that South Eastern Europe remains one of the priority regions for the EU. The dynamics of EU-South Eastern Europe relations is based on a number of different factors, such as political and economic considerations, concerns about peace, prosperity, and stability at the doorstep of the EU. The implementation of EU policies in this region is related to the debate on the future of the EU as well. The conclusions about Bosnia and Herzegovina point out that the country has moved forward a considerable amount after the 1992-95 Bosnian War. Democracy is beginning to emerge in the country. However, the implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Process is constrained by the complex formal institutional structure as laid out in the Dayton Peace Agreement. Moreover, the informal institutions in Bosnia limit the implementation. For instance, the path-dependent authoritarian legacy of former Yugoslavia, exclusive ethnic nationalism, and distrust among the major ethnic groups in Bosnia are obstacles in front of the effective implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Process. The level of international community involvement in the country is still very intensive. Bosnia has not become a self-sustainable democratic state yet. Strengthening the civil society in Bosnia and Herzegovina and promoting an inclusive civic identity that will lead to the enhancement of democratic values in the country can be recommended as solutions for the current problems of the country.
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Aidukaite, Jolanta. "The Emergence of the Post-Socialist Welfare State - The Case of the Baltic States : Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania." Doctoral thesis, Huddinge : Södertörns högskola, 2004. http://www.diva-portal.org/su/theses/abstract.xsql?dbid=270.
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