Identifying major policy challenges and policy interventions via expert methods

The European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) represent a valuable tool of the European Union. EU countries use the funds to finance activities focused on different areas. They are primarily aimed at reducing regional disparities between regions. The objective of this paper is to examine the effect of the European Structural and Investment Funds on economic indicators in Slovakia. To achieve this aim, the paper examines the evolution of economic indicators between the years 2007 and 2021. Secondary data on the drawing of the European Structural and Investment Funds in Slovakia in the period under review are identified. The impact is detected in the paper based on regression and correlation analysis. Established on the correlation and regression analysis outcome, we can argue that there is a dependence between the implementation of ESIF and the economic indicators, although the implementation of the ESIF has a small impact on gross domestic product and unemployment.

This paper presents a meticulously conducted and extensive comparative analysis of the absorption patterns of European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) throughout the 2014–2020 programming period across a diverse array of European countries, with a particular emphasis on the Greek context. The primary objective of this study is to offer a comprehensive understanding of both shared trends and variations in fund absorption dynamics, thereby providing valuable insights into the intricate factors that shape the utilization of ESIF. Utilizing a robust methodological framework, this research undertakes an exhaustive examination of national and regional data to unravel the multifaceted determinants influencing absorption rates. Key determinants, including macroeconomic conditions, administrative efficiency, institutional capacity, and policy frameworks, are rigorously scrutinized to elucidate their nuanced impacts on ESIF absorption dynamics. Through this methodical approach, the study endeavors to provide nuanced insights into the efficacy of fund allocation mechanisms and the pivotal role played by socio-economic factors in steering regional development trajectories.

This study examines the non-linear relationship between European Structural and Investment (ESI) Funds and socio-economic development across EU member states from 2007 to 2020. To accomplish this, the study utilises a novel methodological approach, employing panel threshold regression to analyse the complex interactions between these variables. Using the Human Development Index (HDI) as a comprehensive measure of socio-economic progress, this research goes beyond traditional metrics, such as GDP, to capture a multidimensional view of development. The threshold variable, represented by the ratio of ESI Funds paid to GDP, highlights critical inflexion points where the impact of funding shifts, revealing both positive and negative effects. The study finds that ESI Funds positively impact socio-economic development up to a threshold of 0.7% of GDP, beyond which their effectiveness diminishes, emphasising the need for strategic allocation and management. Additionally, the analysis of control variables identifies a critical threshold range between 2% and 2.3% of GDP, indicating the growing importance of ESI Funds in fostering development within complex socio-economic contexts. This paper contributes to the foundational model of socio-economic development informed by ESI Funds, offering valuable insights for policymakers by emphasising the importance of balancing funding levels with strategic allocation to avoid diminishing returns.

The article is devoted to the generalization of approaches to the identification of territorial units and management of the rural areas development in the EU and the justification of the need for its use in domestic practice. It was established that several different approaches to the identification of rural territories and territorial units were tested during the nearly twenty-year preparatory period (typology based on a 1 km2 grid; typologies at the LAU 2 level, in particular the degree of urbanization, etc.; at the NUTS 3 levels, in particular urban-rural typology, etc.). which were improved and presented in the Methodological manual on territorial typologies. Today, this technique is basic in establishing the common statistical classification of territorial units (NUTS). It is summarized that cohesion policy is aimed at reducing regional disparities and promoting economic and social cohesion, as well as territorial convergence between EU member states, which has been carried out since the founding of the EU in 1957. In 1992, thefourth cohesion policy fund was created - the Cohesion Fund (FZ) - to finance projects to improve the state of the environment and transport infrastructure in member states where the GNP per capita is less than 90% of the EU average. It was revealed that the formation of the Just Transition Fund in 2021, which corresponds to the EU “green” transition paradigm, was an addition to the institutional architecture. It is argued that the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) are the main financial instrument for supporting cohesion policy and include the following components: ERDF (European Regional Development Fund), ESF (European Social Fund), Cohesion Fund (FZ), European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). The ERDF has been identified as the largest component of the ESIF, which focuses on promoting economic and social cohesion by investing in infrastructure, innovation and entrepreneurship. This Fund was found to support projects related to transport, energy, digital infrastructure, research and innovation, and the transition to a low-carbon economy. It is emphasized that this fund contributes to employment, social integration and development of skills of the population. The peculiarities of the cohesion fund, which provides financial assistance to member countries whose GNI per capita is below a certain threshold level, have been considered. It has been established that this fund supports large-scale infrastructure projects in the fields of transport, energy and the environment. At the same time, the EAFRD and EMFF funds support rural development and fisheries respectively, contributing to the overall objectives of cohesion policy. It has been proven that since 2013, the development of multi-year programs for the development of rural areas of the EU countries has been focused on six priorities of sustainable development: promoting the transfer of knowledge and innovations; increasing competitiveness; promoting the organization of the food production chain and risk management; restoration, preservation and development of ecosystems; increasing the efficiency of resource use and transition to a low-carbon economy; promotion of social integration, reduction of poverty and economic development in rural areas. The European Green Course, which aims to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, is analyzed. As for agriculture and food, the Green Deal envisages measures to increase sustainability in land management, food production and consumption, in particular through measures that will be included in the strategic plans of the common agricultural policy. Activities and practical actions in domestic practice regarding the creation of conditions for the implementation of the European experience regarding the identification of territorial units and the readiness to participate in attracting financial allocations within the framework of current programs based on the implementation of regulatory and legal support and the ability to master the allocated financial funds in full have been determined. Key words: rural territories, territorial units, cohesion fund, green course, sustainable development priorities, structural funds.

COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the transition of EU economies toward a higher level of digital society development. The European Commission set digitalization as one of its most important priorities for 2019-2024. As both the Cohesion Policy and the Next Generation EU aim to support the realization of EC priorities, in this paper we focus on examining and evaluating the allocations from European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIFs) to the digital society performance. The research results subverted expectations, revealing that ESIFs spending on ICT does not contribute to the digital society development. This highlights the need for more investment into the ICT to reduce the gap in performances of the EU member states.

Inclusive education is a fundamental worldwide reform envisioned to include children with diverse abilities in the classroom. Maldives is in its emerging phase of inclusive preschool education. Lack of teachers’ competency, training and support system was reported as common challenges faced in inclusive education. This study explored the experiences of five regular teachers in five different inclusive preschool settings in Male’. Qualitative research design using semi-structured interviews was employed to explore the teachers’ teaching experiences along with series of issues associated in their journey of inclusive classrooms. Findings revealed teachers’ belief in inclusion as the positive teaching experiences of being grateful and hopeful amidst challenges faced. Teachers’ negative experiences are reported as feeling lost and disappointed with the lack of support over mixed disabilities of children in large classrooms. These findings revealed underpinning the policies and support required from stakeholders at all levels which have influenced the sustainability of inclusive preschool education. To overcome these challenges, teachers used team teaching, adjusted lessons to build peer support among the children and seek professional support within and beyond school. Teachers’ voices on inclusive classrooms in preschools have contributed recommendations for the school level and policymakers in modeling up the sustainable inclusive preschool education. It is recommended that funding to be allocated for in-service teachers’ training besides developing resources to provide better learning opportunities for children with disabilities. All stakeholders, teachers, parents and government should collaborate to foster positive attitudes and acceptance for all children to keep striving for a sustainable inclusive preschool education.

Current Account Targeting Hypothesis versus Twin Deficit Hypothesis: the EMU Experience of Portugal

Nations around the world are bent on creating an efficient and inclusive socio-economic environment and ethos for enterprises and business. The aim is to create a business setting and system of innovation in which standard macroeconomic policies are more effective and increase private sector development and economic growth. The research and innovation system in Central Europe (CE) has not been studied in sufficient depth, at either the theoretical or empirical level. Apart from their similar pattern of transition from planned to mixed economy, the national research and innovation systems of the selected countries evolved into rather diverse systems in terms of their size, enterprise composition, research intensity and structural configuration. The countries’ economic profiles play a crucial role in their integration with the EU and their global competiveness. The economic structure, level of research, technological development, human resources in science and technology (HRST), innovation, and SME competitiveness clearly testify to the diverse level of the region's economic competitiveness. The aim of this article is to describe the differences among selected Central European countries in order to demonstrate that efforts to build a single European innovation system are still far from complete. Selected composite indices such as the Global Innovation Index (GII), the Networked Readiness Index (NRI), and the Global Enabling Trade Index (ETI) show that countries in Central Europe need improvements in terms of competitiveness, innovation and technology development. Economies’ performance as regards the environment for entrepreneurs was also analysed based on several composite indices with sufficient complexity to capture the multidimensional nature of entrepreneurship. The article concludes that an efficient use of European structural and investment funds (ESIF) and the application of smart specialisation strategies are promising mechanisms for European integration processes.

Studies based upon surveys in different countries demonstrate that work-life balance (WLB) is one of important factors of job satisfaction (JS). The present article tries to reveal WLB as a factor of JS in social care services in Lithuania. This sector is interesting due to the fact that personal social services as a separate area of welfare, as well as the profession of social work, was established in Lithuania only after 1990 and, therefore, is little researched. The research findings showed that, if to build upon the overall evaluation approach, WLB is an important factor of JS in social care services in Lithuania. In other words, employees satisfied with WLB in their organisation are more likely to be satisfied with job in general. On the other hand, if to use the components approach, whereby WLB consists of multiple aspects that define the balance and give specific meaning to it, not all WLB factors identified in the research have been found significant for both overall assessment of WLB and JS. Therefore, the overall assessment of WLB does not provide basis to formulate recommendations for improving social policy. This requires creating a framework of WLB that is as detailed and systematic as possible, while restricted list of factors may produce incomplete WLB “picture” within the organisation.

Purpose of the study: This study aimed to investigate the impact of inclusive education on the social development of students with special needs in primary schools, specifically examining peer interactions, social skills development, and overall social integration. Materials and methods: A quantitative design with a non-experimental approach was employed at Sekolah Luar Biasa Negeri Bangkinang Kota, Riau, Indonesia. Data collection involved Likert-scale questionnaires measuring social development indicators, structured observations of classroom interactions, and interviews with teachers and parents. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS. Results: Findings revealed that inclusive education significantly enhanced social development among students with special needs, particularly in areas of peer acceptance, cooperation skills, and self-confidence. Students in inclusive settings demonstrated improved ability to follow social cues, cooperate with peers, and engage in group activities compared to those in segregated learning environments. Conclusions: Inclusive education provides substantial benefits for the social development of students with special needs, creating opportunities for meaningful social interactions and character development. The inclusive approach, when properly implemented with adequate support systems, helps students overcome social and emotional barriers while fostering positive social integration.

Under the EU’s cohesion policy, post-communist member states in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) are amongst the largest recipients of European Structural and Investment (ESI) Funds. This article focuses on popular narratives of corruption and abuse in the allocation of the funds in the ‘new’ member states. Specifically, it aims to investigate how citizens perceive and evaluate the origins and motivations of the EU for providing the funds, the abuse affecting these resources, and who they blame for the misuse, relying on focus group discussions in Hungary, Romania and Slovenia. Popular narratives indicate that citizens perceive cohesion policy implementation as intertwined with grand corruption. While national political elites are considered as the main culprit, EU institutions are also seen as failing in their duties. These findings are significant because perceived EU inaction against grand corruption undermines notions of European solidarity and damages the EU’s credibility and legitimacy.

Statistics on overall satisfaction with work-life balance show an EU average of 79%. This figure is higher than average in more than half of the EU countries, including Estonia and Lithuania. In Latvia, this indicator is only 73%, thus Latvia is in the 6th place from the end among the EU countries, which confirms the need to find solutions to support a worklife balance. Objective of the paper is to characterise a work-life balance from theoretical aspect and to provide an assessment of influencing factors among students population to develop research-based conclusions and suggestions. Research hypothesis: the students' assessment of the work-life balance differs according to gender and level of study program. Methods used in the research: monographic method, statistical data analysis method (Spearman correlation test), mathematical methods (comparison, calculation of weighted averages), sociological research method (survey), graphical method of interpretation (collection of statistical data, visualization of survey data). The theoretical part is based on the research carried out and the concepts provided in various sources. The practical part consists of the analysis of the results obtained in the students� survey on the assessment of work-life balance and its influencing factors. Time-management skills were the lowest rated factor influencing work-life balance, however, they will continue to be vital in the face of rapid globalization, changes in labour market and lifelong learning. For students entering the labour market now or in the nearest future, it is crucial to develop their time-management abilities to acquire new skills and competences in accordance with the requirements of the labour market.

South Africa’s social sector has evolved from simple and disjointed nonstate initiatives into a complex set of interventions, institutions, programs and services. The review presented in this paper shows that the development of social policy and institutions in South Africa has been shaped by the political and economic situation both locally and internationally. Like social policy in many other countries around the world, the state was initially reluctant to accept responsibility for the provision of social welfare services; most of the services were provided in a fragmented way by nonstate actors, including the Church. But from the 1920s, the state started to gradually accept the responsibility to provide social services including education, health care, housing and social welfare. Although different South African governments have, from colonial times to the 21st century, consistently rejected the idea of making South Africa a welfare state, the state has, with time, increasingly taken on greater responsibility, not only in terms of regulating all social services but also the provision of all public services in the country. Of all the social services, it is the cash transfer program (social grants) that currently attracts political and public attention in the country. However, it is the provision of education services that has consistently accounted for the largest share of public expenditure since the beginning of the democratic dispensation in 1994. For instance, in the 2022 to 2023 national budget, education services accounted for 20.4 percent of total public expenditures, followed by social development (social welfare) at 16.9 percent, and health care services at 12 percent. Social policy expenditure together accounts for almost half of government expenditure, which is roughly about 14 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). The social policy scholarship in the country has historically focused on social welfare, a situation that gives the impression that social policy is synonymous with social welfare policy. Although this article focuses on the history of social welfare policy in South Africa, it is important to note that social policy is a broader field of public policy that includes education, health care, and social welfare (which in South Africa is also referred to as social development). One of the fundamental features that defines the history of social policy in South Africa is racial discrimination; institutionalized during colonial and apartheid periods, it has continued to shape and reproduce racial disparities in access to social services even thirty years after the fall of apartheid. While the democratic South African government has increasingly accepted and taken greater responsibility to provide social services, social policy in the country is characterized by a persistent tension arising from the commitment to neoliberal principles of fiscal discipline and austerity on one hand and espousing social democratic principles which emphasize the provision of meaningful support to citizens both as a form of social investment, as well as an instrument for addressing the legacies of colonialism and apartheid on the other. Since the dawn of democracy, this tension has been exacerbated by the growing calls to address racial injustices of the past, as evident in the number of protests, against the background of persistently weak economic growth since 2010.

This study aimed to clarify the attitudes toward career paths for pharmacists in Japan. A self-administered online questionnaire survey was delivered to the live and on-demand release attendees at the 31st annual meeting of the Japanese Society of Pharmaceutical Health Care and Sciences between October 14th and December 7th, 2021. A customer satisfaction (CS) analysis was performed to assess the association between the participants’ perspectives on career paths and satisfaction. The recovery rate was 90.3％ (65/72). The number of females and males was 57 and 8, respectively. The respondents were from diverse backgrounds of age, workplace, and position, etc. The median satisfaction scores of job, education & training system, research activities, relationships, management’s consideration of women, the presence of role models, salary, career path support by colleagues, career path support by supervisors, career path support by a family member, work-life balance, and career paths was 4 (interquartile range [IQR]: 3 - 5), 3 (IQR: 2 - 4), 3 (IQR: 2 - 4), 4 (IQR: 3 - 5), 4 (IQR: 2.5 - 5), 2 (IQR: 1 - 4), 4 (IQR: 2 - 5), 4 (IQR: 3 - 5), 4 (IQR: 2.5 - 5), 5 (IQR: 5 - 7), 4 (IQR: 3 - 5), and 4 (IQR: 3 - 5), respectively. CS analysis revealed that the education & training system, work-life balance, and research activities should be improved as a matter of highest priority for a career path. In conclusion, the findings may provide useful information to develop career paths for Japanese pharmacists in diverse careers and work styles in the future.

Work-life balance and job satisfaction are significant factors that have a major influence on the effectiveness of teachers. The aim of the current research is to examine the relationship between work-life balance and job satisfaction among teachers based on various influencing factors such as workload and time management, family and social life, work environment, organizational climate, job security, recognition, and development. The research was based on responses from 50 teachers. Various statistical methods such as percentage analysis, independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, and correlation were used to interpret the data. The results of the study revealed that a majority of the respondents experienced a high level of work-life balance and job satisfaction. Almost half of the respondents experienced a high level of workload and time management, as well as family and social life. The results of the independent sample t-test revealed that gender and family type do not affect work-life balance and job satisfaction. Also, the one-way ANOVA analysis results revealed that employee category does not affect these dimensions. The results of the correlation analysis revealed that annual income does not have a significant relationship with work-life balance and job satisfaction. However, the number of classes handled per day was found to have a significant relationship with workload and time management, as well as work-life balance and job satisfaction.