The present article has focused on the theoretical and practical aspects of the measurement of quality of life by the quality of life index (IQOL). A special focus of the present article is placed on complexity of quality of life measurement. In the article, an integrated Quality of Life Measurement Model and IQOL are formulated on the basis of theoretical assumptions and synthesis of factors of external and internal environments of quality of life and indicators reflecting them. The Quality of Life Measurement Model presented in the article has been empirically tested assessing quality of life in 20 purposefully selected developed and emerging economies of the European Union during the period from 2005 till 2013. The newly created IQOL is one of the ambitions to promote the methodological background for business and political actors and improvement of the quality of life in emerging economies.
During the 21st century, migrations have become increasing-ly intense, since they are often planned with a specific goal and could cause major social changes. Unfortunately, since there is no definition of the term ?migrant?, countries face a particular challenge in protecting migrant workers? right to work. The International Labour Organization, the Council of Europe, and the European Union have made significant contributions to establishing and developing the migrant worker protection system. At the national level, governments and trade unions contribute to migrant workers? protection by adopting laws to control migrations. However, with many social, political, and economic factors at play, countries can?t always control immigration within their own territory. The author?s hypothesis is that the position of migrant workers depends significantly on the host country?s im-migration and labour policies. The paper concludes that the application of general provisions prescribed at the international level cannot and does not fully protect the rights of migrant workers. Given this, it is not surprising that certain countries and trade unions have begun to protect their interests by adopting legal regulations to manage mi-gration within their territory. The paper identifies the fear that labour migration will negatively affect trade unions? image in those countries where trade unions are weak and disjointed, without real power to influence decision-makers. Finally, when analysing the position of migrant workers in the Republic of Serbia, the author points that the motives for labour force emigration from Serbia are extremely strong, so even if certain changes were to be made to labour con-ditions, there would be no reduction in emigration. This is because workers? motives for emigration go beyond mere dissatisfaction with labour conditions, but are rather linked to their general dissatisfaction with the quality of life in Serbia
Previous studies have proposed competing theories to explain European intergovernmental conference (IGC) outcomes, but they fail to test these theories against one another. I examine the literature on IGC bargaining and derive several testable hypotheses. Using data on member state preferences at the IGC leading to the Treaty of Amsterdam, I first examine which member states favor integration and which are most skeptical of integration. I also determine which member states face the highest domestic ratification constraints. I then test the competing hypotheses found in the literature by calculating the bargaining strength of member states. I find that large member states have no more bargaining strength than the average member state; instead, domestic ratification constraints seem to confer power. States preferring less integration appear to outperform states desiring more integration. Supranational actors, as expected, have little power.
Gene therapy, cell therapy, and tissue engineering have the potential to revolutionize the treatment of disease and injury. Attaining marketing authorization for such advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) requires a rigorous scientific evaluation by the European Medicines Agency—authorization is only granted if the product can fulfil stringent requirements for quality, safety, and efficacy. However, many ATMPs are being provided to patients under alternative means, such as "hospital exemption" schemes. Holoclar (ex vivo expanded autologous human corneal epithelial cells containing stem cells), a novel treatment for eye burns, is one of the few ATMPs to have been granted marketing authorization and is the first containing stem cells. This review highlights the differences in standards between an authorized and unauthorized medicinal product, and specifically discusses how the manufacture of Holoclar had to be updated to achieve authorization. The result is that patients will have access to a therapy that is manufactured to high commercial standards, and is supported by robust clinical safety and efficacy data. stem cells translational medicine 2018;7:146–154
AbstractThis paper analyzes through qualitative and quantitative analysis of European Union (EU) policy documents the framing of EU policy on energy‐efficient buildings from the 1970s to 2022. We find that it has been framed in different ways over the decades and the framing has expanded to include more and more benefits. Through this expansion, energy efficiency has been linked to other policy areas, such as security, environmental, economic, and social policy. The shifts in framing can be seen as responses to external events. The expansion can also be explained using two metaphors to analyze how the framing differs depending on political positioning. One where policy is seen as a Swiss knife, able to solve multiple political problems, and one where policy is seen as a Trojan horse, where new policy domains are snuck in by policymakers disguising it as energy efficiency policy to increase EU competency in relation to national governments.
Social dumping has become an important EU issue, yet few studies provide an economic assessment of the potential size of such effects. This paper examines the prospects for social dumping in an era of greater European econ omic integration. Initially the paper docu ments large differences within the E U in the composition of labour costs and labour market regulations, thereby establisbing the potential for social dumping effects. It then considers the development of the differences in em ployers' social security expenditure over the last thirty years and concludes that there appears to be no evidence that high social charge economies have performed poorly during this period. The process of intra-union trade within an European economic and monetary union is then examined and the con clusion is made that further European econ omic integration is unlikely to create signifi cant dumping effects. Differences in productivity levels and the relative importance of direct earnings largely offset the differences m social charges, whilst rncreased specializ ation within the Union reduces direct compe tition between 'low' and 'high' social charge member states. The failure to find evidence of significant social dumping effects does not necessarily imply support for a levelling-up of social welfare provisions in the E U. The final part of the paper addresses this issue, devel oping the proposition that a strengthening of EU social policy may assist the creation of a high skill and high productivity growth con vergence club in the E U.
