Suchergebnisse

Evropska sosedska politika (v nadaljevanju ESP) je politika urejanja odnosov s sosednjimi državami EU, ki jim ni bilo ponujeno članstvo v EU. Na Južnem Kavkazu, kjer so po letu 1991 nastale države Azerbajdžan, Gruzija, Armenija, se je sosedska politika okrepila po letu 2003, ko se je spremenila politična struktura v Gruziji in, ko se je s pridružitvijo Romunije in Bolgarije EU širila še bolj proti vzhodu. Velik del »evropeizacije« te regije temelji na širjenju pojma EU »kot edino pravega« razvoja družbe s pomočjo človekovih pravic in svoboščin, demokracije, liberalizacije, urejenega pravnega reda in prostovoljnega skupnega sodelovanja ter na postopni integraciji teh držav v politični, pravni in gospodarski red EU. V magistrski nalogi iščem odgovor na vprašanje ali je ta način promocije evropskih vrednot učinkovit za povezovanje z vsemi sosednjimi državami ali pa utegne imeti negativne posledice v odnosih z njimi. S pravno, gospodarsko in politično analizo evropske sosedske politike v Armeniji, Gruziji in Azerbajdžanu, spoznavanjem njenih prednosti in slabosti, ugotavljam perspektive za prihodnji razvoj. Za oblikovanje ključnih vidikov povezovanja je pomembno poznavanje zgodovinskih, etničnih, geografskih, kulturnih in političnih razlik ter poznavanje problematike območij z velikim varnostnim tveganjem kot so Gorski Karabah, Južna Osetija in Abhazija. Države Armenija, Azerbajdžan in Gruzija se nahajajo na pomembnem območju, kjer se prepletajo geostrateški interesi Rusije, ZDA, Turčije, Irana in v zadnjem času tudi Kitajske. EU se srečuje z novimi izzivi, med katerimi vedno večjo vlogo igra njena sosedska politika do tretjih držav. Ker je v primeru Južnega Kavkaza splošno zaznati obširnost evropskih virov, t. j. dogovorov in politik (pridružitveni sporazumi, sporazumi o partnerstvu in sodelovanju, finančni instrumenti, Vzhodno partnerstvo, Sinergija Črnega morja, sporazumi po sektorjih), v nalogi ugotavljam, ali bi bilo potrebno vzpostaviti enotnejšo in s tem preglednejšo sosedsko politiko do vsake posamezne države. ; The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) is an instrument for governing relations with the EU's neighbourhood countries which are not to become members of the EU. In the South Caucasus, where Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia declared independence in 1991, the ENP was strengthened after 2003 with change of political structure in Georgia and after EU's enlargement further to the east with joinder of Romania and Bulgaria. A big part of Europeanisation of this region is based on promotion of the EU's values as being »the only right way« of developing societies, through strengthening human rights and liberties, democracy, liberalisation, the rule of law, voluntary cooperation and gradual integration of these countries into the EU's political, legal and economic framework. In this master's thesis I am looking for an answer to a question whether such way of promoting European values will result in cooperation with all the neighbouring countries or whether it might bring negative consequences in the EU's relationship with them. With legal, economic and political analysis of the ENP in Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan and with identification of the ENP's advantages and disadvantages, I am trying to find possibilities for its further development. Understanding historic, ethnic, geographic, cultural and political differences and understanding problems coming from areas considered major security risks, such as Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, is important for developing key areas of cooperation. Countries Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are located in the important area where geostrategic interests of Russia, USA, Turkey, Iran and recently China intersect. The EU has been facing new challenges, one of them being the increasing importance of its policy towards the neighbouring countries. As there has been a significant amount of European sources, such as arrangements and politics (e.g. association agreements, partnership and cooperation agreements, financial instruments, Eastern Partnership, Black Sea Synergy, sectoral agreements) in the South Caucasus, I am discussing in this thesis whether there should be a more unified and consequently more transparent neighbourhood policy for each partner country.

Ko slišimo za pojem korupcija, takoj pomislimo na zlorabo javne službe za doseganje lastnih koristi. Posamezniki in podjetja podkupujejo administrativne uslužbence, da le-ti uredijo zadeve, ki morajo biti rešene. Gre torej za izsiljevanje rent od gospodarskih udeležencev in posledično od ekonomije same izključno za zasebne koristi politikov in uradnikov. Tovrsten pristop k obravnavanju pojava je v zadnjih letih začrtal popolnoma novo smer analiziranja in merjenja korupcije. Korupcija se predstavi v popolnoma novi podobi, v kateri posamezniki, skupine oziroma podjetja vplivajo na formulacijo zakonov, ali celo spreobračajo že oblikovana pravila igre, da bi si s tem zagotovili pomembne ugodnosti. Korupcija je in vedno bo obstajala v svetu, edina razlika je v tem, da se z razvojem družb spreminja, prevzema bolj prefinjene oblike, zaradi katerih jo je težje odkrivati in preprečevati. Vse bolj razsežne in destruktivne posledice, ki jih ima korupcija na gospodarsko rast in družbeno stabilnost, nujno zahtevajo praktične strategije omejevanja korupcije. Problem korupcije se ne omejuje na določeno regijo, kajti z njenimi grožnjami se ubadajo tako razvite države kot tudi države v razvoju in tranzitne države. V postsocialističnih državah so sočasni procesi razvijanja tržne ekonomije, oblikovanja novih političnih in socialnih institucij ter prerazporejanje družbene lastnine ustvarili rodna tla za pojav korupcije. Zaradi kompleksnosti fenomena in predvsem zaradi vse večjega zavedanja, da vzroki za prevzem države presegajo golo neučinkovitost in šibkost državne uprave, je potrebno za razumevanje in odpravljanje state capture razsvetliti problem širših strukturalnih povezav, kot so interna organizacija političnega sistema, odnosi in zveze med ključnimi državnimi institucijami, interakcije med podjetji in državo ter povezave med državo in civilno družbo. ; When we think about corruption, an image quickly comes to mind of abuse of public office for private gains. Individuals and firms are bribing bureaucrats to »get things done«. Behind this view lies an understanding of the state extracting rents from the economy for the exclusive benefit of politicians and bureaucrats. Such an aprroach has had a powerful impact on the way corruption has been analyzed and measured in recent years. Corruption has taken on a new image – that of individuals, groups, or firms manipulating policy formation and even shaping the emerging rules of the game to their own, very substantional advantage. Corruption has always existed across the world and it will never disappear, the difference is that has become more sophisticated and thus more difficult and costly to detect. With the increasing recognition across the globe of the damaging effects of corruption on economic growth and social stability, the demand for practical strategies to reduce corruption has grown dramatically. The problem is not confined to any particular region, and developed, developing and transition countries alike are confronting these challenges. In postcommunist states the simultaneous processes of developing a market economy, designing new political and social institutions and redistributing social assets have created fertile ground for corruption. With regard to complexity of phenomena and with increasing recognition that the roots of state capture extend far beyond weaknesses in the capacity of government, we need to be aware of factors underlying the persistence of corruption that is broader structural relationships, including the internal organization of the political system, relationships among core state institutions, the interactions between the state and firms, and the relationship between the sate and civil society.

Abstract. In this article, we argue that social sciences generally
and political science in particular are faced with
a peculiar epistemological challenge while researching
the state in the 21st century. Namely, the state has often
been either naturalised, seen as a static and ahistorical
entity resistant to changes in the environment, or naïvely
rejected as a form of political organisation that is
with neoliberal globalisation withering away. In either
instance, the processes of redefining and redistributing
of the state, and hence its de-/reterritorialising and rescaling,
have largely gone unnoticed. Our analysis reassesses
the hegemonic theories of state and shows that in
the mainstream of political science research on the state
is still anchored to the (geographical) assumptions that
limit or even define the state and its exercise of power
to a geographically demarcated and fixed territory.
Drawing on recent approaches to space, scale and territory,
this article calls for a heterodox and pluralist methodology
in further research on state as well as non-state
spaces.
Keywords: the state, non-state spaces, globalisation, territory,
political geography

V magistrski nalogi smo raziskali uvajanje managementa kakovosti v visokem šolstvu, analizirali smo pristope ter modele zunanjih evalvacij v državah Evropske unije in drugih razvitih državah sveta ter podali splošne podatke o evalvacijah v visokem šolstvu. Raziskali smo procese evalvacij v visokem šolstvu in stanje v Sloveniji. S primerjavo z državami članicami Evropske unije in širše, kjer izvajajo zunanje evalvacije neodvisne institucije (agencije), smo potrdili tezo, da v Sloveniji sistem kakovosti v visokem šolstvu še ni primerljiv z evropskimi modeli. Analizirali smo postopke managementa kakovosti v slovenskem visokošolskem prostoru, kjer že dobro desetletje univerze in njihove članice redno opravljajo samoevalvacije, od leta 2006 pa nacionalni evalvacijski organ izvaja tudi zunanje institucionalne evalvacije. Prikazan je izvirni model notranjih institucionalnih evalvacij na Univerzi v Mariboru. Model je potrjen z raziskavo, ki temelji na praktičnih primerih, ki so podkrepljeni z ustrezno teorijo in izkušnjami iz primerov dobre prakse. Opisani so posamezni segmenti (pričetek evalvacijskega postopka, zahtevana dokumentacija visokoškolskega zavoda, obisk evalvacijske komisije, poročilo o notranji evalvaciji …) kot prispevek k izboljšanju in razvoju managementa kakovosti na Univerzi v Mariboru. Prikazana so spoznanja in rezultati na praktičnem primeru pilotnega projekta notranje institucionalne evalvacije. Podana je utemeljetev vpeljave notranjih institucionalnih evalvacij na Univerzi v Mariboru, ki se bo izjemno pozitivno izkazala ob neodvisni zunanji institucionalni evalvaciji posameznega visokošolskega zavoda. V okviru raziskave smo opravili še anketo med ciljno skupino zaposlenih na Univerzi v Mariboru, ki so doslej že sodelovali pri zunanjih evalvacijah. Rezultati bodo pripomogli k izboljšanju nadaljnjega načrtovanja in izvajanja dejavnosti v okviru notranjih institucionalnih evalvacij na Univerzi v Mariboru. V raziskavi smo potrdili zastavljeno delovno predpostavko, da se bodo s pomočjo modela notranjih institucionalnih evalvacij izboljšali procesi managementa kakovosti članic Univerze v Mariboru. Zato izsledki magistrske naloge predstavljajo pomemben prispevek k izboljševanju stanja kakovosti na članicah Univerze v Mariboru, še posebej na posameznih področjih managementa kakovosti ter celovitega sistema managementa kakovosti. ; This master's thesis examines the introduction of quality management in higher education, analyses different external evaluation models of EU Member States and other developed countries and provides general data on evaluations in higher education. In this paper, evaluation processes in higher education and the situation in Slovenia are examined. By comparing Slovenia with other EU Member States, as well as a few other countries, where external evaluations are conducted by independent institutions (agencies), the conclusion is drawn that quality assurance in Slovene higher education is still lagging behind other European models. We analyzed quality management in Slovenia, where for over a decade universities and their members have been performing regular self-evaluations. In addition, a national evaluation body is conducting external institutional evaluations since 2006. An original model of internal institutional evaluation at the University of Maribor is introduced. It is backed up by research based on practical examples as well as relevant theory and examples of good practice. Particular elements (initiation of the evaluation process, required documentation, visit of the evaluation committee, internal evaluation report, etc.) are described in order to contribute to the improvement and development of quality management at the University of Maribor. Findings and results of a practical pilot project are presented. In addition, reasons for introducing internal institutional evaluations at the university are given, one of them being that such evaluations will prove extremely useful when conducting independent external institutional evaluations of university members. A survey was conducted among the target group consisting of university staff that has already participated in external evaluations. Survey results will contribute to the improved planning and implementation of activities in the context of internal institutional evaluations at the University of Maribor. Our assumption that quality management will improve with the help of the introduced internal evaluation model was correct. For this reason, the findings of this thesis represent a valuable contribution to quality assurance at the University of Maribor and its members, especially in certain areas of quality management and in terms of a comprehensive system of quality management.

Magistrsko delo ugotavlja, na kakšen način so se razvijale male države po koncu obdobja kolonizacije. Ob pridobitvi samostojnosti so bile večinoma nerazvite in gospodarsko zelo odvisne od nekdanjih kolonizatorjev. Vsaka država je ubrala svojo pot, nekatere so postale zelo uspešne, druge pa manj. Katere razvojne strategije so bile uporabljene ter zakaj se stopnje razvoje, ki so jih dosegle male države, tako zelo razlikujejo? Je bila usmerjenost v trgovino ključna za razvojni uspeh? Namen dela je s pomočjo empirične analize raziskati, ali je izvozna usmerjenosti primerna strategija razvoja per se ali pa obstajajo nekateri drugi instrumenti politike, ki določajo uspešnost razvoja države. Osredotočila sem se na analizo razvoja treh malih otoških držav – Singapurja, Mauritiusa in Zelenortskih otokov. Do danes so vse tri države dosegle zelo različne stopnje razvoja. Kljub temu, da je izvoz eden od glavnih dejavnikov razvoja za male države pa lahko na podlagi analize trdim, da je od vsake posamezne države odvisno, kako izkoristi dane razvojne možnosti. ; This master thesis tries to find out how small states developed after the end of the colonization. When they gained independence, they were mostly underdeveloped and economically dependent on the former colonizers. Each state has taken its own path, some of them became very successful, others not so. Which development strategies were used and why do the levels of development achieved by small states vary so much? Was the trade crucial for development success? The purpose of my thesis is to explore with empirical analysis if export orientation is an appropriate development strategy for the small states per se, or are there some other policy instruments which determine a small country's successful development. I focused on the analysis of the development of the three small island states - Singapore, Mauritius and Cape Verde. Until today, all three counties have reached very different stages of development. Despite the fact, that export is one of the main development factors for small countries I can assert on the basis of the analysis, that it depends on each county, how they take advantage of given development opportunities.