This article will explain why Russia annexed Crimea and is destabilizing eastern Ukraine. To do this, three different theoretical approaches on various levels of analysis will be used. It will be examined how far the expansion of NATO, as well as that of the European Union (Theory of Neorealism), was a motive for Russia's action. NATO's enlargement is analysed predominantly. In addition, politicalpsychological motivations of the Russian leadership are considered. But it is also analysed whether Russia's pure power interests have played a role (Theory of Realism). The focus here is on the Russian naval base in Crimea. It is necessary to examine whether preserving its fleet in the Black Sea was a motive for Moscow to annex the Crimean peninsula. ; This article will explain why Russia annexed Crimea and is destabilizing eastern Ukraine. To do this, three different theoretical approaches on various levels of analysis will be used. It will be examined how far the expansion of NATO, as well as that of the European Union (Theory of Neorealism), was a motive for Russia's action. NATO's enlargement is analysed predominantly. In addition, politicalpsychological motivations of the Russian leadership are considered. But it is also analysed whether Russia's pure power interests have played a role (Theory of Realism). The focus here is on the Russian naval base in Crimea. It is necessary to examine whether preserving its fleet in the Black Sea was a motive for Moscow to annex the Crimean peninsula.
The article focuses on the interconnectedness of foreign policy environments to explain Slovenia's opportunities and constraints for foreign policy action. During the period of pre-independence para-diplomacy, the building of an internal and external domestic environment successfully turned constraints (no international recognition) into opportunities (applying for membership of European and global intergovernmental organizations). In the second period — post-recognition — considering the absence of a strategic foreign policy document, the Slovenian internal foreign policy environment became a major constraint to seize foreign environment opportunities. This affected Slovenia's accomplishments, notably after NATO and EU memberships were achieved in 2004. Although the Slovenian internal environment matured during the following period to adopt, in 2015, a comprehensive foreign policy strategy the recent turn in world politics (especially the European financial and economic crisis and the migration crisis) created for the first time a foreign environment for Slovenia that offered many fewer opportunities and far more constraints. ; The article focuses on the interconnectedness of foreign policy environments to explain Slovenia's opportunities and constraints for foreign policy action. During the period of pre-independence para-diplomacy, the building of an internal and external domestic environment successfully turned constraints (no international recognition) into opportunities (applying for membership of European and global intergovernmental organizations). In the second period — post-recognition — considering the absence of a strategic foreign policy document, the Slovenian internal foreign policy environment became a major constraint to seize foreign environment opportunities. This affected Slovenia's accomplishments, notably after NATO and EU memberships were achieved in 2004. Although the Slovenian internal environment matured during the following period to adopt, in 2015, a comprehensive foreign policy strategy the recent turn in world politics (especially the European financial and economic crisis and the migration crisis) created for the first time a foreign environment for Slovenia that offered many fewer opportunities and far more constraints.
Naš plan istraživanja će se usredotočiti na tri ključna elemen- ta. Prvi element je sam pojam krize; drugi je nit istraživanja, a to je socijalni nauk Katoličke crkve o krizi; treći je istraživanje konkret- nog slučaja, naime Katoličke Crkve u Portugalu te praktične primjene crkvenog nauka u vremenu krize. Kako bismo bolje razumjeli o čemu je riječ, ponajprije ćemo progovoriti o specifičnom kontekstu (suvreme- no post-industrijsko društvo) te o specifičnom povijesnom razdoblju (od kraja 19. st. do danas).Drugo, naš će govor biti u svezi s nekim neovisnim čimbenicima, poput financijskog, ekonomskog, političkog, kulturnog i antropološkog okvira u kojemu se nalazi moderno društvo. Treće, dijakronička i sinkronijska analizu mnogostrukih i neistraže- nih crkvenih prvotnih izvora omogućit će nam dublju spoznaju razvo- ja fenomena krize, razumijevanje njezinih posljedica, kao i tumačenje onoga što Crkva predlaže kao pomoć u nadvladavanju krize. Napo- kon, kako bismo dali dodatnu važnost našem istraživanju, fokusirat ćemo se na Portugal kako bismo vidjeli kako je, u kontekstu duboke društveno-ekonomske krize, Crkva djelovala u promicanju i praktici- ranju nove humanističke sinteze koja smješta čovjeka kao cilj i sredi- šte cjelokupnog društveno-ekonomskog života. ; Our research plan will focus on three key elements: one con- cept- the crisis; one research thread- the social doctrine of the Cat- holic Church on the crisis; one case study- the Portuguese Catholic Church and practical application of theology in the face of crisis. First, we will try to comprehend our dependent variable by inserting it in a specific context (contemporary post-industrial societies) and in a specific period of time (since the late XIX century until today). Secondly, we will make it interact with some independent variables such as the financial, economic, political, cultural and anthropologi- cal framework of modern societies. Thirdly, throughout a diachronic and synchronic analysis of the Church's multiple and unexplored primary sources we will be able to observe the evolution of the phe- nomenon, understand its modern consequences, and interpret the Church's proposition to overcome the crisis. Finally, in order to give greater substance to our research, we will focus on Portugal to see how, in a context of profound socio-economic crisis, the Chur- ch has been acting with a view to promoting and practicing a new humanistic synthesis that places man as the aim and centre of all socio-economic life.
Nedavna financijska kriza je istakla potrebu razmatranja zašto su neke firme i ekonomije ugroženije, dok su druge otpornije na krizu i kako različite financijske karakteristike poduzeća mogu utjecati na rast poduzeća. S ciljem empirijskog istraživanja ovih pitanja, analizirali smo odrednice korporativnog rasta tijekom kriznog i post-kriznog perioda (2008. – 2013.) na uzorku od 10 zemalja srednje i istočne Europe koje pripadaju dvjema različitim regionalnim grupama – "Višegradska četvorka" i grupi zemalja bivše Jugoslavije. Naša analiza obuhvaća uzorak od 3,660 opažanja. Rast poduzeća razmatran je kao funkcija dvije makro varijable (inflacija i likvidnost tržišta kapitala) i četiri varijable povezane s karakteristikama poduzeća (financijska poluga, obrt imovine, profitna marža i odnos između novčanog toka i imovine). Istraživanje ukazuje na značaj infrastrukturnih preduvjeta i makroekonomske politike za rast poduzeća u kriznim uvjetima poslovanja. Naši rezultati također ističu specifičan odnos između financijske poluge i rasta tijekom kriznog perioda, pri čemu se utjecaj financijske poluge analizira kao sveobuhvatan rezultat stupnja zaduženosti poduzeća, razine razvoja tržišta kapitala, položaja bankarskog sektora i cijene duga. Konačno, naši rezultati ukazuju na intrigantnu prirodu veze između profitabilnosti i rasta, kao i između učinkovitosti upravljanja imovinom i rasta poduzeća u kriznim periodima. ; The recent financial crisis has underlined the necessity to recognize why some firms and economies are more severely affected while others are more resilient to crisis and how different financial characteristics affect firms' growth path. In order to explore these issues empirically, we reexamine the determinants of corporate growth during the crisis and post-crisis period (2008-2013) on the sample of 10 Central and East European countries belonging to two different regional groups – "Visegrad four" and the group of former Yugoslavian countries. Our analysis covers the sample of 3,660 firm-year observations. We model firm growth as a function of two country-specific variables (inflation and capital market liquidity) and four company-specific variables (financial leverage, asset turnover, profit margin and ratio between cash flow and assets). Our study indicates the importance of infrastructure prerequisites and macroeconomic policies for the companies' growth in the conditions of crisis. Our results reveal a specific relation between leverage and firm growth during the crisis period, whereby the impact of leverage is perceived by a comprehensive result of the degree of firm indebtedness, the level of capital market development, the position of banking sector and the cost of debt. Finally, our results show some intriguing patterns in firm profitability – growth as well as asset efficiency – growth relation.
The paper is analysing the influence of international institutions on social policy creation in Bosnia and Herzegovina since the beginning of the economic crisis in 2008. The first section gives an overview of the relevant literature, followed by a presentation of socio – economic factors that led to international credit agreement, reform agenda and actual implementation of social protection reforms. Through the analysis of proclaimed social protection objectives and their implementation by local institutions in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an assessment of the achieved results is done in the light of realised savings and better targeting of social transfers. The paper sheds some light on inconsistent policy of both international institutions and government actors in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Hence, despite the proclaimed reform objectives, the system of social protection based on status rights which is fiscally unsustainable, and poorly targeted towards the poor still remains largely unchanged. ; Rad se bavi analizom utjecaja međunarodnih institucija na socijalnu politiku u Bosni i Hercegovini od početka ekonomske krize 2008. godine. U prvom se dijelu rada daje pregled relevantne literature, zatim se prezentiraju socio-ekonomski čimbenici koji su doveli do sklapanja međunarodnog kreditnog aranžmana, reformski ciljevi i način implementacije reformi sustava socijalne zaštite. Kroz analizu proklamiranih ciljeva reforme socijalne zaštite te njihovu implementaciju od strane lokalnih institucija u Federaciji Bosne i Hercegovine analiziraju se stvarni učinci s aspekta ostvarenih ušteda i bolje ciljanosti socijalnih transfera. Rad ukazuje na nedosljednost politike kako međunarodnih institucija u Bosni i Hercegovini tako i vladinih aktera. Unatoč proklamiranim ciljevima reforme, sustav socijalne zaštite temeljen na statusnim pravima fiskalno je neodrživ te loše ciljan prema siromašnima, ali i dalje ostaje nepromijenjen.
Cilj ovog rada je identificirati učinke poreznih promjena nastalih tijekom financijske krize na dohodovne nejednakosti među zemljama članicama Europske unije. Naime, nedavna je financijska i fiskalna kriza promijenila trendove u oporezivanju u najvećem broju zemalja članica Europske unije. Zemlje članice bile su različito pogođene krizom, prije svega, zbog različitosti povezanih uz makroekonomske neravnoteže prisutne u ekonomiji. Stoga su se među njima razlikovale i politike koje su se provodile uvjetovane upravo makroekonomskim i fiskalnim uvjetima. Rad uključuje teoretsku podlogu, komparativni prikaz postojećih razlika između poreznih sustava zemalja članica Europske unije te analizu prednosti i nedostataka različitih poreznih oblika. Kako bi se što preciznije definirale te razlike, testirane su reforme provedene u tri temeljna porezna oblika (koji opterećuju rad, kapital i potrošnju) kao i socijalni doprinosi korištenjem panel analize s fiksnim i varijabilnim efektom kroz vremensku seriju koja obuhvaća razdoblje od 2000. do 2011. godine. Porezi imaju značajan redistributivni učinak što svakako utječe na dohodovne nejednakosti, a uvelike ovisi i o vrsti poreznog oblika u primjeni. Većina je zemalja pokušala konsolidirati svoje javne financije i poboljšati porezne sustave kako bi potakla rast. U radu je postavljena hipoteza kako implementacija određenih fiskalnih mjera utječe na smanjenje nejednakosti te su pruženi dokazi kako socijalni doprinosi i porezi koji opterećuju rad utječu na statistički značajno poboljšanje dohodovnih nejednakosti među zemljama članicama Europsku unije. Iz navedenog se izvodi zaključak kako porezna politika, osobito izbor odgovarajućeg poreznog oblika, smanjuje dohodovne nejednakosti u Europskoj uniji u promatranom razdoblju. ; The aim of this paper is to identify the effects of tax changes that occurred during the financial crisis on income inequality across European Union member states. Namely, the recent financial and fiscal crises have changed taxation trends in a large number of the European Union member states. The member states have been differently affected by the crisis primarily depending on the different degree of macroeconomic imbalances ascendant in the economy. Therefore, policy responses varied among them and were strongly connected with macroeconomic and fiscal conditions. The paper includes a theoretical background, comparison of present differences among the taxation systems of the European Union member states, and an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of different types of taxes. In order to precisely define those differences, the influence of reforms taken in three major tax forms (labour, capital and consumption) was tested, as well as social security contributions using fixed and random effect panel models over the sample period from 2000- 2011.Taxes have a significant redistributive impact and this development affects income inequalities and depends on the type of tax implemented. Most member states have tried to consolidate their public finances and improve their tax systems in a more growth-friendly way. This paper presents a hypothesis that the implementation of selected fiscal measures influences inequality reduction and demonstrates that the overall social contributions and labour taxes lead to statistically significant improvements in income inequalities among EU member states. We conclude that tax policy, specifically the choice of taxes implemented, reduces income inequalities in the EU in the observed period.
Migracijska kretanja su konstanta ljudske povijesti, bilo da se radi o dobrovoljnim ili prisilnim migracijama. No,s prijelaza s 2015. na 2016. godinu, Europa se suočila s izbjegličkom krizom koja je uzrokovana dugogodišnjim tranzicijskim procesima na Bliskom istoku i sjevernoj Africi. Ti su tranzicijski procesi uzrokovali građanski rat u Siriji i Libiji, ali i stvorili ogromnu nestabilnost u susjednim državama. Veliki broj migranata s područja Bliskog istoka, Afrike i Azije je krenuo prema Europi, a cilj im je bio stići u najrazvijenije zemlje Europe, Njemačku, Švedsku, Norvešku i druge. Na putu koji se proteže preko Turske i Grčke pa sve do Švedske, našle su se i države koje su svoju samostalnost stekle dezintegracijom Jugoslavije. Neke od država nastalih raspadom Jugoslavije su članice Europske unije i NATO pakta, no to im nije olakšalo suočavanje s izbjegličkom krizom, iako su one, u većini slučajeva, samo tranzitne zemlje. Nedostatak sredstava, slaba koordinacija, manjak institucionalnih kapaciteta i problemi s drugim državama samo su neki od izazova s kojima su se ove države suočile. Upravo zbog svih navedenih problema ovaj rad se bavi komparacijom migracijskih politika država nastalih raspadom Jugoslavije, i to ne samo onih koje se nalaze na Balkanskoj ruti, već i Crne Gore i Bosne i Hercegovine. ; Migration movements have been a constant feature of human history, wheather voluntary or forced. However, in the late 2015 Europe was faced with refugee crisis caused by long – term transition process in Middle East and North Africa. That transition process caused Civil war in Syria and Libya and instability in neighboring countries. A huge number of migrants from Middle East, Africa and Asia headed to Europe with the aim to reach most developed countries: Germany, Sweden, Norway etc. Countries which gained their independence with desintergration of Yugoslavia can be found on the path from Turkey and Greece towards countries as far as Sweden. Althought some of the states that have been createdafter the ...
U radu se iznose rezultati provedene analize sadržaja izbornih programa političkih stranaka u Hrvatskoj, uz kratko uvodno objašnjenje kako je došlo do slobodnih demokratskih izbora i tko je sve sudjelovao u njima. Provedena analiza ukazuje na sadržaj ponuđenih političkih ideja, te opis morfologije tržišta političkih ideja uspostavljenih kroz predizbornu kampanju. Analiza obuhvaća programe 34 stranke i u njima prali 17. tematskih cjelina. Analizom je utvrđeno da su sličnosti u programima stranaka daleko prisutnije od razlika. Međutim, bitne razlike se pojavljuju na ključnim temama. Tako se razlike mogu pratiti na temi federacija - konfederacija, Monocentrični - policentrični razvoj Hrvatske, Jačanje nacionalnog identiteta kulture - Pluralizam nacionalnih kultura i odnos prema materinstvu i abortusu. Analizom je, takođe, utvrđeno da su najčešće teme predizbornih programa bile: Pravna država (91,2 %) i poduzetništvo i privreda (70,6 %). Uzrok lome, po mišljenju autora, treba svakako tražiti u napuštanju jedno si ranačnih monopola, kao i posvemašnjoj ekonomskoj krizi privređivanja u Hrvatskoj. ; In this paper the results of a content analysis of political parties' election programmes in Croatia are presented, preceded by a short introduction referring to the occurrence of free democratic elections and all their participants. Outlined in the analysis is the substance of the political ideas offered and also the description of the morphology of the political ideas' market established in the election campaign. The analysis consists of 34 party programmes from which 17 topics have been selected for study. The results indicate many more similarities than differences among the party programmes. However, the major differences appear where the key topics are concerned, which enables their observation through the following oppositions: federation - confederation, monocentric - polycentric development of Croatia, promotion of national cultural identity - pluralism of national cultures and finally, differing attitudes towards motherhood and abortion. The most frequent topics appearing in election programmes, according to the results of the analysis are: the civil state (91,2%) and enterprising and economy (70,6%). It is the opinion of the authors that this arises from the abandonment of the one-party monopoly as well as from the overall economic crisis in Croatia.
Starenje stanovništva jedna je od najvećih strukturnih promjena koje trenutno utječu na razvoj svih europskih socijalnih država. Različite države se suočavaju s tim promjenama na različite načine. Kao odgovor na svjetsku gospodarsku krizu, mnoge su države reformirale svoje mirovinske sustave i način na koji odgovaraju na rastuće potrebe za skrbi. Te promjene znatno utječu na stavove ljudi o perspektivi socijalne države i na njihova očekivanja u budućnosti vezano uz buduću raspodjelu odgovornosti u pružanju skrbi za starije osobe. Temelj za analizu su podatci prikupljeni u poredbenom europskom projektu uz metodu korištenje demokratskih foruma. Stavove i očekivanja sudionika – kao i razloge i argumente koje su iznijeli – upotrijebili smo kako bismo rasvijetlili čimbenike koji će vjerojatno oblikovati buduće oblike skrbi za starije osobe i mjere mirovinske politike. Analizirali smo četiri države koje imaju različite socijalne režime – Norvešku, Sloveniju, Njemačku i Ujedinjeno Kraljevstvo – i usredotočili se na podjelu odgovornosti između države, tržišta i obitelji, kao i na sličnosti i razlike u prioritetima i proizlazeće argumente iznesene u te četiri države. ; Population ageing is one of the biggest structural changes currently affecting the development of all European welfare states. Countries have tackled these changes in different ways. In reaction to the global economic crisis, many countries have reformed their old-age pension systems and how they address the rising care needs. These changes are bound to influence how citizens view the welfare state's prospects and what they expect from it in the future in relation to policies for the elderly. The paper explores citizens' attitudes and expectations with regard to the future division of responsibilities for the provision of welfare for the elderly. The basis for the analysis is data gathered in a comparative European project adopting coordinated democratic forums as a methodology. We use the participants' views and expectations – as well as the reasons and arguments they presented – to shed light on the factors likely to shape future elderly care and old-age pension policies. We analyse four countries – Norway, Slovenia, Germany and the UK – belonging to four different welfare regimes and focus on the division of responsibilities between the state, the market and the family and the differences and similarities in priorities and subsequent arguments put forward in the four countries.
In this paper we analyze attitudes of members of the legal professions in Croatia and Serbia with regards to the judicial systems – the trust in judicial institutions and satisfaction with their performance. In the first part of the paper we present arguments of the cultural and institutional approach to explaining the foundations of trust in institutions, then define the characteristics of a "good" judiciary in the context of the democratic rule of law, and present the socio-political context of judicial reform in both countries over the last twenty years. In the second, empirical part of the paper we analyze the data collected through the online survey conducted among members of the legal professions in 2018 in Croatia and Serbia. The results from both countries show a low level of trust in judiciary and deep dissatisfaction with the functioning of judiciary on a list of dimensions. Our analysis confirms the link between (dis)trust in institutions and (dis)satisfaction with their work and thus also the assumptions of the institutional perspective on trust. We conclude that the obtained results point to an "internal" crisis of trust in judiciary in both countries, which accompanies the evident "external" crisis of the Serbian judiciary and the latent tensions in and around the Croatian judiciary. ; U radu se analizira koliko pripadnici različitih pravničkih profesija u Hrvatskoj i Srbiji imaju povjerenja u institucije pravosudnih sustava i koliko su zadovoljni funkcioniranjem njihovih važnih dijelova. U prvom dijelu rada predstavljaju se argumenti kulturalističkog i institucionalnog pristupa u objašnjenju temelja povjerenja u institucije, određuju se karakteristike "dobrog" pravosuđa u kontekstu koncepta demokratske vladavine prava i daje se društveni kontekst provedbe pravosudnih reformi u obje zemlje u posljednjih dvadesetak godina. U drugom, empirijskom dijelu rada daje se prikaz rezultata analize podataka prikupljenih online anketnim istraživanjem provedenim 2018. godine u Hrvatskoj i Srbiji. Rezultati u ...
U radu se analizira koliko pripadnici različitih pravničkih profesija u Hrvatskoj i Srbiji imaju povjerenja u institucije pravosudnih sustava i koliko su zadovoljni funkcioniranjem njihovih važnih dijelova. U prvom dijelu rada predstavljaju se argumenti kulturalističkog i institucionalnog pristupa u objašnjenju temelja povjerenja u institucije, određuju se karakteristike "dobrog" pravosuđa u kontekstu koncepta demokratske vladavine prava i daje se društveni kontekst provedbe pravosudnih reformi u obje zemlje u posljednjih dvadesetak godina. U drugom, empirijskom dijelu rada daje se prikaz rezultata analize podataka prikupljenih online anketnim istraživanjem provedenim 2018. godine u Hrvatskoj i Srbiji. Rezultati u obje zemlje pokazuju i nisku razinu povjerenja u institucije pravosudnog sustava i duboko nezadovoljstvo općim stanjem u pravosuđu i funkcioniranjem njegovih važnih dijelova. Pokazujući povezanost između (ne)povjerenja u institucije i (ne)zadovoljstva njihovim radom, analiza ide u prilog pretpostavkama institucionalne perspektive. Zaključujemo da dobiveni rezultati ukazuju na "unutarnju" krizu povjerenja u pravosuđu u obje zemlje koja prati evidentnu "izvanjsku" krizu srpskog pravosuđa i latentne napetosti u i oko hrvatskog pravosuđa. ; In this paper we analyze attitudes of members of the legal professions in Croatia and Serbia with regards to the judicial systems – the trust in judicial institutions and satisfaction with their performance. In the first part of the paper we present arguments of the cultural and institutional approach to explaining the foundations of trust in institutions, then define the characteristics of a "good" judiciary in the context of the democratic rule of law, and present the socio-political context of judicial reform in both countries over the last twenty years. In the second, empirical part of the paper we analyze the data collected through the online survey conducted among members of the legal professions in 2018 in Croatia and Serbia. The results from both countries show a low level of trust in judiciary and deep dissatisfaction with the functioning of judiciary on a list of dimensions. Our analysis confirms the link between (dis)trust in institutions and (dis)satisfaction with their work and thus also the assumptions of the institutional perspective on trust. We conclude that the obtained results point to an "internal" crisis of trust in judiciary in both countries, which accompanies the evident "external" crisis of the Serbian judiciary and the latent tensions in and around the Croatian judiciary.
Nakon financijske krize 2008. godine, koja je zahvatila većinu svjetske ekonomije, sve veća pozornost počela se usmjeravati na pokazatelje sigurnosti poslovanja poduzeća. Stoga u ovom radu pokazatelji sigurnosti poslovanja, koji se odnose na financijske pokazatelje likvidnosti i zaduženosti, čine glavnu podlogu za provedbu ovog istraživanja. Uzorak istraživanja formiran je iz populacije domicilnih i inozemnih agencija za promidžbu, po kriteriju maksimalno ostvarenih ukupnih prihoda u 2017. godini. S obzirom da agencije za promidžbu predstavljaju veliki generator visokokvalitetnih poslova, potiču tržišno natjecanje te inovacije, doprinose razvoju kulturnog sektora, takva poduzeća interesantan su izbor za provedbu analize. U ovom radu provedena je komparativna analiza pokazatelja financijske sigurnosti najuspješnijih domicilnih te inozemnih agencija za promidžbu. Rezultati istraživanja pokazuju da domicilne agencije lakše se prilagođavaju uvjetima na tržištu, te stoga financijski sigurnije posluju u odnosu na inozemne agencije koje ostvaruju značajno veće promete i profite. Razlog tome ponajviše je manja veličina domicilnih agencija za promidžbu u odnosu na međunarodne. ; Following the 2008 financial crisis, which has affected most of the world economy, increasing attention turns towards financial security indicators. Therefore, in this paper, financial security indicators related to liquidity and indebtedness form the main research basis. The research sample was formed from the population of Croatian and foreign promotion agencies, according to the criteria of total revenues in 2017. Given that promotion agencies are a large generator of high-quality jobs, foster competition and innovations, and contribute to the development of the cultural sector, such companies are an interesting choice for conducting the analysis. Comparative analysis of the financial security indicators of the most successful domestic and foreign promotion agencies is conducted in this paper. The results of the research show that domestic agencies easier adapt to market conditions, and because of this, they are more financially secure compared to foreign agencies, which generated significantly higher turnover and profit. This is mainly due to the smaller size of the domicile promotion agencies rather than the international ones.
The context of today's debates about social policies is marked by the negative effects of the economic crisis and new social risks. There is a need for re-designing of the welfare state, which should take into account the new changes and trends, including demographic changes, changes in the labour market and family structure. As a possible answer to the aforementioned social changes and new social risks, especially in the EU countries, a concept of social investment is developing. The paper presents the characteristics of social investment, the way in which it appears in European strategic documents and refers to the criticism of the concept. Social investment is a new concept which in its essence implies a double return on investment: financial return on invested capital on the one hand and the achievement of positive social returns on the other. It is focused on the future; on support of the children and families, work activation and coping with new social risks throughout the life cycle. The authors have analyzed, using the data that show the long-term changes in the structure of social costs in European countries, to what extent has the concept 'come to life' in the European area. The analysis shows that, for now, there is no significant shift in European welfare states towards social investment, with the exception of the Scandinavian countries, and therefore we cannot speak about its achievements and effectiveness. The concept of social investment for now remains a normative platform and an ambiguous policy attempt for reconciling economic and social logic of the welfare state in new conditions. Nevertheless, social investment is becoming a part of social policy and it remains to be seen how much will it be further encouraged as an attempt to respond to new social risks and a possible way of re-thinking the welfare state. ; Kontekst današnjih rasprava o socijalnim politikama obilježen je negativnim učincima ekonomske krize te novim socijalnim rizicima. Postoji potreba za redizajniranjem socijalne države koja bi trebala uzeti u obzir nove izazove i trendove, uključujući demografske, promjene na tržištu rada i obiteljskoj strukturi. Kao mogući odgovor na navedene promjene i izazove novih socijalnih rizika, posebice u zemljama EU-a, javlja se koncept socijalnog ulaganja. Rad prikazuje i analizira koncept socijalnih investicija, njegov razvoj i ukorijenjenost u europskom prostoru. Prikazuju se odrednice socijalnog ulaganja i kako se koncept pojavljuje u europskim strateškim dokumentima te se osvrće na kritike koncepta. Socijalno ulaganje je nov koncept koji u svojoj suštini implicira dvostruki povrat ulaganja: financijski povrat investiranog kapitala i ostvarenje pozitivnog socijalnog povrata. On je fokusiran na budućnost; na podršku djeci i obitelji, radnu aktivaciju i borbu s novim socijalnih rizicima u cijelom životnom ciklusu. Analizira se, koristeći podatke koji prikazuju dugoročne promjene u strukturi socijalnih troškova europskih zemalja, koliko je koncept »zaživio« u europskom prostoru. Analiza pokazuje da se za sada ne može govoriti o zaokretu europskih socijalnih država prema socijalnom ulaganju. Izuzetak su skandinavske zemlje gdje je koncept socijalnih investicija već u velikoj mjeri zaživio kako pokazuju podaci. Koncept socijalnog ulaganja za sada ostaje više određena normativna platforma politika za balansiranje ekonomske i socijalne logike socijalne države u novim uvjetima. Međutim, očito je da koncept socijalnog ulaganja postaje dijelom socijalnih politika i ostaje vidjeti kako će se razvijati u budućnosti kao pokušaj novog promišljanja i načina djelovanja socijalne države.
Nowadays, when faced with aging societies, family structure changes, labour market transformations, non-standard employment arrangements, shadow economy, financial and economic crisis, many are worried about the two basic issues: pension systems' financial sustainability and benefit adequacy (both short-term and long-term). Therefore, almost all countries in the world made some changes to their pension systems. The situation is even more aggravated in countries with high budget and pension system's deficits, unfavourable dependency ratios, long-term negative natural increase rates, low employment and high unemployment rates. Unfortunately, Croatia suffers from all these problems. Therefore Croatian pension system has undergone many reforms: one systemic reform (from 1998 to 2002 which resulted in the establishment of the three-pillar pension system), and several parametric reforms, the last one encompassing all three parts of the pension system (2013-2015). The purpose of the paper is to provide legal analyses of this last parametric reform in the light of sustainability and adequacy concerns with some inevitable reminders of the previous reform solutions. The author reveals many inconsistencies and lack of prudence in legislator's approach, which in the long-term potentially endangers both the financial sustainability and benefit adequacy. Moreover, numerous and frequent legislative changes coupled with the existence of many groups of privileged pensioners raise further concerns regarding predictability, stability, efficiency and fairness of the pension system as well as trust in the national government. Furthermore, the author warns that only part of the solutions lies within the pension system itself (through more thoughtful adjustments). Those changes should be complemented by other strategies outside the pension policy (e.g. within the health care system, tax system and labour market regulations). ; Danas, kada smo suočeni sa starenjem stanovništva, promjenama u strukturi obiteljskih zajednica, nepovoljnostima na tržištu rada, nestandardnim i novim oblicima rada, sivom ekonomijom, financijskom i gospodarskom krizom, mnogi su zabrinuti oko dva važna pitanja: financijske održivost mirovinskih sustava i primjerene razine mirovina (kratkoročno i dugoročno). Stoga su gotovo sve zemlje u svijetu poduzele neke reforme. Situacija je dodatno otežana u zemljama s visokim proračunskim deficitom i deficitima u mirovinskom sustavu, nepovoljnim stopama ovisnosti, dugotrajno negativnim stopama prirodnog prirasta, niskom zaposlenosti i visokom nezaposlenosti. Nažalost, Hrvatska je suočena sa svim tim problemima. Stoga je hrvatski mirovinski sustav prošao kroz brojne reforme: jednu sustavnu reformu (provedena od 1998. do 2002. što je rezultiralo uspostavom trodijelnog sustava) te nekoliko parametarskih reformi, od kojih se posljednja odnosila na sva tri stupa (od 2013. do 2015.). Cilj rada je provesti kritičku pravnu analizu ove posljednje parametarske reforme u svjetlu održivosti mirovinskog sustava i primjerenosti razine mirovina, uz neizbježna podsjećanja na neka prethodna reformska rješenja. Autor otkriva mnoge nedosljednosti zakonodavca te nedostatke i propuste u promišljanju reformskih mjera, koji dugoročno mogu ugroziti i financijsku održivost i primjerenost razine mirovina. Štoviše, učestale zakonske promjene posljednjih godina, kao i postojanje brojnih skupina povlaštenih umirovljenika narušavaju predvidivost, stabilnost, učinkovitost i pravičnost sustava te povjerenje u vladajuće elite. Nadalje, autor upozorava da se samo dio postojećih problema može riješiti promjenama u samom mirovinskom sustavu (kroz opreznije i sveobuhvatnije promišljene reforme). Te promjene moraju biti dopunjene drugim komplementarnim strategijama i mjerama (npr. u okviru zdravstvenog sustava, poreznog sustava, tržišta rada i radnog zakonodavstva).
The article is a critical analysis of Husserl's essay, "The Crisis of European Sciences and Transcendental Phenomenology" (1937). The author first outlines Husserl's diagnosis of the crisis of science, philosophy, & culture, followed by the elements & the mechanisms of that crisis. The root of the crisis of European science & culture lies in foregoing the genuine productive humanity. The authentic humanity cannot be based nor explained from its objectifications but solely through the analysis of its productive imagination. The author also deals with the crisis of spiritual sciences, which he claims have brought about the loss of insight into the ultimate purpose of the existence of Europe as a brainchild of the historical humanity. Adapted from the source document.