The paradox of educational investments: a comparative analysis of western and Eastern Europe

Relevance. Sustainable development is now an increasingly important topic on the global agenda, which received much attention in connection with the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Research objectives. The article aims to contribute to the understanding of sustainability expansion and SDGs achievement in Europe by comparing the differences between Western and Eastern European countries. Data and methods. The study relies on descriptive statistics and comparative analysis of sustainable development results in Western (18) and Eastern European (21) countries. The parametric Student's t-distribution test and non-parametric U Mann-Whitney test were used to examine the significance of the differences between Western and Eastern European countries. Results. Sustainable development in Eastern and Western European countries is affected by various economic, social and environmental processes. The SDGs in Western European countries is achieved mostly in the social and economic spheres while in the Eastern European countries, in social and environmental spheres. Although Europe leads globally on sustainability, it still faces significant challenges in reaching the SDGs. Conclusions. European countries are compared in order to identify the main SDGs directions and constraints in the current state of sustainability achievement. Research findings can be useful for adjustment of the integrated sustainable development strategy at the global and national levels.

<p>Purpose of the article: The aim of the paper was to show connections between the instruments of cashless payments and economic growth. The goal was to find the answers to the following research questions: What is the current share of payments with the use of particular forms of cashless payments in total payments?; What forms of cashless payments are connected with economic growth measured by real GDP per capita in the group of countries of Central and Eastern Europe and Western Europe?; What is the relation between the value of cashless payments and economic growth measured by real GDP per capita in the group of countries of Central and Eastern Europe and Western Europe?</p><p>Research methods: Spearman’s rank correlation.</p><p>Research results: The authors have found that the highest share in terms of the number of payments in total payments in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe constituted payments with the use of payment cards, then, the payments with the use of a transfer order. Whereas, in the countries of Western Europe, apart from the fact that high percentage of payments in total constituted payments with the use of payment cards and transfer orders, more and more payments are made with the use of the instruments of e-money. Examining mutual relationships, information about correlational connections that occur between economic growth measured by GDP per capita and value of payments with the use of some instruments of cashless payments was obtained. The main conclusion that can be drawn after data analysis is positive relationships between the value of payments with the use of a transfer order, payment card and economic growth found both in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the countries of Western Europe. In the countries of Western Europe, the payments with the use of a direct debit turned out to be insignificant, whereas the payments with the use of instruments of e-money were signifiant. Taking into account the force of relationships, it can be said that higher positive correlation is shown by the value of payments with the use of a transfer order with reference to real GDP per capita in the countries of Western Europe (0.80). In the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, it is only 0.48. Mutual connections between the value of payments with the use of payment cards and economic growth are similar in both groups of countries. What is interesting, high impact on real GDP per capita – about 0.80 – is shown by the payments with the use of instruments of e-money. This study may represent a contribution to further research, that is, an analysis of cause-and-effect relationships in the field of cashless payments and economic growth, including division of countries in terms of, for example, the level of wealth.</p><p>Added value: Analysis of current literature on the impact of cashless payments on economic growth and an empirical analysis.</p>

Health inequalities in Eastern Europe. Does the role of the welfare regime differ from Western Europe?

Introduction: Ischemic stroke accounts for approximately 80% of all stroke cases and remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality among adults. At the beginning of the 21st century, the age-standardized incidence of stroke in Europe ranged from 95 to 290 cases per 100,000 population. Objective: Our aim was to examine trends in the incidence of ischemic stroke in Europe between 1991 and 2021, by country group, gender, and age group. Method: In our retrospective, quantitative study, we analyzed data from 44 countries in three European country groups (Eastern, Central, and Western Europe) per 100 000 people based on the Global Burden of Disease 2021 database. Descriptive statistics, time series analysis and Kruskal–Wallis test were performed. Results: Between 1991 and 2021, the age-standardized incidence per 100 000 population in men decreased from 206.7 to 147.1 (−28.8%) in Eastern Europe, from 172.1 to 123.8 (−28.1%) in Central Europe, and from 120.7 to 62.3 (−48.4%) (p<0.05) in Western Europe. In women, during the same period, it decreased from 169.8 to 113.9 (−32.9%) in Eastern Europe, from 142.4 to 106.0 (−25.6%) in Central Europe, and from 89.5 to 47.2 (−47.3%) in Western Europe (p<0.05). Significant differences were found between Eastern and Western European countries and between Central and Western European countries for both sexes (1991, 2001, 2011, 2021: p<0.05). The incidence was higher in men than in women every year, especially in the age groups over 55. The largest decrease for both sexes was observed in the 65–69 age group. Based on the analysis by country, the largest decrease was in Portugal (men: –71.1%; women: –69.9%), while in Montenegro, increases of +4.1% for men and +6.3% for women were observed. Conclusion: During the study period, the incidence of ischemic stroke decreased in all three country groups, but the improvement was greater in the Western European country group, which had lower (more favorable) baseline values, than in Central or Eastern Europe. Nevertheless, in 2021, the incidence in Eastern and Central Europe still exceeded the level measured in Western European countries in 1991. Orv Hetil. 2025; 166(42): 1642–1652.

Using longitudinal panel data from the Generations and Gender Surveys on 2,847 cohabiters from seven countries, we examine the role of marital attitudes in the transition from cohabitation to marriage and compare the strength of this association between Western and Eastern Europe. We expect a positive attitude towards marriage to increase the likelihood of cohabiters marrying. We also expect the association between personal attitudes and marriage formation to be weaker among cohabiters from Eastern Europe, due to stronger normative pressure to marry in contexts where cohabitation is less prevalent.&#x0D; In both Eastern and Western European countries, we find a clear positive association between favourable views on marriage among cohabiters and their entry into marriage. Contrary to our expectations, we find evidence that this association is weaker in Western Europe. We discuss this finding in light of the greater postponement of marriage among Western European cohabiters, even among those with a positive attitude towards marriage, as well as the potentially greater significance of life course events and transitions that influence their decision to marry more strongly than is the case for their Eastern European counterparts.&#x0D; This study extends the literature on the relationship trajectories of cohabiters by drawing attention to the normative context that may shape cohabiters’ opportunities and constrain behavioural choice in the marriage formation process. Ultimately, it contributes to an understanding of the consequences of the societal diffusion of cohabitation in Europe.

Based on a presentation from the Millennium Festival of Medicine Social inequalities in health continue to be a major problem in Britain, as in other countries. Much of the focus...

Overcoming resistance.

Organic farming in the European Union has been supported widely since 1994. Against the background of discussions concerning the design and level of organic farming support, and the relevance of organic payments for the economic success of organic farms, the question emerges as to the impact of support payments on the sustainable development of organic farming in Europe. Different databases and methodological approaches have been chosen to demonstrate the role of organic farming payments for the viability of organic farms for selected Western and Eastern European study countries. Economic analyses are based on national Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) in the Western European countries and on ‘typical farms’ in the Eastern European group. As a supplement to the modeling analyses, a detailed survey of 50 organic farms was carried out in each of the study countries. Organic farming payments were assessed to be ‘important’ or ‘very important’ to the economic situation on farms by the majority of the farmers surveyed. The outcome of the economic analyses shows that organic farming payments contribute on average 4–6% of gross output in the Western European countries and 4–19% in the Eastern European countries studied. The results put the level of specific support for organic farming into perspective, as other support payments and market returns contribute larger shares of total farm revenue in all the countries analyzed. Organic farming payments account for 10–30% of family farm income plus wages in Western European study countries and—after EU accession—up to three-quarters in some of the Eastern European countries, thus highlighting the considerable vulnerability of organic farms to changes in organic farming policy. As a general trend in both the West and the East, it can be observed that the policy dependency of farms has increased over recent years. Changes in organic area support, which are actually under discussion in some countries, must be carried out with a sense of proportion, since support payments will continue to play an important role in the profitability of organic farms. Nevertheless, in order to reduce dependency on area payments, organic farming support should follow an integrated approach, using a mix of support measures including, e.g., the improvement of processing and marketing facilities, support for farm cooperation and activities designed to enhance demand.

Eastern and Western European firms public and private information quality: The comparative impact of degree of implementation of IFRS

Introduction Health disparities between Eastern and Western part of Europe have been the subject of many studies. Eastern Europe experienced delay in health improvement compared to Western Europe. Life expectancy differences between East and West average 7 years in men and 5 years in women, in favor of the West. Cancer contributes to 12% and 9% of this difference in men and women, respectively. For those 20-64 years, contribution of cancer to this difference is higher at 16% and 24%, respectively. Methods Cancer mortality data and population data (1959-2010) for each country separately were derived from the WHO Mortality Database. Standardized mortality rates were calculated using the world standard population. Results In young men (20-44 years) cancer mortality was equal in Eastern and Western Europe in late 1960s. Since then, a decline in cancer mortality occurred in Western countries while Eastern countries experienced a cancer mortality increase trend. This increase began to decline in Eastern Europe in the early 1990s, decreasing the cancer mortality gap between the two European regions for this sex and age group. Similar trend disparities were observed in middle-aged men (45-64 years). However, the decline since 1990 was much slower in Eastern Europe than Western Europe, resulting in a residual gap between the two regions. The oldest men (65+ years) in Western Europe had a higher cancer mortality rate than Eastern Europe for many decades. In early 1990s cancer mortality in Western Europe declined whilst rising in the East. The trends intersected a decade later and despite the plateau observed in recent years in Eastern Europe, the gap remains persistent. In young women (20-44 years), cancer mortality diverted in the early 1970s as cancer mortality declined steadily in Western Europe while rising in the east, similarly in trend to cancer mortality among young men. By the 1990s, rates declined and the gap between the two regions trended towards closure. In middle-aged women (45-64 years) cancer mortality rates in Eastern Europe plateaued for the whole observation period, while western rates fell steadily since the 1970s, resulting in a residual gap between the two regions. For several decades, cancer mortality rates in the oldest women (65+ years) in Western Europe were higher than in the east and both regions experienced plateaus. By the 1990s western cancer mortality rates declined with little change in eastern trends. A small gap persists between the two regions. Conclusions Despite health improvement, a cancer mortality rate gap between Eastern and Western Europe persists across all sex and age strata. In particular, men at age of 45 years and more, and women at age of 45-64 years, experience the greatest disparities between the two regions. Deficiency of primary prevention and poor health awareness remain biggest challenge in Eastern part of Europe. Citation Format: Marta Manczuk, Urszula Sulkowska, Dana Hashim, Paolo Boffetta. The gap in cancer mortality between Western and Eastern Europe. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3710. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3710

Purpose: to assess the impact of traditional forms of non-cash payments on economic growth measured by real GDP per capita in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Western Europe. Design/methodology/approach: the following research hypothesis was formulated: the impact of non-cash payments on economic growth is stronger in Central and Eastern European countries than in Western European countries. The research hypothesis was verified based on empirical analysis of panel data for the years 2005-2018 for the CEE and Western European countries. The following 10 CEECs participated in the research: Slovakia, Bulgaria, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Slovenia and eight countries from Western Europe: France, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Ireland, the United Kingdom. Findings: in CEECs the value of transactions with payment cards had the largest impact on economic growth – an increase in the value of transactions using this payment instrument by one percentage point causes real GDP per capita increase by 0,23 percentage point. On the other hand, an increase in the value of transactions using credit transfers by one percentage point increased real GDP per capita by 0,10 percentage point. the direct debit transactions had a positive impact on the explained variable in the CEE countries – real GDP growth by 0,06 percentage point. Research limitations/implications: The results of the empirical study, likewise in literature, indicated a significant, positive impact of non-cash payments on real GDP per capita growth. The impact on real GDP per capita is only effective for the CEE countries. In Western European countries the level of non-cash transactions reached a certain level of saturation. That was a proved by ineffective iterations performed on various functional forms of the econometric model on panel data. In the group of CEE countries, the value of transactions with payment cards has the greatest impact on real GDP per capita. Originality/value: analysis of current literature on the impact of non-cash payments on economic growth and an empirical analysis. Keywords: household financial management, non-cash turnover, economic growth, real GDP per capita, public management. Category of the paper: Research paper.

The recent decline in mortality from Hodgkin lymphomas in central and eastern Europe

When in January 2003 European politics became divided over the (forthcoming) US-led invasion of Iraq, the US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld controversially spoke about ‘old Europe’ to refer to the (Western) European countries which did not want to join the US in their anti-Iraq actions. Though initially treated as just a diplomatic mistake or a slip of the tongue, Rumsfeld’s label was quickly picked up by the media in several European countries: debates started on who actually belongs to the ‘old Europe’ (in addition to France, Germany and other Western European opponents of the US), while even more intensified efforts were made to define who, in fact, could thus belong to the counter-category of the ‘new Europe’. Members of the latter were soon identified among several Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs), an astonishing majority of which supported the US invasion. And, although many Western European countries (such as, for example, the UK, Denmark, the Netherlands and Italy) supported the US in the 2003 invasion on an equal footing with their Central and Eastern European allies, it was only the latter who were defined as the ‘new Europe’. That label has persisted until today, contrary to that of the ‘old Europe’ which disappeared from the public debates once the intra-European divisions over the Iraq crisis calmed down.

Cerebrovascular diseases are a significant public health concern, they are among the leading causes of death worldwide and one of the major causes of disability. Our aim was to analyse national and international data regarding premature, cerebrovascular disease mortality per region in the 45-59 age group. We performed a retrospective, quantitative analysis on age-specific, premature cerebrovascular disease mortality between 1990 and 2014 per 100000 population on data derived from the World Health Organisation, European Mortality Database on Western European (n = 17), Eastern European (n = 10) countries, and countries of the former Soviet Union (n = 15). Descriptive statistics, time series analysis and Kruskal-Wallis test were performed. Age-related, cerebrovascular disease mortality per 100000 population was the lowest in Western European countries (males: 1990: 35.14, 2014: 14.31; females: 1990: 21.11, 2014: 8.76), and the highest in former Soviet Union countries (males: 1990: 134.19; 2014: 91.13; females: 1990: 83.62, 2014: 41.83) (p<0,05). Significant differences were found in age-specific, cerebrovascular disease mortality in both sexes between Eastern and Western European countries and former Soviet Union countries (1990, 2004, 2014: p<0.05). Between 1990 and 2014, age-specific, standardized cerebrovascular disease mortality showed the biggest decrease in Western European countries (males: -59.28%, females: -58.29%) followed by Eastern European (males: -54.14%, females: -57.53%) and former Soviet Union countries (males: -32.09%, females: -49.97%). Age-specific, cerebrovascular disease mortality decreased in both sexes in all regions analysed. Hungary was found to have seen a decrease above the Western European average, premature cerebrovascular mortality decreased by 62.2% in males and 59.1% in females between 1990 and 2014. Orv Hetil. 2021; 162(4): 144-152.

The paper reports on work values in Europe. At the country level we find that job satisfaction is related to lower working hours, higher well-being, and a higher GDP per capita. Moving to the micro level, we turn our attention from job satisfaction to analyse empirically work centrality and work value dimensions (without exploring empirically job satisfaction) related to intrinsic and extrinsic values, power and social elements. The results indicate substantial differences between Eastern and Western Europe. Socio-demographic factors, education, income, religiosity and religious denomination are significant influences. We find additional differences between Eastern and Western Europe regarding work-leisure and work-family centrality that could be driven by institutional conditions. Furthermore, hierarchical cluster analyses report further levels of dissimilarity among European countries.