Central Eastern European Countries Research Articles

China-Central and Eastern Europe Cooperation in a Divided World: Narratives and Scenarios

ABSTRACT China launched the 16 + 1 initiative 10 years ago to facilitate interaction and cooperation with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The paper argues that the geopolitical landscape has dramatically changed since 2012 when the initiative was announced, and this seriously affects the possibilities for further deepening of the relations between the CEE countries and China. Nowadays, the world is deeply divided, with growing competition for influence and exacerbating relations not only between Russia and the West but also between China and the Western countries. The rising geopolitical confrontation between the major powers in the international system (in the current situation with the war in Ukraine) strongly affects China’s relations with the CEE countries. Applying the instruments of the geopolitical analysis, the paper will seek to explore the impact of the changing international environment on China’s engagement in Central and Eastern Europe and draw conclusions about the prospects of China–CEE cooperation.

Technological innovation and energy efficiency in central Eastern European countries

This study examines the causal relationship between technological innovation and energy efficiency in Central and Eastern European countries. The results indicate that technological innovation significantly impacts energy efficiency in the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Slovenia through various economic and political factors. Conversely, energy efficiency also significantly affects technological innovation in Estonia, Hungary, and Slovakia. These findings suggest that energy efficiency is a function of the rate of innovation adoption. It is recommended that these countries prioritize implementing reforms that bolster economic freedom and institutional quality to foster innovation.

SOCIAL POLICY REGARDING VETERANS, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND OTHER VULNERABLE POPULATION GROUPS

The article analyzes the issue of migration as a complex social phenomenon. International population migration in the conditions of growing globalization occupies an important place in the development of modern society and, accordingly, affects young people who, for various reasons, decided to study abroad (in Slovakia). The article reflects knowledge at the theoretical and empirical levels. One of the main tasks of modern higher education is the modernization and efficiency of the professional mobility of future specialists. Student migration is considered as educational migration. We point out that the Slovak Republic is one of the most economically successful countries in Central-Eastern Europe. Economic reforms and accession to the EU, combined with significant inflows of foreign direct investment, have led to sustained economic growth and job creation. Economic development and demographic changes have also created an additional need for skilled labor. At the same time, greater integration into the EU, open borders and a common educational space led to the migration of Slovak students to the neighboring Czech Republic and other EU countries. As a result, Slovakia gradually began to ease migration restrictions and allowed an increasing number of third-country nationals to enter the territory of the Slovak Republic. The integration policy of Slovakia is consistent with the migration policy, and among its priorities is the effective integration of foreigners in the labor market. The purpose of the article is to analyze Ukrainian student migration in Slovakia, focusing on the analysis of personal and social benefits. We analyze the issue of academic mobility as an integral component of the European educational space, which also undoubtedly has a positive effect on the national education system and the national economy. We highlight the issue of effective ethnic-national policy formation, development of theory and practice of social work with ethnic groups, find out directions and forms of social service work with migrants. In the empirical part, we present a quantitative study at all stages of the research process. The content of the study is to find out the reasons that motivate future Ukrainian students to migrate to Slovakia, as well as to find out how the initial decision about migration and arrival to Slovakia takes place. Part of the quantitative research is the analysis of the personal and social benefits of the migration of Ukrainian students to Slovakia.

Disparities of Central and Eastern European Countries of European Union in innovation potential: A multi-criteria assessment

The primary objective of the article is to evaluate the innovation potential of Central and Eastern European Union countries. The Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution method was employed to assess and rank this potential. The research was based on 10 indicators that characterize the main areas related to innovation, namely intellectual capital (as a measure of social innovative capacity), financial capital (as a measure of the potential for financing research and development) as well as research and innovation activities. Three objective approaches were used to calculate weights of these evaluation criteria (in the TOPSIS method): Shanon–Entropy, criteria importance through intercriteria correlation and equal weights. As a evaluate of the level of innovation potential of studied CEE countries between 2013 and 2022, the determined values of the Innovation Potential Index were used to evaluate the studied countries and divide them into four groups. With the use of the two non-parametric test, the relationships of this index with selected parameters were also measured. The research results show that the innovation potential level of CEE countries is highly differentiated. Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Estonia, countries investing in R&D and social development, were found to have a high level of innovation. The remaining countries need to take more decisive action in the areas studied to improve their level of innovation. The methodology developed for the research, the conducted study, and the resulting findings offer opportunities to analyze the indicators and areas studied, and through this to implement strategies for building an innovative knowledge-based economy both by the countries in question and the EU as a whole.

Energy Transition in Central and Eastern Europe: A Neo-Colonial Perspective

The article examines the neo-colonial inf luence in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries’ energy transitions, relating energy neo-colonialism with power asymmetries. Most CEE countries began to reduce their reliance on Russian energy after the Cold War, elevating energy security to new levels around 2010. Although European Union (EU) norms have helped counteract Russia’s inf luence on energy, they have brought about a neoliberal neo-colonialism. On the one hand, the CEE countries need reliable and affordable energy supplies to maintain their economic growth, which leaves them prone to the Russian inf luence. On the other hand, the EU’s energy rules and regulations, which disregarded the CEE countries’ interests, have resulted in disobedience. The article employs the degrowth concept to examine energy neo-colonialism in the CEE, contending that the concept stands out as a hopeful signpost for realizing the scenario wherein the CEE countries’ interests can be protected and prioritized.

Pension reforms in Hungary: have they gone too far?

Abstract As a result of unfavorable demographic processes, the pension systems in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) EU countries face significant challenges, which has made the implementation of reforms inevitable in the last decade. Relying on economic theory, this paper analyses the effects of the Hungarian pension reforms in comparison with those of other CEE countries, and discusses the consequences from the point of view of social policy and the sustainability of the pension schemes. We explore the reasons why the reforms in Hungary ultimately did not improve sustainability but rather contributed to dismantling the social care system. Therefore, the Hungarian case provides useful lessons for other countries, and at the same time underlines the importance of automatic adjustment mechanisms. The study pays particular attention to the theoretical analysis of pension indexation because its accurate quantitative effects are far from being sufficiently clarified in the literature, although it is vital for a thoughtful evaluation of pension reforms.

The indirect costs of human papillomavirus-related cancer in Central and Eastern Europe: years of life lost and productivity costs

Background Human papilloma virus (HPV) is a common cause of several types of cancer, including head and neck (oral cavity, pharynx, oropharynx, hypopharynx, nasopharynx, and larynx), cervical, vulval, vaginal, anal, and penile cancers. As HPV vaccines are available, there is potential to prevent HPV-related disease burden and related costs. Method A model was developed for nine Central Eastern European (CEE) countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia). This model considered cancer patients who died from 11 HPV-related cancers (oropharynx, oral cavity, nasopharynx, hypopharynx, pharynx, anal, larynx, vulval, vaginal, cervical, and penile) in 2019. Due to data limitations, Bulgaria only included four cancer types. The model estimated the number of HPV-related deaths and years of life lost (YLL) based on published HPV-attributable fractions. YLL was adjusted with labor force participation, retirement age and then multiplied by mean annual earnings, discounted at a 3% annual rate to calculate the present value of future lost productivity (PVFLP). Results In 2019, there were 6,832 deaths attributable to HPV cancers resulting in 107,846 YLL in the nine CEE countries. PVFLP related to HPV cancers was estimated to be €46 M in Romania, €37 M in Poland, €19 M in Hungary, €15 M in Czechia, €12 M in Croatia, €10 M in Serbia, €9 M in Slovakia, €7 M in Bulgaria and €4 M in Slovenia. Conclusions There is a high disease burden of HPV-related cancer-related deaths in the CEE region, with a large economic impact to society due to substantial productivity losses. It is critical to implement and reinforce public health measures with the aim to reduce the incidence of HPV-related diseases, and the subsequent premature cancer deaths. Improving HPV screening and increasing vaccination programs, in both male and female populations, could help reduce this burden.

An Overview of the Recent Evolution of the Socioeconomic Dimension of Inequality. The Case of CEE Countries

Abstract This research explores the evolution of several socioeconomic indicators belonging to the aggregate dimension of inequality (income, health, life expectancy, education, and sustainable development) in 5 CEE countries spanning 2010-2019. A special focus is dedicated to Romania’s national and regional framework due to mixed evidence concerning inequality’s impact on economic growth, poverty and human development. Our main results show a high value of this group’s recorded human development index (HDI), indicating an elevated level of the population’s well-being. Nevertheless, further analyses reflect severe disparities among countries and regions in terms of productivity, earnings, and social inclusion, corroborated by losses in education and welfare due to increased inequality.

Western Balkan countries’ innovation as determinant of their future growth and development

The Western Balkan (WB) countries (Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia) have been trying to become members of the EU for a long time, but they are increasingly moving away from the EU average in terms of development level. The question is whether these countries will be able to catch up with the EU countries in the near future and how they will do it. The reason for such results should be searched into insufficient innovation in these countries. This research aims to perform a comparative analysis of the capabilities and efficiency of the National Innovation System (NIS) in WB and CEE countries using the entropy-based PROMETHEE method for ranking. The rankings are performed using the two most reputable 2022 reports in this area: Global Innovation Index (GII) and European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS). For summarizing the results, the Borda rule is applied. The ranking results for both NIS capabilities and NIS efficiency indicate that WB countries are at the bottom of the rankings, having considerable disadvantages compared to CEE countries. Certain recommendations and guidelines for policymakers in these countries for improving innovation in the future have been defined according to practices from identified benchmarking countries.

The Impact of Economic Security on Sustainable Entrepreneurship in Central and Eastern Europe – from the Financial Crisis to the COVID–19 Pandemic

The article’s main aim is to assess the impact of economic security on sustainable entrepreneurship in Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs), including Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia from 2008 to 2020. The paper’s novelty is the development of indicators of sustainable entrepreneurship and its three pillars: economic, social and environmental. Moreover, we assessed the impact of economic security on sustainable entrepreneurship and conducted a comparative analysis of its consequences on the economic, social and environmental components of entrepreneurship. We use the Pearson correlation coefficient, the Ordinary Least Square Method, and the SUR estimations for structural equations. The results of the analysis indicate that sustainable entrepreneurship and economic security in the analysed countries are growing. However, their dynamics are varied, and what is more, economic security has a statistically significant impact on sustainable entrepreneurship. The impact of economic security on sustainable entrepreneurship from 2008 to 2020 is highest in Slovakia, Bulgaria and Poland. The lowest is in Latvia, Romania and Czechia. We notice that pursuing a stable and responsible macroeconomic policy affects the implementation of sustainable development goals. It is important to create the best conditions for growth in the long term, which is a challenge because of the problem of finding optimal relationships between factors that determine economic security.

The Development of the Cooperative Banking Sector in Selected Central and Eastern European Countries

The study assesses the development of the cooperative banking sector in selected Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries against the average statistics of the segment in those countries. It also compares it to the largest European cooperative banking group in Germany. The article presents the results of an analysis of the cooperative banking sectors between 2016 and 2021 in Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Germany, all of which are members of the European Association of Cooperative Banks (EACB). The selection criterion was based on the availability of detailed data on cooperative banks published by the EACB on a temporal and spatial basis.
 The empirical basis for the issues addressed in the article is a review of the reference literature and the comparative analysis of the development of the cooperative banking sector using a synthetic development indicator for the period 2016–2021. According to the theoretical and empirical analysis, Romania demonstrates the lowest level of development of the cooperative banking segment. In turn, the Polish and Bulgarian cooperative banking sectors represents a higher level of development than the Romanian one. Hungary has reached the highest level of development in the group of Central and Eastern European countries. While comparing the CEE countries to the German cooperative banking sector, their development was almost one and a half times lower and, in the case of Romania, three times lower.

Unravelling open innovation determinants and firm performance relationships in CEE and SEE countries

Purpose Open innovation (OI), by now one of the major concepts for the analysis of innovation, is seen as a methodology for collaboratively designing and implementing solutions by engaging stakeholders in an iterative and inclusive service design process. This paper aims to empirically investigate OI capacities, defined as a cooperative, knowledge-sharing innovation ecosystem, and to explore how it can lead to improved performance of firms in Central and Eastern European (CEE) and Southeastern European (SEE) countries.Design/methodology/approach The study builds on the World Bank/European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD’s) Business Environment Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS) dataset for 2009, 2013 and 2019. Primarily, the research model was estimated using log-transformed ordinary least squares (OLS). Taking into consideration that this method might produce substantial bias, yielding misleading inferences, this study is fitting Poisson pseudo maximum likelihood estimators with robust standard errors and instrumental variable/generalized method of moments estimation (IV/GMM) approach for comparative results. Secondarily, the research model was tested using structural equation modelling (SEM) to investigate the relationship between five OI capacities and firm performance.Findings The findings indicate that there is a significant positive relationship between most OI capacities and firm performance, except for innovation, which did not show a statistically significant relationship with firm performance. Specifically, research and development (R&D), knowledge and coopetition are statistically significant and positively associated with firm performance, whereas transformation is statistically significant but negatively associated with firm performance. The IV/GMM estimations’ findings support the view that the firm performance is significantly affected by OI capacities, together with some control variables such as size, age, foreign ownership and year dummy to have a significant impact on firm performance.Originality/value This paper fills an identified gap in the literature by investigating the impact of OI on firm performance executed in the specific CEE and SEE country context.

Gas from the South, Not from Russia: The Possibility of Distributing Natural Gas from the Eastern Mediterranean to Poland and Central Europe

Energy security plays a key role in the functioning of societies; therefore, every country should strive to ensure it. The Russian–Ukrainian dispute has destabilised the fuel market in Europe. In particular, the natural gas sector in Central and Eastern European countries (CEEs) has been disrupted. Poland was forced to reorganise its gas distribution from the eastern to the northern direction. Other Central European countries are also actively working towards independence from Russian gas. Certainly, a viable alternative for most CEEs is to access hydrocarbons located in the Eastern Mediterranean. The development of the gas transmission infrastructure between this region and the CEE can strengthen their energy security. This article provides an SWOT analysis showing that the commissioning of a new gas infrastructure for distributing gas from the Eastern Mediterranean to CEEs is important for their energy security and provides the opportunity to disconnect from Russian gas. The research results may be useful for analysts, entrepreneurs, or policymakers interested in the CEEs’ gas sector.

Gender pay gaps across STEM fields of study

ABSTRACT Gender pay gaps in earnings are well-documented in the literature. However, new factors contributing to women’s lower earnings have emerged and remain under-researched. Educational choices are among them. We use a rich administrative dataset from Poland, a Central Eastern European country with high tertiary education enrolment and high female employment rates among young women, to study gender pay gaps among tertiary education graduates with degrees in different fields of study while paying particular attention to STEM fields graduates (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). We find that already in the first year after graduation, women earn over 20% less than men. This gap widens over time. We also find significant variation across different STEM fields both in the size of the gender pay gap and in how it changes over time. The gap is the largest among mathematics graduates, at over 25%; while it does not exceed 3% among chemical and Earth sciences graduates. As these differences narrow only slightly within the first four years of graduates’ working careers, policymakers’ efforts to increase the number of women earning STEM degrees may not be enough to achieve gender pay equality.

2024 Guidelines of the Polish Society of Laboratory Diagnostics and the Polish Lipid Association on laboratory diagnostics of lipid metabolism disorders.

Lipid disorders are the most common (even 70%) and worst monitored cardiovascular risk factor (only 1/4 of patients in Poland and CEE countries are on the LDL-C goal). In order to improve this the clear and easy to implement diagnostic criteria for all components of the lipid profile should be introduced. These are the updated guidelines of the two main scientific societies in Poland in the area - the Polish Society of Laboratory Diagnostics (PSLD) and the Polish Lipid Association (PoLA), which, in comparison to those from 2020, introduce few important changes in recommendations (two main lipid targets, new recommendations on LDL-C measurement, new goals for triglycerides, new recommendations on remnants and sdLDL) that should help the practitioners to be early with the lipid disorders diagnosis and monitoring (after therapy initiation), and in the consequence to avoid the first and recurrent cardiovascular events.

Conflict and Public Administration Performance: CEE Countries

In the academic literature, there has yet to be a firm consensus on the type of link between conflict and public administration. This article investigates if/how conflict influences post-conflict public administration performance in selected conflict-affected states in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), namely Croatia, Georgia, Kosovo, and Serbia. However, the selected countries do not demonstrate a tangible global impact of conflict on public administrative performance. This finding suggests that a “one-size-fits-all” global link between conflict and public administration performance does not exist. From this perspective, a country’s actual circumstances and the internal and external environment are the deciding factors.

Clinical aspects of reimbursement policies for orphan drugs in Central and Eastern European countries.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to characterize the reimbursement policy for orphan drugs (ODs) in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries in relation to the availability and impact of clinical evidence, health technology assessment (HTA) procedure, selected economic indicators, and the drug type according to indications. Materials and methods: A list of authorized medicines with orphan designation and information about active substance, Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification, and therapeutic area was extracted from the web-based register of the European Medicines Agency (EMA). A country-based questionnaire survey was performed between September 2021 and January 2022 in a group of selected experts from nine CEE countries (an invitation was sent to 11 countries). A descriptive and statistical analysis was conducted to determine statistical significance, correlations, between the drug or country characteristic and the positive recommendation or reimbursement of ODs. Results: The proportion of reimbursed orphan drugs differed between countries, ranging from 17.7% in Estonia to 49.6% in Hungary (p < 0.001). The odds that ODs were reimbursed were reduced in countries with a "strong" level of impact of drug safety and efficacy on reimbursement decisions (p=0.018), the presence of other additional specific clinical aspects (e.g., genomic data) considered in the reimbursement decision (p < 0.001) and mandatory (without exception) safety assessments (p=0.004). The probability that ODs were reimbursed was increased in countries with a "moderate" level of impact of drug safety and efficacy on reimbursement decisions (p=0.018), when reimbursement decisions are dependent on the EMA registration status and orphan drug designation (p < 0.001), the presence of the "positive HTA recommendation guarantees reimbursement" policy (p < 0.001), higher GDP per inhabitant (p=0.003), and higher healthcare expenditure (p < 0.001). Conclusion: We found that there are differences among CEE countries in the reimbursement of orphan drugs, and we identified aspects that may influence these differences. Safety, efficacy, and specific clinical aspect issues significantly influenced reimbursement decisions. Antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents drugs were the largest group of ODs and increased the chance of getting a positive recommendation. The higher GDP per inhabitant and healthcare expenditures per inhabitant were positively linked to the chance that an OD receives reimbursement.

Comparing Determinants of Household Wealth in CEE Countries: A Quantile Regression Perspective

Comparing Determinants of Household Wealth in CEE Countries: A Quantile Regression Perspective

‘The Iron Curtain did not dissolve very well’: Reflections on EU Citizenship from CEE peripheralised perspectives

Abstract Peripheralisation is determined in socio ‑demographic, economic, political and identitarian factors. It is, many say, by definition, characterised by a willingness to migrate, in particular among the younger generations. European citizenship comes with the right to migrate – to relocate, to work and to be treated as equals in many respects to the local citizenry. In this research paper, I explicate the results of twenty interviews in six CEE countries with 7 th ‑graders who were asked what they thought of European citizenship. Those who knew what this is give widely divergent answers, but there are two dominant themes running through their perspectives: they do not feel great affection for the EU, and whilst willing to migrate, they do not appreciate the need to do so. Thus, they feel the EU does not live up to its promises to deliver equality for all Europeans. One explanation they give for this is that ‘the Iron Curtain did not dissolve very well’: the burden of history is acutely experienced.

THE NEXUS BETWEEN TRADE INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT AND EXPORT: THE CASE OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

The focus of economic policymakers in Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) is on developing and improving national infrastructure, including roads, railways and other forms of physical infrastructure needed for the realisation of economic activities, with the primary goal being to create a favourable business environment for foreign investments and export intensification. The article aims to examine whether the development of infrastructure in these countries has contributed to the increase in exports and to what extent, which would likewise examine the justification of infrastructure investments as a part of the economic strategy and foreign trade policy. The method of panel regression analysis with fixed effects was applied, which confirms the positive and statistically significant impact of infrastructure on export, justifying the initiative for the development of national infrastructure in the observed countries. Based on the obtained results, valid conclusions have been drawn regarding the theoretical and practical implications of the research, which point to the importance of physical infrastructure development as one of the leading determinants for export incentives.