Development In Serbia Research Articles

ACHIEVED RESULTS AND PERSPECTIVES FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES: STATISTICAL FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS

Small and medium-sized enterprises are a key part of every national economy and represent a factor of economic and social stability. In particular, entrepreneurial organizations are recognized as drivers of economic development, because they encourage the introduction of new technologies and have a direct impact on the level of investments and aggregate demand in terms of macroeconomic indicators. Also, this type of organizations contributes to solving the problem of unemployment and unequal distribution of wages. The need for strategic support and development of small and medium enterprises at the state level is permanent. In the past, these entities have been hit by the pandemic caused by the Covid-19 virus, inflation and digitization. The subject of the paper is the results review of the small and medium-sized enterprises development in Serbia, as well as the perspective of their further growth. Taking into account the effect of quality standards on business results, the connection of small and medium-sized enterprises with scientific and research institutions, but also the connection between the same organizations on the market, the authors propose certain improvements for their development. The key elements are based on the adequate and correct diagnosis of the mentioned connections. The research sample was purposive, which included companies in each of the 5 regions of the Republic of Serbia (n=112). The importance of quality standards and cooperation with faculties and scientific research institutions was established. It has been proven that the biggest obstacles in the development of the business of small and medium-sized enterprises are administrative procedures, as well as fiscal appropriation, and that the biggest impact on future business prospects is the adopted quality standard, investment in modern equipment, innovation, new knowledge and the introduction of new production lines.

Conductors of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra: A Centenary Overview

AbstractIn 2023, a major European musical ensemble, the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, celebrates its centennial. In the course of 100 years, this institution faced numerous obstacles, but thanks to the enthusiasm of great musicians, especially conductors, it has survived and laid the foundation for further musical and cultural development in Serbia. This article discusses the activity of the most important orchestral leaders (Stevan Hristić, Lovro von Matačić, Krešimir Baranović, Živojin Zdravković, Horst Förster, Vassily Sinaisky, Emil Tabakov, Uroš Lajovic, Dorian Wilson, Muhai Tang, Gabriel Feltz, Daniel Raiskin and Zubin Mehta), who have vastly contributed to or changed the course of the orchestra's development and left a big mark in its hundred-year-long history. In its centenary year, we will look back into the past, review the present, but also take a glimpse into the future the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra has already started to write for itself.

SMALL FAMILY FARMS CAPACITY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF SERBIAN AGRICULTURE

Family farms can play a crucial role in the successful and sustainable development of Serbian agriculture. There are several reasons why family farms are significant for the sustainable development of Serbian agriculture, and some of the most important points are: economic contribution, food security, diverse agriculture, market access, local knowledge and tradition. According to the 2018 Farm Structure Survey (FSS), there were 564 541 farms in Serbia, of which 99.71% were classified as family farms with an average size of 4.5 hectares per farm. Moreover, the average economic size of a family farm is 8610 Euros and is 45% higher than in 2012, but still four times smaller than the average in the EU. When evaluating small family farms, it is very important to analyze the age and education level of the farm manager. The average age of the farm managers is 61 years, and in addition, the majority of farm managers (48.6%) have acquired agricultural knowledge only through practical experience. In order to support the capacity of small family farms for sustainable rural development in Serbia, the government and various stakeholders need to: provide policy support, educate and train farmers, improve access to resources and markets, develop infrastructure, and promote research and innovation that meet the needs of family farms. By focusing on these areas to increase the potential of family farms and providing the necessary support, Serbia can build a resilient, sustainable, and economically viable agricultural sector that benefits both rural communities and the overall economy.

The Impact of Energy on Climate and Economic Stability: Forecast for Serbia

Abstract In the conditions of modern business environment of energy companies, studies of their impact on environmental protection are becoming increasingly important. The growing concern at the macro level of the resulting climate change due to energy production is justified. The ecological component in the business of energy entities is becoming a priority for the sustainable development of energy, and therefore must be thoroughly examined. The focus of this paper is to determine the impact of energy on climate change through the emission of Greenhouse Gases on the example of the Republic of Serbia. The paper also examines the long-term interdependence between key economic and energy indicators at the national level. The IPAT/Kaya identity was used for research purposes and three alternative scenarios of energy development in Serbia until year 2050 were developed. The obtained results point to different possibilities for the development of energy and its impact on climate. The importance of promoting renewable energy sources for environmental protection and overall economic stability is also pointed out through proposed alternative scenarios. Significant results were obtained for the predicted level of energy intensity for the observed period, suggesting how the development of energy in Serbia could affect economic stability until 2050.

Urban development in Serbia - The economic positions and development processes of major cities.

Urban development in Serbia - The economic positions and development processes of major cities.

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT OF THE RISKS OF ATTRACTING FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENTS - NEW FINANCIAL CHALLENGES

At the time of the coronavirus pandemic COVID 19, many economies, including the Serbian economy, are facing an unknown cause of many problems, which is bringing many companies into crisis. In such conditions, the strategic approach and way of thinking becomes crucial for the survival or recovery of companies and even the economy of a country. This is especially the case with small underdeveloped and developing economies, which are particularly affected by the pandemic. In such conditions, foreign direct investments are a decisive factor in the survival and recovery of the economy, and decisions of this type are strategic. Especially in the conditions of a pandemic, investors are sensitive when making strategic investment decisions, and economic freedoms are an important factor in that. The aim of this paper is to determine the impact of economic freedoms in Serbia on making strategic decisions on foreign direct investment, and thus the development of Serbia. The results of the research show the existence of a positive correlation between these factors on the development of Serbia. The econometric model of Pearson Correlation and Greene’s multiple correlation analysis model was used in the analysis.

A Decision Support System for Internal Migration Policy-Making

This paper proposes a decision support system for internal migration policy in the Republic of Serbia, which uses machine learning and knowledge extraction methods to analyze data and identify key features for policy decision-making. Internal migration is an issue that creates uneven development and sustainability challenges in countries. More specifically, internal migrations are putting a big pressure on cities and urban areas, while leaving vast less-urbanized areas depopulated and unsustainable to future generations. This paper includes two machine learning models with an accuracy of 70% for predicting internal migration intensity in local selfgovernments (LSGs), as well as the proposed decision-support tool that achieves an accuracy of 66%. The proposed system maintains desirable properties of decision support systems such as correctness, completeness, consistency, comprehensibility, and convenience and allows the what-if analysis to evaluate appropriate policies for each LSG. The identified key features can be used to influence migration levels in LSGs and promote balanced development in Serbia.

The System of Education in the Republic of Serbia: History of Development and Current Trends

The article considers the issues of education system development in Serbia, containing both historical aspects and modern trends of its progress at different levels. A brief history of the development of the education system from the time of the first modern Serbian state is specifically presented, starting with the attempts to introduce compulsory education in the territory of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the 18th century with the help of teachers sent from the Russian Empire, then from the First Serbian Uprising in the 19th century (1804) to the present day. The overview includes all levels of education: primary, secondary and higher education with appropriate periodization. Special attention is paid to the legal foundations of education in the current legislation. Some data on the Unified State Examination (USE) in mathematics are given, including tasks from the “golden period” of 1920-1940 to today’s attempts to introduce a unified state examination (the so-called “matura”). A short critical review of the reforms carried out by the modern Serbian state over the last 20 years is offered, with special emphasis on the attempts to introduce the USE, which, as proposed by the state, is currently disapproved by all the largest universities in the country.

Afterlives of depopulated places

Abstract Emptiness appears as a condition of possibility of two common visions of rural development in Serbia—extractivism and rural tourism. This article investigates the underlying sociocultural mechanisms of this relationship. It compares two mountainous villages in Serbia that were depopulated during modernization of Yugoslavia and included in hydropower investment schemes during the current energy transition yet ended up within different models of development and contrasting articulations of emptiness. In Rakita, emptiness takes the form of yearning for defective or absent infrastructure and serves as an asset in extractive projects. In Dojkinci, rural tourism has emerged as an alternative to extractivism. While both local communities and institutions take it as the last hope for depopulated but naturally exceptional localities, tourism brings commodification and increasing social differentiations.

Regional Classification of Serbian Railway Transport System Through Efficient Synthetic Indicator

The railway transport system is one of the most important elements in the development of the economy and the social space of any area. The main objective of the study is to analyse the regional differentiation in railway development in Serbia with causal interference. The research has been conducted based on secondary data collected from multiple sources, and the existing synthetic Indicator was applied to classify eight states based on their railway infrastructural status. An alternative synthetic indicator approach has been proposed and found to be more efficient than the existing synthetic Indicator. The causality of such unequal development has been analysed through a correlation test by defining the composite infrastructure index. The analysis revealed that railway infrastructure significantly influences Serbia's economic and social development. The service area of railway infrastructure indicates the potential zone for future growth.

SERBIAN VITICULTURE FROM THE 19TH CENTURY TO THE PRESENT DAY

In Europe, the period from the 17th to the 19th century was marked by scientific and industrial revolution, better traffic communication, which strongly influenced development of viticulture and wine markets. New varieties are introduced into viticulture, intensive working on hybridization, more intensive cultivation methods are applied with use of horses, distance between plants are changed and more modern stock are used. After liberation from the Ottoman Empire, Serbian viticulture is developing again. With arrangement of the principality and then the Serbian Kingdom, in the overall development of Serbia under the Obrenović family, a significant contribution was made by new vine plantation. Apart from the Danube regions, the areas under vines are located around the Kopaonik mountain, which separates southern Serbia from the Novo-Pazarski sandžak and the wine-growing centers such as Negotin, Požarevac, Smederevo, Kruševac, Niš and Šumadija as a separate region (area about 98,326 ha).
 However, the development of viticulture in Serbia is stoped by the appearance of phylloxera. The territory of Serbia was affected by phylloxera starting in 1881, and by 1920 it had reached Metohija. In order to restore damaged vineyards, were formed vine nurseries (Smederevo 1882, Bukovo near Negotin 1886, Jagodina 1889, Aleksandrovac, 1891) where began production of rootstock and grafting of European vine varieties. Since then, for the first time, varieties such as Traminac, Chardonnay, Pinot blanc, Pinot noir, Gamay were introduced into Serbian viticulture.
 The beginning of the 20th century was marked by changing of royal dynasties, so after atending to Serbian throne, King Petar I Karađorđević (since 1903) form an endowment estate at Oplenac. King Petar I Karađorđević, and after them King Alexander, intensively participated in plantation of new vineyards, using planting material from nurseries from Smederevo and from France (1925). By 1935, the total area under vineyards amounted to 37.78,31 ha, of which 4/5 were under wine and 1/5 under table varieties. During the 2nd World War, Serbian vineyards was under significant damage due to the lack of conditions to bad cultivation in appropriate ways.
 After the 2nd World War, viticulture in Serbia had several development stages. The first stage covers the period from 1945 to 1954 and is characterized by an extensive production level. The second stage, from 1954 to 1959, is characterized by vineyard with big inter-row distance of 2–2.5 m and greater mechanization using. The third stage, from 1959 to 1970, is characterized by vineyards with inter-row distance of 2.5 to 4 m. It is the period of intensive vineyards plantating. In the 1970, 106.000 ha belonged to individual sector, and 10.500 ha to the state (goverment) sector. In the 80-is and 90-is of the last century, it is period of the viticulture stagnation with significant reduction of vineyard area. The disintegration of the SFRY, wars that followed, sanctions and international isolation of Serbia and especially NATO bombing affected complete destruction of viticulture as a minor agricultural branch at that time. It is estimated that only about 20,000 ha under vine survived and could be maintained at the beginning of the XXI century. For the last twenty years, have been made efforts to restore Serbian viticulture. With a more modern approach, it started with the selection of clones of varieties mainly for producing of high quality wines. With the formation of smaller and medium-capacity wineries (from 100,000 to 500,000 bottles per year), the situation in viticulture and wine sector has changed significantly through the increase of areas under vines and the improvement of wine quality. Today there are around 360 registered wineries in Serbia.

Informaciono-komunikacione tehnologije i ruralni razvoj u Srbiji

The use of the information and communication technologies (ICTs) transforms ways of manufacturing, doing business, working, accessing public services, informing and communicating. They enable overcoming of both geographical distances and underdevelopment of infrastructures in rural regions and less developed ones. That is why ICTs can play an important role in encouraging economic development of rural areas, improvement of life quality of their population as well as lessening of social exclusion. The paper is focused upon the possibilities of invigorating rural development in Serbia on the basis of the ICTs use, primarily the Internet. The paper firstly points to the main features of the Serbian village development; then it analyses the Internet access in rural areas. Finally, it points to the ways in which the ICTs can be used for stimulating economic development of the Serbian village in addition to improving life quality of the rural population.

Life satisfaction and positive youth development in Serbia

Life satisfaction is closely related to emotional, behavioural, social, and environmental youth functioning. Starting from the hypothesis that positive youth development (PYD) qualities such as aspects of eudaimonic well-being lead to higher youth life satisfaction (the hedonic aspect of well-being), we explored predictions of Serbian youth life satisfaction based on the Five Cs on a sample of 215 Belgrade secondary school students (34.9% male students). The research results show that: the youth were mostly satisfied with their friends, their living environment, themselves, and their families, and least satisfied with their school; the Five Cs variables explain the highest percentage of variance in youth satisfaction with the family, and the lowest for satisfaction with the living environment; higher impacts on domain-specific life satisfaction were observed for connection (self-satisfaction, satisfaction with the family and school), confidence (satisfaction with the family and school), and caring (satisfaction with the living environment, school and friends), while competence only predicted self-safisfaction. Providing support for PYD promotion leads to greater satisfaction with different aspects of youth development ecology.

Public-Private Partnership Contracts and Projects and their Infl uence on the Local Economy Development in Serbia

Public-private partnership (PPP) is a relatively new legal institute and financing model in the legal system of the Republic of Serbia, which was created only after the adoption of the Law on Public-Private Partnership and Concessions in 2011. The basic elements of PPP are contracts and projects. When it comes to contracts, the legal nature of the public contract on PPP is still not sufficiently clarified. Although this contract has elements of an administrative contract, it still does not follow from legislation in Serbia. Therefore, in the future, special attention should be paid to harmonizing the regime of this contract with the regime of administrative contracts established in the Law on General Administrative Procedure. On the other hand, after ten years, PPP projects in Serbia are becoming an increasingly important instrument of local economic development. Until July 2022, the Commission for PPP of the Government of the Republic of Serbia gave a positive opinion for 227 public-private partnership projects. We will present why the legal nature of the public contract on PPP is important and how PPP projects encourage local economic development in the Republic of Serbia.

Deconstructing the European Commission's Discource on Serbia's Accession Process

This article enquires into the evolution of the European Commission’s discourse with respect to rule of law, corruption and media development in Serbia during period 2010–2021. The study performs a critical discourse analysis with use of discourse historical approach on the annual progress reports published by the European Commission. The study uncovers that the progress reports shows patterns of both continuity and change. The topics and subtopics related to rule of law, corruption and media represents large patterns of continuity. Some new topics, mostly negative ones, have arisen during the period, but the criteria and form of evaluation seems stable. The intensification strategy in the discourse the last four years seems not to be enough to transform the EU accession process, and it seems that Serbia lacks motivation on their road to accession.

Applying the Show Cave Assessment Model (SCAM) on cave tourism destinations in Serbia

This paper explores the current state and the perspectives of sustainable cave tourism development of show caves in Serbia. The results of the research were determined through the application of the newly developed methodology—Show Cave Assessment Model (SCAM). The obtained results of the research indicate shortcomings in terms of the protection of underground ecosystems and the tourist infrastructure. Moreover, based on the obtained data, future perspectives of the cave tourism development in Serbia include the establishment of karst parks, the affirmation of speleoarchaeology and the creation of innovative show cave routes. The focus is also placed on the importance of applying appropriate geoethical principles in cave tourism. The adventurous concept of cave tourism, which includes visiting caves that are not arranged for classic cave tours, and requires special equipment and professional guides, is particularly highlighted. Final results of the reserarch confirmed that the popularization and application of ethically responsible behavior towards underground karst ecosystems is necessary in order to preserve speleological geoheritage for current and future generations of local residents, tourists, managers, scientists and researchers, mountaineers, enthusiasts and speleologists.

MACROECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF THE FINANCING OF EDUCATION SYSTEM IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

Knowledge is one of the key factors of economic growth, as well as of sources of competitiveness in the global marketplace. Educational policy directly shapes and creates human capital that is the backbone of the future development of each country. Therefore, there is a need for planning, good design and comprehensive financing this important social field. The purpose of this article is to determine the trends of public expenditures on education in the Republic of Serbia (RS), as well as their impact on the development of Serbian society. The article first provides a detailed analysis of the higher education system in Serbia, monitoring the trends in the share of education expenditures in gross domestic product (GDP) and total public expenditures in the country. The paper applies the desk research methodology as it analysis the professional literature, articles, relevant reports and databases of leading international institutions such as the European Union, OECD, Statistical Office of RS, UNESCO, World Bank, UNDP and Eurostat. The article studies the evolution, values and Human Development Index (HDI) ranks of Serbia, Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD) in the Serbian higher education sector, as well as their correlations with Serbian public expenditures for education, in the period from 2009 to 2019. The article also applies linear regression analysis between the observed variables. Finally, it concludes that public expenditures on education could not contribute to social development in Serbia due to the small regression coefficients and weak correlations among these indicators. Therefore, Serbia should invest continuously and more intensively in its higher education if it wants to prosper. This article is useful for policy makers, but also for a wider readership who want to be acquainted with the education and social development trends in Serbia.

Business of rural tourist households in the function of rural tourism development in Serbia

The main goal of the paper is, based on research and analysis of the material base and tourist turnover of rural tourist households (RTHs), in the period from 2014 to 2019, to point out to the dynamics of development and the current level of development and utilization of the tourist offer of this sector in Serbia. Quantitative data on accommodation facilities in rural areas of the Republic of Serbia in six years period (2014-2019) are analyzed. In addition to research, various scientific methods were used: the inductive-deductive method, the method of analysis and synthesis and the method of observation. Based on the analysis of quantitative and qualitative aspects of supply it was concluded that a lack of international standards and quality guarantees was noticed, as well as problems related to adaptation, registration and categorization of the RTHs, which confirmed the basic research hypothesis.

Pregled tehnologija ekstrakcije i mogućnosti primene na metale iz hiperakumulatora Balkana

Phytomining is a currently developing biotechnology aiming to extract rare and precious metals from naturally enriched or polluted soils with the help of hyperaccumulator plants. On the territory of the Balkans, hyperaccumulating species mainly accumulate elements such as nickel, zinc, thallium, copper and arsenic. This paper provides an overview of the studied technologies around the world for the extraction of these elements from hyperaccumulator's biomass, as well as the areas of potential application of the obtained products. Phytomining has a potential for development in Serbia, and for this purpose it is necessary to utilitized available hyperaccumulators, as well as to investigate technologies for the extraction of metals from their biomass.

River information systems: Review, applictions, and current examples from Serbia

There is a constant need for improvement in inland water navigation based on the implementation of innovative technologies. This is necessary to ensure better traffic management, safer navigation, more economically profitable navigation, and to make inland navigation more reliable. This paper provides a rare a general review of currently used employed technologies of river information systems (RIS), the ways how they are used in practice, and the current state of development in Serbia. Throughout recent history, RIS technologies have been constantly improving, and accordingly, new legal documents have been drafted and published. These provide a formal-legal basis for each one of RIS technologies, and make their standardization easier. As the technology keeps progressing, the RIS concept should be able to adapt to it, and keep improving inland waterway transport, especially given that this mode of transport has much potential for the future.