Yugoslav Republic Research Articles

Transnational Organized Crime in the Former Yugoslav and Post-Soviet Republics: A Desk Review

By means of discourse-analytical desk review of qualitative sources, this article discusses the factors that have facilitated the prevalence of transnational organised crime in post-Soviet and former Yugoslav states together with the impacts and the factors that are affecting the effective prevention and control of transnational organized crime (TNOC) in post-Soviet and Yugoslav states. It examines the factors affecting the effective prevention and control of transnational organized crime (TNOC) in post-Soviet and Yugoslav states, and impacts, especially those connected to the globalization of the world economy; the increased mobility of people and services across transnational borders leading to the ethnicization of criminal activities and internationalization of organized crimes due to borderless illicit traffic. The paper argues that as a result of the combination of multiple factors, the prevailing rhetoric of TNOC in the former Yugoslav and Post-Soviet States is explained in terms of the profitability of TNOC economy for political elites, border police, smugglers and people living around the borders and the ability of organized criminal groups to supplant state institutions and its replacement it with private interests which has led to the institutionalization of criminality and the privatization of criminalization occasioned by breakdown of law and order and the corruption of the political elites. Finally, the paper concludes by nothing that the current manifestation of transnational organized criminal activities in former Soviet territories is a synthesis of political corruption and criminal syndication.

Labour market transitions of young women and men in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Youth is a crucial time of life during which young people start to realise their aspirations, assume economic independence and find their place in society. Nevertheless, the global jobs crisis has exacerbated the vulnerability of youth and the toughness of the labour market. The ILO’s School-to-Work Transition Survey (SWTS) is intended to assist in the building of a knowledge base on youth employment and to contribute to the national dialogue on addressing discrepancies between supply and demand for young labour in order to ensure that young people are better equipped to transition to quality employment. It was implemented in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in 2012 and again in 2014. This article summarises the results of the second SWTS and offers insights into the more recent political framework for youth employment policies in the country. The country has very high youth unemployment rate and the urgency of addressing the issue is greater than in many countries. The government is aware of this and treats youth unemployment as a cross-cutting theme in its policy-making.

Subjective well-being among young people in five Eastern European countries.

Subjective well-being incorporates elements of life satisfaction, happiness and optimism. It is increasingly relevant in the assessment of population health and economic development. There are strong continuities in well-being from youth into later life. Despite its significance, few global surveys capture subjective well-being. This paper describes patterns of well-being among young people in five Eastern European countries [Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine] and investigates association between demographic factors and well-being. Nationally representative household surveys, including large Roma population samples, were conducted as part of UNICEF's Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey programme. Young people aged 15-24 years (N=11944) indicated their satisfaction with life, happiness and expectations about the future. Multilevel logistic regressions were conducted to determine the impact of individual-level predictors while accounting for country- and cluster-level variability. Around 40% of young people considered themselves very happy or very satisfied with their life overall. Three quarters reported optimism. Yet well-being varied greatly between countries, with youth in BiH and Ukraine reporting lowest levels of well-being. Current marriage, increasing wealth, higher education, rural residence and not having children were associated with greater well-being. Patterns of well-being in youth vary substantially between countries and are only partly accounted for by standard demographic characteristics. Despite higher rates of adolescent marriage and childbearing, and lower levels of educational attainment and employment, Roma youth had similar levels of well-being to the general population.

Social and economic aspects of the human security concept

The objective of this work is to analyze the real state in the field of the Macedonian Health and Social Policy, the pension system and human security at work. This type of analysis will make it possible to deduce certain conclusions and recommendations about accomplishing a higher level of general human security in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The results of this study enable us to conclude that, in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, living expenses have been permanently increased, the unemployment rate is high and the average minimum wages paid in the region are the lowest, which all contributes to profound poverty in the country. It is also necessary to revise the laws and regulations in the field of workers' health and security, make urgent changes in order to ensure the sustainability of the pension system and also start the reforms that will provide a sustainable and efficient health care system.

A contribution to knowledge of the Balkan Lepidoptera. Some Pyraloidea (Lepidoptera: Crambidae & Pyralidae) encountered recently in southern Serbia, Montenegro, the Republic of Macedonia and Albania

Pyraloidea (Lepidoptera: Crambidae & Pyralidae) were sampled in the territories of southern Serbia, Montenegro, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Albania on a total of 53 occasions during 2014, 2016 and 2017. A total of 173 species is reported here, comprising 97 Crambidae and 76 Pyralidae. Based upon published data, 29 species appear to be new to the fauna of Serbia, 5 species are new to the fauna of Macedonia and 37 are new to the fauna of Albania. The data are discussed.

Types of Autonomy, Representation, and Participation of the Subnational Political Communities in the Western Balkans: The Case Study of Serbia, the Former Yugoslav Republic Macedonia and Kosovo (under UNSCR 1244/1999)

Types of Autonomy, Representation, and Participation of the Subnational Political Communities in the Western Balkans: The Case Study of Serbia, the Former Yugoslav Republic Macedonia and Kosovo (under UNSCR 1244/1999)

Low Back Pain of Faculty of Sport and Physical Education Students in Relation to Different Activities

Background: Physical inactivity and intensive sports activity have been found to be associated with LBP. The aim of this study is the presents the data about the prevalence of LBP in young adults and its associations with vitality, physical activity and emotions. We also studied the impact of low back pain on daily activity. The study sample presented (n=323) students from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the chronological age of 21.06 ± 1.93 years. The current study assessed the level of LBP amongst students of Faculty of Sport with the level of physical activity in last six months. Methods: We used the questionnaire, which included the Graded Chronic Pain Scale (GCPS) for the evaluation of levels of chronic pain. With a Short Health Survey (SF-36) we tried to measure the health status. Results: A total of (n=323) of all students had pain intensity at some point in last six months. All students reported (n=236, 73.0%) prevalence of LBP. In this study body mass index, level of physical activity were not significant independent predictors of intensity and disability scores. Conclusion: 3/4 of all respondents said to have had any episode LBP. The results of our study can be used by officials in the area of prevention to support efforts to improve health of the student population and to reduce the LBP risk.

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: 2017 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: 2017 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Repo Nora, An Islamic Mosaic- Women’s Identities in Transition : Albanian Muslim Women in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Åbo Akademi University P

Repo Nora, An Islamic Mosaic- Women’s Identities in Transition : Albanian Muslim Women in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Åbo Akademi University P

Urgent Reforms Taking Their Time in the Republic of Macedonia

Since 2001, the Republic of Macedonia had gone through several waves of international and national actions, which resulted in requests of the international community, primarily by the European Union, for systemic reform processes. The first wave came with the Ohrid Agreement, which brought armed ethnic-based conflict to an end. The second one emerged due to the usual association and accession commitments of a candidate state since 2005 and implementation of the Road Map for Visa Liberalisation between February 2008 and July 2009. The third wave came out of a severe political crisis in 2015, which had revealed a series of systemic and democratic deficiencies – from illegal interception of communications and political pressure against the judiciary, to violations of media freedoms and principles of fair elections. In June 2015, a Senior Expert’s Group summarised a set of recommendations for the European Commissions in a document titled: Urgent Reform Priorities for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. This paper analyzes Macedonian slow path of reforms, affected by deficient inter-ethnic confidence, political tensions, decentralisation, administrative and political culture in the Macedonia and shortcomings within the of the rule of law.

Minority rights, integration and education in the Western Balkans

Using the lenses of minority rights and developments in education in the Western Balkans, this article analyses the adaptability of the European minority protection framework and identifies ongoing challenges in relation to its implementation. It focuses in particular on the balance between the accommodation of minority education rights and integration, arguing that there is an inherent flexibility within the European minority protection framework that has been used to good effect. It claims that a shift towards a more integrated approach to education in the Western Balkans was a necessity and one that strengthens rather than weakens the European minority protection framework. The argument is developed throughconsideration of the case studies of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, where ongoing challenges remain.

Balancing Cultural Diversity and Social Cohesion in Education: The Potential of Shared Education in Divided Contexts

ABSTRACTThis article considers how the education systems of divided societies have been shaped in response to the experience of ethnic and religious conflict. The analysis identifies two competing priorities in such contexts – the development of social cohesion and the protection of cultural, ethnic and religious identities – and explores how these may be reconciled through a model of ‘shared education’. Drawing on research evidence and recent experience of shared education in Northern Ireland, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Cyprus, we reflect on the advantages and challenges of this model in areas experiencing conflict and division.

Landscape factors affecting territory occupancy and breeding success of Egyptian Vultures on the Balkan Peninsula

Avian scavengers are declining throughout the world, and are affected by a large number of threats such as poisoning, electrocution, collision with man-made structures, direct persecution, changes in agricultural practices, landscape composition, and sanitary regulations that can reduce food availability. To formulate effective conservation strategies, it is important to quantify which of these factors has the greatest influence on demographic parameters such as territory occupancy and breeding success, and whether quantitative models can be transferred across geographic regions and political boundaries. We collated territory and nest monitoring data of the endangered Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus in the Balkans to understand the relative influence of various factors on population declines. We monitored occupancy in 87 different territories and breeding performance of 405 territory-monitoring years between 2003 and 2015, with an overall territory occupancy rate of 69% and a mean productivity of 0.80 fledglings per occupied territory. We examined which of 48 different environmental variables were most influential in explaining variation in territory occupancy and breeding success in Bulgaria and Greece, and tested whether these models were transferrable to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Territory occupancy and breeding success were affected by a wide range of environmental variables, each of which had a small effect that may not be the same across political boundaries. Both models had reasonably good discriminative ability [area under the receiver-operated characteristic curve (AUC) for territory occupancy = 0.871, AUC for breeding success = 0.744], but were unsuccessful in predicting occupancy or breeding success in the external validation data set from a different country, possibly because the most influential factors vary geographically. Management focussing on a small number of environmental variables is unlikely to be effective in slowing the decline of Egyptian Vultures on the Balkan Peninsula. We recommend that in the short term the reduction of adult mortality through the enforcement of anti-poison laws, and in the long term the adoption of large-scale landscape conservation programs that retain or restore historical small-scale farming practices may benefit vultures and other biodiversity.

Length of Hospital Stay and Bed Occupancy Rates in Former Yugoslav Republics 1989-2015.

Length of Hospital Stay and Bed Occupancy Rates in Former Yugoslav Republics 1989-2015.

Energy-Efficient and Improved eWALL: e2WALL

eWALL framework, under development in the European eWALL project (project no. 610658: "eWALL for Active Long Living") is meant for care of population with age related impairments, mild dementia and COPD. Expanded eWALL (e2WALL) is planned to be an integrated quality framework for long-term care services which will cover very different types of care: all healthcare (both preventive and rehabilitative), societal services, care for cognitive diseases, services delivered at home as well as support for caregivers as an integral part of the quality improvement process. Thus, we present e2WALL home system that would encompass installation (setup) of e2WALL in homes (flats, houses and aging homes) and their management and maintenance across Europe, starting from the partners involved in eWALL (Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Montenegro, The Netherlands and Romania) and expanding the partnership to the most of Europe (e.g. United Kingdom, Poland, Czech Republicź). This would be a direct application of the developed e2WALL platform and should be done through a network of collaborating small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs), each of whom would lead the process of setting up e2WALL system and continuing to provide support services to homes in their respective country. In this way, the growth of high tech and innovative SMEs will be ensured at pan European level, which will enable growth over restricted national market and stimulate European investments in SMEs and startups. Actually, the bigger platform will enable e2WALL European Ecosystem (e4WALL), which can then expand into other non-European markets (e.g. Asia, USA) and means sustainability beyond the life of the project. e2WALL will lead to connected tech start-up hubs to the larger European business ecosystem and will contribute to increased access of country-specific and customized new product to the pan European market, which will lead to increase of employed qualified individuals. Another important focus would be creating an energy efficient environment for a new social network where registered users would provide on-demand services.

Proposition of new methodology for developing basic topographic maps based on real estate cadastre database

Production of civilian topographic maps is, traditionally, not common in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Such maps were produced by the Military Geographical Institute in Belgrade – military institution of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. However, production of the so-called basic state maps was reserved for civil surveying (cartographic) institutes. Basic topographic maps (in Federation Bosnia and Herzegovina- FB&H) have not been updated for more than 20 years. Due to that fact, it has been concluded that, instead of updating the existing maps, it is necessary to develop new metrology for create topographic maps by using the available sources and new technologies. This paper provides a proposal for creating a new methodology for developing basic topographic maps at 1:5000 and 1:10000 scales. It is also necessary to emphasise that the Federal Administration for Geodetic and Property Affairs (FGA) initiated the creation of fundamental assumptions for contemporary development in the fields of cadastre and cartography. So, the FGA adopted the development strategies, cadastre and topographic models, established the real estate cadastre database and geoportals, etc.

Educational decentralisation in post-conflict societies: approaches and constraints

The article proposes that the power of local government to design and deliver educational services contributing to long-term conflict transformation is mediated by two factors: the model of decentralisation adopted in the aftermath of conflict, and the decision-making model at the centre (power-sharing). It employs rich qualitative data collected during extensive fieldwork. It compares the design and delivery of education across three post-conflict societies with a particular focus on attempts to reform the Lebanese University in Lebanon, to establish an Education and Skills Authority in Northern Ireland and to rationalise the school network in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

The Child Health Care System of Macedonia

Macedonia is a multiethnic developing country with a new democratic political system in transition from a former communist country. The country gained independence as former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in 1991. Recent health reforms have privatized pediatric primary care and introduced family doctors alongside primary care pediatricians. Increasing privatization of hospitals have left the state-run hospitals short of pediatric specialists and subspecialists as doctors moved to private hospitals for better salaries and working conditions. There is little coordinated action between the Ministry of Health, health insurance fund, and Macedonian pediatricians to overcome the problems that now exist within the pediatric/child health system because of these recent reforms, which were politically driven without consultation with the Macedonian Pediatric Association. These recent decisions will have an adverse effect on the quality of care for children and families, which will likely continue for another 5-10years.

Accessing parental perspectives to inform the development of parent training in autism in south-eastern Europe

Parent training has been shown to be an important means of supporting families living with autism – but such services are not universally accessible. A multinational project funded by the European Commission has been developed in order to establish such parent training in three south-eastern European countries. To ensure that the training was relevant and appropriate, a survey was carried out in autumn 2015 to ascertain the attitudes of parents of children with autism in Croatia, Cyprus and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia regarding this issue, and to identify the areas of training that they felt most important. Two hundred and fifty-three surveys were distributed, and 148 were returned, a response rate of 58%. Respondents in the three counties were overwhelmingly positive about parent training, with almost 90% stating that they would like to attend such training. Weekend training sessions were preferred by the majority of respondents. There was wide variation between the three countries with regard to what content was felt important to be included, with parents in the FYR of Macedonia seeking information in the greatest number of areas. Five topics were prioritised by parents across all three countries. These were:• Strategies for enhancing my child’s communication• Strategies on facilitating my child’s interaction with other children• Sensory integration and development• General information on behavioural management strategies• Identifying and/or developing socialisation opportunities

Rewarding employees in turbulent economies for improved organisational performance

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the application of total reward practices in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the South-Eastern European (SEE) region and the reward elements positively affecting organisational performance.Design/methodology/approachThe sample consists of 199 SMEs operating in SEE countries which are either under economic crisis or transition: Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, Kosovo and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.FindingsSMEs in the SEE region are implementing a total rewards model which is characterised by a weaker application of individual aspects and by a stronger application of transactional, relational and communal aspects. Within the communal aspects of the model, the study found three elements of the work environment that positively affect organisational performance; work-life balance, employee involvement voice mechanisms, and organisational culture supporting personal and professional development.Practical implicationsThe study contributes to HR practice; the authors found that a better work environment is positively related to improved organisational performance in these SMEs. This means that in times of economic crisis or transition when HR budgets are limited such non-financial strategies can be a viable alternative to costly financial rewards to such organisations.Originality/valueThe study contributes to both theory and HR practice by shedding light on how employee rewards are affected in economies under crisis and transition, how SMEs can motivate their employees when faced with significant financial limitations, as well as explores which reward elements can lead to enhanced organisational performance in such organisations.