Yugoslav Republic Research Articles

Private forest owners' willingness to supply woody biomass in selected South-Eastern European countries

Production of woody biomass-based energy, mainly by using fuel wood, is a common way of forest utilization in selected South-Eastern European countries – Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Due to specific forest ownership patterns in the region, state owned forests are the most important source of all forest assortments, including woody biomass. Having in mind the increasing energy needs on the global scale, particularly those for energy from renewable sources, private forests may play an important role in terms of wood mobilization and energy production from woody biomass. The purpose of this research was to identify the willingness of private forest owners in selected countries to supply woody biomass for energy as well as to identify the factors that influence it. The survey data collected in 2012 from 1.400 private forests owners (random samples of 350 private forests owners in each of the four countries), show a relatively high degree of willingness (38–55% of the respondents) to manage their forests in order to produce woody biomass. Furthermore, the results, demonstrated that the willingness of private forest owners to supply woody biomass was namely influenced by age in analysed countries. The models found that relatively younger owners were more likely to supply woody biomass. An adequate institutional and financial support to private forest owners and the designing of an appropriate mix of forest policy instruments are necessary for a better wood mobilisation and the triggering of woody biomass supply from private forests in selected South-Eastern European countries.

Using Blogs in EFL Teaching - A Case Study of Macedonia

Seeking to promote autonomy in language learning and the value of technological support in language acquisition, this paper reports initial results from a study into the effectiveness of computer-assisted second/foreign language instruction in an English Language Methodology course, conducted over two semesters over the years 2013/2014, at the department of English Language and Literature, at the Philological Faculty, State University of Tetovo, in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). Applying content analysis (Silverman, 2005) to identify themes biases and meaning, the study investigated the effect of Blogs in second language acquisition as well as students’ attitudes towards Blogs. Convenience sampling among students enrolled in the course identified a non-random sample of 58 students representing 80% of the possible cohort. Initial quantitative analysis applying descriptive and inferential statistics (Fraenkel& Wallen, 2003) were applied to analyze the effect of the Blog on learning outcomes. Content analytical procedures were then applied to student interviews to confirm the descriptive and inferential statistics previously established.

Examination of Genetic Diversity of Common Bean from the Western Balkans

In this study, genetic diversity of 119 accessions of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) from five former Yugoslav republics constituting the western Balkans was assessed by 13 microsatellite markers. This set of markers has proven before to efficiently distinguish between bean genotypes and assign them to either the Andean or the Mesoamerican gene pool of origin. In this study, 118 alleles were detected or 9.1 per locus on average. Four groups (i.e., Slovene, Croatian, Bosnian, and Serbian) showed similarly high levels of genetic diversity as estimated by the number of different alleles, number of effective alleles, Shannon’s information index, and expected heterozygosity. Mildly narrower genetic diversity was identified within a group of Macedonian accessions; however, this germplasm yielded the highest number of private alleles. All five germplasms share a great portion of genetic diversity as indicated by the analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA). On the basis of the scored number of migrants, we concluded that the most intensive gene flow in the region exists in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Cluster analysis based on collected molecular data classified the accessions into two large clusters that corresponded to two gene pools of origin (i.e., Andean and Mesoamerican). We found that Andean genotypes are more prevalent than Mesoamerican in all studied countries, except Macedonia, where the two gene pools are represented evenly. This could indicate that common bean was introduced into the western Balkans mainly from the Mediterranean Basin. Bayesian cluster analysis revealed that in the area studied an additional variation exists which is related to the Andean gene pool. Different scenarios of the origin of this variation are discussed in the article.

Long-Term Health Expenditure Changes in Selected Balkan Countries.

Spending on health is a significant policy issue for most countries’ economies of the world. Those expenditures put high pressure on public budgets, measuring government investments in health and well-being of their citizens. This task is even more challenging for most Balkan countries, embraced by the global economic crisis in the last decade and prior history of civil war for most of them. Total health expenditure (THE), as a sum of public and private expenditure (1), expressed as percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), in the most of the selected Balkan countries, for the selected period from 1995 to 2012, showed obvious increase (Table 1) among majority of them. THE share of GDP among observed countries in 2012 was highest in Albania, with almost two and the half times larger share than in 1995. Romania, Serbia, and Bulgaria recorded about 1.5 fold higher share, while Greece, Bosnia, and Herzegovina and Montenegro remained at the same level as in 1995, comparing selected indicator. Exceptions were Croatia and The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYRM), with minor decrease. Possible explanations could be decline in the number of births, an increase in the mortality of younger aged people during the war and negative migration trends. Those could have influenced on stagnation of the growth of THE as percentage of GDP in Croatia (2), while FYRM is a country with more than 25% of the population living in poverty and with an unemployment rate in the country of over 30% (3). On the other hand, growth in health spending as a proportion of GDP contribute to the problem of economic and fiscal sustainability where health system revenue is insufficient to meet growing health obligations (4). This scenario is even more obvious in countries with shrinking economies.

Dispersion Coefficient Prediction Using Empirical Models and ANNs

The concentration of a conservative pollutant is changed along a river, as a result of transport processes. The dispersion coefficient is the most important parameter of mass transport in rivers. In this paper, the dispersion coefficient was estimated in a section of Axios River, with the analytical procedure of Fischer method, under different hydrological and hydrodynamic conditions. An empirical equation and a model of artificial neural networks (ANNs) for dispersion coefficient were proposed, based on the data estimated with analytical Fischer method. The dispersion coefficients predicted by the proposed models and other empirical equations reported in earlier studies were compared to the coefficients obtained in the present study. The most accurate equations for dispersion coefficient were used to predict the concentration of conservative toxic pollutants released instantaneously in Axios River upstream of the border of Greece-Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

Transitional Justice Processes and Reconciliation in the Former Yugoslavia: Challenges and Prospects

This article aims to assess the achievements and challenges facing the transitional justice processes that have taken place in the countries most affected by the armed conflicts resulting in the violent dissolution of the former Yugoslavia and whether, and to what extent, these processes have furthered inter-ethnic reconciliation. The two variables used for this purpose are the scope of individual criminal accountability for war crimes and the scope of reparations provided to victims of the armed conflicts occurring throughout the 1990s and in the early 2000s. The following analysis combines an assessment of relevant international and domestic efforts. Thus, first, the article analyses the impact of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY or tribunal) in the transitional justice processes in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosnia or BiH), the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (Macedonia), Serbia, and Kosovo. Over the last 20 years the tribunal has investigated and prosecuted a considerable number of individuals for mass atrocity crimes. Subsequently, the focus shifts to assessing the domestic efforts surrounding the prosecution of war crimes and awarding of reparations for victims of the armed conflicts in these countries. The article argues that lack of sufficient coordination and close cooperation between international stakeholders and a general reticence on the part of the national authorities to engage meaningfully with past wrongs have resulted in a situation where many perpetrators of war crimes remain unpunished and individual victims have barely received any reparations. The article holds that for the ongoing transitional justice processes to meaningfully further inter-ethnic reconciliation in the republics emerging from the former Yugoslavia, continued legal reforms and a pluralistic public discourse, which embrace a strong focus on the rights of victims of war crimes, are necessary.

The Flag Bearer of Slovenian Nationalism Knocked Out? The Rise and Fall of the Slovenian National Party

Abstract This paper analyses the role of the Slovenian National Party (SNS) within the context of Slovenian political system and Slovenian nationalism and national identity. The development of the party is described and its politics is analysed. Special attention is paid to the issue of the so-called “erased” people (citizens from other former republics of Yugoslavia with permanent residence in Slovenia without Slovenian citizenship), which represents an important mobilisation theme of the SNS. The position of the SNS within the Slovenian and international extreme-right spectrum is explained.

International Administration of Kosovo as a Driving Factor in Appearance of Trafficking in Human Beings

Opinions, stances of the Albanian community about self-determination and the political demands for an independent political and territorial status of Kosovo by various colonial regimes, are longstanding. The disintegration of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) was followed with wars among its constituent parts, and after the international military intervention, the peace was established in the region. By the Resolution 1244 of the Security Council of the UNO, in its 4001 meeting, adopted in June 1999, Kosovo was set under the international civil administration, which was accompanied by the deployment of military defence structure of KFOR, reaching a number of 35 000 soldiers, and the UNMIK civilian structure comprising a staff of 15 000 officials. A lot of various international non-governmental and governmental organizations were also deployed to Kosovo, which tremendously increased the presence of persons with origin of other countries. Such a situation created some favourable conditions for the criminal groups in order to expand the phenomenon of trafficking in persons to such a place as Kosovo being until 1999, trafficking in persons appeared on a low capacity and dynamics, and mainly as a transitional country with the intent of sexual use, while domestic trafficking was still unknown. However, this criminal phenomenon has been constantly increasing and reaching a concerning level, especially after 1999, on the occasion of setting Kosovo under the international administration by the UNO, the territory of Kosovo was no longer considered only a transitional country but also as destination location for the victims of trafficking in persons. The introduction and prevalence of this criminal phenomenon is as a result of Kosovo getting opened to the world, the organization of national criminal groups in cooperation with international organized criminal network. Undoubtedly, the increased number of persons originating from other countries as personnel of the international organizations to Kosovo contributed in increasing the number of trafficking in persons, because it was established that many potential clients using victims sexually were foreign citizens. Moreover, the lack of legal infrastructure on the combat and prevention of trafficking in persons as defined by international legal acts. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n2s5p315

THE CULTURE OF COEXISTENCE AND PERCEPTION OF THE OTHER IN THE WESTERN BALKANS

Throughout the 550 year Ottoman rule over the Balkan lands, where even today internal dynamics threaten peace and justice, how and through what means the Ottoman Empire achieved consistency, security and peace is a question to which a number of political scientists, sociologists, communication scientists and history researchers have sought an answer. The most interesting point of the question is that the peoples of the Balkans, a living museum comprising a number of different ethnic groups and religious beliefs, have reached the point where the culture of coexistence has been internalised and dynamics have moved from the conflict of identities to cultural integration. The Balkans are a bridge to the East from Europe and indeed to the West from Turkey, incorporating a patchwork political and cultural geography, the geopolitical location and a richness of culture and civilization, being one of the areas attracting the attention of researchers from different disciplines and capturing the imagination of the peoples of the world throughout history. Balkan studies are almost as difficult as climbing the peaks in the areas and meaningful answers cannot be reached by defining the area on a single parameter such as language, culture or traditions, while the phenomenon of the other can also be observed within the culture of coexistence in this intricate and significant location. Different ethnic groups with different cultures, such as the Southern Slavs (Bosniaks, Montenegrans, Serbs, Croats and Slovenes) as well as Turks, Albanians, Bulgarians, Balkan Jews, Balkan Romany and Wallachians (Romanians and Greeks). Although these peoples may have different religious beliefs, in the ethnically rich Balkan region, religion, language, political and cultural differences are vital in the formation of a mosaic, making the discourse of coexistence possible and creating common values and loyalties, breaking down differences. The Serbian and Montenegrin peoples, belonging to the Greek Orthodox Church, the Croat and Slovene peoples belonging to the Catholic Church and the Muslin Bosniaks have shared the same lands and livee in coexistence throughout the historical process, despite having different beliefs. However, in some periods the other and the perception of the other have replaced common values, leading to conflicts of interest, unrest and religion based wars. After the breakup of the Yugoslavian Federal Socialist Republic, Slovenia, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo, defined by the European Union as the Western Balkans, have established themselves as nation states of the stage of history. The scope of our study is these Western Balkan Countries, and we will use the terminology Western Balkans throughout.

Circulation of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia revealed by screening of cattle sera using a novel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

BackgroundThere are only few assays available for the detection of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus (CCHFV)-specific antibodies in animals, and data about diagnostic sensitivity and specificity are incompletely documented for most of these tests. This is unfortunate since CCHFV antibodies in animals can be used as indicator for virus circulation in a geographic area and therewith potential risk of human exposure. This paper therefore reports on a novel ELISA for the detection of CCHFV-specific antibodies in cattle and on its application for testing ruminant sera from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.Principal FindingsA highly sensitive and specific ELISA was developed to detect CCHFV-specific IgG antibodies in cattle. The assay was validated by using 503 negative serum samples from a country where CCHFV has never been detected until now, and by using 54 positive serum samples. The positive sera were verified by using two commercially available assays (for testing human serum) which we have adapted for use in animals. The sensitivity of the novel ELISA was 98% and its specificity 99%. The presence of Hyalomma ticks was demonstrated in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and depending on the region antibody prevalence rates up to 80% were detected in the cattle population.ConclusionThis article describes a fully validated, highly sensitive and specific ELISA for the detection of CCHFV-specific IgG antibodies in cattle. Using this assay, CCHFV-specific antibodies were detected for the first time in cattle in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, giving evidence for an active circulation of this virus in the country. Supporting this conclusion, the occurrence of the main vector of CCHFV was demonstrated in the present work for the first time in Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

A case study on strains of Buša cattle structured into a metapopulation to show the potential for use of single-nucleotide polymorphism genotyping in the management of small, cross-border populations of livestock breeds and varieties.

A case study on strains of Buša cattle structured into a metapopulation to show the potential for use of single-nucleotide polymorphism genotyping in the management of small, cross-border populations of livestock breeds and varieties.

Economic Growth and Openness in Transition: A Study of Western Balkans

More than two decades have passed since the collapse of communist regimes that ruled in all of the Western Balkan countries. The list of these countries includes the Republic of Albania and all countries that were part of the Former Yugoslavian Republic, except Slovenia. Only one of these countries, Croatian, reached the goal of integration to European Union. Other countries are still in their late transition journeys which aim membership to EU. This study aims to investigate the link between openness and economic growth in the Western Balkan Countries currently in transition. While the common sense indicates that openness impacts positively in the economic growth, many theoretical and empirical studies cannot fully reject or approve this statement. Even though that the majority of these studies advocate positive impact of openness in economic growth, many other prominent studies have found the opposite result or that there exist no link between these two indicators. Data set used in the empirical analysis is a panel data set for the period 2005 to 2013 from three important countries: the Republic of Albania, the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Serbia. While applying a multi regression model with dependent variable the Gross Domestic Product Quarterly Growth Rate and as dependent variables the current and previous quarterly percentage change of trade volume. The main result of this study is that the openness has a significant positive impact into the economic growth of Western Balkan countries in transition. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v4n1p423

Ticks (Acari: Argasidae, Ixodidae) parasitizing bats in the central Balkans.

Ticks parasitizing bats have been largely understudied, especially in the central part of the Balkan Peninsula, where the last data from the field research date from almost 25years ago. Bats are hosts to a large number of ectoparasites, including ticks, which can act as vectors of zoonotic agents. For this reason, it is important to identify the distribution of ticks and their relationship to different hosts, including wild animals, bats in particular. The present research was conducted at 16 localities throughout Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). We examined 475 individuals of bats belonging to 13 species. A total of three tick species were identified, I. simplex being the most numerous and widespread, followed by I. vespertilionis and A. vespertilionis. To the best of our knowledge, the presented data include the first records of I. simplex in Serbia and Montenegro, I. vespertilionis for Montenegro and A. vespertilionis in FYROM. Also, we identify a new possible host/parasite association between I. simplex and Rhinolophus euryale.

Phylogeny and biogeography of three new species of Niphargus (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from Greece

Three new freshwater Amphipods of the family Niphargidae G. Karaman, 1962 are described from subterranean waters of Greece, Niphargus aitolosi sp. nov., Niphargus karkabounasi sp. nov. and Niphargus koukourasi sp. nov. Phylogenetic analysis based on 28S rDNA and H3 genes suggests that N. aitolosi sp. nov. belongs to N. longicaudatus species-complex. Species from that complex are distributed along both sides of Adriatic Sea and share roughly similar morphology, including the newly described species from Greece. Niphargus karkabounasi sp. nov., the second new species, belongs to a clade distributed broadly across Europe and the Middle East. Many species of this group, including N. karkabounasi, are small and likely live in small crevices. The third species, Niphargus koukourasi sp.nov. is phylogenetically related and morphologically similar to N. sanctinaumi and N. maximus from Lake Ohrid on the border of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Albania. In addition, this group of species may be related to species collected from Iran.

Labor Income Tax and Output in a Panel of Central and Eastern European Countries: A Long-Run Perspective

The goal of this empirical paper is to investigate the impact of labor income taxes on long-run output. The study makes use of annual data from seven European South-Eastern countries, i.e., Albania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Hungary, Romania, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia, spanning the period 1999–2012, along with the methodology of panel cointegration. The empirical findings display that there exists a negative and statistically significant correlation between labor income taxes and output in the long-run. The implications seem crucial for designing an efficient and growth oriented fiscal policy in the countries that plan to join the Eurozone at a future point of time.

Sociodemographic characteristics of the elderly forced migrants in Serbia

In the context of the needs and rights of older migrants, migration history is particularly important where the elderly forced migrants are twice as vulnerable. Bearing in mind the intense process of population aging in Serbia which holds the attention of scientists and experts, and the large number of refugees who immigrated in the 90-ies from the former Yugoslav republics, selected sociodemographic structures of the elderly forced migrants in Serbia were analyzed as well as the relevant legal and strategic framework. The aim was to contribute to increasing knowledge of the demographic challenges of this subpopulation of forced migrants, as well as the differences relative to the domicile aging population. The data used in this study included a contingent of forced migrants aged 65 and over, on the basis of additionally processed Census data from 2011, based on questions about the place of birth of the person, year of arrival, the country in which the person lived and the reasons for migration. Hence, the category which is the subject of research, is not defined on the basis of formal refugee status. A comparison of selected sociodemographic characteristics was made in relation to the domicile population, which in the paper means the population of Serbia without forced migrants. The research results indicate that older forced migrants in Serbia have characteristics of the general population of older people in Serbia. Their age gender and marital structures are relatively similar. Most older women are widows who are heads of households, while a significant number are persons with disabilities as well. However, the process of aging of the elderly, present within the local population has not affected forced migrants yet, so this population is to some extent more vital. Data on the economic activity of the elderly forced migrants in Serbia point out to the lack of income as the main problem they are faced with. Older forced migrants are economically active to a lesser extent compared to the domicile elderly population, while the major differences between the two subgroups of the population are observed among the economically inactive persons. There is a noticeable smaller share of pensioners and a significantly higher share of persons who perform only housework in their households of elderly forced migrants than for the domicile aging population, largely owing to the female population. This can be explained by the lower level of female employment of forced migrants in countries of origin but could also result from the circumstances of exile. Single person elderly households of forced migrants are twice as vulnerable in economic terms than the domicile one, which confirms the high dependence of these groups of older migrants on financial aid. The lack of income of one part of the elderly forced migrants is a consequence of the unresolved issue of pension payments from Croatia, as most of the older forced migrants in Serbia are people from that former republic of Yugoslavia. The older forced migrants in Serbia from the former Yugoslav republics are relatively few in number, but a sensitive population that has legally integrated into the community since 2001 and is facing the same challenges as the local elderly population. Due to the circumstances of refugeeism in Serbia, these persons, as opposed to older migrants in other countries, have no linguistic or cultural barriers that could potentially hinder their integration within society but also within the social welfare and health care. However, although they have all legal rights as the local population, refugeeism gives a specific earmark to the social aspects of aging of these persons, and hinders their integration into economic and social life.

Comparative analysis of the number of sheep in FYR and some European countries

Sheep farming in Serbia, from year to year, notices a descending course in number of sheep, as well as in production of milk and meat. The main objective of this paper is the analysis of the number of sheep in Serbia and the surrounding countries (FYR). By comparing the current state of the total number of sheep (in 2011) with the state in the former Yugoslavia, the result shown is that there are 66% less sheep in Serbia compared to the total number seen in 1967 (base year). Compared to the last census from 2012, there is an increased number of sheep in Serbia, compared to previous year (2011) by 18.4%. Other former Yugoslav republics (FYR) also have a decrease in the total number of sheep: in Bosnia and Herzegovina by 76.5%, in Montenegro by 64.3%, in Croatia by 41.3%, in Macedonia by 63.5% compared to 1967 (base year), except for Slovenia, which has an increase in the total number of sheep by 83,000 head of cattle. In paper is given overview of the number of sheep for some European countries and for some part of world, in purpose of comparison with sheep state in FYR.

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia : 2015 Article IV Consultation - Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

This 2015 Article IV Consultation highlights that the economic recovery of Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has strengthened. Real GDP growth accelerated to 3.8 percent in 2014, from 2.7 percent in 2013. Strong growth was attributed to double-digit growth in investment driven by activities in the Technological Industrial Development Zones and public infrastructure, as well as strong private consumption supported by robust credit growth and improving labor market conditions. GDP growth in 2015 is expected to moderate to 3.2 percent, with significant downside risks. A derailment of recent political agreement could negatively impact economic sentiment and growth.

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: Staff Report for the Fourth Review Under the Post Program Monitoring Discussions; and Press Release

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: Staff Report for the Fourth Review Under the Post Program Monitoring Discussions; and Press Release

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia : Selected Issues

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia : Selected Issues