This Guide was prepared by the Governance Global Practice Rule of law in ECA group in cooperation with YUCOM, a Serbian human rights NGOs. It aims at promoting access to justice in Serbia and strengthen legal literacy, especially among small business owners and the poorer sectors of society who cannot afford legal representation.
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Doing Business in the European Union 2017 focuses on business regulations and their enforcement in five Doing Business areas. It goes beyond Sofia, Budapest and Bucharest to benchmark 19 additional cities.
... Exibir mais + The annual Doing Business report aims to draw attention to how red tape affects small and medium-size businesses and encourage governments to look outward to learn from global good practices. This report highlights differences both among and within countries. Differences in regulatory performance across locations can help national and local policy makers to identify priority areas for reform and to find good practices that can guide the way forward. Good local and global practices are identified throughout the report, as well as opportunities for regulatory reform in each country. The study’s results are revealing: the gap between the benchmarked cities is significant, even within the same country—with the biggest regulatory differences found within Bulgaria and Romania. Yet each country also has cities that are world class in at least one area. This study will benefit our partner countries as a tool to promote competition between the cities and regions, to encourage peer learning, and to inspire policy makers to improve the ease of doing business in their jurisdictions. Small administrative improvements can make a big difference in the life of small firms—unlike larger businesses that face the same bureaucratic inefficiencies, they do not have access to the resources and skills needed to get better and faster service.
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The objective of this paper is to develop a way to monitor and track progress on social inclusion of vulnerable groups in Hungary, particularly among marginalized Roma communities.
... Exibir mais + This approach will enable stakeholders to track the status of social inclusion at the sub regional level, and can serve as a feedback mechanism on whether projects cosponsored by the European structural and investment funds (ESIF) are sufficiently targeted to disadvantaged areas. The paper builds on various Hungarian attempts to draft indicator sets to find and subsequently gear European Union (EU) - funded projects toward areas with the poorest social inclusion outcomes. This report takes stock of different exercises undertaken with Hungarian data to map, target, track, and monitor some aspects of social exclusion at different levels of disaggregation. The authors present four such attempts to: (i) map marginalized communities; (ii) target the most disadvantaged micro regions; (iii) track selected social inclusion goals; and (iv) model at risk of poverty (AROP) rates at the micro regional level. The report examines what has been done in international practice in terms of selecting and collecting indicators that measure social inclusion. The report describes the method and process of indicator selection for Hungary. The concluding section summarizes the dilemmas associated with dynamically measuring social change in the Hungarian context, and presents development project parameters that should be continuously followed in order to enable tracking and (limited) monitoring.
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The report is structured as follows: section two offers a brief snapshot of Hungary’s macroeconomic situation and the most prominent equal opportunity challenges currently facing the country.
... Exibir mais + This provides the backdrop for the presentation of the equal opportunity planning, implementation, and monitoring framework in section three. This is followed by an institutional ‘gap analysis’ on the key challenges that arise in the context of planning and implementing equal opportunity plans. The gap analysis details the roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders at the central, district, and local level, followed by an assessment of the key challenges that municipalities encountered during LEPs’ planning and initial implementation phases. The objectives of sections five and six are to learn from experiences both inside and outside of Hungary. Section five presents recent experiences and lessons from Central Europe regarding approaches to facilitate the planning and delivery of integrated social inclusion interventions at the local level. Section six turns the focus back to Hungary and establishes a proposed set of common basic criteria to assess and identify social inclusion best practices at the local level. It presents the main findings from the set of case studies that were produced for this report. These case studies showcase local experiences with the implementation of social inclusion activities, from high- and low-capacity urban areas as well as rural localities. A ‘spotlight’ on the social economy provides some background on this widely referenced, and often misunderstood, concept and identifies some global lessons as well as experiences from Hungary. Section seven presents the main findings regarding how the three key bottlenecks related to LEP planning and implementation, and offers three comprehensive recommendations to improve the role LEPs can play in safeguarding equal opportunities at the local level. Each of the three recommendations contains an overview of the intended objectives, key elements that need to be implemented, and an overview of expected costs and benefits.
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The Handbook was developed with several key audiences in mind. Firstly, and most importantly, it is intended for local governments which have relatively large number of residents in the equal opportunity target groups or other disadvantaged groups within their administrative areas.
... Exibir mais + The second target audience of this Handbook is comprised of municipal employees and civil professionals responsible for the preparation, implementation and organization of the local delivery of social services. Two key consideration guided the focus on the Handbook in this context: (i) the Hungarian local government system is extremely heterogeneous by nature and as a consequence, (ii) the local level obligations vary greatly depending on the size of the settlement. The Handbook therefore focuses on the challenges and opportunities of those local governments and related stakeholders that have the relevant primary care capacities and apparatus. Primary care capacities means that these local governments run more than just the basic social services (child day care facilities up to primary education and access to basic healthcare facilities). More specifically, the focus is on those local governments that are in charge of a more comprehensive set of some social, educational and health services and that also receive funding for the implementation of employment initiatives. The target audience in this context is the staff which is responsible for designing and running these services. Having made this caveat, the Handbook still provides useful clues for smaller municipalities, particularly with regard to how they can best facilitate access to relevant services that are available within the communities’ vicinity i.e. are provided by higher-tier government agencies - which often proves to be the most pragmatic way to address service gaps.
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The objective of this paper is to develop a way to monitor and track progress on social inclusion of vulnerable groups in Hungary, particularly among marginalized Roma communities.
... Exibir mais + This approach will enable stakeholders to track the status of social inclusion at the sub-regional level, and can serve as a feedback mechanism on whether projects cosponsored by the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) are sufficiently targeted to disadvantaged areas. The second part of this report takes stock of different exercises undertaken with Hungarian data to map, target, track, and monitor some aspects of social exclusion at different levels of disaggregation. The report then examines what has been done in international practice in terms of selecting and collecting indicators that measure social inclusion. This part relies heavily on Labonte et al. (2011), who conducted a meta-analysis of such attempts in the United Kingdom, France, Australia, and across Europe. These examples from around the world focused primarily on collecting indicators of social exclusion at the national level, and not at a highly disaggregated subnational level (which is the objective of this exercise). In addition, international attempts to measure progress toward social inclusion did not attempt to track progress on a regular basis, be it annually or even every few years. Finally, the report describes the method and process of indicator selection for Hungary. We also identify gaps and articulate remaining research needs. The concluding section summarizes the dilemmas associated with dynamically measuring social change in the Hungarian context, and proposes development project parameters that should be continuously followed in order to enable tracking and (limited) monitoring.
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The European Union (EU) sets the policy framework for municipal solid waste management that drives reform initiatives in new EU member states and candidate countries.
... Exibir mais + The EU policies, implementation targets, and grant funding establish the enabling environment that transforms the solid waste management sector in Bulgaria, Croatia, Poland, and Romania. The EU directives guide member states towards agreed targets without prescribing in detail how specific measures should be implemented. Various directives establish the legal framework for solid waste management; provide specifics, and an implementation timetable: these include the waste framework directive, the landfill directive, and the waste incineration directive. This study analyzes progress in Bulgaria, Croatia, Poland, and Romania; and identifies important shortcomings towards meeting the requirements of the EU acquis communautaire. All four countries have had access to large amounts of assistance from EU programs and European financial institutions, which for the most part remain unspent. The study identifies strengths and weaknesses in the national institutional arrangements; scrutinizes sector economics and financing, including how current incentive mechanisms affect the medium-to long-term sector financial sustainability; and finally, extracts lessons learned on how to address key issues and optimize sector performance.
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Outro estudo sobre o setor público 60078 APR 01, 2011
The purpose of local economic development (LED) is to build up the economic capacity of a local area in order to improve its economic future and the quality of life for all.
... Exibir mais + It is a process by which public, business, and non-governmental sector partners work collectively to create better conditions for economic growth and employment generation. The success of a community today depends upon its ability to adapt to the dynamic local, national, and international market economy. Strategically planned LED is increasingly used by communities to strengthen the local economic capacity of an area, improve the investment climate, and increase the productivity and competitiveness of local businesses, entrepreneurs and workers. The ability of communities to improve the quality of life, create new economic opportunities and fight poverty depends upon them being able to understand the processes of LED, and act strategically in the changing and increasingly competitive market economy. This Primer highlights examples of good practice in local economic development strategic planning and implementation, and draws on the lessons and experiences gained from the Cities of Change local economic development network as well as experiences from other programs across the globe.
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In recent years, a number of experiments have been undertaken in Hungary with alternative approaches to secondary school education for Roma children.
... Exibir mais + This report examines six different institutions which have aimed at helping Roma children make the transition from basic to secondary school, and improving their performance and future opportunities in education and on the labor market. The purpose of this report was to document and examine the experiences of these secondary schools in Hungary in improving the academic achievement of Roma secondary school students and increasing job and university placement. Characteristics of the schools and their approaches can be incorporated into mainstream public schools and/or schools which focus on education for Roma students and other disadvantaged groups. Many of the ingredients of success identified in the study, including involving parents, supporting students outside of the classroom, and incorporating multicultural approaches to education have the potential to improve the quality and inclusiveness of education systems as a whole, to the benefit of the entire population.
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Documento de Trabalho (Série Numerada) 23027 SEP 30, 2001
Hungary's economic performance improved dramatically in the second half of the 1990s as a result of strong stabilization measures and deep structural reforms.
... Exibir mais + During this period, Hungary was able to move from economic stagnation to strong growth, while also dramatically improving its external accounts. This report is composed of two parts. Part 1 is summary report with the main findings and conclusions. Part 2 is the main report that provides an analysis and assessment of the macroeconomic framework, the medium-term fiscal stance, and selected sectors and markets of the Hungarian economy. Hungary is regarded as a top performer among transitional countries, and one of the strongest candidates for accession to the European Union (EU). The country needs to refine the regulatory and institutional framework in structural areas, so as to achieve full compliance with EU directives and ensure a smooth and successful entry into the single EU market. The report concludes that the challenge facing Hungary today is consolidate stabilization gains and finalize the structural reforms to ensure that the economy remains competitive and that income is placed on a rapid and sustainable convergence path with the EU average.
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Hungary's economic performance improved dramatically in the second half of the 1990s as a result of strong stabilization measures and deep structural reforms.
... Exibir mais + During this period, Hungary was able to move from economic stagnation to strong growth, while also dramatically improving its external accounts. This report is composed of two parts. Part 1 is summary report with the main findings and conclusions. Part 2 is the main report that provides an analysis and assessment of the macroeconomic framework, the medium-term fiscal stance, and selected sectors and markets of the Hungarian economy. Hungary is regarded as a top performer among transitional countries, and one of the strongest candidates for accession to the European Union (EU). The country needs to refine the regulatory and institutional framework in structural areas, so as to achieve full compliance with EU directives and ensure a smooth and successful entry into the single EU market. The report concludes that the challenge facing Hungary today is consolidate stabilization gains and finalize the structural reforms to ensure that the economy remains competitive and that income is placed on a rapid and sustainable convergence path with the EU average.
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Besides the often asked questions on smokers' health related risks, and cost-bearing of their consumption choices, the report examines basically, the economic questions that policymakers should address when contemplating tobacco control, and, explores options for governments, in light of justified intervention decisions.
... Exibir mais + Following a careful analysis in the global trends of tobacco use, the report assesses the consequences of tobacco control for health, economies, and individuals. It further demonstrates how the economic fears, deterring policymakers from taking action, are largely unfounded: policies reducing tobacco demand, such as the increase in tobacco taxes, will not only, not cause long-term job losses, nor, will it reduce tax revenues, but rather, bring unprecedented health benefits without harming economies. Finally, an agenda for action is provided, on how to overcome the political barriers against change, with suggestions for research into the causes, consequences, and costs of smoking at national and regional levels. The report makes two recommendations: strategic action should be taken in a variety of aspects to curb the tobacco epidemic; and international organizations should review existing programs/policies, to ensure due prominence in tobacco control.
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The health status of Roma people is worse than that of non-Roma people. Roma are a minority group historically at risk of infections and epidemics.
... Exibir mais + However, in the past 20 years the number of illnesses has decreased, and today Romas have no more illnesses than non-Romas of the same social status. Currently most infectious diseases among Romas result from unsatisfactory hygienic conditions. These diseases are especially prevalent among Romas living in Roma settlements, which often lack modern sanitary facilities. Addictive illnesses--including alcoholism, smoking, and drug consumption--are widespread among Romas. The most frequent respiratory diseases among Romas are emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Incidence of cancer is extremely high, although data are not yet available. Many Roma people suffer from hunger and malnourishment--problems that may affect the health of future generations as well. The health status of Romas is similar to that of other poor people living in the same (marginalized) social circumstances. Further research should investigate however, whether Roma people have any health characteristics not shared by other poor people in these social circumstances.
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Documento de Trabalho (Série Numerada) 23138 JAN 01, 1999
