Remittances were calculated to be approximately $318 billion in 2007, which is an increase of three times the amount of $102 billion in 1995, having these funds to become the second largest type of flows after foreign direct investment. The South-Eastern and Eastern-European countries welcomed 12% of the world’s remittances inflows in 2007, totalling $37 billion. The impact of remittances on financial development of the South-Eastern and Eastern-European countries for the period 1994 – 2007 is studied and it is examined whether these funds contribute to increasing the aggregate level of deposits and credits intermediated by the local banking sector. Financial development is measured in two ways, either as bank deposits or as bank credits to private investors. In order to analyze this effect panel data analysis is performed. Fixed effect regressions are performed to test for the effect of remittances on bank deposits and bank credits to private investors. The findings indicate that remittances have a robust positive effect on promoting financial development in South-Eastern and Eastern-European countries. It is observed that the effect on bank deposits is less robust than the effect on bank credits to private investors.

<p>Remittances were calculated to be approximately $318 billion in 2007, which is an increase of three times the amount of $102 billion in 1995, having these funds to become the second largest type of flows after foreign direct investment. The South-Eastern and Eastern-European countries welcomed 12% of the world’s remittances inflows in 2007, totalling $37 billion.</p><p>The impact of remittances on financial development of the South-Eastern and Eastern-European countries for the period 1994 – 2007 is studied and it is examined whether these funds contribute to increasing the aggregate level of deposits and credits intermediated by the local banking sector. Financial development is measured in two ways, either as bank deposits or as bank credits to private investors.</p><p>In order to analyze this effect panel data analysis is performed. Fixed effect regressions are performed to test for the effect of remittances on bank deposits and bank credits to private investors. The findings indicate that remittances have a robust positive effect on promoting financial development in South-Eastern and Eastern-European countries. It is observed that the effect on bank deposits is less robust than the effect on bank credits to private investors.</p>

Development of Nuptiality in European countries since 1960 Abstract The aim of this thesis is to assess the development of marriage since 1960 and determine whether there has been convergence of nuptial behavior in European Union countries along with Switzerland and Norway. Convergence of nuptial behavior was evaluated, primarily on the basis of intensity indicator and the timing of marriage. The results show that the extension of the second demographic transition in all countries brings similar trends like reducing the intensity of marriage and postponement of marriage to a later age. Four countries were selected, the Czech Republic, Finland, France and Hungary. In these countries, convergence of nuptial behavior since 1990 were more analyzed. Development of attitudes towards marriage was studied in order to find out how the value changes contributed to changes in marriage behavior as suggested by the second demographic transition. In the Czech Republic and Hungary opinions have changed the most when it comes to marriage. The most liberal state was France and on the other hand, marriage in Finland was still attractive. These results correspond well with the development of marriage in individual states. Finally, using binary logistic regression we identified characteristics of people that increase the...

The diploma thesis deals with the conditions of the principal office entrance and the training required in selected European countries. In the theoretical part the thesis deals with the current situation of principals, the possible professional support and preparation needed before the post entrance. It also follows up the role of principals, their competencies and the process of acquisition and selection of principals. The selection of first-rate principals and their training can influence the effectiveness of the school and the quality of education provided. Due to this, the entrance conditions and their preparation were inquired. The process of acquisition, selection and preparation of principals was described and compared in the case of selected European countries from 1994 to 2012. The results provided show the changing role of school principals, the growing workload requirements principals have to deal with, the growing meaning of preparation and education of future principals and the necessity to attract talented leaders. Even though the entrance conditions are different in distinct European countries, some issues they deal with are similar. Owing to this, the results can provide stimuli and inspiration for current and future principals and for everybody interested in education. KEYWORDS:...

This thesis examines the bilateral trade between Vietnam and twenty three European countries based on a gravity model and panel data for years 1993 to 2004. Estimates indicate that economic size, market size and real exchange rate of Vietnam and twenty three European countries play major role in bilateral trade between Vietnam and these countries. Distance and history, however, do not seem to drive the bilateral trade. The results of gravity model are also applied to calculate the trade potential between Vietnam and twenty three European countries. It shows that Vietnam’s trade with twenty three European countries has considerable room for growth.

This thesis occupies with analysis of indebtedness of households in the Czech Republic at the bank institutions and this results compare with indebtedness of households in the other Central European countries, namely in Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and Austria. It focuses also on effect of the financial crisis on development of indebtedness in household's sector and mainly on their ability to pay for their debts. The target of this thesis is the evaluation, if the size and development of indebtedness is in the Czech Republic already excessive and poses a threat to financial stability of bank institutions or if the current development of household's indebtedness isn't detrimental to banking market and economical development in the Czech Republic.

The purpose of this thesis is to introduce theoretical and analytical approaches to mortality convergence and divergence tendencies and assessment of these tendencies in the European area since late 1950s using selected analytical tools. In the considered period fundamental changes in mortality development in Europe were observed. The theoretical part of this study deals with the assumptions of mortality convergence and divergence which are included in significant demographic theories and concepts. In the practical part of this thesis, there are analyzed convergence and divergence tendencies of life expectancy at birth in 28 European countries between the years 1959 and 2009 using selected basic statistical characteristics of variability as well as of indicators that consider state population size. Divergence tendencies of mortality since the 1970s are documented and quantified, the specific development of convergence and divergence from the mortality point of view in post-communist states at the end of the 20th century is observed. Next, possibilities of future convergence of mortality in the Czech Republic to states with more favorable initial mortality conditions on the basis of the development of life expectancy at the exact age of 65 in the period 1990-2009 are evaluated. According to this approach,...

In the early 2000s when several Central and East European countries (CEECs) negotiated their accession to the European Union (EU), they introduced foreign aid policy despite most of them being aid recipient countries at the time. This thesis seeks to explain the evolution of foreign aid policy in two Central and Eastern European countries that took divergent paths in adopting the policy, Slovenia and Latvia. While Slovenia evolved into a relatively active donor country among the CEECs, Latvia’s aid policy developed relatively slowly and aid allocations were smaller. The thesis approaches this subject from the perspective of the ‘Europeanisation East’ literature that seeks to explain policy adoption in the CEECs in terms of EU influence. The literature is divided on how to explain the policy adoption processes in the CEECs. Rationalists, on the one hand, stress the role played by external incentives, in particular the conditions the EU imposed on the CEECs for them to be admitted to the EU, known as EU conditionality. Rationalists also note the role of domestic veto players who can delay or even stop adoption of the policy if it incurs high adoption costs upon them. Constructivists, on the other hand, explain policy adoption in terms of identification and social influence, policy resonance, or the presence of influential norm entrepreneurs. In an important study, Schimmelfennig and Sedelmeier (2005) concluded that most of the policy adoption processes can be explained by the overwhelming influence of EU conditionality, thus downplaying constructivist explanations. This thesis examines whether their finding can be applied to the adoption of foreign aid policy in the preaccession period (1998-2004). It focuses on the role of EU as well as domestic factors in the policy adoption processes. It then explores what factors account for further developments in the policy adoption processes in the period after the CEECs acceded to the EU (2004-2010). The empirical basis of this study consists of a series of interviews with policy makers and civil society representatives in the two countries. The findings in these interviews have been checked against and triangulated with an encompassing examination of policy documents and archival material. The main findings about the pre-accession period indicate that EU conditionality indeed played an important role in foreign aid policy adoption, but so did identification and social influence. Hence policy adoption costs and the efforts of veto players could not delay policy adoption. In the post-accession period, it is argued here, the further policy adoption processes can largely be explained by identification and social influence. Nevertheless, veto players and adoption costs, as well as policy resonance, did emerge as constraining factors in the policy processes. All in all, the thesis argues that the policy adoption processes can be explained best by a combination of both Constructivist and Rationalist theories and that role of domestic factors should not be neglected in research into EU influence on the new member states.

This paper estimates a labor demand equation based on the panel data of manufacturing industry in the Central and Eastern European Countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, and Romania) in order to test the effect of domestic factors (wages and output) and international factors (exports, imports, and FDI) on employment during the era of post -transition recovery. The findings indicate that employment does not respond to wages in more than half of the cases. The output elasticity of labor demand is mostly positive, but low, with a number of cases where employment is completely de-linked from output. An impressive speed of integration to the European economic sphere through FDI and international trade has not prevented job losses in the manufacturing industry. While there are very few cases of positive effects, insignificant effects of trade and FDI dominate the findings with some evidence of negative effects as well. (author's abstract) / Series: Department of Economics Working Paper Series

Based on earlier empirical literature for Central and Eastern European Countries this paper attempts to analyze the likely impact of changes in corporate income taxes, in the endowment with production-related material infrastructure and in the institutional environment on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) - and thus on one channel of regional development in South Eastern European Countries (SEECs). Specifically, we explore the scope for public policy to attract FDI separated by these three policy areas and across the SEECs. Our findings suggest that the potential for SEECs to attract FDI upon changes in these policy areas varies not only substantially between the three policy areas but also within the group of SEECs. Yet, as a general picture, most SEECs have substantial scope to attract FDI by improving their institutional environment as well as their infrastructure endowment. The tax instrument, in contrast, is largely exhausted as a means to attract FDI. Based on these findings some medium- and long-term policy issues are outlined.