Retirement System of the Slovak Republic is composed of two main pillars, which are different from the way they recognize pension benefits. While the first pillar is based on solidarity, the second pillar of the pension system to the fore merit. This thesis seeks to assess the functioning of both these pillars, their most important challenges and opportunities of maintaining the pension system. The maintenance of the pension system is also connected to the main objective of the work, which is the second pillar of the impact on the government deficit, namely the Social Insurance Agency.

Visegrád countries were forced to adopt a widespread pension reform due to demographic facts. This reform led to the creation of the 2nd pillar. This thesis deals with this new funded pillar, which should facilitate the financing of the PAYG system (1st pillar). Using comparative analysis I reveal why all of Visegrád countries reduce 2nd pillar after several years of its functioning. The most common reason for this reducing was an effort to improve the unsatisfactory situation of public finances. The abolition of 2nd pillar actually leads to a certain improvement of public debt and deficit, but this positive effect is only short-term. More specifically I focus on the arguments of the Government for the abolition of the funded pillar in the Czech Republic, which I consider largely baseless. I also discuss the possible impacts of the reducing of the 2nd pillar. Currently, the countries of V4 try to save their pension systems using the 3rd pillars, however the current form of this supplementary pillar cannot provide a sufficient financing of the PAYG system.

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The master thesis deals with the finance evaluation of funded organization Domov pro seniory Mikuláškovo náměstí. The aim of this work is the cost-benefit analysis and financial analysis of the organization and to make suggestions for improvement. The theoretical knowledge of the topic is summarized in the first part of this work while the next one focuses on the economic analysis. The last part concentrates on the submission of proposals for organization economy improvement.

Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Extension faculty members are increasingly involved in offering couple and relationship education (CRE), but some have limited background in this format of family life education. This study used a phenomological approach to examine the experiences of Extension faculty members who offered CRE in their respective counties for their first time. Data were collected through face-to-face and telephone interviews. Four themes emerged from the interview data. First, considerations for offering this type of education included valuing CRE, having sufficient and specific knowledge about the needs of the county for CRE, and access to other forms of resources (mentors, previous training, or funding). Second, successes were discussed in terms of creating positive partnerships, successful recruitment strategies, and resources (utilization of funds and getting trained in CRE for the event). Third, faculty members described challenges including a lack of partnerships, limited resources, recruitment struggles, and lack of sufficient funds. Fourth, the reflections from the faculty members included plans and changes for future programming as faculty members reflected back on their actual experiences. These findings provide guidance for Extension faculty members with limited experience who are interested in offering CRE.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The shrinking space for civil society and the increasing number of unfavorable legislation affecting the work of non-governmental organizations continue to be burning issues for global philanthropy. Using a case study approach, this thesis explores how democracies regulate the operation of foreign-funded non-governmental organizations in Hungary and Israel. This thesis examines what the presumed and real motivations of democratic governments are to adapt such regulations and how the political, economic and socio-cultural environments might influence their enactment. This thesis also compares the Hungarian and Israeli regulations to the 1938 Foreign Agents Registration Act.

The topic of collaboration is delicate, several different factors are involved in making collaborations successful. The word successful is a charged word where it then implies success for everyone involved in this collaborative work. This thesis aims to investigate the notion of success by both academia and public sector in collaborations where academia plays a crucial part. The thesis descent from a critical realist standpoint where the purpose is to find the underlying mechanisms and structures of the events, in this case, within collaborative work. With a cross-sectional design the empirical data was collected through workshops with representatives from the public sector and publicly funded organisations and interviews were held with researchers, staff and students from Mälardalen University.  The data was analysed through a thematic analysis with deductively generated themes. The theory the thematic analysis was based on consider subjects such as university third mission, quadruple helix, Involving businesses in education, Innovation intermediation, the multifaceted roles of innomediaries, the process and success of innomediaries, collaboration structures, spaces for collaboration, system approach, cross-boundary teams and the researcher’s role. Lastly, the results is a set of capabilities built upon the found underlying structures and mechanisms, these capabilities are seen as valuable for academia.

Many municipalities have established stormwater user fees (SUFs), commonly known as stormwater utilities, to raise revenue for stormwater management programs, however little is known about the trends among the fees currently in existence. This research observes trends in the establishment, type and magnitude of user fees by analyzing location, population density, home value, and establishment for a comprehensive national stormwater user fee database with data for 1,490 user fees. The Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU), a SUF that charges based on impervious area, was the most prevalent fee type in all NOAA Climate regions of the U.S. except the West and West North Central. The Tier system, a SUF that charges differently for properties by defined categories, was the second most prevalent in all regions except the East North Central and West North Central. The ERU was found in larger cities with high population densities whereas flat fees, SUFs that charge a single rate for all properties, were found in smaller towns. Higher home values led to higher monthly fees for 28% of the municipalities analyzed. The Residential Equivalence Factor (REF), a SUF that charges based on runoff produced, was popular in municipalities with higher home values and the flat fee was popular in those with lower home values. The number of SUFs established increased near Phase I MS4 permit and Phase II small MS4 permit deadlines. / Master of Science

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