"Scientific research" Almanac

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  COMPOSITE INDICATOR FOR ASSESSING THE POTENTIAL FOR SOCIAL CONVERGENCE IN THE EUROPEAN UNION - METHODOLOGICAL AND APPLIED ASPECTS

  The aim of this study is to construct a composite Social Rights Indicator to assess the potential for social cohesion in the European Union in the context of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR). The research thesis of the team is that through the quantitative assessment of the potential for convergence in the context of the European Pillar ... The aim of this study is to construct a composite Social Rights Indicator to assess the potential for social cohesion in the European Union in the context of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR). The research thesis of the team is that through the quantitative assessment of the potential for convergence in the context of the European Pillar of Social Rights based on the composite indicator of social rights, empirical trends and regularities can be established at European level and Bulgaria's positioning in European social space. The theoretical and informational aspects of the statistical survey on social rights are presented through the principles of the EPSR and the system of indicators for their characterization. The need to create a composite indicator is justified. The steps for constructing a Social Rights Indicator are described. As a result of the empirical study of the values of the proposed Social Rights Indicator for the period 2010-2018 through the beta-convergence approach, a process of reducing the differences among the countries included in the study was established - both in the values of the Social Rights Indicator and in the values of its constituent sub-indexes. Following the application of the marginal vertical beta-convergence methodology, it was found that Bulgaria's importance for the cohesion process is positive with regard to the two sub-indices, neutral for the one sub-index and negative for the Social Rights Indicator. The application of the club convergence approach revealed that there is no process of convergence among the countries included in the analysis on the values of social rights indicators.

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  STRATEGIC PLANNING OF SOCIAL SERVICES - CONDITIONS AND PROSPECTS

  The purpose of this study is to evaluate the quality of regional strategies for the development of social services and to outline the main characteristics of their condition and prospects for development. The objects of study are the regional strategies for the development of social services in Bulgaria in the period 2016-2020. The subject of the ... The purpose of this study is to evaluate the quality of regional strategies for the development of social services and to outline the main characteristics of their condition and prospects for development. The objects of study are the regional strategies for the development of social services in Bulgaria in the period 2016-2020. The subject of the study is the quality of the¬se strategies, in order to provide an opportunity for proactive policy in the social sector. Closely related to the defined goal are the research tasks, which are derived from the main research thesis, namely that the approach applied so far for strategic planning of social policies at the district level is characterized by significant weaknesses. They derive both from the regulatory and strategic framework and from the institutional organization and powers in terms of its formulation, implementation, monitoring, reporting, communication and updating. The applied research methods are standard for scientific research and include: content and GAP analysis of documents, benchmarking, critical analysis, method of analysis and synthesis, multicriteria evaluation by defined checklist, analysis of structures and temporal groupings. Induction and deduction have been used in formulating perspectives for the process of formulating social policies. Among the most important conclusions is the need to overcome the existing weaknesses in terms of the organization and institutionalization of the processes of providing social services and the creation of a working mechanism for their quality planning in dynamics.

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  THE EUROPEAN TRANSITION TO A CIRCULAR ECONOMY - APPLICATION IN BULGARIA

  Attempts to build economic systems without harmful emissions and waste for the environment have been made since the XX century, but only in the last decade they began to be used more widely due to the negative effects of large-scale industrial production model. The current century further develops this model with the idea of a circular economy, ... Attempts to build economic systems without harmful emissions and waste for the environment have been made since the XX century, but only in the last decade they began to be used more widely due to the negative effects of large-scale industrial production model. The current century further develops this model with the idea of a circular economy, which provides for the long-term use of equipment and infrastructure, thus increasing the effect of resource use. And although the topic of the circular economy is very relevant and exploited in research outside our country, in our economy these ideas are spread and considered more sparingly. Therefore, we believe that the current study sheds light primarily on those aspects of the circular economy that affect our national economy. The aim of the study is to examine good European practices in the field of the circular economy, aimed at creating a closed-cycle production system, minimizing the use of resources and the creation of waste, pollution and carbon emissions. A system of indicators for the implementation of the circular economy has been established, which is structured in accordance with the main criteria according to the policy framework for the transition to a circular economy in the EU. Thus, the proposed system for evaluating the application of the principles of the circular economy in specific industries and sectors can be used to analyze the activities of Bulgarian and foreign companies from the EU.