"Scientific research" Almanac

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  THE PRACTICE OF MUNICIPALITIES IN DEVELOPING PLANNING DOCUMENTS FOR THE PROGRAMMING PERIOD 2014–2020

  The purpose of this study is to present the results of a survey conducted on the planning practices of municipalities in Bulgaria in the development of planning documents for the new programming period 2014-2020. The object of the study are the municipal development plans (MDPs) for 2014-2020 of all 264 municipalities within the country and the ... The purpose of this study is to present the results of a survey conducted on the planning practices of municipalities in Bulgaria in the development of planning documents for the new programming period 2014-2020. The object of the study are the municipal development plans (MDPs) for 2014-2020 of all 264 municipalities within the country and the subject is the quality of the MDPs and the implementation of the fundamental planning principles in the preparation of strategic documents for local and regional development. The study is based on a set of criteria developed by the team of authors, which provides an opportunity for objective assessment of the quality of the MDPs. The results obtained are a basis for presenting some best practices and making recommendations for future actions, aimed at improving the strategic planning process at municipal level, increasing both the coordination and cohesion between the planning documents of different hierarchical levels and establishing a national body with prerogatives in the field of strategic planning of the regional development. The main research thesis is that the municipal administrations in our country have a significant potential for improvement and standardization of their planning processes, which in the long term influences regional development and the opportunities for generating municipal competitive advantages.

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  MONITORING AND ANALYSIS OF DEBT AND THE DEBT CRISIS (methodological aspects)

  The object of the current study is the public debt, and the subject – the tools for measurement (monitoring), evaluation and analysis of debt under the conditions of a growing global debt crisis. The analysis focuses on two working hypotheses: First. Determining the situation in the external sector of an economy is a function of the cumulative ... The object of the current study is the public debt, and the subject – the tools for measurement (monitoring), evaluation and analysis of debt under the conditions of a growing global debt crisis. The analysis focuses on two working hypotheses: First. Determining the situation in the external sector of an economy is a function of the cumulative expression of the individual analytical balances reported as foreign exchange balances, on the one hand, and the status and trends in its external debt. Second. The debt crisis in the 21st century from a phenomenon typical of developing countries is becoming a global problem, whose solution requires the application of a variety of measures and decisions of national and international nature. The aim of the study is to develop ideas for methodologically sound assessment on an international basis of the current state of public debts as a basis for conducting national and internationally agreed policies for its management.

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  ANALYSIS OF DIFFERENCES IN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE COUNTRIES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION – BEFORE AND AFTER THE DEBT CRISIS

  The object of this study is the degree of economic development of EU countries, and its subject is the two major economic indicators selected for comparison – size and growth rate of GDP and the consolidated government debt to GDP ratio. The purpose of the study is to reveal the disparities in the development of the EU countries concerned in the ... The object of this study is the degree of economic development of EU countries, and its subject is the two major economic indicators selected for comparison – size and growth rate of GDP and the consolidated government debt to GDP ratio. The purpose of the study is to reveal the disparities in the development of the EU countries concerned in the period before and after the crisis. The Tasks set in examining the GDP aim to answer the following questions: ‘What is the size of the GDP expected to be in the current 2014?’, ‘Which of the European countries concerned will have the best performance, relative to GDP in terms of the global economic crisis?’ The main thesis is: Failure to comply with the Maastricht decisions that affect the value of the gov-ernment debt in the European countries concerned does not allow for making effective management decisions and this increases the disparities in their economic development. Main conclusions: Lowering the debt burden in developed countries, where the threshold values of debt and deficit are seriously exceeded, can be achieved by balancing the government budget, improving the methods for risk assessment, expanding the investor base, increasing the liquidity in the market for government obligations and achieving a sustainable GDP growth. Striving to comply with the Maastricht Treaty will help to reduce disparities in the economic development of the European Union countries after the debt crisis.