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Abstract: This study critically examines the challenges faced by the Kosovo Albanian diaspora in investing in their home country. Despite being a significant economic asset, particularly through substantial remittances that contribute to the national GDP, the diaspora encounters various barriers to effective investment. Based on 53 biographical interviews (2014–2016) with migrants in Switzerland and Germany, as well as 23 interviews with key informants, including officials, trade union representatives, and civil society actors, the study highlights the absence of adequate incentive packages to support diaspora driven investments in Kosovo. The research addresses both individual and policy levels, offering recommendations aimed at enhancing the impact of diaspora financial initiatives.
Keywords: diaspora investments, Kosovo Albanian, remittances, economic development, policy recommendations, qualitative research, Kosovo
Published in DiRROS: 10.02.2026; Views: 461; Downloads: 102
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Abstract: This chapter aims to explain the HAND in HAND: Empowering Teachers Across Europe to Deal with Social, Emotional and Diversity-Related Career Challenges (“HAND:ET”) project from a policy perspective. Basic theoretical insights into the relationship between social science experimentation and policymaking are provided. The chapter explores how the HAND:ET policy experiment is positioned with respect to existing educational priorities concerning teachers and their well-being on the EU level and in the national policies in the countries participating in the policy experimentation (Austria, Croatia, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden). The chapter describes the manner in which the HAND:ET policy experiment, by focusing on teachers’ SEDA competencies addresses the recent European Union policy problems of the teacher profession (e.g., teacher shortages) and, based on the literature review, seeks to identify possible policy recommendations that would ensure that the results of the HAND:ET policy exper‐iment are applied on the systemic level of the EU and the participating countries. It thus elaborates on the conditions for the scalability, transferability and therefore sustainability of the HAND:ET policy experimentation outcomes in the wider field of teacher policy.
Keywords: education, teachers, teacher's competencies, social and emotional competencies, diversity awareness, policy experiment, policy problem, policy development, policy recommendations
Published in DiRROS: 27.01.2025; Views: 856; Downloads: 422
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Abstract: The chapter provides a review of current policy frameworks supporting teachers’ social and emotional competencies and diversity awareness in Croatia. It shows that although these competencies of teachers are not explicitly addressed in educational legislation, strategies and other relevant policy documents, implicitly the need for healthy (social and emotional) development of students is implied. Despite teachers’ social and emotional competencies and diversity awareness not being systemically supported in initial and continuous professional development programmes in Croatia, several examples of such courses and programmes are identified. The integrated supervision for teachers and other professional staff conducted by the National Education and Teacher Training Agency addresses the development of both teachers’ social and emotional competencies and diversity awareness competencies and their needs in the field. In the National Plan for Development of the Education and Training System until 2027, the pressing challenges facing the teaching profession (teacher shortages, working conditions, professional status in society) are planned to be addressed with several measures for advancing teachers’ professional development. The research findings presented in the chapter hold several policy implications indicating that the development of teachers’ social and emotional competencies and diversity awareness should be incorporated into the planned renewal of teacher professional development and thereby be better systemically supported.
Keywords: education, teachers, social and emotional competencies, diversity awareness, professional development, policy, Croatia
Published in DiRROS: 27.01.2025; Views: 961; Downloads: 412
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Abstract: Forest subsidies are widely used to achieve policy objectives aimed at maintaining and supporting the provision of the various ecosystem services provided by forests. In the European Union, an important instrument is the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) within the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), but countries also have national subsidy systems. In both cases, individual countries determine which objectives they want to achieve with the subsidy schemes and which measures are supported. In this comparative study, we investigate which forest-related measures are subsidized across Europe and which forest owners, representing a very heterogeneous group, are involved in the activities of the subsidy systems. We collected data on subsidies paid out for forest-related measures from Austria, Finland, Germany, Slovenia and Sweden from the EAFRD funding period 2014–2020 for a comparison of the funded activities. Further, we analysed how subsidies were distributed among private forest owners with forest holdings of different sizes by performing G-tests to compare the observed with the expected subsidies received by forest owners in the different size categories. The results show that through the flexibility given by the CAP for countries to adjust their subsidy programmes to the specific national needs, EAFRD funds and equivalent national subsidies are indeed used for a wide range of activities instead of only a few following one common European goal. Reflecting the different needs and various forest functions, the subsidized activities range from the more ecology-oriented “investment to increase resistance and the ecological value of forests” to the more management-oriented “purchase of new machinery and new equipment for forestry operations”. In all five countries, small-scale forest owners with holdings smaller than 200 ha are the largest owner group and manage a large share of the forest area in private hands (from 47% in Austria to 97% in Slovenia). However, especially owners of the smallest holdings (< 20 ha) rarely use the funding scheme of the EAFRD framework and thus receive a disproportionately low share of subsidies. There might be several reasons for this. Small-scale forest owners are generally less involved regarding policy issues (including subsidy schemes) than owners of larger forest holdings and may not be aware of all funding opportunities. In addition, the considerable effort to apply, including project preparation, administration and documentation may be perceived as a barrier. It became clear that the current subsidy systems of the countries focus on different forest policy objectives. Our study further revealed that the documentation of subsidy distribution is partly unclear and inconsistent across countries hampering European comparisons. However, understanding current subsidy distribution is urgently needed for increasing the effectiveness of subsidy systems to achieve European policy goals of vital multifunctional forests.
Keywords: European agricultural fund for rural development, EAFRD, policy, incentives, multifunctional forests, small-scale forest owners, bioeconomy
Published in DiRROS: 05.01.2023; Views: 1687; Downloads: 1029
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