Human Capital Formation during Communism and Transition: Evidence from Bulgaria

Is it true that communist countries had well-developed human capital, or is it just a myth? What were human capital stocks at the beginning of transition to market economy? What happened to human capital formation during the transition? We attempt to answer these questions using evidence from Bulgaria. This is also a story about how a communist government had coped with labour market problems in a small closed economy. Unfortunately, during communism, there had been quite insufficient public information on human capital. Therefore, in the first place, we collect, synthesize and analyze all available information from official statistical publications as well as internal reference books and administrative documents, which used to be classified during communism, and at present are available at the Central State Archives. Next, we construct human capital indicators based on educational data for the communist period and track the dynamics in human capital formation for both communism and transition. Finally, we identify key policy and political measures which have affected human capital formation. Main findings show that communism started with extremely underdeveloped human resources. During the entire period the government had tried to provide favorable conditions for human capital formation. Communist policy measures gave significant results in the 60s, but had been ineffective in sustaining better education in the long run. As a result, the start of transition was characterized by poor levels of human capital due to an educational crisis in the last decade of communism (then, about 60% of the population in Bulgaria was with primary or lower-level of education). We assume that lack of economic incentives at individual level had determined weak pursuit of better education.human capital, communism, transition, human capital formation, determinants of human capital, labour market policies in communism

Institutionally Induced Human Capital Vintages and Economic Growth in Transition

In this paper we introduce additional parameters of the economic environment related to some notion of “distance” to institutions in a simple formal model. This distance could be viewed as an uneven spatial distribution (or coverage) of institutions with respect to population distribution. We are led to conclude here that distance to institutions is an important determinant of the emergence of heterogeneous (vintage) human capital. Our modeling framework also shows, that the existence of uneven access (or distance) to institutions leads to important implications concerning economic growth.vintage human capital, distance to institutions, economic growth, transition economies

Ruth Goetz

Ruth Goetz, one of the most prolific writers for film in Germany in the period 1916-1927, with about sixty-five titles including original scripts and adaptations credited to her name, is not well known today. “The film writer is like a ‘violet’ that blooms hidden from sight,” she said at the beginning of her spectacular career during the late 1910s. “The audience does not know anything either about him or his work. Rarely does he get mentioned and he is never seen. If the film is bad, it’s the writer’s fault. If the film earns the label ‘good’ or ‘very good’ then the writer is entitled to a minuscule credit. This is different for the playwright and if one has started writing for the theater stage, one has quickly to adjust to this reality. I am letting this journal publish my photograph, so that people can at least once see a film writer” (600). Goetz was the only woman featured in this special 1918 issue of the Berlin-based trade magazine Kinematograph edited by E. A. Dupont and devoted to the invisible work of scenarists. A year earlier, one of her scripts had been included as a model for aspiring writers in one of the first manuals compiled by Wilhelm Adler. The film based on this script, Noemi, die blonde Jüdin/Noemi, the Blond Jewess (1917), was directed by Hubert Moest and served primarily as a star vehicle for actress Hedda Vernon

Effective exchange rates of the Bulgarian Lev 1879-1939

The paper constructs the first series of nominal and real effective exchange rates of the Bulgarian Lev from its establishment in 1879 until 1939. The dynamics of both indicators during the Classical Gold Standard fits the general picture of exchange rate development of other European countries while their movements in the Interwar years reflects the exchange rate policy of the monetary authority and the price effects of the Great Depression. The study also provides econometric estimation of the impact of the real effective exchange rates and foreign demand on Bulgaria’s real export performance allowing for some policy implications.

Human Capital, Leading Human Capital and Labour Incomes

What is the level of accumulated human capital in an economy in transition? Does education determine labour income in transition economies? In this study we try to answer these questions using data on 148,942 employees in 13 economic activities in Bulgaria. In the first place, we refer to the term "zero-skilled human capital". Secondly, we introduce and define the term "leading human capital" and measure the distance between each working individual and the leading human capital in respect with labour income. Then, we attempt to measure the accumulated human capital based on the methodology introduced by Mulligan and Sala-i-Martin (1995). In addition to previously existing approaches, we justify application of the distance between zero-skilled and leading human capital as an alternative measure of accumulated human capital. Finally, we evaluate the impact of education both on labor income as well as on distance to leading human capital.human capital, labour incomes, measuring human capital, zero-skilled human capital, leading human capital, distance to leading human capital, transition economies

The role of echocardiography in the diagnosis of fetal and pediatric cardiac tumors

В исторически план развитието на образните методи на изследване при сърдечните тумори позволи преминаването от аутопсионна към прижизнено поставена диагноза. Ехокардиографията е лесно достъпен, неинвазивен и високо информативен диагностичен метод на първи избор.Представени са възможностите на съвременното комплексно ехокардиографско изследване за ранно, включително и пренатално, откриване на туморите на сърцето, придружаващите сърдечни аномалии и извършването на коректна хемодинамична оценка. Включени са и наши собствени наблюдения на пациенти с различни по вид сърдечни тумори, диагностицирани както фетално, така и след раждането.Ехокардиографското изследване е утвърден, бърз, удобен и информативен метод за пре- и постнатално диагностициране на сърдечните тумори в детската възраст, както и за тяхното пре- и постоперативно проследяване.The development of different imaging techniques allows the diagnosis of cardiac tumors to be made before the death of a person, and not as it used to be made - following a post mortem. Echocardiography is easily available, noninvasive and a highly informative diagnostic method of choice.We`re presenting the possibilities of current echocardiography examination for the early, including prenatal, diagnosis of cardiac tumors, concomitant congenital heart diseases and hemodynamic evaluation. In this report we also include the observations of our own patients with different kinds of cardiac tumors, which were diagnosed prenatally and after birth. Echocardiography is an approved, quick, convenient and informative prenatal, and postnatal, diagnostic method for cardiac tumors in childhood, as well as for their preoperative and postoperative follow-up

A VARIANT FOR USING REGRESSION ANALYSIS TO ASSESS THE ELECTROMAGNETIC ENVIRONMENT IN AN URBAN AREA

The current study was conducted by making a series of experimental measurements of the electric field strength E.  The obtained results have been interpreted using the method of mathematical modelling because the object of study – electromagnetic environment (EME) is a multifactorial system. With the accepted limitation of considering the influence of only two factors (frequency and time intervals) a two-factor regression analysis was used. The processing of the obtained data was performed by two-dimensional quadratic objective function.

Electronic Diachronic Corpus and Dictionaries of Old Bulgarian

The electronic system histdict is designed as a tool for research, adequate presentation and popularization of a part of Bulgaria’s cultural and historical heritage: the Bulgarian language and its medieval literature. The article describes the various steps in the development of histdict. Attention is paid to each component of the resource: specialized Unicode fonts, electronic diachronic corpus, dictionary of Old Bulgarian, historical dictionary equipped with tools for writing and editing dictionary entries, grammatical dictionary, prototypical search engine, and virtual keyboard. The article also lays out the principles followed in the development of the diachronic grammatical dictionary of the Bulgarian language.Publication of English-language versions of the volumes of the yearly Studia Ceranea financed through contract no. 501/1/P-DUN/2017 from the funds of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education devoted to the promotion of scholarship