Informal payments by patients, institutional trust and institutional asymmetry

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the extent of the practice of using informal payments for accessing the services of public clinics or hospitals across Europe and to explain the prevalence of this corrupt practice using the framework of institutional theory. To achieve this, a multi-level mixed-effect logistic regression on 25,744 interviews undertaken in 2020 with patients across 27 European Union countries is conducted. The finding is that the practice of making informal payments remains a prevalent practice, although there are large disparities in the usage of this practice in different European countries. However, informal payments by patients are more likely when there is a lower institutional trust and a higher degree of asymmetry between formal and informal institutions. The resultant proposal is that policy makers need to address the institutional environment to tackle such informal payments. How this can be achieved is outlined

A tree ring-based hydroclimate reconstruction for eastern Europe reveals large-scale teleconnection patterns

Funder: alfred wegener institute helmholtz centre for polar and marine research; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100003207Funder: Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (AWI) (1014)AbstractWe present a new beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) tree-ring width composite chronology from five natural low-elevation forests in eastern Romania, which represent the species’ continental distribution limit. Our regional beech chronology reflects April–June hydroclimate variability in form of the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index over large parts of Romania, Ukraine, and the Republic of Moldova, for which high-resolution paleoclimatic evidence is broadly missing. Most of the reconstructed hydroclimatic extremes back to 1768 CE are confirmed by documentary evidences, and a robust association is found with large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns in the Northern Hemisphere and sea surface temperatures over the North Atlantic. Reconstructed pluvials coincide with a high-pressure system over the North Atlantic Ocean and north-western Europe, and with a low-pressure system over south-western, central and eastern Europe, whereas historical droughts coincide with a high-pressure system over Europe and a low-pressure system over the central part of the Atlantic Ocean. Our study demonstrates the potential to produce well-replicated, multi-centennial beech chronologies for eastern Europe to reconstruct regional hydroclimate variation and better understand the causes and consequences of large-scale teleconnection patterns.</jats:p

Tackling Undeclared Work in Bulgaria: Knowledge-Informed Policy Responses

Undeclared work is socially accepted and widely practiced in Bulgaria. The undeclared economy is estimated at roughly a third of GDP. Nearly one in ten people do some undeclared work. Undeclared work is motivated primarily by lack of trust between the people and the authorities. It involves mostly people who voluntarily exit the declared economy but also those that are excluded. The conventional repressive approach to tackling undeclared work has exhausted its effects in Bulgaria. It should be complemented with more curative, preventative and commitment policies. Policymakers should consider not just the rational but also the social actor approach which tackles trust issues and the asymmetry between formal and informal rules. Authorities should continue modernising institutions and should increase social spending and public awareness campaigns