SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF CROATIAN ECONOMY IN CONDITIONS OF GLOBALIZATION

Autor polazi od proturječnosti globalizacijskog procesa i izazove koje postavlja pred nacionalne ekonomije, njihove dugoročne interese i suverenitet, a ukazuje i na nestabilnost i na mogući, ponovnu, reverzibilnost procesa globalizacije kao materijalnog povezivanja ekonomija svijeta. Razmatra granice rasta globalne ekonomije i ukazuje da bi proces globalizacije, u uvjetima energetskih i ekoloških ograničenja, mogao imati samoponištavajući karakter. Razmatra pristupanje Hrvatske WTO-u i vođenje industrijske politike u funkciji dugoročnog razvitka.Sustainable development is closely related to preservation of basic functions and characteristics of national economies. This paper questions the sustainability of a small economy, like Croatia, in the light of ecological source and sink limits and finite oil supplies. Globalization process is introduced as a force which is creating more threats than opportunites for long-term development of a small economy: it is challenging political and economic sovereignty of national economies, linking together distant and functionally unrelated economies, and stretching natural resources worldwide. Convergence between the world economies is an unlikely precess and asymetries of developmental traits may prove to be a natural attraction of the world economic system. In such an environment, de-globalization may repeat it self having major consequences for small economies highly integrated in global trade. Such consequences are likely to have adverse effect on the national security regarded here in its economic, demographic, ecological and democratic dimensions

THE ROLE OF UNIVERSITY IN EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Hrvatska kreće razmjerno kasno u proces obrazovanja za okoliš ili, cjelovitije rečeno, za održivo društvo. To, međutim, ne mora značiti beskonačno kaskanje za zemljama predvodnicama, već je to prvenstveno prilika da se uči na tuđim iskustvima. Dugotrajna iskustva skandinavskih zemalja i primjerice, [kotske, mogla bi poslužiti Hrvatskoj da izbjegne političke i organizacijske pogreške te da se što prije nauči, imajući u vidu da se ovdje radi o ulaganju u dugoročni prosperitet njezina stanovništva. Nedavno istraživanje stavova stanovništva o zaštiti okoliša ukazalo je na visoku razinu ekološke osviještenosti ispitanika te spremnosti na ulaganje dodatnih napora u zaštiti okoliša. Da li Hrvatska ima i političku spremnost da odgovorno i sustavno pristupi obrazovanju za održivo društvo, ostaje tek da se vidi.Croatia starts rather overdue with the process of environmental education or completely saying, of education for sustainable society. That, however, does not have to mean that it will infinitely tag after the leading countries, but it is, above all, an opportunity to learn from other experiences. Long duration experiences of Nordic countries and, for instance, Scotland, could serve to Croatia to avoid political and organizational mistakes and to be in step as soon as possible, having in mind that it is a question about investing in long term prosperity of its population. Recent research of population attitudes on environmental protection pointed at a high level of an respondent environmental awareness and willingness to exert oneself in addition in connection with environmental protection. Does Croatia also have a political preparedness to approach to education for sustainable society with responsibility and systematically, remains only to be seen

PRIVATIZATION OF THE POWER SECTOR IN CROATIA - DEVELOPMENTAL BREAKTHROUGH OR FALLACY OF THE NEOLIBERAL IDEOLOGY?

Autori analiziraju različite dimenzije elektroenergetskog sustava -tehnološku, organizacionu, ekonomsku, ekološku i stratešku - iz kojih se vidi da je električna energija roba sui generis, pri čemu tržište i njegova uloga u alokaciji resursa imaju sasvim osebujan karakter. Prema tome i privatizacija elektroenergetskog sustava ima na društvo i ekonomiju drugačije odraze od privatizacije u nekim drugim ekonomskim sektorima. Između ostaloga, pojavljuje se problem određivanja granice gdje prestaje odgovornost privatnog, a počinje odgovornost državnog sektora u osiguranju društveno potrebnih količina energije. Autori daju kritički prikaz nekih međunarodnih iskustva u privatizacijii tehnološkom razdvajanju energetskog sustava. Na osnovi toga i na osnovi općenitih i nacionalnih specifičnosti elektroenergetskog sustava zaključuju dane postoji opravdani razloga za potpunu privatizaciju i razdvajanje HEP jednako kao ni za otvaranja hrvatskoga energetskog tržišta globalnoj konkurenciji. Sa druge strane, postoji prostor za parcijalnu privatizaciju HEP i otvaranje tržišta za proizvodnju električne energije iz aditivnih (zelenih) izvora. Napomena: stavovi autora izneseni u ovome radu nisu stavovi institucija u kojima su oni zaposleni.Authors analyze different dimensions of power sector – technological, organizational, economic, environmental and strategic – which show the su i generis character of electrical energy regarded as commodity. This implies also the peculiar functioning of themarket in the power sector. Consequently, privatization in the power sector has muchwider implications on the society and economy then privatization in any other economic sector. Among other things, we emphasize the problem of demarcation line between the risk and responsibility taken by the private sector and that endorsed by the state in securing necessary supply of energy for the normal functioning of society. Authors discusssome of the international experiences in the privatization and deregulation of the power sector. Based on these experiences and generic and national peculiarities of the power sector, we conclude that there are no reasonable grounds for full privatization and deregulation of the Croatian power sector or for its opening to global competition. On the otherhand, there is a room for partial privatization and opening of market for production of green energy

Quality of Life in Transition Countries: Central East Europe with Special Reference to Croatia

enlargement of human choices, transition, sustainable development, authentic development, quality of life,