The Path towards the European University in the Current EU Legal Framework: the Unita – Universitas Montium Experience

The development of university cooperation at the European level is closely related both to the needs of the single market and to those of an economic and social cohesion functional to a more effective protection of the rights of European citizens. The recent launch of EU university alliances is part of this framework, although the absence of legal instruments explicitly conceived for institutionalised cooperation could undermine the success of the action of alliances. The EU competence in higher education is limited to the support, coordination, and supplement of member state actions (art. 6TFEU). The absence of a harmonising competence circumscribes the possibilities of EU intervention and especially prevents the provision of EU degrees which could replace national diplomas. However, the allocation of funding allows policies capable of effectively influencing the systems of member states (see for instance the EU experience in common agricultural policies sector). In this context, the limits of the existing tools could be almost partially overpassed by the adoption of new regulations or directives, to allow an institutionalised cooperation between universities. The existing solutions offered by the EU legal system are not fully satisfactory, nonetheless, some of them could be useful: among these, the European Economic Interest Grouping (EEIG) is especially interesting

Green Lifestyles Alternative Models and Up-scaling Regional Sustainability (GLAMURS). Work Package 4. Deliverable 4.3: Report on Future Lifestyle Scenarios and Backcasting Vision Workshops

[Abstract] A participatory backcasting methodology has been developed for the GLAMURS project, entitled participatory backcasting for sustainable lifestyles and a green economy. It consists of two stakeholder workshops; a first workshop for problem exploration and development of visions for sustainable lifestyle and a green economy followed by a second workshop focussing on pathways and implementation.In six regions studied in the GLAMURS project vision workshops have been successfully executed. Thirteen visions have been generated. Visions have been compared on several dimensions including (1) sufficiency versus green growth, (2) individual versus community orientation, (3) governance by government or market, and (4) urban versus rural focus.The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement Nº 61342

SELF-ESTEEM AND PERSONALITY TYPE IN POLITICALLY ENGAGED PEOPLE: A PILOT STUDY

The Romanian political institution is destined to survive in the face of the individual‘s ideological abandonment, passivity and reserve, as well as in the face of a society denouncing the mediocrity of the political class. Based on these considerations, this pilot study sets out to explore and reveal specific personality traits of the Romanian politicians, including the level of selfesteem. A total of 80 participants (divided into two groups, with or without political engagement) completed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Rosenberg‘s Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). The results have shown that politically engaged people have a predominant Extrovert Intuitive Feeling Judicative personality type; however, regarding self-esteem, no significant differences were identified in comparison to the group of persons having no political engagement. The results of this pilot study are of interest allowing a better understanding of a politician‘s mindset and behavio

The Mediation Role of an Individual’s and Couple’s Psychological Factors, Including Parenting in the Prediction of Relational and Marital Satisfaction

The goal of this study was to widen the scope of the social component of family sustainability. The fundamental goal of this non-experimental, quantitative study was to look at the links between parenting correlates, personality characteristics, marital satisfaction, and well-being in couples, as well as to construct explanatory prediction models for relational and marital satisfaction. The study focused on the effects of personality traits, parental self-efficacy, and attachment to marital and relational satisfaction. The test instruments applied were: the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised, Marital Adjustment Test, Couple Satisfaction Index, Relationship Satisfaction Scale, Family Distress Index, Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale (adapted to the role of a parent), Mowen’s Personality Scale, and demographic data. A total of 238 Romanians answered the online survey, recruited based on a convenience sampling method. Participants in this research were individuals who were both married and had at least one child. The main findings show that agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, anxious and avoidant attachment, and marital adjustment predict the satisfaction in the relationship, and openness partially mediates the association between marital adjustment and relationship satisfaction. Parental self-efficacy appears to influence the association between relationship satisfaction and marital satisfaction. An increased parental self-efficacy score predicts an increased relationship satisfaction and marital satisfaction. The higher the parental self-efficacy, the higher the satisfaction in the relationship, which leads to an increase in satisfaction in the couple. These results show that marital adjustment and adaptation are related to relational satisfaction, and these relationship are partially mediated by an individual’s openness. Despite some limitations, the current study significantly contributes to couples therapies and interventions in terms of physical and mental health, and the study provides insight into the experiences and perspectives of married individuals with children in Romania

The five-factor traits as moderators between job insecurity and health: A vulnerability-stress perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the moderating effects of the broad personality traits associated with the five-factor model (FFM) of personality, on the relationship between qualitative and quantitative job insecurity ( JI) and physical and mental health complaints. Design/methodology/approach – Self-report data collected in a cross-sectional study from a heterogeneous sample of 469 Romanian employees was analyzed with hierarchical regressions in order to identify moderation effects between each personality trait, JI and health outcomes. Findings – Neuroticism and introversion amplify the relationship between JI and mental health complaints. None of the other personality traits showed any significant interaction with JI. No moderating effects were found for physical health complaints. Quantitative and qualitative JI show a high correlation and similar relationships with other variables, but may not be part of the same larger factor. Practical implications – The FFM has a lower contribution than expected in explaining the JI-health dynamic, with only 2 out of 5 reaching significance. The personality traits of neuroticism and introversion function as moderately strong vulnerability factors in the JI-mental health relationship, and may be used by managers in identifying employees who are at risk in situations when JI is likely to appear. Originality/value – The authors offer overall support for the main effect model in the relationship between JI and health, showing that, while some broad personality traits buffer the negative effect of JI in a fairly strong manner, this effect may be very difficult to completely abolish. The authors further show that quantitative and qualitative JI are very closely related facets of the broader JI construct.status: publishe