Perceptions of the fairness of income distribution in Serbia: A comparative perspective

The paper examines perceptions of the fairness of income distribution in Serbia from a comparative perspective. The analysis is based on data collected under Round 9 of the European Social Survey in 2018/2019. Perceptions of the fairness of personal income in Serbia are compared with those from three post-Yugoslav countries (Montenegro, Croatia and Slovenia) and three developed capitalist countries (Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom). The research findings indicate that the vast majority of Serbian citizens perceive their personal income (gross and net pay, pensions and social benefits) as being unfairly low. From a comparative perspective, it is noticeable that the perceived fairness of income distribution is influenced by a contextual variable that combines the effects of economic development, degree of income inequality and path dependency. Income from work (gross and net pay) is more often perceived as unfairly low in the post-Yugoslav countries of the Western Balkans (Serbia and Montenegro) than in the post-Yugoslav countries that are members of the European Union (Croatia and Slovenia). When it comes to perceptions of the fairness of pensions and social benefits, the two groups of the post-Yugoslav countries do not differ from each other. All types of income are more likely to be perceived as unfairly low in the Western Balkan states than in the developed capitalist countries

Changes in post-war Belgrade in Serbian writers' novels

Članak se bavi društvenom i ekološkom strukturom Beograda i njihovim promenama prikazanim u romanima domaćih pisaca nastalih nakon Drugog svetskog rata. Društvena struktura je shvaćena kao društvena slojevitost, a akcenat je na percepciji građanskog sloja. Pod ekološkom strukturom se podrazumevaju prirodno okruženje, tehnička sredina, gradske zone, kvartovi. Rad je zasnovan na romanima Hodočašće Arsenija Njegovana Borislava Pekića, Prijatelji Slobodana Selenića i Lagum Svetlane Velmar Janković. Namera je da se pokaže da roman može biti izvor podataka od značaja za sociologiju. Jedna od kategorija ispitivanja koje se mogu razlikovati u sociologiji književnosti primenjena je u ovom članku: način na koji književnost treba da bude ili jeste odraz društva iz kog potiče.This paper deals with the social and ecological structure of Belgrade and the changes depicted in the novels written by Serbian writers after the Second World War. Social structure is understood as social stratification, and the emphasis is on the perception of the middle class. Ecological structure comprises the natural surroundings, technological environment, city zones, and districts. The paper is based on the novels Pilgrimage of Arsenije Njegovan by Borislav Pekić, Friends by Slobodan Selenić and Lagum by Svetlana Velmar-Janković. The intention is to show that the novel can be the source of data which are relevant to sociology. One of the research categories which can be identified in the sociology of literature is applied in this article: the manner in which literature should be or is the reflection of the society from which it originates

Performing qualitative content analysis

Although content analysis has traditionally been considered a quantitative method, it has been advocated in the methodological literature for its use in qualitative form as early as the middle of the 20th century. Nevertheless, much less methodological knowledge is available on the characteristics of qualitative content analysis and its application than on quantitative content analysis. The subject of this paper is a presentation of performing qualitative content analysis. First, different views of the qualitative form of the method are given, since there is no unique definition. Then, the basic steps of qualitative content analysis are presented, that is, the stages of application of the procedure, on which there is also no agreement, but no essential differences. Particular attention has been paid to the deductive and inductive approach of determining the categories of classification. The application of qualitative content analysis is illustrated by a survey of nostalgia of Serbian immigrants living in the Nordic countries. Finally, concluding considerations on performing a qualitative content analysis are summarized and the challenges ahead

Значај телеасистенције за старије у Србији током пандемије ковида 19

Предмет рада је разматрање значаја телеасистенције за старије у Србији током пандемије ковида 19, у контексту њених особености и могућ- ности уопште. Телеасистенција је систем за побољшање квалитета живота посредством информационо-комуникационих технологија. Подразумева пружање подршке старијима на даљину, 24 часа дневно, омогућавајући већу независност, уз истовремено смањење ризика које носи самосталан живот, обезбеђивањем помоћи у кризним ситуацијама. Подаци су прикупљени у марту 2021. године полуструктурисаним групним разговором са троје за- послених у компанији „Контакта“, која пружа услуге телеасистенције у Ср- бији. Основне разлике у употреби телеасистенције међу старијима током пандемије ковида 19, у односу на време пре њеног избијања, препознате су у повећаном броју позива корисника оператерима, посебно у време потпу- не забране њиховог кретања. Уочене су и промене разлога позива старијих. Чешће су се односили на потребу за психолошком подршком и информа- цијама у вези са обављањем инструменталних активности свакодневног живота, попут набавке, током трајања ванредног стања, и на вакцинацију против ковида 19, у новијем периоду.: The subject of this paper is considerаtion of significance of teleas- sistance for the elderly in Serbia during the COVID-19 pandemic, in the context of its features and possibilities in general. Teleassistance is a system for improving the quality of life through information and communication technologies. It in- volves providing support to the elderly remotely, 24 hours a day, enabling greater independence, while reducing the risks of independent living, by providing as- sistance in crisis situations. The data were collected in March 2021 through a semi-structured group interview with three employees of the company Kontakta, which provides teleassistance services in Serbia. The main differences in the use of teleassistance among the elderly, during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to the time before its outbreak, were recognized in the increased number of calls to operators, especially during the period of almost complete ban on their move- ment. Changes in the reasons for the calls of the elderly were also noticed. More often, they referred to the need to obtain psychological support and information regarding the performance of instrumental activities of everyday life, such as pur- chase, during the state of emergency, as well as vaccination against COVID-19, in recent times

Weber's contribution to content analysis

Predmet ovog rada jeste Maks Veberov (Max Weber) doprinos analizi sadržaja kao sociološkom istraživačkom postupku. Analiza sadržaja legitimnost sociološkog metoda istraživanja stekla je sredinom XX veka, a u njenom istorijatu značajno mesto zauzima Veber. Koristio je osnovnu ideju analize sadržaja u "Protestantskoj etici i duhu kapitalizma" (1904-1905). Veber je donosio zaključke o institucionalizovanom obliku društvene komunikacije u prošlosti proučavanjem njenog zabeleženog sadržaja. Analizirao je sadržaj protestantskih katihizisa da bi ustanovio da li su u radu sa vernicima pastori podsticali etičke stavove pogodne za razvoj kapitalističkog duha. Kasnije je Veber na prvom sastanku Nemačkog sociološkog društva (1910) predložio preduzimanje obuhvatne analize sadržaja štampe, koje nije naišlo na podršku sociologa. Njegov predlog predstavlja prvi metodološki osmišljen pokušaj da analiza sadržaja dobije mesto među sociološkim istraživačkim postupcima. Cilj ovog rada jeste da prikaže Veberov doprinos analizi sadržaja. Njegov doprinos razmatran je kroz analizu primene osnovne ideje ovog postupka u "Protestantskoj etici i duhu kapitalizma" i zagovaranja njene upotrebe u obraćanju na prvom sastanku Nemačkog sociološkog društva.The subject of this paper is Max Weber's contribution to content analysis as a sociological research procedure. Content analysis gained the legitimacy of the sociological method of research in the middle of the 20th century, and Weber occupies a significant place in its history. He used the basic idea of content analysis in "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism" (1904-1905). Weber drew conclusions about the institutionalised form of social communication in the past by studying its recorded content. He analysed the content of protestant catechisms to establish whether, in working with believers, pastors encouraged ethical attitudes conducive to the development of the capitalistic spirit. Later, at the first meeting of the German Sociological Society (1910), Weber proposed undertaking a comprehensive analysis of the content of the press, which did not receive the support of sociologists. His proposal represents the first methodologically designed attempt to give content analysis a place among sociological research procedures. The aim of this paper is to present Weber's contribution to content analysis. His contribution is considered through an analysis of the application of the basic idea of this procedure in 'The Protestant Ethics and the Spirit of Capitalism' and through advocating its use in speech at the first meeting of the German Sociological Society

Application and possibilities of content analysis method in sociology

Predmet doktorske disertacije je razmatranje primera i mogućnosti primene metoda analize sadržaja u sociologiji. Osnovni cilj je sistematizovanje postojećih metodoloških saznanja o analizi sadržaja u sociologiji, kao i ukazivanje na najznačajnija istraživanja nastala primenom ovog postupka i njihove doprinose razvoju samog postupka i sociološkog istraživanja uopšte. Metodološkom analizom ovih istraživanja može se doći do načina za unapređivanje postupka o kojem je reč, i uopšte i u različitim oblastima njegove primene. Pod analizom sadržaja se podrazumeva sociološki istraživački postupak čijom se primenom teži izgradnji precizne, objektivne, pouzdane i sistematične iskustvene evidencije o društvenoj komunikaciji. Ovaj postupak predstavlja najpogodnije sredstvo za proučavanje različitih oblika društvene komunikacije, čije je analiziranje neophodno da bi se društvo moglo potpunije proučiti. Osnovni elementi društvene komunikacije su odašiljač poruke, sadržaj poruke i primalac poruke, a razlikuje se i više pratećih elemenata. Mogućnosti postupka uslovljene su načinom njegovog određenja pa se u disertaciji razmatraju najznačajnije definicije analize sadržaja, a osnovna nesaglasnost između različitih autora odnosi se na njen tradicionalno kvantitativan karakter. Usled toga se prikazuju različiti oblici analize sadržaja: kvantitativan, kvalitativan i mešoviti. Predmet razmatranja su i mogućnosti ostvarenja epistemoloških načela objektivnosti, validnosti, sistematičnosti, pouzdanosti, preciznosti i opštosti prilikom primene postupka. Prisutno je nastojanje da se odgovori na pitanje da li između kvantitativnog i kvalitativnog oblika postupka postoje značajne epistemološke razlike. Ispituje se i odnos analize sadržaja sa drugim sociološkim istraživačkim postupcima, tačnije sa posmatranjem, razgovorom i anketnim istraživanjima. Posmatra se i odnos analize sadržaja sa postupcima uzročne analize, odnosno sa uporednim metodom i multivarijantnom analizom. Potom se razmatra izvođenje analize sadržaja: izbor predmeta i ciljeva istraživanja, uzorka, jedinica analize, odnos jedinica analize i kategorija klasifikacije, pretestiranje, kodiranje i analiza. Deo rada je posvećen primerima primene analize sadržaja, a prethodi im prikaz oblasti u kojima je našla svoju najučestaliju upotrebu: obrazovanje, politika, kultura, umetnost i nauka. Imajući u vidu istorijski značaj i domete, metodološki se analiziraju istraživanja koja su realizovali Harold D. Lasswell i Paul F. Lazarsfeld sa saradnicima. Prikazuje se i uloga postupka u proučavanju ratne i poratne propagande u udžbenicima u jugoslovenskim zemljama, a i njena upotreba u istraživanju naučne uticajnosti. Posebna pažnja posvećuje se novim mogućnostima koje analizi sadržaja pružaju upotreba računara i interneta. U zaključku doktorske disertacije sumiraju se rezultati izvedene metodološke analize i ukazuje na mogućnosti pojačavanja primene analize sadržaja u sociologiji.The subject of this doctoral dissertation is to consider the examples and possibilities of application of content analysis method in sociology. The main aim is to systematize current methodological knowledge about content analysis in sociology, conjointly with the emphasis of the most important researches carried out by means of this method and their contribution to the development of the method itself and sociological research in general. A mechanism to enhance the method in question and possibilities of its application in various fields can be found by methodological analysis of these researches. Content analysis is understood as a sociological research method which, when applied, aims to create more precise, objective, reliable and systematic empirical evidence about social communication. This method is perceived as the most appropriate means for studying various forms of social communication, the analysis which is crucial for a thorough study of society. The main elements of social communication are message transmitter, message content and message receiver along with other conjoint elements. Possibilities of this method are conditioned by means of its definition, thus this doctoral dissertation analyzes the most important definitions of content analysis while the main disagreement among different authors refers to its traditionally quantitative character. Due to the previously mentioned, various forms of content analysis are displayed: quantitative, qualitative and mixed. The subject of the study are also the possibilities of achieving epistemological principles of objectivity, validity, systematicity, reliability, precision and generality when applying the method. It is endeavored to answer the question wheter there are significant epistemological differences between the qualitative and quantitative form of the method. The relation between content analysis and other sociological research methods is studied – more precisely: the relation between content analysis and observation, interview and survey. This doctoral dissertation studies the relation between content analysis and methods of causal analysis i.e. comparative method and multivariate analysis. Performance of content’s analysis is afterwards considered: the choice of subject and aims of the research, sample, units of analysis, the relation between units of analysis and classification categories, pretesting, coding and analysis. One part of the dissertation is dedicated to the examples of content analysis application. The examples are preceded by display of fields where it was mostly applied: education, politics, culture, arts and science. Due to the historical importance and ranges of the researches done by Harold D. Lasswell and Paul F. Lazarsfeld with associates, these researches are methodologically analysed. The work also displays the role of the method in studying war and after-war propaganda found in the textbooks in Yugoslav countries, as well as its application in research of scientific influence. Special attention is drawn to the new possibilities of content analysis created by usage of computers and the Internet. In conclusion of this doctoral dissertation the results of implemented methodological analysis are summarized and possibilities of further application of the content analysis in sociology is emphasized

The position of the Hungarian national minority in Vojvodina: Sociological and legal aspects

U radu se vrši sociološko-pravna analiza položaja mađarske nacionalne manjine u Vojvodini, s akcentom na periodu od 2002. do 2007. godine. Smatra se da etničke veze imaju značajnu ulogu u oblikovanju nacionalnog identiteta, a da kolektivna prava predstavljaju legitimnu težnju za očuvanje osobenosti etničkih grupa kao što su jezik, pismo i kultura. Pod položajem mađarske nacionalne manjine podrazumeva se položaj koji ova manjina ima na osnovu stepena ostvarivanja svojih Ustavom Republike Srbije zajemčenih kolektivnih prava: pravo na obrazovanje na maternjem jeziku, službenu upotrebu jezika i pisma, informisanje na maternjem jeziku, očuvanje kulture i učešće u javnom životu. Dimenzije položaja posmatraju se na dva nivoa: na nivou pravne regulative i na nivou konkretnih problema sa kojima se pripadnici mađarske nacionalne manjine suočavaju u ostvarivanju svojih prava.The text is about sociological and legal analysis of the position of the Hungarian national minority in Vojvodina, with special regard to the period between 2002 and 2007. It is believed that ethnic relations have a significant role in establishing national identity, and that collective rights represent the legitimate effort to preserve the language, writings and culture of those ethnic groups. The position of the Hungarian national minority is the position that is guaranteed by the constitution of the Republic of Serbia in the section regarding the collective rights: the right to the education in their first language, official use of language and writing, media information's in first language, preservation of culture and the right to participate in public activities. The position of Hungarian minority is regarded in two dimensions: the level of legal regulations and the level of actual problems that the members of minority are facing when practicing their rights

Application and possibilities of content analysis method in sociology

Predmet doktorske disertacije je razmatranje primera i mogućnosti primene metoda analize sadržaja u sociologiji. Osnovni cilj je sistematizovanje postojećih metodoloških saznanja o analizi sadržaja u sociologiji, kao i ukazivanje na najznačajnija istraživanja nastala primenom ovog postupka i njihove doprinose razvoju samog postupka i sociološkog istraživanja uopšte. Metodološkom analizom ovih istraživanja može se doći do načina za unapređivanje postupka o kojem je reč, i uopšte i u različitim oblastima njegove primene. Pod analizom sadržaja se podrazumeva sociološki istraživački postupak čijom se primenom teži izgradnji precizne, objektivne, pouzdane i sistematične iskustvene evidencije o društvenoj komunikaciji. Ovaj postupak predstavlja najpogodnije sredstvo za proučavanje različitih oblika društvene komunikacije, čije je analiziranje neophodno da bi se društvo moglo potpunije proučiti. Osnovni elementi društvene komunikacije su odašiljač poruke, sadržaj poruke i primalac poruke, a razlikuje se i više pratećih elemenata. Mogućnosti postupka uslovljene su načinom njegovog određenja pa se u disertaciji razmatraju najznačajnije definicije analize sadržaja, a osnovna nesaglasnost između različitih autora odnosi se na njen tradicionalno kvantitativan karakter. Usled toga se prikazuju različiti oblici analize sadržaja: kvantitativan, kvalitativan i mešoviti. Predmet razmatranja su i mogućnosti ostvarenja epistemoloških načela objektivnosti, validnosti, sistematičnosti, pouzdanosti, preciznosti i opštosti prilikom primene postupka. Prisutno je nastojanje da se odgovori na pitanje da li između kvantitativnog i kvalitativnog oblika postupka postoje značajne epistemološke razlike. Ispituje se i odnos analize sadržaja sa drugim sociološkim istraživačkim postupcima, tačnije sa posmatranjem, razgovorom i anketnim istraživanjima. Posmatra se i odnos analize sadržaja sa postupcima uzročne analize, odnosno sa uporednim metodom i multivarijantnom analizom. Potom se razmatra izvođenje analize sadržaja: izbor predmeta i ciljeva istraživanja, uzorka, jedinica analize, odnos jedinica analize i kategorija klasifikacije, pretestiranje, kodiranje i analiza. Deo rada je posvećen primerima primene analize sadržaja, a prethodi im prikaz oblasti u kojima je našla svoju najučestaliju upotrebu: obrazovanje, politika, kultura, umetnost i nauka. Imajući u vidu istorijski značaj i domete, metodološki se analiziraju istraživanja koja su realizovali Harold D. Lasswell i Paul F. Lazarsfeld sa saradnicima. Prikazuje se i uloga postupka u proučavanju ratne i poratne propagande u udžbenicima u jugoslovenskim zemljama, a i njena upotreba u istraživanju naučne uticajnosti. Posebna pažnja posvećuje se novim mogućnostima koje analizi sadržaja pružaju upotreba računara i interneta. U zaključku doktorske disertacije sumiraju se rezultati izvedene metodološke analize i ukazuje na mogućnosti pojačavanja primene analize sadržaja u sociologiji.The subject of this doctoral dissertation is to consider the examples and possibilities of application of content analysis method in sociology. The main aim is to systematize current methodological knowledge about content analysis in sociology, conjointly with the emphasis of the most important researches carried out by means of this method and their contribution to the development of the method itself and sociological research in general. A mechanism to enhance the method in question and possibilities of its application in various fields can be found by methodological analysis of these researches. Content analysis is understood as a sociological research method which, when applied, aims to create more precise, objective, reliable and systematic empirical evidence about social communication. This method is perceived as the most appropriate means for studying various forms of social communication, the analysis which is crucial for a thorough study of society. The main elements of social communication are message transmitter, message content and message receiver along with other conjoint elements. Possibilities of this method are conditioned by means of its definition, thus this doctoral dissertation analyzes the most important definitions of content analysis while the main disagreement among different authors refers to its traditionally quantitative character. Due to the previously mentioned, various forms of content analysis are displayed: quantitative, qualitative and mixed. The subject of the study are also the possibilities of achieving epistemological principles of objectivity, validity, systematicity, reliability, precision and generality when applying the method. It is endeavored to answer the question wheter there are significant epistemological differences between the qualitative and quantitative form of the method. The relation between content analysis and other sociological research methods is studied – more precisely: the relation between content analysis and observation, interview and survey. This doctoral dissertation studies the relation between content analysis and methods of causal analysis i.e. comparative method and multivariate analysis. Performance of content’s analysis is afterwards considered: the choice of subject and aims of the research, sample, units of analysis, the relation between units of analysis and classification categories, pretesting, coding and analysis. One part of the dissertation is dedicated to the examples of content analysis application. The examples are preceded by display of fields where it was mostly applied: education, politics, culture, arts and science. Due to the historical importance and ranges of the researches done by Harold D. Lasswell and Paul F. Lazarsfeld with associates, these researches are methodologically analysed. The work also displays the role of the method in studying war and after-war propaganda found in the textbooks in Yugoslav countries, as well as its application in research of scientific influence. Special attention is drawn to the new possibilities of content analysis created by usage of computers and the Internet. In conclusion of this doctoral dissertation the results of implemented methodological analysis are summarized and possibilities of further application of the content analysis in sociology is emphasized

Operationalization of the cocept social position in studies of social structure in Serbia

Cilj ovog rada je utvrđivanje kako je koncept društvenog položaja operacionalizovan u empirijskim istraživanjima društvene strukture u Srbiji. Osnovna pretpostavka u radu je da načini operacionalizacije pojma zavise od društvenog konteksta u kojem se istraživanje sprovodi. To ne znači da operacionalna definicija pojma ne zavisi i od drugih faktora, posebno od teorijskih shvatanja istraživača i složenosti proučavanog fenomena. Rad je zasnovan na najznačajnijim empirijskim istraživanjima društvene strukture u Srbiji, najvećim delom realizovanim na Institutu za sociološka istraživanja Filozofskog fakulteta u Beogradu.The aim of this paper is to determine how the concept social position is operationalized in empirical studies of the social structure in Serbia. The basic assumption in the paper is that the ways the concept is operationalized depend on the social contexts in which research is conducted. This does not mean that an operational defi nition of the concept does not depend on other factors, especially the theoretical understanding of researcher and complexity of the studied phenomenon. The paper is based on the most important empirical studies of the social structure in Serbia, mostly realized at the Institute for Sociological Research of Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade

The Economic Position of Households in Serbia during the post-2000 Capitalist Consolidation

The authors analyse the economic position of households in Serbia during the recent social transition towards a consolidated capitalist society. Of central importance here is a determination of the overall population's economic position, with emphasis on the changes during the gradual consolidation of the capitalist order. The study is based on the analysis of statewide representative samples from three comparable research surveys conducted by the Institute for Sociological Research of the University of Belgrade - Faculty of Philosophy in 2003, 2012, and 2018. The analysis yielded results indicating that the economic position of households in Serbia, despite improvement during a recent period of capitalist consolidation (2018) when compared to an earlier period marked by a cyclical economic crisis (2012), is still lower than it had been during the first years of the country's accelerated postsocialist transformation (2003)