Lustration in Romania: the story of a failure

Since 1989, lustration has figured prominently among the methods post-communist Eastern Europe used to deal with its recent past. While to date the literature has recognized that countries like the former Czechoslovakia, Germany, Albania and, more recently, Poland, have screened electoral candidates and/or members of the judiciary, the army and the police forces, in order to remove officials with a tainted past from post-communist politics, Romania has been dismissed as a country which consistently rejected lustration. However, calls for the removal of communist officials and secret political police agents were voiced soon after the Revolution of December 1989, and the measures they called for were more comprehensive both in terms of the social categories subjected to and the time period of the ban. This article is the first in-depth analysis to examine the lustration demands included in the Timişoara Declaration, explain the reasons why they received a cold shoulder from formations spanning the entire political spectrum, and map the negotiations between political parties and the civil society for the renewal of the political class. Romania missed the window of opportunity to legislate lustration because of such factors as its bloody exit from communism, the inability of the pro-democratic opposition to wrestle power from the successor of the Communist Party, and its predominantly subject political culture

Transition, justice and transitional justice in Poland

Observers have argued that the window of opportunity allowing for the adoption of transitional justice methods in Eastern Europe had closed by mid-1990s, both because by then the public had lost interest in the topic and because former communist officials and secret political police officers retained their political clout and it to block an honest reassessment of the recent past. However, it was only toward the end of the decade that Poland adopted lustration, opened secret archives and investigated a number of communist-era atrocities, proving that, if there is political will, justice delayed might not amount to justice denied. This article examines three methods post-communist Poland has employed in order to come to terms with the communist past -lustration, secret file access and court proceedings- and offers four different explanatory factors that, when taken together, can explain the country’s reluctance to pursue the politics of memory more resolutely

Religion and Politics in Romania: From Public Affairs to Church-State Relations

In November 2010, Romanian legislator Liviu Campanu, representing the governing coalition, proposed Daniel Ciobotea as Prime Minister of a cabinet of national union. The suggestion was surprising because Ciobotea is leader of the Orthodox Church, accounting for 86.8% of the country\u27s population (International Religious Freedom Report, 2009). It would not be the first time when the Orthodox Patriarch assumed such a political role - Miron Cristea headed the government from 1938 to 1939. While Ciobotea quietly ignored it, the proposal reflected not only deep dissatisfaction with the government, but also the respect the Orthodox Church enjoys among Romanians. The Church remains the most trusted institution in a country where religiosity registers high levels (Dumitru, 2008; Norris & lnglehart, 2004). Taking this proposal as a starting point, this article surveys the way in which the Orthodox Church has shaped Romania\u27s democratization during the last 20 years. It will first briefly present the Church\u27s position during communist times, and then discuss its involvement in public affairs by looking at its impact on elections, public education, and the legalization of homosexual behavior. Then, the article presents four divergent models of church-state relations that have been put forward since 1990 by the dominant Orthodox Church, the religious minorities, the Romanian political elite, and some humanistic (read: atheistic) civil society groups. Our contention is that, from 1989, the year marking the collapse of the communist regime, until his death in 2007, the Orthodox Patriarch Teoctist pursued an established church model that sought legal privileges and state recognition for his Church. Since 2007, under Patriarch Daniel, the Church has opted for a partnership with the state in the promotion of social welfare

PRO AND AGAINST INFORMAL ECONOMY

The informal economy is a reality that influences the lives of people directly at the planetary level.The term "informal economy" is used to include all workers and businesses in rural or urban areas working in the informal environment. It is emphasized that informal employees are not able to be recognized and defended by the legal regulations in force.The global changes in the field of information and communication technologies have generated increased labor market competitiveness. Under these circumstances, there has been a more flexible relationship between employees and employers. The main purpose of the article is to examine the pros and cons of the informal economy. Knowing these arguments can be a source of effective measures aimed at counteracting the negative effects that such activities may have.Simultaneously encompasses a theoretical approach to the informal economy, describing areas where it is highlighted, the factors that generate it, its dimensions, the theories put forward by the various economically-specific schools describing this concept, research methods

The Role of Romanian Universities in Increasing Graduates’ Employability. Curriculum Management and Development of Competences Required by the Labor Market

 IT&C instruments have been introduced in teaching and learning in order to facilitate the acquisition of competences and develop abilities for using new media and technologies. They lead to creating the competences which are necessary for a well-trained workforce. The results of a previous study where we wanted to identify the students’ main requests regarding development needs by using new teaching/learning technologies have highlighted the support that students want to receive from universities in finding a workplace. Thus, “84% of students want universities to establish partnerships with private institutions or ask for their support in developing projects in which students could participate as volunteers. 64% of students want the curriculum to be adapted to the employers’ requests and 59% consider it is necessary to include new teach/learn tools in the process of adapting the curriculum” (Butum, Stan & Zodieru, 2015). The present paper develops the idea that students are very demanding with the quality of their studies and they are focusing to obtain “right” skills for the labor market. We want to develop this analysis by approaching the change/adaptation of the curriculum in concordance to the market needs. We also intend to identify the employers’ requests about the young graduates’ competences and abilities and the way the employers perceive the role of universities in building human capital

New ways of combating demineralization: link between classic and allopathic medicine

Prevention and allopathic medicine gained attention, since it is possible for dentists to prevent demineralization, using plants and natural substances with well-known efficacy. The purpose of this study was to present new methods for teeth remineralization. It was made a selection of 10 extracted teeth, maintained in physiological serum, with no color fading, decay or demineralization. It was induced demineralization, with ortho-phosphoric acid (concentration 45 %), for one minute. The probes were visually and with optical coherence tomography (OCT) inspected. The natural product and the bonding with additional nanoparticles of argent were created and applied on the demineralization zone of the both groups of teeth. Each tooth in the first group had one plain surface demineralized. The second group of teeth had a cavity prepared on one of each tooth’s side. The pastes were applied on the demineralized surfaces and in the demineralized cavities for two minutes. After time expired, the pasta applied on the first group of teeth was washed away; the bonding above the second group of teeth was light cured. The probes were again visually and with OCT inspected. It was observed an improvement in remineralizing the white marks on plain surfaces and in the created cavities, the OCT being able to detect different levels of remineralization. The efficacy of natural pasta depends on the time it is applied and the concentration of the different main substances. Also, the type of surface, plain or occlusal facets, may influence the substances’ penetration ability. The non-invasive specific feature of these products, low costs and safety are strong positive aspects of this method of remineralization. However, the natural process of remineralization is a long-lasting one; perfecting the main substances in order to accelerate the process, in addition to several in vivo studies would be necessary to be fulfilled

FEMALE UNEMPLOYMENT IN BIHOR COUNTY

The contemporary world is in a continuous dynamic process that calls for perennial flexibility to change in the labor market. Unemployment is an important reality that influences people's lives from an economic, social point of view, as well as the development and economic growth of society as a whole. The purpose of this article is to illustrate the evolution of female unemployment in Bihor County during 2006-2016. We also carried out a comparative analysis of the female unemployment rate registered at national level to illustrate the variations that occurred during the above-mentioned perio