People of the Road: the Role of Ethnic Origin in Migration Decisions. A Study of Slovak Roma Asylum-Seekers in the Czech Republic in 1998-2006

This paper deals with the analyzing possible inter-dependence between ethnical origin and migration. Evidence suggests that ethnicity might impersonalize strong cultural and socio-demographical characteristics that should not be omitted when accessing migration or trying to explain migration flows (either on regional, national or international level). In the empirical part of the paper the case-study of Slovak Roma asylum migrations to the Czech Republic in the 1998-2006 is used in order to test an impact of ethnical factor on migrations. The paper attempts to find out whether Slovak Roma asylum-seekers were drawn just by economic incentives, or whether there are some other "immeasurable" factors (such as ethnical origin) that were behind their decision-making. The conclusions advocate that economic differences between regions and countries do not provide sufficient grounds for explanation of migration and that ethnic origin in itself might be regarded as one of the powerful determinants of migration.migration; international migrations; Roma; ethnic origin

Turkey and the European Union: possible incidence of the EU accession on migration flows

This paper analyzes possible incidences of Turkish EU accession on the emigration from Turkey to the European Union. Panel data estimators are applied on the emigration data from EU-18 into Germany in order to construct possible future scenarios of Turkish migration to the EU. Eventual migration flows from Turkey into the EU are forecasted based on the estimated results. We find that seemingly unrelated regressor is the most efficient estimator that can be applied in Turkey-EU migration framework. Our results reveal that both the network effect and target country labour market conditions represent the strongest determinants for migration, whilst the effect of per capita income is actually relatively low. In particular, Turkish per capita income does not have nearly any effect on migration, because it enters the model in two variables that work against each other. Furthermore, a very low importance of opening the German labour market for Turkish migrants is found. Estimated coefficients are used to predict migrations to Germany and through appropriate extrapolations to the whole European Union (EU). Three scenarios of migration are created and the sensitivity of estimated coefficients on migration from Turkey into the Germany during next 25 years is further discussed in detail.Economy of migration, Turkey, EU Enlargement, panel data, seemingly unrelated regression

Poslovni potencijal Noći vještica: prodaja i trendovi

The paper assesses the business potential of Halloween by estimating the profits stemming from the sales of Halloween-related goods and activities. It also estimates two empirical models of Halloween spending with macroeconomic variables, using the sales data for the most traditional Halloween paraphernalia, the Halloween pumpkins, as well as for the three groups of products (candies, costumes and decorations), and finds that the share of more “consumer-oriented” products increases in relation to the share of “traditional” Halloween products. It comes to the conclusion that, as to its business potential, overall sales and economic significance, Halloween can now be only compared to Christmas.U radu se procjenjuje poslovni potencijal Noći vještica valorizacijom profita koji nastaje prodajom proizvoda i obavljanjem aktivnosti povezanih s ovom svečanošću. Procjenjuju se i dva empirijska modela potrošnje s makroekonomskim varijablama vezana uz Noć vještica, i to korištenjem podatka o prodaji najtradicionalnijeg rekvizita za ovaj događaj, bundeve, kao i za tri skupine proizvoda (bombone, kostime i dekoracije). Nalazi upućuju da se udio naglašenije „potrošačkih“ proizvoda povećava u odnosu na udio naglašenije „tradicionalnih“ proizvoda za Noć vještica. Može se zaključiti da se sada ova proslava može usporediti samo s poslovnim potencijalom Božića, njegovom ukupnom prodajom i ekonomskim značenjem

Ready to Go? EU Enlargement and Migration Potential: Lessons from the Czech Republic in the Context of the Irish Migration Experience

EU enlargement is hardly can be seen as the major push factor for migration. There are mainly economic factors that influence the migration decisions. Besides it seems that there is a migration potential, unique for every country, that pre-determines the migration or labor mobility. In our paper we (i) analyze the impact of internal economic factors, such as GDP growth, unemployment and wages on the emigration rate and (ii) compare the migration potential for the country distinguished by the high ratio of outward migrations (represented by Ireland) with those of the post-communist economy as well as the “new” EU Member (represented by the Czech Republic). We come to conclusions that economic factors have the decisive role on pre-determining the migrations and that migration potential and the propensity to migrate as a reaction to worsening of the economic conditions at home are highly correlated. These can explain why there was no mass emigration from the EU “new” Member States to the “old” Member States after the recent Enlargement, as far as it comes to migration potential needed for inducing such labour moves. The potential emigrants from new EU Members States are simply not ready to go to wealthier Member States in search of better wage and employment opportunities.migration; labour mobility; EU enlargement; Czech Republic; Ireland

Could AI change the scientific publishing market once and for all?

Artificial-intelligence tools in research like ChatGPT are playing an increasingly transformative role in revolutionizing scientific publishing and re-shaping its economic background. They can help academics to tackle such issues as limited space in academic journals, accessibility of knowledge, delayed dissemination, or the exponential growth of academic output. Moreover, AI tools could potentially change scientific communication and academic publishing market as we know them. They can help to promote Open Access (OA) in the form of preprints, dethrone the entrenched journals and publishers, as well as introduce novel approaches to the assessment of research output. It is also imperative that they should do just that, once and for all.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, 1 tabl

Factors influencing the choice of private or public schools: Evidence from Georgia

The existence and development of public schools is influenced by a plethora of factors. Through the creation of education policies, any state education system is striving to accomplish specific goals. Both informal and formal private schooling is taking the lead in all cultures and societies. Unmistakably, the distinction between private and public schools is evident. However, given the different circumstances, choosing the best alternative for a child is regularly a fervently discussed topic among parents. There is no universal answer to the question whether private schools are actually better than or superior to the public schools. Our research aimed to describe the school choice process, it focuses on unveiling the factors and their interrelation while the parent choosing between two types of schools—private and public. First of all, the research aims to describe the parent’s perception of achieving success at school, what is the base for such belief, what the sentence—“School—base of future success” actually mean. How important is so called social index? The significance of the reputation and prestige of the educational institution during school choice process—as a guarantee for future success. The key questions for the research were as follows: (1) How interested the parents are to be actively involved in school choice process and spend certain period of time for that? (2) What factors are considered by the parents during school choice and what is the source they receive information from? (3) Does the family’s socioeconomic condition and the kids gender have influence on the process? It’s worth mentioning that, generally the research results fully coincide with the school choice theory arguments and the research findings conducted in the similar field. All these are described and presented in the first part of the article. The probabilities listed on the base of the current data, that the information source, the parent’s information level, the parents’ engagement as well as the family’s socioeconomic and demographic status play integral role in the school choice process appeared to be genuine. Apparently, the parents are much interested to provide perfect future for their kids, though socioeconomic conditions, environment, poor educational system limits their choice. Once our results compared to the existing literature and theory, one can see that our study conducted in Georgia follows the trends of the developed countries, known as the “Heyneman-Loxley effect.

Innovations in the Energy Sector as a Powerful Catalyst for Financial Transformations

Conventional wisdom often posits that financial innovations are the primary drivers of energy transitions, facilitating the shift from traditional fossil fuels to renewable sources. However, a nuanced examination of this relationship suggests a reciprocal dynamic where innovations in the energy sector can significantly propel financial transformations. The global pivot towards renewable energy sources necessitates substantial financial investments, thus catalyzing the emergence of novel financial instruments, green bonds, and innovative financing models dedicated to supporting the renewable energy sector. This interdependence between energy transitions and financial innovation reflects the adaptability of financial institutions to the evolving demands of sustainable energy initiatives. As societies increasingly embrace cleaner energy solutions, the financial sector responds by devising inventive strategies to underwrite these transitions. Highlighting the growing academic interest in this symbiotic relationship, the number of publications on energy transitions and financial innovations indexed in the Web of Science database has witnessed a remarkable increase from a mere 10 in 2015 to 113 in 2023, indicating a rapidly increasing field of academic research. This paper presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the existing research literature on the interplay between energy transition and financial innovations. Utilizing a network analysis approach and the VOSviewer software - a tool renowned for its efficacy in uncovering prevailing trends and patterns in interdisciplinary research - the study aims to map out the intellectual landscape of this domain. Our findings elucidate that energy transitions do not merely benefit from financial innovations but can also act as potent drivers of financial change, as evidenced by numerous recent and historical examples. This reciprocal influence underscores the critical role of energy sector advancements in shaping financial practices and instruments. The study's insights contribute significantly to the understanding of how energy transitions and financial innovations mutually reinforce each other, providing valuable implications for policymakers, investors, and researchers focused on fostering sustainable energy ecosystems and financial market resilience

Promoting Tourism Destination through Film-Induced Tourism: The Case of Japan

Purpose – This paper describes the marketing potential of film-induced tourism in marketing Japan, as a popular tourism destination for non-Asian visitors. In particular, it focuses on the popular culture and on engaging young people from Europe, America, and Australia in discovering and promoting its cultural heritage. Design/Methodology/Approach – The number of Western tourists to Japan rose by 50 % between 2010 and 2015. Many of these tourists are attracted by the films associated with Japan in one way or another. We assume that, even though the majority of incoming tourists in Japan are Chinese visitors, the marketing potential of film-induced tourism in Japan represents a source of untapped potential. One can trace the increase in the popularity of Japan as the tourism destination to a number of new Western films taking place in Japan. Findings and implications – We employ the monthly data on the combined box office revenues of recent films set in Japan, as well as the monthly statistics on the number of visitors from Australia, Europe, and North America. We find causality between the popularity of the films and the number of tourists from the destinations that are mostly impacted by those films. Limitations – The research is limited by the issue of popularity of Western culture and films in Asia. One should remember that just 3 million out of 19 million foreign tourists that visited Japan in 2015 were non-Asian. Originality – The popularity of films either related to or taking place in Japan is enormous in the Western world. Headed by the recent 2015 Hungarian dark comedy “Liza, the Fox-Fairy”, there is a whole array of films drawing from both exotic and cosmopolitan Japanese culture. The Japanese setting offers a picturesque scenery for melodramas, such as “Lost in translation” (USD 119.7 million in box office revenues) or “Memories of a Geisha” (USD 162 million), horrors and thrillers, including “The Grudge” (USD 187 million) or “Godzilla” (USD 528 million), as well as action movies, for instance “Kill Bill Volume 1” (USD 333 million) or “The Wolverine” (USD 417 million)

Consumer preferences for cultural heritage and tourism e-services: a case study of three European cities

This paper reports the results of a marketing study aimed at discovering consumer preferences for the e-services in European cultural destinations. Our results are central to eliciting potential consumers’ preferences for tourism and cultural heritage-related e-services. The paper is based on the analysis of user surveys conducted by the authors within the ISAAC EU-funded project in Amsterdam, Genoa and Leipzig in 2007-2009. Three types of consumers were contacted: residents, visitors and (cultural heritage) service providers. Our results provide a number of important recommendations for the design of e-tourism ICT platforms in European cities. The ICT platforms constitute a new market product, representing a novel approach to increasing the revenues from incoming tourism. The recommendations suggest priorities to ensure that the information system will most readily meet potential consumers’ needs