GRANGER CAUSALITY AND COINTEGRATION IN ROMANIA’S INFLATIONARY DYNAMICS – AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

One of the most difficult issues that monetary authorities in many developing economies have to deal with is the management of a stable price environment. Inflation can create uncertainty, a low level of investment, and raise costs in general, thus lowering rates of growth. As a result, there exists a widespread need for understanding inflationary dynamics in any country of interest, especially in developing countries, subject to more significant and volatile price changes. This paper develops a VEC model for the Romanian economy, using CPI index and other macroeconomic data, in order to capture the transmission mechanism of inflation.inflation forecasting, monetary policy, developing countries, Romania, VAR model

AN INVESTIGATION OF LONGRUN RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ECONOMIC GROWTH, INVESTMENT AND EXPORT IN ROMANIA

The objective of this study was to estimate the long-run relationship between economic growth, investment and export in Romania using trimestrial data from the National Bank of Romania as well as National Statistical Institute. The econometric methodology employed was the Cointegration and Granger Causality test. First, the stationarity properties of the data and the order of integration of the data were tested using the Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test. We found that the variables were non-stationary in levels, but stationary in first differences; that is, they are integrated of order one (I (1)). Since we used single equation model(s), the application of Johansen multivariate approach to cointegration was necessary to test for the long-run relationship among the variables. The result showed the existence of a single cointegration equation between the variables. The result of the Granger causality test shows a bidirectional relationship between investment and economic growth and also a bidirectional relationship between investment and exports but the result of the causation between export and growth was statistically insignificant.economic growth, investment, export, Romania, VECM model

The Logos between psychology, ontology, and Divinity: Fundamental aspects of the concept of Logos in the early thought of Slavoj Žižek

Slavoj Žižek’s philosophy spans over more than three decades, which is confirmed by the numerous books he published since the late 1980s. Since his thinking about the idea of logos is no exception, this article focuses on what can be termed Žižek’s early philosophy, and especially that depicted in his The sublime object of ideology (1989) and The metastases of enjoyment (1994). Whilst the former underlines the psychological aspects of the logos, the latter focuses more on theories about being, as well as on theological considerations. This is why, three uses of the logos were identified in Žižek’s thought: psychological, ontological and theological, all three with a clear focus on the human being as conceived in modern thought, which for Žižek seems to be utterly opposed to traditional thinking about man and his relationship with God. It is clear from Žižek that whilst the notion of God does appear in this thought, it only refers to the human being which encapsulates the essence of Žižek’s philosophy to the point  that  the logos itself is a fundamental feature of the human being’s material existence in the natural world. Regardless of whether the logos points to psychology, ontology or divinity (theology), it always emerges as an idea which centres on the human being, with a special interest in how it exists as well as how it works in the world

The theology of creation in Vito Mancuso’s radical theology

Vito Mancuso, a young Italian theologian of lay inspiration, has been causing a great deal of theological unrest within Italy’s conservative quarters because of his radical program intended to re-found Christianity in order for it to be understood by contemporary men and women. Mancuso’s concern to re-anchor Christian theology in the experience of today’s people drove him to affirm the fundamental importance of matter as source of everything. Thus, matter is the mother of all existing realities which include the universe, nature and even the soul. In other words, Mancuso proposes a theology from below which seeks to re-interpret the basic teachings of Christianity in a way which sheds light on the experience of today’s world. This theological program includes the traditional doctrine of creation, which in Mancuso acquires a new facet as it is described in terms related to his conviction that the origin of everything should be understood in material terms

ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF AGRICULTURAL INTEGRATION OF ROMANIA INTO THE EUROPEAN UNION. CASE STUDY: THE CONTRIBUTION OF AGRICULTURE TO ECONOMIC GROWTH OF THE NORTH-WEST REGION

Regional development, by its magnitude, includes several fields, making many institutions are involved in the development and implementation. Structural Funds are the main financial instruments used by the European Union to reduce disparities and promote economic and social cohesion in Europe. For Romania, the regional development policy is a relatively new concept. Using multi-criteria method was attempted an analysis of the level of agricultural development and North-West agricultural sector contribution to economic growth in the region

Ecodomy as education in tertiary institutions. Teaching theology and religion in a globalized world : Western perspectives

This paper investigates whether and how teaching theology and religion in institutions of higher learning can contribute positively to the development of human society. The positive character of such development in described by means of the idea of ecodomy, defined as constructive process. The inquiry assesses the constructive role theology and religion can have if taught in higher education institutions in an open and critical way. As such, the relationship between theology (including the idea of religion in general) and a wide spectrum of aspects (such as pluralism, hermeneutics, globalization, public engagement, oppression) are debated with the sole purpose of identifying ecodomic, constructive ways in which theology and religion can contribute to the development of society. The article focuses on specifically Western contributions to educational reform with the sole purpose of identifying viable arguments in favor of tertiary theological and religious education (which can be seen as valid and functional throughout the world in contemporary societies and have the potential to be applied in non-Western contexts). The actual investigation of these Western models is preceded by a concise description of the premise and method used for the current research. The study concludes with a critical assessment conducted from a predominantly Western angle. This focuses on the practical application of theology and religion in various local contexts based on the implementation of renewed university curricula aimed at the ecodomic development of society in general.On July 29, 2017, the Faculty of Theology – now the Faculty of Theology and Religion – within the University of Pretoria in South Africa held a colloquium on “Re-Imagining Curricula for a Just University in a Vibrant Democracy – Carrying the Conversation Forward”. Within the same year, an article was published based on the colloquium papers: “Teaching Theology at African Public Universities as Decolonization through Education and Contextualization”. Authored by Johan Buitendag and Corneliu C. Simuț, the article appeared in HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies [73(1): 1-8] and focuses on how teaching theology in African institutions of higher learning can advance the local issue of decolonization.http://www.jsri.roam2020Dogmatics and Christian Ethic

Negative ecodomy in Romanian politics and religion : anti-Muslim attitudes in the Bucharest Mosque scandal during the summer of 2015

This article is part of a two-year postdoctoral research program (2015–2017) at the Faculty of Theology, the Department of Dogmatics and Christian Ethics, University of Pretoria, under the supervision of Johan Buitendag.This paper focuses on a chronology of events presented by the Romanian media, especially newspapers with national coverage and impact like Gândul and Adevărul, between the first week of June to the first week of September 2015, when the issue of having a mosque erected in Bucharest, the capital city of Romania, was intensely debated by intellectuals, politicians, and religious professionals. The debates were intensely heated from the onset of these events and most of them revealed that most of the participants were driven by anti-Muslim attitudes, xenophobia, and assertive nationalism, a complex of feelings that I called “negative ecodomy”. The concept of “negative ecodomy” presupposes an attempt to built a safe environment, in this case for Romanians in their own country, but the adjective “negative” was added to the the positive idea of “ecodomy” because these efforts to offer a safe context for Romanians were accompanied by the negativity of anti-Muslim, xenophobic, and nationalistic activities. This array of negative ecodomic attitudes were displayed by Romanians not only in online media but also in the street through protests and other similar actions in a country which has been a member of the European Union for almost a decade and was supposed to adhere to the European Union’s basic principles of multiculturalism and the free circulation of persons. The totality of these events show that Romanians are still rather far from accepting the European Union’s fundamental philosophy or perhaps these principles themselves should be reconsidered and reinterpreted in the context of the massive Middle Eastern and African immigration and the constant, if not increasing threat of Islamic terrorism.www.mdpi.com/journal/religionsam2016Dogmatics and Christian Ethic

Vito Mancuso in English : presenting the thought of a contemporary radical Catholic theologian and philosopher to the English-speaking world

Vito Mancuso is an Italian theologian and philosopher of religion, who deflects from traditional Catholic theology with the intention to draft a new perspective on how theology should be understood, not only in the academy but also in public and private life. This is why he resorts to Hegelian concepts, which redefine most of what traditional theology has held dear throughout history, with a specific focus on how to turn theology from ideas defined by divinity to notions explained by anthropology. A prolific writer, Mancuso has written almost one book per year for the past decade or so, while he is also very active in the media by giving interviews and writing short articles for famous Italian newspapers, such as La repubblica. In all his endeavors, Mancuso attempts to provide contemporary society with a view of God which is essentially human and profoundly anthropologic in nature in the hope that such an understanding of God will make sense of humanity’s current issues and struggles. Despite the rather controversial fame he acquired in Italy, Mancuso is virtually unknown to the English-speaking public, so this paper is an attempt to present him to those who are not only versed in English theology and philosophy of religion, but also to those who still believe that theology and philosophy of religion may be valuable instruments for the information and transformation of today’s society.http://ext.sagepub.comhb2016Dogmatics and Christian Ethic

Creation and salvation in Edward Schillebeeckx. Well-being as more about jesus’ death and less about resurrection

This paper is not merely an attempt to come to terms with Edward Schillebeeckx’s theology and his philosophical mindset. Such attempts have already been made years back, when his ties with phenomenology, and also with postmodern hermeneutics and culture were pivotal for us in order to better understand his influence on mid-20th century Continental philosophy. This present study partially remains on those premises, but also brings Schillebeeckx’s thought closer to the 21st century, since nowadays concepts like salvation and resurrection tend to embed particular meanings, such as well-being and ancestrality, which until recently were considered halfway synonyms of the previous images, and thus were looked upon with less persuasion. This study follows their interchangeable use in Schillebeeckx’s doctrine of creation, where the purpose of the Christian creedal formula is to appease in a tribal sense, rather than to fun-ction as a confession of faith. On the other hand, Schillebeeckx’s take on the resurrection as a means to reconnect humanity to its ancestral faith will further be inspected as the starting point of his rehabilitated anthropology or the humanum. The initial discussion on the relationship between God and Jesus in the history of salvation finalized with Jesus’ death receives a new turn in Schillebeeckx’s thought when in this same context he talks about the resurrection. Jesus’ status after the resurrection is analyzed here considering the tribal flavors it receives in Schillebeeckx’s work with an accent on its outcome for the new humanity and its well-being.This paper is part of a two-year postdoctoral research program (2015-2017) at the faculty of theology, the department of Practical Theology within the University of Pretoria, South Africa, under the supervision of Professor Johann Meylahn.http://www.jsri.roam2017Science of Religion and Missiolog