Consumption of Public Childcare and Educational Services: an End-User Perspective

Public childcare and educational services are complex services resulting in a relationship that is established between a supplier and a consumer of such services. In 2002 the European Council meeting in Barcelona, established that by 2010, the Member States should develop childcare services for at least 90% of children between 3 years old and the mandatory school age. This will stimulate the consumption of public services for the care and education of children. This article aims to analyze the consumption of public childcare and educational services in Romanian kindergartens. The first part provides conceptual clarification on consumption and consumers of public childcare and educational services and the second part assessed the rights of children and parents to such services. The last part presents some of the results of a questionnaire based exploratory survey conducted in Bucharest on the quality of services provided in preschool education from the perspective of users: parents of preschool children. The results show that the existence of legal regulations in the field, the access to quality services and the cost of these services represent key elements to determine the consumption of such services.public services, childcare and educational services in kindergartens, consume⁲ s rights, public childcare and educational services consumption

Performance Management in Social and Healthcare Services for Older Persons: Effects on the Relationship with Beneficiaries and Family Members

The research objectives were to identify specific problems that social and healthcare service pro- viders face in the process of performance achievement and the way these efforts influence the relationship with older persons and their families. The scarcity of data on performance in public and private organisations in the social and healthcare sector recommends the use of qualitative methods. Data collection included five in-depth interviews with local and central authorities and two focus groups of managers from public and private organisations providing social and health- care services for older persons. Findings show that performance in the social and healthcare sector is related to human and financial resources, to managerial capacity to balance the quantity and quality of services provided, and to the relationship with the beneficiaries. | Das Ziel der Studie war, die speziellen Probleme zu identifizieren, die Anbieter von sozialen und ge- sundheitlichen Dienstleistungen im Prozess der Effizienzsteigerung haben, und wie diese Prob- leme die Beziehung zu Senioren und Seniorinnen und ihren Familien beeinflussen. Wegen man- gelnder Daten über die Leistung von zivilen und staatlichen Organisationen im Feld der sozialen und Gesundheitlichen Dienstleistungen wurde eine qualitative Untersuchung durchgeführt. Die Daten wurden mit Hilfe von fünf Tiefeninterviews mit lokalen und zentralen Autoritäten und in zwei Fokusgruppen-Interviews mit Managern bei staatlichen und privaten Organisationen erhoben, die soziale und gesundheitliche Dienstleistungen für Senioren und Seniorinnen anbieten. Die Konklusion ist, dass die Leistung im Feld der sozialen und gesundheitlichen Dienstleistungen von Human- und finanziellen Ressourcen abhängt, sowie von den Fähigkeiten des Leiters, wie er die Quantität und die Qualität der angebotenen sozialen Dienstleistungen, sowie die Beziehung zu den Begünstigten ausgleichen kann

Transition to Bioeconomy: Perceptions and Behaviors in Central and Eastern Europe

The implementation of bio-economy, respectively the transition from a fossil fuel-based development to an economy that uses biological resources and innovation in biological sciences requires the formulation of new strategies and policies focused on comprehensive analyzes. The aim of this study is to contribute to a better understanding of the concept and policies of bioeconomy and to analyze citizens' behaviors and perceptions about the development of bioeconomy in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The comparative vision has the role to in identifying differences and similarities between national systems and is captured by applying a cluster analysis. The data are from European official statistics – EUROSTAT, plus data collected under Eurobarometer 88.1, from the European Commission and European Parliament. The analysis of the data shows that there are differences between the countries considered, from the perspective of the socioeconomic context and also in terms of behaviors that support the bioeconomy. Further efforts are needed in the development of the bioeconomy to achieve both economic growth and employment opportunities as well as the development of behavior centered on the sustainability and resource efficiency of the resource

Quality of the ECEC Workforce in Romania: Empirical Evidence from Parents’ Experiences

The quality of the early childhood workforce is central to service provision in this area, being a major factor in determining children’s development over the course of their lives. Specific skills and competencies are expected from early childhood education and care (ECEC) workforce. Well-trained staff from ECEC settings are an extremely important factor in providing high-quality services which will positively influence the outcomes of children. The present paper analyses the quality of early childhood education and care workforce from the parents’ perspective in the context of Romania’s early childhood reform agenda. A critical review of the specific situation of the early childhood system in relation to the workforce from this sector is made in the first part of the paper in order to highlight the complexity of this issue. In the second part, the authors will present the results of empirical research developed in 2017 using qualitative and quantitative methods in order to assess the activity of early childhood education and care staff. The main challenges in this field as they emerge from research will be analyzed, the findings having implications for policy-makers and practitioners in the field of ECEC services

SMEs and the Circular Economy: From Policy to Difficulties Encountered During Implementation

Circular economy is a concept that currently received a particular attention due to its contribution to the European objectives related to economic development under restrictive environmental conditions, in other words, the implementation of circular economy activities is essential to maintain and increase the competitiveness of the European economy. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of the concept of circular economy, of its different dimensions, and in the same time of the difficulties experienced by small and medium-sized enterprises in the process of implementing such activities, at national level. In order to achieve these objectives, data related to the activity of SMEs in Romania regarding circular economy, gathered within Flash Eurobarometer 441 coordinated by the European Commission during April 2016, were analysed. Although the European Union supports the green initiatives of small and medium-sized enterprises and encourages Member States to have similar behaviour, this paper concludes that national policies need to pay more attention to the training of workers and to support the development of the knowledge and professionalism, and concomitantly to reduce the degree of bureaucracy in assessing compliance of the activities carried out by SMEs in the field

Quality of Life of Older Persons: The Role and Challenges of Social Services Providers

Considering the growing number of older persons, ensuring the quality of life of them, as well as the social services designed for this population category, has become more and more important. Especially in the case of dependent older persons, social services are essential components, as they contribute to a better quality of life. The aim of this paper was to examine the perspectives of social services providers for older persons with respect to their role and the challenges encountered in ensuring the quality of life of older beneficiaries. In order to answer our objectives, we employed a qualitative methodology, using the focus group method to collect information from social services providers (both residential and home care). Multiple factors are related to a good quality of life in old age: some are related to individual characteristics, while others are related to the provision of services. The provision of quality social services that adequately respond to the needs of beneficiaries contributes to increasing the degree of independence and maintaining the physical and mental health of dependent older persons