Financing Regional Development Through Development Banks
A combination of various sources of financing is a necessary prerequisite to finance any development as well as regional development. Sources of financing can be monitored and evaluated from the aspects of suitability (cost aspect), availability and abundance. Ultimate users of funds give advantage to financial sources whose availability and abundance is at the maximum level, and costs are at their minimum. For the most part, development bank funds meet the above mentioned requirements, since the main function of these banks is to finance certain activities under special (more favourable) conditions. The significance, justification and evaluation of this form of financial resources in the regional development segment are becoming more and more prominent. The subject of this paper is the amount and conditions of development bank loans in the area of Osijek-Baranja and Vukovar-Srijem Counties.
Contribution to the Development of the Urban Management Model
The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate the importance of management in lo¬cal self government units within the existing circumstances in the Republic of Croa¬tia. In addition, the purpose of the paper is to establish how the local self government officials understand and accept the role of professional management in today's con¬dition of business environment and the ever-growing citizens' needs. The aim of the paper is to raise the awareness of responsible individuals in the local self-government, first and foremost those with the highest responsibility, namely the elected local self-government power holders, of the need to understand and accept the ever-growing importance of management nowadays. Furthermore, to prompt them to use the available budget resources of a self government unit as ad¬equately as possible through proper management in order to achieve as many goals set for a certain period of time as possible. Following the analysis and assessment of management in the local self-govern¬ment of the town of Vinkovci, proposals have been offered for the improvement of local-self government management in the town of Vinkovci and local/regional self-government units in general. The paper indicates that, in addition to continuous in¬vestment into information and communication technology, which is substantial every year, there is a need for continuous investment in the training and education of town administration employees. Without employees equipped with adequate knowledge and competence, the tax payers' investment into information and communication technology would become a failed investment both in the short and the long term.
From Employment to Employability: the Role of Active Labor Market Policies in Croatia
High unemployment represents striking economic failures that are costly not only to individuals directly affected, but also to the economy and society as a whole. Measures of Active Labor Market Policy (ALMP) - such as training, wage subsidies, public employment measures, and job search assistance - are widely used in European countries to combat unemployment. Croatia, as an EU candidate country, also has a long tradition in ALMP since rising employment is continuously at the top of the Government policy agenda targeting at economic growth and development. The purpose of this paper is to present ALMP and their role in combating the unemployment. Particular attention will be given to the ALPM of the EU and its implications for Croatia as a candidate country. The paper is organized as follows. After introductory remarks, the section 2 provides a theoretical background on the ALMP and relevant measures and discusses the ALMP in the EU Section 3 presents the ALMP in Croatia and discusses its status and perspective. The paper concludes with the section 4, suggesting further research focus, as well as some policy suggestions.