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Regional policy is considered as one of the most complex public policies. Its most important goal is the balanced development of the national territory. One of the major preconditions for successful implementation of regional policy is a region that exhibits the quality of economic homogeneity, in which implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development measures would be simple and logical. This article analyses features and roles of proposed planning areas (according to the draft Act on Regional Development) in terms of formulation and management of regional policy. Therefore, the article explores the demographic and economic profile of the planning area and associated counties based on data for the year 2011 or 2013. Demographic features are analyzed by comparative analysis of spatial distribution of population and by the index of demographic resources, while economic features are described by usual economic indicators -- gross domestic product, gross domestic product per capita, unemployment rate, composite development index and an index of specialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theme of this study is the analysis of demographic and economic situation on the island of Mljet from the nineteen eighties up to a recent time. The purpose is to highlight the weak economic development and the negative demographic processes throughout the history that have led to the depopulation of the island. The total population change, natural population change, changes in age and gender, economic and educational population structures were analyzed in that order by comparing data from the censuses of 1981., 1991., 2001. and 2011. The paper will also address some current processes and problems in the development of tourism, economy, transportation and traffic connections with the island, which make up the basis of its supposedly demographic recovery. The dominant demographic processes on the island of Mljet are an aging population and the total and natural population decline. Despite the increase in the average level of education, educational structure is still poor, and the portion of active population is decreasing. Although all the negative demographic and economic processes (or perhaps because of them), Mljet has certain advantages for its future potential development. The analysis aims, at least partly, to point them out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine factors causing delay in tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment in Croatia. It included 240 adults with pulmonary tuberculosis, who were interviewed for demographics, socioeconomic, lifestyle, and personal health data. Total delay was defined as a number of days from the onset of symptoms to the initiation of therapy. The median and the 75th percentile of the total delay were 68 and 120 days, respectively: 16.7 % of the patients initiated treatment within the first month, 23.8 % within the second month, 23.3 % within the third month, 12.9 % within the fourth month, and 23.3 % more than four months after the symptoms appeared. Long delay (exceeding median delay) was strongly associated with drug abuse (p=0.021). Extreme delay (75th percentile of delay) was significantly associated with the lowest level of education (p=0.021), below minimal income (p=0.039), minimal to average income (p=0.020), current smoking (p=0.050), and co-morbidity (p=0.048). In the multivariate model, long delay remained associated with drug abuse, while extreme delay was associated with the lowest level of education (p=0.033 ) and current (p=0.017) and ex-smoking (p=0.045). In a setting with decreasing TB incidence, the reported delay can be reduced by increasing health education, not only about tuberculosis per se, but about health in general and attitudes towards prevention and early care. It is also important to increase tuberculosis knowledge among healthcare workers as well as their diagnostic skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study analyses the role of the Mljet National Park and tourism under the demographic, economic and environmental changes on Mljet Island in order to estimate their implications for sustainable development. Key indicators have been determined according to statistical data, a field survey and interviews with local inhabitants and representatives of important institutions. Crucial processes have been identified on that basis and the level of the social, economic and environmental sustainability has been evaluated. The research pointed out that the founding of the Mljet National Park encouraged the development of tourism and the socio-economic transformation of the island's population and resulted in the tertiary activities grouped within the Park. Emphasis on the tourism development with the focus on summer vacation tourism has resulted in setting aside non-tourism activities and, despite the positive effects in reducing total depopulation, it has amplified the discrepancy between the depopulating settlements in the island interior with insufficient tourism development, the extremely progressive coastal settlements with developed tourism, endangered by the rapid degradation of the environment caused by excessive construction work, and the demographically more stable settlements within the National Park, exceptionally dependent on tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Town of Vukovar suffered heavy destruction during Serbian military aggression in the 1990s. The paper shows and explains in brief the basic post-war development challenges (obstacles, difficulties and possibilities) of the Town of Vukovar (Croatia). Overviews are presented based upon the relevant statistical, demographic and other documentation and literature, the human and demographic losses, as well as the material damage. In accordance with the "balance" of the consequences of the Croatian Homeland War and recent development documents, the basic obstacle factors of the post-war development and progress of Vukovar are identified and comprehended. The most important demographic indicators are explained. For a number of reasons, they are one of the key negative elements in the development of the Town of Vukovar. The current unfavourable demographic situation tends to further deterioration in the future and is having a negative general influence on the economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyzes dynamic and structural characteristics and spatial distribution of population in the Krapina-Zagorje County. The main aim is to identify and evaluate demographic resources and potentials and the influence of demographic resources on primary education organization. The demographic resources index was applied for identification and evaluation of demographic resources and potentials, and the typology on the administrative level of settlement and the primary schools' enrolment area has been developed. A spatial differentiation of structural and dynamic population characteristics of the researched area in the contemporary period has been determined. According to 2001 Census data, 59.3% of all settlements have extremely weak demographic resources and have no human potential for future demographic and economic development. Total population number projections and the first 2011 Census results have shown that the depopulation will continue and that demographic extinction will be the fundamental determinants of future population development. Negative demographic development over the years has contributed to the decrease in total human potential in the County, as well as to the decrease in the number of pupils in classes and in the number of classes, which implies changes in the number and status of primary school units. The utilization and encumbrance of the human potential in geography teaching will change under these conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ageing population is one of the demographic processes typical for contemporary society. Both nations and organizations should therefore recognize the significance of age management, in other words, of taking care and empowering older employees to add value. The paper deals with age management concept both on theoretical and empirical level. In the theoretical part, age management is explored through definition, stimuli, participants and activities of age management, as well as explication of early retirement factors. Empirical part of the paper presents research results about the potential early retirement factors of 182 respondents. At the end of the paper, based on both theoretical and empirical findings, athe model for effective age management in Croatian organizations is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individual responsibility and private savings for retirement are becoming increasingly important for the adequate financing of living standards in the third age. However, in order to invest in private forms of retirement savings, working age individuals should be sufficiently pension literate or informed. In this paper researchers examine the differences between pension literate and illiterate participants, as well as the link between pension (il) literacy and various types of private savings for the third age on a representative sample of active population in Croatia. Pension illiterate group makes more than a half of the active working population in Croatia. When compared to pension literate active population, they are statistically significantly different according to certain demographic characteristics, attitudes and beliefs, as well as behaviors and intentions towards savings for the old age. One of the most important findings is that the pension literacy is an important predictor of non-traditional types of savings, indicating that the pension literacy may represent a significant boost to private savings for retirement. In addition to pension literacy, a significant predictor of all types of private savings is the attitude towards a specific type of savings. This implies that raising measured elements of attitude, such as trust towards the specific type of savings for the third age and its perceived appropriateness, is another possible way to encourage private savings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The papers deals with applied research in population geography. Data source and development of a demographic information system (DIS) is of crucial importance for applied population geography studies. In past decades we have chosen to focus upon smaller geographic scales. Geographic perspectives on demographic analysis at the local level seem destined to flourish. That fact encourages demand for population geographers and opens the question of their university education and training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last inter-census period, between 1991 and 2001, Rijeka recorded population decrease for the first time after World War II as the result of negative natural movement and negative net migration. At the same time the number of inhabitants in the suburban region increased owing exactly to in-migration. Besides migration characteristics analysis of the population of the city and its suburban region based on the data of previous censuses, especially on that in 2001, basic results of the empirical research conducted in 2006 by the way of questionnaire method on the sample of 411 respondents in four settlements in the Rijeka suburban region are presented in the paper. The analysis of respondents' replies to four questions regarding reasons for out-migration from their previous place of residence and settling in the Rijeka suburban region settlements points to solving housing problem as the main push factor of out-migration and main pull factor of in-migration to suburbs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is the third part of the geographic essay on the area of Boka kotorska (the Bay of Kotor). In the first part, the authors (Crkvenčić, I.; Schaller, A., 2005) describes social and political changes in Boka kotorska and development of ethnic structure of the area until 1918. The subject of the second part of the essay(Crkvenčić, I.; Schaller, A., 2006) is ethnic structure of Boka kotorska in the period of Austrian rule (1814-1918). Finally, in this, third part, the changes of ethnic structure of Boka kotorska since the fall of Austrian regime onward are analysed. In the focus of the analysis is the phenomenon of a huge decrease of Croatian population in Boka kotorska. The explanation of ethnic development in the area begins with analysis of data obtained from the last Austrian census in 1910. There are two periods considered in the paper: (1) development of ethnic composition in the period of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918-1941), and (2) ethnic features of the population of Boka kotorska in the period of federal Yugoslavia (1945-1991). In addition, the analysis of data by Montenegrin census in 2003 us made in the chapter titled «Croats in ethnic structure of Boka kotorska - the dying away of Croation population in Boka kotorska». [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes contemporary population features and processes in Baranya. It points to the dominant processes and changes of the population dynamic and structural characteristics in the last inter-census period. Besides the presentation of the demographic feature differentiation, a possible future population development of this region has also been denoted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]