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The social status and position of teachers have changed throughout history and is conditioned by the development of human society. In the developed world, the teacher is a highly positioned member of society, part of the intellectual elite and a positive model of behavior. We are witnesses that the period of media development, the inflow of information, the collapse of previous value systems, led to a change in the evaluation and position of teachers in Serbia and the surrounding countries. Teachers are experiencing one of the most difficult periods. They are usually poorly paid, insufficiently valued, unmotivated. The paper describes positive examples of the attitude of social systems in the world towards teachers, where teachers are still part of the elite and where, thanks to a positive and encouraging attitude towards educators, societies experience prosperity in economic, cultural, material and other aspects of development. In this way, the assumption is confirmed that a society that invests in education and teaching staff, is profitable in the long run and has positive results in development. Also, the paper presents the results of research conducted by surveying students of the Teacher Education Faculty in Belgrade, in which we wanted to find out the attitudes, motives, and views of students about the position of teachers in society, and the projections of their future occupation. The results of the research show that students are motivated to work as teachers and that they like working with children and young people, but at the same time, they are aware of the unfavorable position of teachers in society and hope that this position can be improved by raising to make the public aware of the importance of teaching at the earliest age of students and stricter criteria when enrolling and selecting future teachers at faculties and schools.

Globalization is a process of world economic integration which leads to the global economy without borders. The paper estimates the impact of globalization on economic growth in the case of European Monetary Union countries (EMU). Authors used three components of globalization – economic, social, and political globalization. Pooled Mean Group estimator (PMG) was used to estimate the long-run and short-run relationship between globalization and economic growth. The results showed that in the short-run, economic and social globalization has a positive impact on economic growth, while political globalization has a negative effect on the economic growth of EMU countries. In the long-run, economic globalization has a statistically significant positive impact on the economic growth of EMU countries, while social and political globalization has a negative effect on the economic growth of EMU countries. Authors recommend, for each country, case by case approach in accepting the globalization process. The approach depends on the country’s development stage, social, and political background. Thus, the approach for developing and least developed countries could be an evolutionary way, while for the developed ones a faster way of acceptances of globalization, for developed countries.

U ovom članku istražuje se kako troškovna učinkovitost i rizik utječu na tržišni udio u europskom bankarskom sektoru. Analiza je motivirana poznatom hipotezom učinkovitosti i teorijom strukture-vođenja-uspješnosti. Hipoteza je da su poboljšana učinkovitost i pojačani rizik banke povezani s rastom tržišnog udjela banke. U odnosu na ostala istraživanja, u ovoj analizi uključen je rizik kao odrednica tržišnog udjela. U istraživanju se koriste godišnji podaci za 36 banaka iz europskih zemalja u razdoblju od 2007. do 2015. godine. Rezultati pokazuju da su rizik i učinkovitost pozitivno povezani s tržišnim udjelom imovine, zajmova i depozita. Nadalje, istraživanjem je utvrđeno da su banke u tranzicijskim zemljama bile manje uspješne u pretvaranju prednosti u pogledu troškovne učinkovitosti u povećanje tržišnih udjela od banaka u razvijenim europskim zemljama. Empirijski model je procijenjen korištenjem GMM metode kako bi se uzela u obzir dinamička priroda istraživanih komponenti te s ciljem zaobilaženja problema endogenosti., In this study we investigate how cost efficiency and risk affect market share in European banking industry. Our analysis is motivated by the well-known efficiency hypothesis and structure-conduct-performance theory. We hypothesize that improved efficiency and enhanced riskiness of a bank should be related to an increase in its market share. Therefore, in contrast to other studies, we include risk as a determinant of market share. In the study we use annual data for 36 European countries’ banks for the time span from 2007 to 2015. The results reveal that risk and efficiency are positively associated with market share of assets, loans and deposits. Additionally, we find that banks in transition countries were less successful in transposing their cost efficiency advantages into market share gains than banks in European developed countries. The empirical model is estimated by using the GMM method in order to account for dynamic nature of investigated components and to mitigate the endogeneity problem.

In this paper the microfinance industry will be described, both as it is today and with historical perspectives. Brief history of past failure of subsidized loans is mentioned. Different but important contributions from Stiglitz and Yunnus are explained and then the microfinance industry´s growth and current state will be described. Finally, different microfinance institutions types are explained. The microfinance industry is peculiar and deserves to be researched and focused upon for several reasons. The most important is that it aims towards poverty reduction by reaching out to the poor and provide them with capital. Noteworthy, that is to be done in a sustainable way, which allows the industry to thrive and expand. Indeed it has expanded greatly over the last few years. While the microfinance industry expands the importance of understanding the industry becomes ever more important. Researches on corporate governance for microfinance institutions have been carried out but more researches are needed, in particular for the social goal called outreach. Because the microfinance institutions have both social goals and financial goals, the microfinance industry is different from most other industries where profit maximization is the main and often the only goal. The corporate governance findings for microfinance industry may therefore be different and may not be easily transferred to other industries.

Abstract. In sub-Saharan Africa, the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) remains under appreciated, but emerging evidence suggests it to be substantial. NCDs such as arterial hypertension, heart diseases, diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney diseases are especially relevant, and put additional strain on the already challenged health systems in this region. Moreover, NCDs appear to be associated with higher mortality and morbidity rates and are more common in younger population groups, in people from sub-Saharan Africa when compared to more developed countries. In this review, we summarize the current literature on the burden of NCDs in sub-Saharan Africa, and highlight the clinical implications of the most relevant etiologies, i.e. arterial hypertension, heart diseases, diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney diseases.

"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts" (Aristotle).Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia and affects 1-2 % of the population in developed countries, especially the elderly. We expect that the prevalence of AF will double in the next few decades. The last decades have seen important improvements in the management of atrial fibrillation, but many questions remain regarding the optimal diagnosis and management of the condition. The German Atrial Fibrillation NETwork (AFNET) was one of three cardiovascular competence networks in medicine funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research between 2003-2014. AFNET has contributed to the understanding of atrial fibrillation, and AFNET-led studies have led to improved clinical practices and practice guidelines in Germany and in Europe. This work has been expanded and is continuing in the AFNET association (AFNET e. V.). The AFNET association, founded in 2010 and continuing to this day, has developed into a small but fully formed academic research organisation that conducts investigator-initiated clinical trials as the responsible sponsor in Germany, Europe, and beyond. The AFNET association currently cooperates with EHRA (The European Heart Rhythm Association), ESC (The European Society of Cardiology) and DZHK (The German Centre for Cardiovascular Research) and receives funding from the European Union to generate evidence that can in the future lead to better prevention and management of AF.

Paediatric Palliative Care: What is different in children compared to adults? Abstract. The number of children and adolescents (0 - 18 years) with life-limiting conditions and needs for paediatric palliative care (PPC) is rising. In Switzerland, the awareness for these needs lags largely behind other developed countries. In the United Kingdom, the prevalence for children with life-limiting conditions and PPC needs was estimated at 32 children per 10'000 population (0 - 19 years). In Switzerland, this would correspond to an absolute number of 5'000 children living with a life-limiting condition and potentially in need of PPC. In contrast, the number of deaths accounts for around 500 children (0 - 18 years) every year. Most common causes of death are perinatal conditions, contributing to nearly 50 % of all deaths in childhood, followed by accidents and complex chronic conditions such as genetic / congenital disorders, neurological and cardiac conditions and cancer. Compared to adults with palliative care needs, the group of children is significantly smaller but at the same time highly heterogenic. Heterogeneity relates to: the whole age continuum from neonates, infants and children to adolescents; a broad spectrum of diseases including rare diseases; a variety of needs due to age, development and the illness, e. g. needs for specialist care or technical support; various in- and outpatient settings. Paediatric care always encompasses the whole family and their particular needs. Internationally, hospital-based programmes have been developed and implemented to meet these particular needs of children and their families.

One of the most significant new developments in the global post-crisis economy is the implementation of various unconventional monetary policies (UMP) by major central banks in the advanced countries with the ECB being not an exception. We summarize the evidence on international effects of the ECB’s unconventional monetary policy, which has been studied much less than those of the Fed, with rather mixed empirical findings for the time being. The estimated spillover effects for the same set of countries differ across the studies in terms of magnitudes, signs as well as with respect to detected operative transmission channels and factors determining these spillovers. The observed heterogeneity in results is largely attributed to the specifications of the ECB unconventional monetary shocks and modeling frameworks chosen by the authors, which implicitly consider only part of the transmission channels and omit others. Thus, the paper argues that development of more sophisticated and unified econometri...

Obesity and overweight (body mass index (BMI) [30 and BMI between 25 and 30, respectively, calculated as the ratio between weight in kilograms and the square of height measured in centimetres) are considered by many epidemiologists as the new pandemic in developed countries. At the EU, this pandemic has a prevalence of around 50% for those aged 50 and older, being in the range 20–30% for total population in most of the member states (MS). Further, children’s prevalence has grown during the last 20 years being also in a similar range to the figures of the adults. The trends are positive in almost all the MS with the exception of the Scandinavian countries where the trends are more stable and the prevalence rates are lower than in the other countries. Life-styles, mainly, sedentary and high intake of calories derived from products containing intense doses of energy-dense elements such as fats and sugar together with the greater amount of food intake are the major responsible for the obesity positive trends. Genetics are believed to only account for a marginal 1% of the cases [1, 2]. Health consequences of obesity have also been fre

Death by "natural" causes is not appreciated in Western industrialized countries because it may be regarded as an obstacle against performance and consumption. In addition, life-saving therapies for patients with an infaust prognosis are often rather expensive and therefore classified as "futile". Utilitarian measures for the individual's quality of life (QALY's), which are allegedly objective, veil the fact that they can only reflect the parameters that have been considered during their construction. Caused by fear of a life in the nursing home, which is partially intensified by the media, many ethicists and lawyers propagate anticipating models of retaining patients' autonomy at the end of life. Apart from general considerations published by the former National Ethics Council in 2005, the German Parliament in 2009 will have to discuss three different bills concerning patients' advance decisions to refuse medical treatment. The illusion of "autonomous dying" is not a convincing model for the end of life debate.

The rise in foreign direct investment flowing to developing countries has created high expectations that, by drawing on this source of external financing, developing countries could initiate or accelerate processes of economic catching-up to advanced industrialized countries. By contrast, the public in advanced countries such as Germany is increasingly concerned that the relocation of production and the outsourcing of inputs by multinational enterprises add significantly to domestic labor market problems. A critical review of the literature and own empirical analyses suggest, however, that both views have to be qualified in major respects. As concerns developing host countries, it appears to be more difficult to derive macroeconomic benefits from foreign direct investment than to attract it. The labor market repercussions in advanced home countries are fairly complex. While relocation and outsourcing are important means to support the international competitiveness of domestic enterprises, the employment prospects and the relative wages of less qualified workers are likely to deteriorate.

Existierte früher die Not der Menschen, sich Nahrung zu suchen, besteht heutzutage die Notwendigkeit sich für oder gegen Nahrungsmittel zu entscheiden. In den westlichen Industrienationen konnte unter diesen Überflußbedingungen sehr bald beobachtet werden, daß Menschen anders essen, als sie sich ernähren sollten. Das war früher anders! Immer wieder kam es zu Fehlernten oder in Kriegs- und Nachkriegszeiten zu Hungerperioden. In solchen Zeiten besaß der sparsame Futterverwerter, der «thrifty genotype», einen deutlichen Überlebensvorteil. Inzwischen hat sich die ehemals günstige genetische Konstellation in einen Nachteil verwandelt. Der ungefährdete Zugang zu Nahrungsmitteln führt zusammen mit einer Reduktion der körperlichen Aktivität in allen industrialisierten Ländern zu einer stetigen Zunahme von Übergewicht. Die Industrialisierung oder «Cola-Kolonisation» führt auch in den Entwicklungsländern zu einer dramatischen Zunahme von Übergewicht und Diabetes mellitus Typ II. Die weltweite Verbreitung von Fast food Ketten hat die Ernährung grundlegend verändert. Bereits im frühen Kindesalter beginnt die systematische Beeinflussung. Mit ausgeklügelten Werbefeldzügen wird so ein ubiquitär vorhandenes Produkt zum Standard erhoben, an dem alles andere gemessen wird. Fast food ist gekennzeichnet durch einen hohen Fettanteil. Dabei werden auch eine beträchtliche Menge an trans Fettsäuren zugeführt. Die daraus resultierenden metabolischen Veränderungen führen zu einer Zunahme der Inzidenz und Mortalität an koronarer Herzkrankheit.