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The paper explores how the leaders of parliamentary represented parties in Bulgaria discussed Fidesz's policies in the period 2010-2019. Furthermore, it attempts to explain why Orbán's brand of conservative illiberalism has emerged as a normative ideal for a number of Bulgarian political parties, including the Bulgarian socialists after 2016. The paper argues that so-called 'democratic backsliding' in CEE, and Bulgaria more specifically, cannot be understood without acknowledging the role of decommunization for the rehabilitation and rise of far-right nationalist discourses. Within a common framework of capitalist free markets and decommunization, a series of ideological 'slippages' from 1990s liberalism to post-2008 conservatism has taken place. It is the consistent backsliding of left-wing thought in Bulgaria that has made a critique of liberalism possible mainly from a conservative point of view, even for the socialists. Third, the paper argues that while Bulgarian politicians praise Orbán and his conservative illiberalism on the domestic scene, they pay lip service to liberal values in their international discourse, pre-empting in this way criticism from the EU. It is precisely Orbán's open normative ideological challenge that has made Hungary the 'poster child' of illiberalism distracting attention away from his political followers in countries such as Bulgaria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether a country's innovative capacity increases when the business sector invests more in research and development. The empirical investigation covers Serbia and its three neighboring countries in the European Union - Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria - for the period from 2011 to 2021. The results indicate that an increase in investment by the business sector at the current level of GDP influences the increase in innovation in the case of Serbia, Hungary, and Bulgaria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus pandemic brought immense challenges to journalists worldwide, including new threats to media freedom, journalism safety and practice. The impact of the pandemic on journalism is yet to be fully understood and examined but this paper contributes to the field by focusing on the impact of the COVID-19 health crisis on the media in countries with democratic deficits, such as Bulgaria. Studies on former Eastern bloc countries have become few and far between recently so this research aims to fill this gap by examining how the coronavirus pandemic and associated restrictions have impacted journalism practice in Bulgaria and how journalists, and independent media organisations responded and adapted to the pressures in 2020. Our findings from semi structured interviews with media practitioners show that it is the independent media that has borne the brunt of the crisis. In addition to existing challenges to press freedom, many Bulgarian journalists encountered new limits to their daily practice in reporting on a topic of significant public importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use data from a new international dataset – the European Skills and Jobs Survey – to create a unique measure of skills-displacing technological change (SDT), defined as technological change that may render workers' skills obsolete. We find that 16 percent of adult workers in the EU are impacted by SDT, with significant variance across countries, ranging from a high of 28 percent in Estonia, to below seven percent in Bulgaria. Despite claims that technological change contributes to the deskilling of jobs, we present evidence that SDT is associated with dynamic upskilling of workers. The paper also presents the first direct micro-evidence, based on worker survey responses, of the reinstatement effect of automating technology, namely a positive contribution of automation to the task content and skills complexity of the jobs of incumbent workers. Despite the recent focus on the polarising impact of automation and associated reskilling needs of lower-skilled individuals, our evidence also draws attention to the fact that SDT predominantly affects higher-skilled workers, reinforcing inequalities in upskilling opportunities within workplaces. Workers affected by SDT also experience greater job insecurity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the effects of fiscal policy in an economy with search and matching frictions. To this end, a dynamic general-equilibrium model with government sector is calibrated to Bulgarian data (1999–2018). Two regimes are compared and contrasted – the exogenous (observed) vs. optimal policy (Ramsey) case. The focus of the paper is on the relative importance of consumption vs. income taxation, as well as on the provision of utility-enhancing public services. The main findings from the computational experiments performed in the paper are: (i) The optimal steady-state income tax rate is zero; (ii) The benevolent Ramsey planner provides the optimal amount of the utility-enhancing public services, which are now three times lower; (iii) The optimal steady-state consumption tax needed to finance the optimal level of government spending is 18.3 % , slightly lower than the rate in the exogenous policy case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused the global healthcare to face one of the most significant challenges since the World Health Organization was founded over 70 years ago. The development and approval of marketing authorization for vaccines with the COVID-19 indication represents an opportunity to address this public health threat. The aim of this study is to analyze the awareness of healthcare professionals (HCPs) on the benefit-risk balance, safety, and risk minimization measures associated with vaccine administration. This is an open-label, prospective, 1-year cross-sectional study (2021–2022). It was conducted using the indirect anonymous survey method by completing an online and paper questionnaire containing open and close-ended questions. The results obtained locally and internationally were validated, systematized, compared, and analyzed. The study included 344 HCPs from 40 countries on six continents. The data show that among HCPs, the highest proportion are pharmacists and doctors in the age group of 21–30 years. А 20% difference in results was observed regarding the statement that vaccines approved for use are of high quality, efficacious, and safe, 68% (on local level) and 88% (on global level) of the respondents agreeing. On the other hand, ∼80% of HCPs both in Bulgaria and abroad felt that they need additional professional data for the vaccines authorized for use. Surveys assessing the awareness and attitudes of HCPs regarding risk management and adverse reactions are key to increasing the level of informed decision-making and can help fighting the world infodemic with data from trusted sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper identifies the categories of accommodation establishments' names in Bulgaria and determines the role of a property's characteristics (category, location, type, and size/capacity) on the chosen name using a quantitative approach. The findings indicate that male, female, and family names, and names indicating geographic toponyms, represent nearly half of all names. Plants, emotions, and quality-related words are also widely used. Furthermore, results reveal that category, location, size, and type of establishment influence the naming of establishments. In addition, the findings illustrate that Bulgarian names prevail in the naming of establishments. Binary logistic regression reveals that urban, higher category, and larger properties are more likely to have foreign names. The theoretical and destination marketing implications are discussed as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current paper analyses speech data of a monolingual Bulgarian girl ("Etty", aged 3;11) with protracted phonological development (PPD). Etty's profile demonstrates the strong effects of prohibitive word structure constraints on segmental and whole-word accuracy. Single-word utterances were audio-recorded by a native speaker and transcribed phonetically by three transcribers. Data were analysed within a constraints-based nonlinear phonological framework (Bernhardt & Stemberger, Introduction to this issue). Even though the child's segmental system met age-level expectations in stressed syllables, strong constraints against initial unstressed syllables and consonant sequences reduced her overall accuracy and intelligibility. The data highlight the importance of examining all aspects of the phonological hierarchy, and further define the scope of PPD for Bulgarian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of interest rates and inflation on GDP growth has been the subject of long debates and many research studies: from purely theoretical analysis of the channels through which this is accomplished, to empirical studies on a broad panel of countries. Because of these shared arguments about the impact of interest rates and inflation on GDP growth, as an area of investigation in this paper we took FYROM, Bulgaria and Romania. The paper examines existing theory to create an analytical framework for the impact of interest rate and inflation on GDP, and to quantitatively evaluate the importance of these variables for economic growth. A cointegration analysis with three variables (interest rate, inflation and GDP growth) and a Granger causality analysis are implemented to examine the relations between these variables. Unit root tests are applied to examine the relationships among the respective data series. The target period is from 2000 until present time, offering a relatively positive first period until the advent of the debt crisis by the end of the 2000s. The basic aim is to investigate the links between monetary and fiscal measures, especially for developing countries that are striving for economic growth without a strong home currency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The downstream migration of young-of-the-year (YoY) of four sturgeon species (Acipenser ruthenus, A. stellatus, A. gueldenstaedtii and Huso huso) was monitored in the Danube at river km 396 in 8 continuous years (2014–2021). A total of 713 YoY specimens were registered for the whole period. The most frequent migrant on an annual basis was A. ruthenus, observed in 6 out of 8 years. The most abundant young sturgeons during the first downstream migration were A. ruthenus with 599 specimens, followed by A. stellatus. For the species H. huso, only 7 specimens were registered for the entire period. The natural hybrids A. ruthenus × A. stellatus were quite frequent. One YoY specimen of A. gueldenstaedtii was registered after 10 years with no detections in the Lower Danube River. The catch per unit effort (CPUE/10 ha) was 0.346 for the whole period for all sturgeon species. This paper suggests a method for calculating the CPUE taking into account the studied area, with the goal of ensuring comparability of monitoring data between the countries of the Lower Danube. Recommendations are also made for better protection of the identified nursery site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase in protest intensity that Bulgaria experienced over the 2012–14 period had dramatic effects, bringing down a government and maintaining pressure on its successor. These protests started with a campaign over high energy prices, but grew and shifted to address broader issues of governance, encapsulated in slogans such as '24 years of fake transition are enough.' Dramatic though they were, the lasting effects are unclear in environment where the legacies of the communist regime led to a weak civil society and low levels of trust. This paper uses a unique catalogue of protest events over the 2010–2016 period to identify the character and form of protest observed in Bulgaria. Drawing on Tarrow's concept of protest cycles, the aim is to determine why the protests grew and whether there may be more lasting effects after they subsided. The findings point to the importance of the longevity of the cycle in creating spaces for the establishment of social relations that may have more lasting effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The changes that have been brought about since the end of state socialism include modifications to the urban landscape of cities like Sofia, Bulgaria. There has been a decline in the number of green spaces, sports facilities and state-run sports programmes. The changing urban landscape has seen an increase in car travel, car parking and projects such as the Sofia Metro. Citizens from Bulgaria are among the least active in Europe; this has an enormous effect on the prevalence of obesity and non-communicable diseases. However, during the last decade, there has been an increase in recreational running, and in particular informal running clubs in Sofia. This paper uses recreational running to understand the changing landscape of post-socialist cities and its effect on techniques of public health. Using data from two in-depth qualitative case studies of informal running clubs from Sofia to examine the effects of the changing urban landscape on recreational fitness practices and well-being, the rationale of this paper is that this has the potential to generate fresh suggestions about the effective promotion of public health through exercise in view of how and where urban running is currently conducted in post-socialist landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reports the first results of the organic geochemical characterization of mudstones from the Shavar Fm (eastern Rhodope Mt., Bulgaria). The rock matrix is unevenly impregnated by amorphous organic matter at the onset of the oil generation (Tmax ~ 445ºC; PI – 0.1–0.2). High total organic carbon contents (avg. TOC – 5.9 wt. %) and HI (~720 mg HC/g TOC) argue for oil-prone source-rocks with very good hydrocarbon potential. The n-alkane distributions with maxima in the range n-C20-25 are consistent with organic matter origin from submerged plants. Additionally, sterane distributions dominated by C28-30 4-methyl steranes, indicate dinoflagellate contribution. High pristane/phytane ratio (Pr/Ph = 2–4) argue for deposition under oxic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses how 'new heritage' is created in a fragile institutional context by analysing the example of the historical complex Tzari Mali Grad (TMG) in Bulgaria. The analysis builds upon Regina Bendix's notion of 'communities of patrons' and further develops its analytical potential. The article focuses on the hierarchical community structures; on the transformation of patrons into leaders; on the dynamics of patrons' engagement with heritage which we call 'spiral of involvement'; and on the specifics of the fragile post-socialist context, which allows individual actors to substitute public institutions by restricting their power in heritage decision making. To explore the case, we triangulate qualitative and quantitative data. We conclude that this is an instrumental approach towards heritage, focused on the needs of the present rather than on the heritage's authenticity. This contextual specificity allows individual patrons to become heritage leaders and to cultivate communities of patrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the concept of food justice travels and morphs through its engagement with new geographies, practices and worldviews a key question emerges: what is the transformative capacity of food justice, if any? That is, what are the conditions and agencies that actually confer transformative capacity to food justice as a movement, a narrative, a framework, an outcome or a vision? And, how can academics contribute to unpack (or hinder) this transformative capacity? In his paper I contend that the concept of justice offers a different entry point from well-worn terms such as sustainability and food security by positioning the need to address inequalities’ root causes at the forefront of a transformative food agenda. However, if we aim to nurture this potential transformative capacity of food justice, it is paramount to acknowledge its place-based character, relationality and inherently political character. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines self-provisioning and homemade food practices as examples of socially inclusive forms of sustainability that have potential to contribute to the principles of food justice. While homemade food practices in Bulgaria resemble the philosophies of transnational alternative food movements such as Slow Food and the organics, these should not be viewed as a purposeful challenge to increasingly industrialised globalised markets. Rather, I suggest that homemade food in Bulgaria is an alternative to alternative food through its “quiet opposition” to neoliberal policies and post-socialist reforms, perceived as unjust by the majority of Bulgarian citizens. Moral support for elderly people and village dwellers, suffering most from discriminatory policies, growing economic inequalities and widening food gaps, is expressed through preferences for the natural taste of homemade foods circulated through informal networks. Whilst the transformative potential of self-provisioning practices as more democratic and socially inclusive forms of sustainability exists, however, it is also important to address the most serious threats to achieving food justice in Bulgaria: growing polarisation between villagers and urban-based policy makers, lack of recognition and stimuli for subsistence farming, and deprivation of access to space and resources for farming and food growing. Through an empirical focus on yogurt this paper demonstrates that food justice issues in Bulgaria do not just relate to the food sustainability in terms of human rights, “fairer” relations of production, environmental conservation and animal well-being, but also to the sustainability of families, communities, national traditions and identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban plannings and design processes, through land management, are important factors that significantly influence the distribution of urban green lands (UGLs), and thus, the provision of ecosystem services (ESs), thereby providing opportunities for managing climate adaptation processes at the local level. However, planning for UGLs is often secondary to other planning categories, and they often remain underutilized. Through an analysis of Master Plans of major urban centres in Serbia and Bulgaria, this paper discusses the conceptualization of UGLs and the integration of ESs in planning and design processes. Based on findings obtained through an Analytical Hierarchy Process, this paper develops a conceptual framework for linking ESs with different UGL types in the course of urban planning, in order to achieve a better application of UGLs in strategies for the amelioration of micro-climatic conditions in urban areas. This paper proposes framework for an ecosystem sensitive conceptualization of UGLs in planning and design process, where UGL typology should replace functional categories, and spatial indicators are defined in relation to UGL types. Such an approach can improve the understanding and ES-sensitive application of UGLs in planning processes and local adaptation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Is there a 'resurrection' of death in the post-socialist countries brought about by a rediscovery of religious norms and values in the context of the global processes of (de)secularisation? Based on a sample of 20 in-depth biographical interviews with men and women 75 years old and over from Bulgaria, this paper examines the complex dynamics of the privatisation and liberation of religiosity from the grasp of the communist regime. This religiosity developed along with the surge in the interest in Christian rituals, including Christian funeral and mourning, with their reinvention and integration into systems of personal values. However, it lacked the understanding of the Orthodox religious ideas of (preparation for) the afterlife. What emerged was an original death culture, driven largely by pursuits for a reconfirmation of family, national and anti-communist identity. It reproduced an unstable knowledge about the formal aspects of rituals and, paradoxically, was permeated by internalised ideological patterns of mourning, enforced by cultural experts of the communist regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of a societal base of xenophobia in Europe poses a challenge for the Muslim minorities to alter power relations in the society. In the light of the previous and the current research as well as established theoretical insights, this paper suggests that racial discourse now strategically allows a particular form of pluralism in society, a dominant pluralism, which occludes the possibility for the Muslims to be involved equally in the public and political life. The results of the qualitative analysis, based on interviews conducted with groups holding xenophobic ideas in Austria, Bulgaria and Italy, confirmed earlier observations on contemporary racism, which suggested incommensurability of Muslim minorities with the European culture; their non-assimilative adaptation to society; their expulsion if this adaptation fails and advocating populism. Space is a crucial aspect of exclusion in this discursive frame because minorities are excluded from public and communicative spaces. The discourse is supported by the conceptual sources of a dominant form of pluralism that are found in Michel Foucault and master–slave relationship in philosophy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The research hypothesis of this paper stems from the argument that the Bulgarian authorities and the broader audiences decode Roma integration through the prism of an inequalities-poverty-social exclusion framework, meaning that the growth of 'being integrated' is viewed as a gradual decrease of the value of indicators related to social exclusion and a steady rise in indicators of well-being. In elaborating their argument, the authors consult the recent 'integration literature' and then theoreticize the Bulgarian NRIS and the change of 'integration' vocabulary over time. A representative sociological survey is deployed as an empirical foundation for proving, or disputing, that the effects and consequences of the NRIS can be assessed based on the presented data. The explored data represent the self-assessment of individual exposures to the risk of discrimination and social exclusion in access to healthcare, employment and public services alongside the progress of NRIS. In addition, a baseline from an earlier period is used to visualize the course of social processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses the travel intentions of tourists in the post-pandemic world. The sample includes 974 respondents from Bulgaria. The findings show that most of the respondents are ready to travel within 2 months after travel is allowed in the country. For their first trip, respondents will travel in the country, by their car and with their family. Hygiene, disinfection and reliable health system in a destination will be the leading factors in travellers' decisions, according to the findings. Women and older respondents have higher health and safety preferences than do men and younger respondents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents results from the first application of molecular-genetic analysis combined with conventional light microscopy (LM) for identification of cylindrospermopsin (CYN) producers in field phytoplankton samples from Bulgaria. In total 68 cyanoprokaryotes were found by LM, out of which 18 were considered potential CYN-producers according to the literature. They occurred in different abundance (0-40%) in five waterbodies. The presence of CYN-producers was sought by application of the primer pair cynsulfF/cylnamR specific for the sulfotransferase gene (cyrJ) considered the best genetic marker for detection of CYN-toxigenic strains. Although CYN was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in two waterbodies (lake Vaya and reservoir Mandra), we did not find cyanoprokaryotes with cyrJ gene. Therefore, Raphidiopsis raciborskii, despite being identified by LM in both waterbodies where CYN occurred, was not the producer of this toxin and belonged to the European nontoxic population of the species. The same was true for the less widely spread Raphidiopsis mediterranea and Chrysosporum bergii (both found in small amounts only in lake Vaya). Our results on CYN occurrence without the assignment of its producer in the collected samples suggest that: 1) CYN remains stable in water after disappearance of the toxigenic species, or, more probably, 2) besides the already known species, there are others that are associated with the production of CYN. Because revealing of novel CYN producers is of ultimate importance for health risk assessment and water management, we propose more analyses to be performed in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the representation of women in radical right partiesand examines the often assumed relationship between the radical right andgender, namely that radical right parties are overwhelmingly ran, supported by,and representing the male part of the population. Using data from elections,party platforms, and parliamentary committees the paper asks ‘Are PRR partiesMännerparteien?' Using data from Bulgaria, we suggest that the Männerparteienargument is too simplistic and argue that in order to make a claim aboutrepresentation, one needs to study both female and male MPs and across all partyfamilies. We find that while radical right parties are still primarily composed ofmen, an examination of the substantive representation of women's issues, putsthis relationship into question. Furthermore, we show that while men outnumberwomen in all political parties, both radical right women and men have been moreactive in women's issues than their gender counterparts from other politicalparties. These findings suggest two things: one, we cannot study gender equalitymatters without comparing the activity of both men and women; and two, theclassification of radical right parties as Männerparteien based on descriptiverepresentation only, is too simplistic and to an extent, misleading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The basic aim of the present paper is to provide a historical overview of Bulgarian–Israeli relations from 1948 to 1990 (when diplomatic relations were re-established following their break off in 1967), and of Bulgarian state policy towards Jews in the country during the Second World War and the post-war Socialist period. The paper analyses the variety of factors that have affected that ‘triangular relationship’, such as the positive historical legacy of Bulgarian–Jewish relations that contributed to the salvation of Bulgarian Jews during the Holocaust, and the role and place of Bulgaria and Israel in the cold war confrontation that dominated international politics from the end of the 1940s to 1989. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This note aims at analyzing Bulgaria's high inflation regime during the 1990s. Two competing causes of high inflation are explored: changes in the rate of growth of the money supply in the economy and changes in the foreign exchange rate. Both correspond to traditional theoretical explanations: the monetarist view and the balance of payments approach. Evidence suggests that a variation in the exchange rate is significant in explaining the high inflation regime in Bulgaria whereas monetary growth appears to be insignificant. Consequently, the paper underlines the importance of stabilizing the exchange rate in the short run in order to avoid high inflation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates Bulgaria's trade strategy towards the European Economic Community (EEC) in the 1970s: a decade of intensified economic exchange between East and West thanks to détente and, simultaneously, of growing trade barriers due to the consolidation of the EEC's Common Market. The successes and failures of Bulgaria's endeavours are discussed through a study of economic cooperation with Denmark before and after its accession to the EEC in 1973. The main argument is that while Bulgarian economic policy focused on the rising regulatory impediments to trade with EEC members, it neglected the structural deficiencies of Bulgarian export production. Thereby, Bulgarian state officials strove to resolve foreign trade problems through diplomatic negotiations over customs regulations instead of advancing domestic economic reforms. This argument is supported by analysis of intergovernmental economic negotiations and trade deals between Bulgaria and Denmark during the 1970s. It highlights the different ways in which Bulgarian trade envoys in Copenhagen and top officials at home evaluated recurrent problems in accessing the Danish market and formulated solutions for these problems. Thus, instead of tackling internal structural problems, the blueprints for Bulgaria's foreign trade focused on external foes, namely trade discrimination against socialist countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper illustrates how the Model of Human Occupation provided a conceptual framework to inform the development of a work-related program for Bulgarian youths with intellectual impairments who are also socially disadvantaged. The paper describes the process of conducting a needs assessment guided by this model. Information was gathered on participants from the target group to create a holistic profile of their strengths and challenges/barriers. This information, in turn, was used to identify key needs which will guide next steps in program development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper argues that the national and local authorities in Bulgaria do not utilize the vast experience accumulated by many developed and developing countries, the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS) and the World Bank in providing housing for the poor and dealing with squatter settlements. Ignoring this experience is a serious omission, which has resulted in a typically inefficient, top-down ‘slum eradication’ policy. New large-scale projects funded under European programmes also follow this flawed approach. The research identifies several important factors which could inform the development of better policies. For example, it stresses the existing extremely high rate of uncontrolled construction of robust housing made with reinforced concrete in the Roma neighbourhoods. The paper concludes that this is a critical factor, which has become the major threat to living conditions and leaves no other alternative but to regularize the settlements and develop streets and other infrastructure. Yet these high rates of construction serve as evidence that Roma households are capable of contributing to the solution of their own housing problems if only their development initiative is encouraged in the proper direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the causes behind the Bulgarian financial crisis of 1996 and 1997. IMF staff economists and the policy adopted by the IMF focuses on a monetary explanation for banking and financial crises in transi-tional economies. Accordingly, the solution they offer is a monetary solution-- specifically, a currency board. Currency boards in effect force governments to adhere to a specific monetary rule. This prevents the development of necessary central bank functions. The paper argues that the financial crisis in Bulgaria was due to poor bank-ing regulation and the problems associated with valuing capital assets in tran-sitional economies. The crisis was therefore not caused by purely monetary phenomena such as too much liquidity. Rather, it was the outcome of the inter-action of chaotic hysteresis and financial fragility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross-section dispersion of expected inflation is often explained by differences in information sets across agents, but there is little empirical evidence attesting to that. This paper uses unique survey data from Bulgaria to show that consumers' perceptions of past movements and expectations of future movements in the general price level are influenced by their direct observations of the price dynamics of particular products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author of the article shares his numerous encounters with sociologists. The World Congresses that are organized every forth year by the International Sociological Association (ISA) had never-before 1970-been situated within any of the countries of Eastern Europe which at that time were known as members of the Soviet Bloc. The first ISA World Congress to occur within the Soviet Bloc took place late in the summer of 1970 in Varna, Bulgaria. Sociologist Andrei Zdravomyslov was such an individual, a face emerging out of faceless anonymity. At one of the first plenary sessions in one of the large assembly halls at the World Congress in Varna he presented a paper comparing the conceptual frameworks of Marxian historical materialism and Western structural functionalism. In the debate after the presentation of papers, the author asked for the floor and tried to convey one of his darling ideas, namely that classical Marxism as well as Western structural functionalism lack a proper understanding of certain structural contradictions emerging in what he called "modes of information and cognition" in contemporary societies.

ABSTRACT Ethnic problems may be investigated via either or both of two types of discourse -- 'nation-state discourse' and 'minority discourse'. The first type constitutes a declarative, diachronic-oriented type of discourse, centred around easily perceivable semiotic codes (language, history, tradition, religion). These codes are invested with qualities which relate to the existence and sustainability of the nation-state. As a consequence the defence of such codes is experienced as a defence of the nation-state. By contrast a 'minority type' of discourse does not, in principle, centre on nation-state semiotic codes. In Bulgaria, the discourse of the Islamic communities of the country (Turks, Pomaks, Turkish Gypsies) revolves, by and large, around issues of integration and accommodation, especially of either a demographic and/or economic character. The paper surveys domains that display a dose interaction between the nation-state institutions and the Bulgarian minority communities, namely the mass media, national holidays, educational bodies, army and police. It is argued that a careful and critical appraisal of existing attitudes with respect to these domains is necessary if ethnic conflicts, most likely to emerge during the present atmosphere of post-totalitarian changes, are to be avoided. The study of ethnic relations relies on two types of discourse: 'nation-state discourse' and 'minority discourse'. In the present paper, the minorities under investigation are the Islamic minorities of, the Bulgarian Turks and the Pomaks, and the Gypsy minority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online neuropsychological assessment batteries may facilitate the screening of cognitive functions in older adults and could be useful for early diagnosis and detection of cognitive impairments. The primary aim of this study was to assess the psychometric qualities of an online multi-domain cognitive assessment battery (General Cognitive Assessment Battery (GCAB) by Cognifit™) applied for the first time in Bulgaria. A total of 20 healthy older adults (6 male and 14 female, aged 60–82) completed the GCAB as well as the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) neuropsychological battery. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the demographic characteristics of the sample and the scores on the GCAB and the CERAD battery. The internal consistency of the GCAB was evaluated using item analysis and measured with Cronbach's alpha. The concurrent validity of the GCAB was assessed with respect to the CERAD using Spearman's r after verifying the linear relationship between the GCAB and CERAD scores. The GCAB showed good concurrent validity when compared with the corresponding CERAD tests. The correlation coefficients ranged from 0.67 for working memory to 0.47 for short-term auditory memory. We found very good reliability of the GCAB, with the inter-class correlation coefficient higher than 0.8 for all cognitive domains. There were no significant correlations between MMSE and GCAB scores. The GCAB was found to be valid for the cognitive screening of Bulgarian healthy older adults and may provide an adequate assessment of their cognitive status. The GCAB showed good concurrent validity when compared with the CERAD battery, measuring similar cognitive constructs. Further work is necessary to explore its validity and reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bulgarian Dialectology as Living Tradition (BDLT) has been one of the longest-running Slavic digital humanities projects in the United States. Initially conceived in 2008 as a series of printed volumes, the digital project was built upon the foundation of a long-term international collaboration dating to the 1970s. As BDLT nears completion in 2019, this paper reflects on the trajectory of its development and its sustainability as an unfunded digital humanities project, and the ways it can serve as both a model and cautionary tale for others who seek to undertake similar work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The poorest EU member-state Bulgaria also has the lowest press freedom ranking, significantly lagging behind all EU members, including neighbouring Romania and Greece. While "a laggard" in many respects, the country has leadership potential in at least one area: "post-truth" politics is not a new phenomenon. A prime example of its powerful impact was the ascent to power of the country's former king whose promise to change Bulgarians' lives in 800 days led to the electoral victory of his newly formed political movement in 2001 and his subsequent appointment as Prime Minister. A 2016-2017 survey of Bulgarian journalists as part of the Worlds of Journalism study shows they have grappled for years with the kind of issues their Western colleagues have been lamenting about over the past few months--from covert collusions with political and business elites to a range of corruption practices such as bribes, "subsidised" smear campaigns and "sponsorships" of TV programmes in exchange for cover-ups. A resilience technique adopted by journalists is that of self-othering, which involves a strong condemnation of the "dire" state of journalism and distancing from the unethical practices that plague their profession without assuming any responsibility. This paper "unpacks" this process of self-othering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the implementation of marketing planning in Central and Eastern Europe with special emphasis on Hungary, Poland and Bulgaria. The results of a 12-month investigation are presented through reference to mailed surveys conducted in each country. Marketing planning in the region is rudimentary, often the emphasis being on shorter term sales or financial plans, rather than longer term marketing plans. Despite the low levels of marketing planning in general, a small group of enthusiastic planners did emerge. Contents of marketing plans are discussed together with issues of plan implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the late 1980s, education systems have increasingly moved to allocating funding for general education by means of a per-student formula. The trend started with developed economies and moved to transition and developing economies, where the World Bank has promoted the adoption of per-student funding (PSF). But promoting a particular reform, such as PSF, by including it in a package of sector-specific development projects funded by World Bank grants or loans, and employing local and international specialist staff do not guarantee successful implementation. This paper examines experience with implementing PSF to school level in transition countries, comparing varying degrees of success to date (2013) in Bulgaria, Moldova and Kosovo. The paper considers the dilemmas inherent in designing PSF formulae for schools, how this played out in each of the countries and the reasons for varying success in implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper explores the relation between memory and national identity. It is based on the hypothesis of whether—and to what degree—local memory, the cultural identity of a region as expressed by collective memory, serves the constitution of national identity or is a threat to the materialization of this objective, because of its cultural ‘polyphony’ and different discourse. In order to investigate these questions, research focused on the village of Petrota in northern Evros, Greece, and its relation with the village of Malko Gradishte, on the other side of the Greek–Bulgarian border. The relations and the manner of their representation by the inhabitants, before and after the 1940s, when Bulgaria joined the communist camp, are discussed. The paper underlines the importance of collective memory for understanding official histories and identities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The current paper describes acquisition of word-initial (WI) trilled /r/ in clusters and as a singleton in 60 Bulgarian 3-5-year-olds with typically developing (TD) versus protracted phonological development (PPD). A native speaker audio-recorded and transcribed single-word responses to a picture-naming task (110 words) that included eight words with WI rhotic clusters and two with WI singleton /r/. Accuracy was significantly higher in the TD groups and for the PPD groups, by age. Mismatch patterns varied: the PPD cohort had the most varied patterns although the younger children with PPD showed more /r/ deletion in clusters, and the TD groups and 5-year-olds with PPD more substitutions for /r/. Substitutions for rhotics included taps (most frequent; possibly an acceptable variant), voiced uvular and palatal fricatives, laterals, glides, other rhotics, stops and nasals. These results add to the growing database on Bulgarian phonological acquisition concerning accuracy and mismatches by group and age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper illustrates the current state of Thracian mounds in Bulgaria, reviewing its theory and practice from a new heritage perspective, grounded in the field of Heritage studies. It points out the critical need of reversing the present state of mis-protection and mismanagement that results in cultural disinheritance, mass looting and destruction. It is argued that the preservation and development of Thracian sites and landscapes is enhanced by the ongoing heritization process of ascribing multiple values, wider definitions and roles of cultural heritage in society. This recently acquired heritage significance has activated a growing awareness and interest on the side of scientists from diverse fields such as archaeology and heritage studies, spatial planning and geography, medicine and biology, genetic studies, ethnography, linguistics and religious studies, claiming their right to explore and contribute new evidence of the historical, cultural and ethnic continuity between ancient Thracians and present day Bulgarians. Due to the increasing integration of sciences and synthesis of knowledge, links in value systems, toponyms, language, folklore, traditions and rituals, as well as genetics, become more visible, promising to restore a lost collective identity and sustain a valuable ancestral heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Asen Georgiev was a Bulgarian lawyer and diplomat who confessed to working for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) between 1957 and 1963. In a show trial staged in 1963 in Sofia Bulgaria, prosecutors alleged that he had been paid nearly $200,000 for his services and accused him of undermining the interests of the entire socialist camp by handing over Soviet secrets to the Americans. This article offers a comprehensive de novo analysis of the Georgiev case based on the extensive records of the Bulgarian State Security Service and individual declassified CIA documents. This study demonstrates that Georgiev's intelligence about Nikita Khrushchev was crucial for calling the Sino–Soviet split in 1960 and raises the possibility that he played unacknowledged roles in other international crises in 1961 and 1962. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to examine the evolution of institutions of social dialogue and actors’ perceptions in Bulgaria within the context of the process of Europeanization. The research question addressed by the paper is how and under what external and internal conditions the institutions of social dialogue in Bulgaria have been built and have evolved over time. The methodology is based on previous academic research in this field, official national and EU documents, newspapers and semi-structured interviews with representatives from trade unions and employers’ organisations as well as foreign experts. The overall conclusions comprise two interrelated points. First of all, EU conditionality became the main source of change in the area of social dialogue at the national level through technical assistance and the dissemination of ideas and “best practices”. However, it didn’t have the same impact in respect of negotiations at sectoral/branch and local levels. Secondly, its role was limited to the time of enlargement negotiations, and above all the effects of its influence were strongly dependent on the commitment of internal actors. These findings therefore support the idea of an impact of the EU mediated primarily by internal actors. However, it is necessary to add a further consideration regarding the intrinsic reasons for the limited and temporary influence of the EU. Concerning the notion of a European social model, the development of integration in this respect can in fact be considered as being only embryonic at the present moment. This becomes even more evident when we look at the secondary role played by those issues during accession. Therefore, if it is possible to draw conclusions about the more general process of Europeanization, these inevitably comprise recognising the causal link between the delay of European integration in the field of social dialogue, and the subsequently limited ability of the EU to play a role in candidate countries and even Member States. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper looks at corruption as noncompliant behavior. It argues that bribery is a substitute for being connected and statistically tests various forms of this proposition in the context of Bulgaria. This approach is tested with two illegitimate goals (hiding and circumvention) of economic behavior and two legitimate goals (influencing laws and public procurement) that might be achieved by noncompliant means. The findings suggest that bribery is used primarily when companies are engaged in hidden economic activities and circumvention of the law, while networks turn out to be the only significant variable when firms attempt to influence new legislation or acquire public procurement contracts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay is the first endeavour to sum up certain features of the Bulgarian export of architecture during the Cold War. Starting with construction firms acting in the ‘Third World’, this export was conveyed mainly by Technoexportstroy, a specialised enterprise established in 1964 by the Bulgarian Ministry of Construction, and later by the planning office Bulgarproject created in 1973. The geopolitical situation between the 1960s and 1980s was beneficial for the entrance of Bulgarian architects to post-colonial markets. They had to hold their own in competition with international architects and this paper argues that the export of architecture was based on the principles of the market economy and not on ideological influences. The number of Bulgarian architects involved can be estimated at 300-400. Alongside financial benefits, export projects gave these architects an understanding of architecture involving the work of several participants, even having to respect in some cases unpredictable interests: a situation which contrasted with socialist Bulgaria. From a range of projects, this paper discusses three examples, which together typified local economic circumstances and contributed to the welfare of the countries involved: the Olympic Sports Complex in Tunis, the bungalow projects in Sousse and the Nigerian National Theatre in Lagos. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This synthesis paper explores current leadership training in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in Bulgaria. The analysis begins with discussion of global factors influencing the implementation of leadership training in STEM education in general and then presents information about the current status of leadership training in Bulgaria with emphases on the country's economics, politics and geographical location as specific factors influencing leadership education. A short background of Bulgaria is presented with regard to population, gross domestic product, educational system, engineering force and possible need for leaders in industry in Bulgaria and the European Union. The paper provides an overall view about the current status of leadership training in all Bulgarian universities offering STEM education and concentrates specifically on two major universities by examining their currently offered programmes. As part of the discussion, similar training elements in other European countries and the USA are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Bulgaria, a new EU-member and an IMF star student is in dire straits. In the wake of the political and economic crisis of 1996-97, the country introduced a currency board arrangement (CBA), which provided the monetary framework for the foreign-investment-led growth that followed. This arrangement, which has been hailed as successful ever since, merits a reassessment in light of a disaster waiting to happen. In addition to double-digit inflation rates, the country's current account deficit reached 25.1 percent of GDP in 2007 and 25.3 percent in 2008, while its Gross External Debt has more than tripled since 2003. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of the CBA in Bulgaria's transition to a specific variety of capitalism that features high share of foreign ownership of productive and financial assets, large and growing dependence on capital imports, and trade dependence. The paper argues that rather than being a technical detail, the introduction of the currency board signified a radical reconfiguration of dominant economic interests in the transition to capitalism marking a shift from domestic-led redistribution of national wealth to foreign-led mode of accumulation. Not only was thereby the dominant position of foreign creditors cemented, but indebtedness has become embedded as an underlying feature of the capitalist development of the country. The gigantic external imbalances that developed under the board have produced mountains of foreign debt whose servicing is likely to perpetuate a heavy drain of economic surplus for generations to come as well as the firm placement of the country under the constant tutelage of creditors-serving organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a greeting sent to the participants in the International Federation for Research in Women's History (IFRWH) Conference in Sofia, Bulgaria, 8-12 August 2007. The author looks back to the establishment of the IFRWH in 1987, of which she was Co-founder, tracing the contacts, correspondence and meetings that led to that moment. Attention is also drawn to the first conferences in Bellagio, Madrid, Bielefeld and Montreal, as well as to the Newsletter activities that served to connect all the national committees that make up the Federation. The story told is one of friendships and inspiring moments. It ends with hope for the continued importance of the IFRWH to global women's and gender history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a network analysis tool, the paper analyses the history and potential of the Bulgarian wine industry, arguing that shifts between volume and quality make sense in the light of the sector's changing environment, an environment that currently favours boutique production for export, coupled to boutique and volume production at home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper seeks to bridge the existing gap between three distinct strands of literature: scholarship on EU enlargement; studies of social policy in the European Union; and feminist theorising on equality between men and women. It explores the impact of the EU's conditionality on policies, legislation and institutions on gender equality in Bulgaria and Romania between 1990 and 2007 from a feminist perspective, uncovering the multifaceted process whereby Europeanisation and domestic determinants of change interact with each other in the formation and implementation of a new gender equality agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper tracks changes in design and implementation of Western management training interventions in Eastern Europe (EE) over a period of more than a decade. The study is based empirically on three management development programmes conducted by Westerners in the transitional environments of Bulgaria and Russia from 1992 to 2003. Departing from existing literature on knowledge transfer from Western to EE, activity theory is used to identify a process of reconfiguring the zone of proximal development of East European (also abbreviated EE in the article) participants and conclude that there is a growing desire and assertiveness on the part of local participants to formulate their own strategic and managerial repertoires. At the same time, it is also observed that as a product of Western ideology of the transitional process, there has been empowerment of socio-demographic groupings who demonstrate consonant ideological inclinations towards Western managerial discourse, most notably young, educated and English proficient individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]