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The paper investigates a sample of 25 European systemically important banks, in terms of performance in fulfilling their financial intermediation function. Performance has been measured by relying on a Malmquist productivity index with panel data, to account for productivity changes over time and to decompose the main sources of changes into the catch-up effect and technological progress. As the database covered the 2007-2016 timeframe, we were able to investigate if the impact of the financial crisis appears in the data. The findings obtained for each year confirmed that the financial crisis exerted a significant influence on banks' productivity which witnessed a decline for most banks in the sample in 2009 relative to 2008. Some systemic banks detached themselves as they exhibited increases of productivity during most time periods considered. The 10-year average levels recorded by the Malmquist index and its two components show that technical efficiency improvements slightly outperformed technological changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses descriptive statistics of various financial key performance indicators to depicture the situation of the sample of 200 Czech production and agriculture cooperatives from year 2006 to 2010 when financial crisis stroke. The sample is segmented using the area of operations and the setting of the decision making rules, as the then Czech commercial code (valid 1991-2013) was dispositive legal norm. Among the indicators belong ROA, Quick ratio, debt ratio and dynamics of assets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to analyse the influence of the European Union accession and financial crisis to convergence and integration of the bond yields and bond markets. The results show the deepening of bond market convergence after the European Union accession and the integration has continued until the end of the observed period. The chosen indicators are monthly mid-term bond yields (10-year bond yields). The period of 1/2000 to 12/2016 was chosen in order to show the impacts of the changes. The time period was divided into periods 1/2000 - 4/2004 (before the European Union accession), 5/2004 - 7/2007 (after the accession and before financial crisis), 8/2007 - 3/2009 (period of the deepest financial crisis), 4/2009 - 12/2016 (period after the financial crisis). Used methods are 1) spread between the 10-year bond yields of countries of Visegrad group (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary) and German 10-year bond yield, 2) analysis of alignment, 3) β-convergence. These findings can be beneficial for the financial market observers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the labor market for young people include to most flagrant problem not only in Europe but worldwide as well. The strategy Europe 2020 has different options for solving the problem of low young people employment at the macro level. In our paper, we have strived to contribute to the expansion of a general view of the unemployment in general and employment of men and women aged 15 to 24 years old. We focused on the current unemployment problem, especially for young people in the European area. Based on panel regression analysis, author illustrates his findings through a comparison of outcomes for young population group. In order to eliminate the current state of youth unemployment in the European area, the EU Member States must to reduce the taxes on labor markets, eliminate differences in the legislation on employment protection between employment contracts and adopt targeted measures pursuant to stimulate youth employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper was to assess and compare the evolution of two indicators of financial autonomy, to measure regional disparities in financial autonomy and GDP per capita and then investigate the existence of the relation between the financial autonomy of municipalities and the GDP per capita of NUTS 3 regions in Slovakia in the time periods 2005-2008 and 2009-2011, it is before and after the outbreak of the economic crisis. Regional disparities in financial autonomy as well as in GDP per capita were growing after the outbreak of the economic crisis. Between financial autonomy and GDP per capita there is a strong direct linear relationship which was strengthened in second investigated time period. Growth in the level of GDP per capita positively influences the level of financial autonomy of municipalities in the NUTS 3 regions in Slovakia. Partial results of the analysis indicated the need of future investigation which of factors arising from the activities of municipalities most directly affect the components of own non-tax revenue in relation to the economic performance of NUTS 3 regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural pessimism is one of the typical features of right-wing political extremism. It plays also a pivotal role in the research presented here which was focused on the construction of identity of activists from the extremist scene in Central Europe. A method used in the research was a narrative interview with leaders of extremist movements and parties in Central Europe. Narrators were telling their life stories and then were asked, how they reflect contemporary society. In telling their life stories narrators showed their conviction that contemporary society, nation and Western civilization (they defined it mostly by race) entered a trajectory of decline. It is manifested in the decline of morality, civic inactivity, domination of egoism, low natality etc. On the other hand they perceived this decadence as a way to the resurgence and as an opportunity for genesis of a new civilization based on attitudes and values which narrators found to be good and true. This paper presents the concept of cultural pessimism as threat and hope. It compares the specifics of cultural pessimism in rendition of the extremist scene with sociological data and scientific theories of civilization. Because cultural pessimism is typical not only for the extremist scene, but also is spread in the general population of postmodern society (especially after experiencing the economic crisis), it deserves paying attention. Analysis of the interviews focused on cultural pessimism revealed not only its specifics in perspective of extremist scene and importance of cultural pessimism in the construction of narrator's identity, but also its mobilization potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]