Browsing by Author "Pîrciog, Speranța"

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A conceptual review of the higher education system based on open innovation (OI) perspectives
(Springer Nature, 2024-03-16) Mochnacs, Amalia Elena; Pîrciog, Speranța; Sigurjonsson, Throstur Olaf; Grigorescu, Adriana
The open innovation paradigm has evolved from its incipient form, namely Schumpeter's new production function from 1912, to the current context of a global network of societies, including virtual communities that produce innovative ideas and industry applications through knowledge transfer. The role of industry-university cooperation and networks is widely recognized within the current academic approach. However, the context of higher education, its characteristics, and business application are not thoroughly explained from the Open Innovation (OI) perspective. The debate and further understanding of OI, industry-university cooperation, and the accurate application of academic knowledge to the business world and society are academics' main concerns nowadays, our research being a beginning step. The research objective is to present the evolution of the innovation concept from the higher education perspective through a qualitative review of existing studies. The contribution of this paper is linked to the proposed higher education service life cycle framework for academics based on the current needs for innovation, accessibility, and global integration.
Competitiveness and sustainable development in public services
(Sciendo, 2019-03) Grigorescu, Adriana; Lincaru, Cristina; Pîrciog, Speranța; Chițescu, Răzvan Ion
The last years were of profound transformation in public services that knows more or less the challenge from the private sector. A second dimension of competitiveness for the public services staring from 2007 was the free access of the citizens to at least education and health services in European Union. The paper aims to show the evolution of the cohabitation of the public and private sectors on the services of public interest, their development and evolution in different regions. Identifying and highlighting the key issues in competitiveness and quality of the services provided, will give us the main lines for the further development and public policies that should be considered. Considering the cohesion policy of European Union, an analysis of the public and private sectors in public services in Romanian counties could drive us to a conclusion about the affordability and the quality of the services. Using the statistics it can be show the regional distribution of the service providers especially for education, health, water supply and other services. The integrated analysis we offer a global picture of the regional potential and development. Based on the findings the public decision makers could better set up the sectorial public policies and the public spending. Never the less, the European support could be also directed to increase the quality and efficiency of the public services.
E-Banking Convergence and the Adopter's Behavior Changing Across EU Countries
(SAGE , 2023-10) Grigorescu, Adriana; Oprișan, Oana; Lincaru, Cristina; Pîrciog, Speranța
"The concepts of internet banking and mobile banking have led to changes in people's financial behavior in terms of earning, consuming, and saving. This new concept, which entered the market quite recently, was used at the beginning of the new digital technology in various types of activities, banking operations, and nowadays these services are used by all people who want to save through banks or create new sources of income, as well as to make quick currency exchanges without going to credit institutions. The main purpose of this paper is to analyze people's behavior toward new digital technologies, e-banking adoption, and non-banking financial institutions internet services. The objectives pursued are: whether e-banking users are homogeneous in their characteristics in the EU 27 and which users have the most convergent or divergent behavior in the EU 27. Statistical data taken from Eurostat 2023 was used for the Sigma convergence analysis, the time series taken into consideration being from 2004 to 2022. The results showed that the changes in the procedural-fiscal-financial sphere are the ones that fully reflect the two principles underlying the tax evolution: digitization and simplification. These results confirm that people are adopting the new digital technology and change their behavior from consumer to prosumer. The study shows that all most categories adopted e-banking using new digital technologies when it comes to consumption and saving, with few exceptions that should be carefully supported. E-Banking convergence and the adopter's behaviour within the EU CountriesThe concepts of internet banking and mobile banking have led to changes in people's financial behavior in terms of earning, consuming, and saving. This new concept, which entered the market quite recently, was used at the beginning of the new digital technology in various types of activities, banking operations, and nowadays these services are used by all people who want to save through banks or create new sources of income, as well as to make quick currency exchanges without going to credit institutions. The main purpose of this paper is to analyze people's behavior towards new digital technologies, e-banking adoption, and non-banking financial institutions internet services. The objectives pursued are: whether e-banking users are homogeneous in their characteristics in the EU 27 and which users have the most convergent or divergent behavior in the EU 27. Statistical data taken from Eurostat 2023 was used for the Sigma convergence analysis, the time series taken into consideration being from 2004 to 2022. The results showed that the changes in the procedural-fiscal-financial sphere are the ones that fully reflect the two principles underlying the tax evolution: digitization and simplification. These results confirm that people are adopting the new digital technology and change their behavior from consumer to prosumer. The study shows that all most categories adopted e-banking using new digital technologies when it comes to consumption and saving, with few exceptions that should be carefully supported. Digital transformation is not just about buying new, modern equipment, or retrieving data quickly and securely, but also about the technical implementation of state-of-the-art IT systems. It should be noted that digitization has had important effects on both public and private organizations and people, which can be translated as follows: time saved in people's interaction with public and private organizations; efficiency in administrative processes; transparency in their work. The economic environment becomes much more attractive and leads to investment and innovation in all areas. The digitization of all public or private services would also strengthen the administrative capacity of the whole population. Through studies, research, and future studies, it is essential to analyze and demonstrate that new digital technologies and their use could lead to the elimination of tax fraud, increased public confidence in local or central government and confidence in business. Finally, we can say that it is essential that new research in the field of digitization and e-banking use strengthens the literature reviews and explains at a higher level the answers to all research questions."
Economic Resilience and Sustainable Finance Path to Development and Convergence in Romanian Counties
(MDPI, 2023-10) Oprișan, Oana; Pîrciog, Speranța; Ionașcu, Alina Elena; Lincaru, Cristina; Grigorescu, Adriana
Economic resilience and sustainable finance are two interlinked and crucial issues for development and convergence in Romania's counties increasing cohesion. These issues can contribute to sustainable and balanced growth of local and regional economies and to the reduction of inequalities in regional development. Economic resilience in counties refers to their capacity to adapt and survive in the face of unforeseen economic shocks or challenges, and sustainable finance refers to ensuring responsible management of financial resources to support long-term development and protect the environment. Identifying and understanding the significant variations in economic resilience and sustainable financing between counties is essential for the formulation of regional development policies and strategies. These variations provide valuable information about the vulnerabilities and opportunities of individual counties and guide resource allocation and investment decisions. The research provides new data and relevant information on the significant variations among counties in economic resilience and sustainable financing, using a Markov transition probability matrix and exploratory-visual method. This study on Romanian counties aims to provide valuable information for the formulation of public policies to support balanced economic development across the country. The results showed that economic diversification is essential to increase the resilience of the economy to shocks and fluctuations. Counties that have a diversified economic structure, with multiple sources of income and economic activities, are less vulnerable to the negative impact of economic or natural events. Governance and political stability are key factors in creating a favorable environment for investment and economic development. Well-managed government policies can help maintain macroeconomic stability and increase the resilience of the economy to external fluctuations.
Low-Low (LL) high human capital clusters in public administration employment - predictor for digital infrastructure public investment priority - Romania case study
(Enterpreneurship & Sustainability Center, 2018-12-30) Lincaru, Cristina; Pîrciog, Speranța; Grigorescu, Adriana; Tudose, Gabriela
Disruptive innovations generated by digital technologies push the public services to digital transformation in order to become not only a problems solver for community, but a real social, economic and environmental development engine. With all significant progress, the use of e-Government services in Romania remains the lowest in the EU; high quality services are not available in a significant part of rural areas. The paper highlighted the spatial heterogeneities of the broadband infrastructure at level of NUTS - 5 expansion correlated to Low-Low (LL) high human capital clusters in public administration and marginalized rural areas. Using data from World Bank studies, provided in the ArcGis Cloud, from Romanian broadband investment prioritization and micro data provided by INS census, we developed a spatial cluster analysis by the means of ESDA method. In public administration the high human capital is clustered in a few innovative hubs which in the absence of a functional and interconnected national administration IT system makes difficult the public administration modernization, especially in the context of regional decentralization. At the county level is visible the pattern of center periphery, where the center is usually the county residence and the LL clusters are the frontier of the counties. Usually, at this frontier are located marginalized rural areas where are provided poor public services. As a recommendation, the future e-government development must be spatial harmonized with the high human capital in order to assure a valuable public service, everywhere, whether it is the smallest village or a big city, to reconnect the public to the state and the state to the public in an inclusive and intelligent manner.
Mapping European high-digital intensive sectors-regional growth accelerator for the circular economy
(Frontiers , 2023-01-06) Pîrciog, Speranța; Grigorescu, Adriana; Lincaru, Cristina; Popa, Florin Marius; Carlson, Ewa Lazarczyk; Sigurdarson, Hallur Thor
Globalization and the Fourth Industrial Revolution or Industry 4.0 act as shocks on regional labor markets and regional economies. The presence of a digital economy has high spillover effects on regional development, job creation, economic resilience, and sustainability; furthermore, it valuates eco-innovation and the clean economy. We believe that the process of digital transformation has a robust impact on the green and clean aspects of the entire economy. The consistency of high digital-intensive (HDI) sectors can be evaluated through high digital-intensive employment, human resources, and technological infrastructure, as these are the main pillars of digital transformation. The shift-share analysis method (SSM) is used in this study on employment growth during 2008-2018 for the EU27, the United Kingdom, and Norway, combined with a second stage of exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA). The findings on national growth, industrial mix, and competitiveness are presented in GIS mapping system considering the Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) technique at the NUTS2 level. This approach allows us to determine the clustering level of high digital-intensive employment and sectors, resilience based on connectivity and eco-innovation, and the regional potential of digital transformation. Policymakers and political or governmental decision-makers could consider the results of the present study as the starting point for developing and implementing their policies for a sustainable green regional economy and determine the emerging area patches that need to be stimulated.
Mapping post crises the European job growth in travel agencies and tour operator reservation services
(Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis , 2021-01-01) Grigorescu, Adriana; Lincaru, Cristina; Pîrciog, Speranța; Chițescu, Răzvan Ion
World Tourism Organisation, declares the Tour Operators as tourism engine of strategically importance to support jobs and inclusive growth in all regions. Tour operators emerges following the 2008 crises, as a global job engine. Its atypical profile of highest human capital concentrator in tourism, attract and retain talents, works digital with a high-intensity information use. Is a rapid adopter of technological innovation, generate high value added in highly competitive global markets. We look in this paper to understand why employment is growing or declining in a regional tourism tour operator sector during 2008-2018, in some EU28 regions? We use Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis to map the indicator 'tour operator's employment growth' components decomposed by the Shift Share Analysis Method. Analysed Eurostat data for 266 regions (281 regions) indicates that for the average regional tour operators employment growth heterogeneity is driven almost at half by region-specific factors. The main contributions are: identifying this indicator as appropriate to be a core one in OECD (2013) tourism competitiveness framework & redefine tour operator sector as a core sector of tourism in the Global model of tourism of Harrison.
Marginalised Zones As Statistical Instruments To Navigate Permacrisis Impacts In European Regions
(Hellenic Association of Regional Scientists, 2025) Lincaru, Cristina; Tudose, Gabriela; Grigorescu, Adriana; Pîrciog, Speranța; Stroe, Cristina
In the context of overlapping and interrelated crises—economic, ecological, social, and geopolitical—European regions are confronted with new governance challenges. Marginalised zones, often treated as residual spaces in policy discourse, must be reimagined as analytical and governance instruments in the transition toward sustainability and territorial resilience. This article explores how marginalised areas can be conceptualised and operationalised through spatial statistical methodologies and policy frameworks that support just transition processes. Drawing on a critical review of empirical studies and strategic European and Romanian documents, we synthesise the main tools used to identify territorial disparities, such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA), clustering algorithms, fuzzy logic, spatial econometrics, and machine learning. We confirm that these methods allow for more nuanced territorial diagnostics and typologies, which are essential for evidence-based and place-based policies. The article advances a transdisciplinary framework that repositions marginalised zones as strategic levers in adaptive territorial governance. Ultimately, we argue for a paradigm shift: from periphery to policy, where marginalised regions evolve from passive recipients of aid to active instruments of just transition.
Regional Digital Resilience and the 4Helix Model-The Higher Education Institutions' Case in Romania
(MDPI, 2023-06) Grigorescu, Adriana; Lincaru, Cristina; Sigurjonsson, Throstur Olaf; Pîrciog, Speranța
Against the background of multiple and simultaneous global socio-economic shocks, coupled with digital transformation and the green transition, regional resilience triggers new structural transformations. The more complex processes that need to be addressed now require the usage of complex integrated tools. The novelty of the integrated approach is the combination of the models and the synthetic spatial-temporal picture offered. The quadruple helix, or 4Helix, model puts Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) at the nexus of generating regional digital resilience. We posit a new mindset and behavior of human capital to reinforce innovation and knowledge production and transfer. We explore, using the Romanian national case, to what degree the spatial 4Helix model generates regional digital resilience as a positive externality of adoption of the 'new normal' digital education. We analyze this process in three steps. (1) We determine the spatial distribution of HEIs at the Romanian county level (NUTS3). (2) We calculate the regional static and dynamic resilience indexes (at NUTS2) as the outcome of the method for multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) by each region's digital economy as well as individual and regional wealth, social digital use and social digital connectivity dimensions. (3) Lastly, we provide the result of overlaid maps and radar charts (using HEIs number and spatial coverage and each region's static and dynamic digital resilience). These three classes of digital resilience models of 4Helix by region indicate a generalized failure in adopting digital education in Romania. The study contributes by adding a powerful tool to explore the complex processes or phenomena and generating an integrated perspective using a pre-existing framework. In doing so, it enables researchers to better understand and address society's needs, co-create knowledge and solutions together with the end-users, maximize the impact of these solutions, optimize resources usage, and increase the transparency and accountability of the decision-making processes.
Self-employment and unemployment relationship in Romania - Insights by age, education and gender
(Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis, 2020-01) Grigorescu, Adriana; Pîrciog, Speranța; Lincaru, Cristina
We check on the short term if self-employment in Romania influences unemployment and vice versa. Age, education and gender characteristics treat both variables, and self-employment considers both cases with and without employees. The objective is to look at the job creation and unemployment reduction in quarterly variation during the 1999Q1-2017Q3 period. On autoregressive models, we apply the Toda and Yamamoto (1995) procedure, detailed by Giles (2011), to assess for Granger Causality. We found for unemployment rates a push effect in the self-employment rate for adults and youth with low education level to self-employment without employees' rate for adults and self-employment with employees' rate for old adults. We establish a 'Schumpeter' effect for the adult with a low level of education self-employment to unemployment, for adults' males with tertiary education and self-employed, and older adults self-employed without employees to unemployment. We conclude that unemployment work as an inclusion mechanism for some vulnerable groups but inefficient for others. Self-employment with employees is less diversified, indicating a high-risk aversion and low start-up effect. In general, the labour market presents a unidirectional flexibility effect.
Synergy Analysis of Knowledge Transfer for the Energy Sector within the Framework of Sustainable Development of the European Countries
(MDPI, 2022-01) Grigorescu, Adriana; Ion, Amalia Elena; Lincaru, Cristina; Pîrciog, Speranța
The target for 2030 of reaching a 32% share of renewable energy in the gross final energy consumption can be achieved by speeding up the transformation pending the implementation of knowledge transfer (KT) policies that foster regional cooperation for the cost-effective development of renewables. The research purpose is the analysis of important factors in the development of the renewable energy sector through knowledge sharing and collaboration across the Member States in a comparable manner. The hypotheses are as follows: Hypothesis 1 (H1) there are synergies between knowledge transfer and economic impact through income and jobs for the renewable energy sector and Hypothesis 2 (H2) the EU countries have different profiles of synergy. The research proposition was established through the employment of a quantitative synergy and trade-offs analysis based on the knowledge transfer indicators and the sustainable development framework. The research method, namely the advanced sustainability analysis (ASA), uses the quantitative assessment tool for the understanding of synergies between two or three dimensions of sustainable development, presuming that the combined effect of the factors is greater than the sum of their individual effects. The current research comprises an evaluation of the renewable energy sector knowledge transfer policy models at the national level for 24 EU countries and four other European states, focusing on the capabilities to create synergies. The results of the study represent a valuable input for the policy makers, allowing for a coherent and sustainable planning and programming of the new electricity market, adopted through the Clean Energy Package, and following a highly dynamic and radically disruptive background, exploiting the 'successful' profiles.