Faculty of Political Sciences

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A citizen-driven alternative to corporate social responsability
(Tritonic, 2016) Palade, Brîndușa
Despite the existence of a small number of companies genuinely committed to investing in sustainable products, the shallowness of the green claims of many others, which has often been revealed in recent years, is a considerable flaw of a classic CSR model that emphasizes the development of a corporate responsibility towards environment and society. This is the main reason why I argue for a shift in business ethics from a corporate- to a citizen-driven moral responsibility to build a sustainable future. Likewise, although governments are major players in any global shift towards a cleaner production, they cannot be taken as primary moral agents, due to electoral considerations that may discourage them from promoting a climate legislation which promises mostly long-term benefits, and makes “sacrifices” in the short- and middle-run. As an alternative, I advance a triadic model, which considers the environmentally minded citizens as the driving force of a green shift. According to this model, citizens would pressure governments to enforce climate regulations and to monitor the green claims of companies and business groups, by sanctioning them electorally if they fail to do so. Governments, in turn, would be mandated to promote new enforceable climate regulations and to provide mandatory guidelines to companies as to how to implement new cleaner technologies. Yet, the technological innovations themselves, and the investment in renewable energy should belong to the private sector, which has both the expertise and the capability to create and implement new designs and technologies for their own products.
A hypothesis on the origin and synchrony of the Romanian and western medical sociology
(Presa Universitara Clujeana, 2016) Bucur, Bogdan
The present article focuses on the eating habits of the population of interwar Romania, as rendered in the monographic research of the Sociological School of Bucharest, founded and led by Professor Dimitrie Gusti. It also investigates the health state of the Romanian citizens, mainly, but not exclusively, of those from rural areas. Our sources of information on the nutrition and public health of interwar Romania consisted in the studies and research carried out in the 1918–1948 period by the Sociological School of Bucharest, published in scientific journals and books edited under the scientific authority of Professor Gusti. In this respect, we have examined, almost in its entirety, the relevant work published by the Monographic School on the subject of nutrition and public health.The present article aims, therefore, to summarize the sociological studies and research carried out in the interwar period, at national level, which we above mentioned. It also aims to bring forward, for further critical scrutiny, a hypothesis regarding the synchrony between the Romanian medical sociology(of Gustian origin) and the similar scientific movements from the Western countries.
Admiterea la liceu în România : o analiza din perspectiva mecanismelor de repartizare
(Facultatea de Stiinte Politice, SNSPA, 2018) Gheba, Andreea
In this article, I present (using non- formalized language) examples of theoretical solutions proposed by researchers focused on the study of mechanism design theory, with the purpose of solving specific educational policy issues based on the school choice principle. Focusing on the mechanisms that aim a controlled school choice by parents, I describe mechanisms whose objective is to implement affirmative policies (e.g., quotas for specific categories of students). At the same time, in this paper, I analyze the characteristics of the system through which the students are assigned to high-school in Romania, using “mechanism design theory“ literature."
Analysis of the factors influencing the favorable participation of students with special needs in public tertiary education in Romania
(MDPI, 2022) Stăiculescu, Camelia ; Dincă, Mihaela Violeta; Gheba, Andreea
Even though research focused on inclusive education in Romania for institutions within the primary and secondary education system has been carried out, there are not many studies that approach the factors determining a favorable inclusion of students in higher education institutions. The central goal of the article consisted in investigating what impacts the willingness and openness for inclusive education for Romanian universities and the potential impact of five constructs of variables applied on fifteen universities from Romania. The outcomes of the quantitative (econometrical) analysis (a survey based on a questionnaire) showed the major impact of the variables of “policies and structures of the university”, “curriculum and pedagogy/teaching strategies”, “community and social integration”, and “accessibility and resources for students” (all focused on students with special needs) on the “willingness and openness for inclusive education” for Romanian universities. The variable of “communication and transparency” (focused on students with special needs) was associated with a medium influence on the “willingness and openness for inclusive education” for Romanian universities. This paper underlines the importance of incorporating the necessary training, support, flexibility, and resources to respond to a variety of student needs in order to improve inclusive education within higher education institutions in Romania.
Assessing labour migration policies from the incorporation perspective : the case of Romania
(2024) Florian, Bogdan; Ion, Oana Andreea; Mocanu, Mircea
Migrants play an important role in shaping today’s EU, both in terms of the labour market, and society as a whole. The analyses of the migration policies, including the labour sector, are generally focused on the control and, respectively, on the security dimension, while a third branch includes the researches on the broader term of incorporation of migrants into the fabric of the host societies. This paper starts from the questions “why does the EU labour market need migrants?” and “what role can migrants play in community development?”, and it argues that using an incorporation approach in public policies concerning migrants could provide a theoretical and actional solution to overcome challenges posed by various other policy and political positions aimed against migrants. An assessment of labour-connected incorporation policies and practices is presented as a study case, using evidence-based policies and practices from Romania. The main findings of the paper indicate that there is a huge gap between stated aims of written strategies, actions being implemented and the perception of intended target groups. The article argues that this deviation is due, at least in the case of Romania, to a weak administrative capacity to manage migrant flows and the challenges they bring to traditional and rigid legal and administrative systems. The gap is also due to poor operationalisation of the concept of incorporation in policy practice, with contradictory simultaneously policy narratives of adaptation, assimilation, inclusion, or integration, and without a clear goal that should shape a national labour migration policy.
Assessing the fairness of the EU Council qualified majority voting : a voting power critical perspective of the liberal intergovernmentalist accounts
(Servizo de Publicacións, Universidade da Coruna, 2023) Ion, Oana Andreea
The Qualified Majority Voting (QMV) used by the Council of the European Union developed to a high degree of complexity from one modifying treaty to another, until the latest definition stipulated in the Treaty of Lisbon. This paper analyses this EU intra-institutional voting method using a rational choice approach and emphasizes that there aresituations when not even the institutions, as rational actors, can avoid a collective irrational outcome even when they are addressing subjects such as voting power distribution. It also addresses several shortcomings of the Liberal Intergovernmentalist explanatory framework focusing on the insufficiently developed level of credible institutional commitments. The core part of the article consists in investigating several types of EU Council internal decision-making options, proposing how they can be designed to be considered in the same time fair and efficient, and in analysing how close this voting power ideal type configuration is to the current decisional system.
AUR : the electoral geography of Romanian conservative nationalism
(SAGE Publications, 2023) Crăciun, Claudiu; Țăranu, Andrei
In December 2020, Romania held elections for its new Parliament amid the pandemic crisis. The voter turnout was historically low, at 31.84%. The Alliance for the Union of Romanians, a new party, won 9% ofthe vote, making it the fourth largest party in the Parliament. Having received only 0.29% of the votes in thelocal elections held 2 months prior, Alliance for the Union of Romanians' success was unexpected. To explain this outcome, we analyse its programmatic choices, political strategy and symbolic and electoralgeographies. The pandemic crisis allowed the consolidation of a nationalist and conservative constituency originating in the 2018 constitutional referendum to ban same-sex marriages. Romania's example shows that a nationalist-conservative radical party can become viable if extra-political groups, networks and organisations are willing to lend significant local support to it.
Authenticity, volition and motivational persistence predicting well-being : a self-determination theoretical perspective
(Springer Nature, 2022) Ionescu, Daniela; Burtăverde, Vlad; Avram, Eugen; Ene, Cristina
The present study aimed to investigate a mediation model explaining the adults’ well-being. The prediction power of authenticity, motivational persistence, volitional processes of well-being, and the satisfaction of autonomy, relatedness, and competence as mediators in those relationships were examined. To date, most studies have investigated the relationship between motivational processes and well-bein in Western and individualistic cultures. Considering that cultural orientation is a potential factor that affects well-being, we tested the link between motivational processes, need satisfaction, and well-being in a collectivistic, non-Western Romanian sample. Participants were 850 adults from the general population (51.50% female; Mage = 31.18 years). The results showed that authenticity, motivational persistence, and volitional processes are significant predictors of well-being. Also, this study showed that some of the decoding keys of those three positive relationships were autonomy, relatedness, and competence from self-determination theory. These results extend the current knowledge about determinants involved in well-being and self-determination theory impact. At the end of the study, the implications of the findings, the limits of the present study, and future research suggestions are discussed.
Autism spectrum disorder in Romania : development of the First Community Center for Children with ASD from Romania
(Editura Universitatii din Bucuresti, Facultatea de Sociologie si Asistenta Sociala, 2020) Stoia, Dalia; Minulescu, Mihaela; Trancă, Loredana Marcela; Bredicean, Ana Cristina
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is one of the most widespread child psychopathologies. The impact of the diagnosis is well known in the literature as a considerable increase in marital distress. Hence, we understand very little about the exact impact of ASD upon the family dynamics, especially parents’ marital relationship. In this context and considering that couple conflict is considered one robust indicator of marital quality, we aim to approach the themes of conflict parents of ASD children face. We aim to explore some answers referring to the child-related challenges and the risks of conflicts and consider whether these conflicts are real or just the peak of the iceberg. A number of 20 studies were identified as exploring the subject, out of which only six were eligible for further analysis. The reported results revealed some of the topics of conflict and their impact on the family. The review highlights the further need of studies exploring these conflicts in ASD families and mentions practical implications of the current analysis.
Calitatea învăţământului superior din România : o analiză instituţională a tendinţelor actuale
(Polirom, 2011) Păunescu, Mihai; Vlăsceanu, Lazăr; Miroiu, Adrian; Florian, Bogdan; Voicu, Bogdan; Tufiș, Claudiu
The volume synthesizes the main results and trends in Romanian higher education, based on information collected over three years of sociological surveys, analysis of social documents, observations of various quality assurance processes. The obtained data are analyzed from an institutionalist perspective, detecting the expected consequences, but also the unexpected ones, often adverse effects, of policies, norms or practices of assessment, funding and accreditation in higher education. The validity of the analysis is ensured by triangulating data obtained from multiple sources, both objective and subjective perceptions and representations. The results constitute the foundation for the formulation of public policies based on comprehensive knowledge of Romanian higher education.
Cartea de aur a Centenarului Marii Uniri
(RAO, 2017) Bucur, Bogdan
This anniversary edition is the second golden book dedicated to the Great Union. The first Golden Book - dated 1929 - is part of the national movable cultural heritage and is a hand-made manuscript on parchment, produced to celebrate the first 10 years of the Great Union. The unpublished copy - published for the first time in its entirety in the last chapter of this volume - was decorated, like medieval incunabula, with traditional painting in the Art Nouveau style by the painter Cecilia Cuțescu-Storck, commissioned by Princess Alexandrina Gr. Cantacuzino. The present volume incorporates, continues and develops the first Golden Book and was realized for the celebration of the Centenary of the Great Union. For the commemoration of the first 100 years since 1918, we have illustrated the arduous historical path, marked by so many sacrifices and sacrifices, which would eventually lead to the union of Bessarabia, Bukovina, Transylvania, Banat, Crisana, Sătmar and Maramures with the Old Kingdom and the formation of the Greater Romania. While the first Golden Book is more of a book of honor intended for the signatures of the personalities who took part in the Alba Iulia celebrations in 1929, this second Golden Book is an anniversary volume containing a scholarly selection of holograph documents and vintage images of the Great Union. In both cases, paraphrasing the somewhat emphatic subtitle of the 1929 edition, we can admit, once again, that the Golden Book is indeed the honoring of those who, in the great historical moments, fulfilled the millenary dream of all Romanians: the unification of Romania. And even if the dream of uniting all Romanians into a single unitary nation-state was not a millenary one (the idea only took shape in the mid-19th century) and did not last very long (Great Romania collapsed territorially in 1940, only 22 years after the Great Union), the image of 1918 remains, without doubt, the astral moment in the entire history of Romanians. This second Golden Book is therefore a modest homage to the memory of those who made the birth of Greater Romania possible.
Chronic isolation : experiencing a cured disease at the leprosarium of Tichilești
(National Museum of the Romanian Peasant, 2015) Mihail, Andrei
The inhabitants of the Tichilești leprosarium experienced medical isolation caused by a medically cured body; once an individual was diagnosed with leprosy, he would be conined for his whole life inside this institution. hus, former leprosy suferers had to cope with the medicalization of their daily life while making sense of a socially incurable illness that disrupted their regular life-trajectories.
Clauza culturală în jurisprudenţa penală din România : cazul mariajelor timpurii în comunităţile rome tradiţionale
(Centrul de Studii Internationale, 2011) Constantin, Măriuca Oana
The study raises the question of whether the cultural clause is applied in Romania despite the absence of a legal framework and shows that it operates de facto in criminal jurisprudence, being invoked before the courts and influencing verdicts and individualized sentencing. The research focused on 'early marriages' practiced by some traditional Roma communities, with criminal consequences. We developed an outline of the ethical-legal reasoning of judges in solving this problem and related it to the ethical criteria of admissibility of cultural derogations established by the theories that have tried to decipher the conflict between norms and customs. We have shown that in Romania an illiberal multiculturalism operates in relation to some cultural practices of certain traditional Roma minorities, customs that affect the freedoms and rights of some of their members. Through the conclusions of the study, signals are given to raise awareness of the profound and less visible effects of these patterns of verdicts, in the socio-political field.
Collective choice in Aristotle
(Springer, 2019) Miroiu, Adrian; Partenie, Cătălin
In his Politics VI 3, 1318a–b, Aristotle discusses constitutional procedures for achieving justice in a society where its classes have different views on it. He ana- lyzes the case of a society consisting in two groups, the poor and the rich, each hold- ing a specific understanding of justice (democratic or oligarchic). In this paper we give, first, a non-formal summary of this section of Politics. Then we approach it in the framework of social choice theory and argue that a social rule for selecting between alternatives may be extracted from it. As Aristotle argued, this rule is con- sistent with the views on justice and equality of the supporters of both democracy and oligarchy. Finally, we study its properties, as well as some extensions of it when multiple classes are allowed or more than two alternatives are present.
Couples facing the autism spectrum disorder challenge : a literature review concerning emotionally focused therapy effectiveness
(Expert Projects Publishing House, 2019) Stoia, Dalia; Vintilă, Mona; Minulescu, Mihaela
Recent surveys reinforce the fact that Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is on the rise. In these cases, the family faces a chronic condition which etiology and means of treatment are still debated. The impact of the new reality is well known in the literature as a considerable increase in marital distress. Hence, until recently all the concern was around the therapy of the child. The comprehension of the psychological impact faced by the couple lead to a new approach addressing an integrative treatment plan in the case of ASD. In the new light, couple therapy is considered valuable inorder to higher the family quality of life. The present literature review oﬀ ers an overview of research exploring the eﬀ ectiveness of one couple intervention known as Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for couples that deal with the challenge of ASD. A number of 182 studies were identifi ed as exploring the subject, out of which only four were eligible for further analysis. Two of the studies question the eﬀ ectiveness of EFT in the case of chronically ill children and the other two question the eﬀ ectiveness in the case of ASD. The reported results show a decrease of the marital distress following EFT intervention. The review highlights the further need of studies exploring EFT for parents rising ASD children and mentions practical implications of the current analysis.
COVID-19 pandemic worry and vaccination Intention : the mediating role of the health belief model components
(Frontiers, 2021) Iacob, Claudia Iuliana; Ionescu, Daniela
Given the negative consequences of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on public health, his study aimed at investigating: (1) the differences between adults with and without chronic illness in buying behavior, vaccination ntention, pandemic worry, and the health belief model (HBM) components; (2) the HBM components as mediators of the relationship between pandemic worry and vaccination intention. The sample consisted of 864 adults (66.6% females, Mage D 47.61, SD D 9.23), of which 20.5% reported having a chronic illness. Associations between pandemic worry, vaccination intention, and HBM were ascertained using correlation and mediation analyses. Individuals with chronic illness reported a higher level of pandemic worry, higher levels of perceived threat, greater benefits from vaccination, had lower self-efficacy and bought more medicine and sanitary/hygienic products. No significant differences were observed regarding vaccination intention, barriers against vaccination, and changes in food buying behavior. We found that the relationship between pandemic worry and vaccination intention was partially mediated by the perceived threat of disease and the benefits of vaccination. Pandemic worry predicted vaccination intention directly but also through the contribution of the perceived threat of disease and the benefits of vaccination. These findings suggest that presenting evidence of COVID-19 vaccine efficacy and the benefits of having the vaccine (especially for vulnerable groups, such as chronic illness patients) will encourage the population to follow vaccination recommendations.
Date cantitative și calitative : introducere în metode și tehnici de analiză a datelor, cu aplicații în R, Stata, Excel și NVIVO
(Presa Universitara Clujeana, 2022) Muntean, Aurelian; Stancea, Andreea
This book is aimed at students of sociology, political science, communication, international relations, public administration, communication, journalism and management, as well as data users or consumers who prefer a user-friendly introduction to data analysis in the simplest possible language. The book presents theoretical foundations, focusing on the discussion of the use of statistical methods. We provide relatively few mathematical details, for the argumentation of which we will refer to other statistical textbooks, mainly in Romanian, to facilitate direct reading.
Dependence, adaptation and survival : social dialogue in multinational corporations in Romania
(ETUI aisbl, 2023) Muntean, Aurelian
As in other countries in the region, multinational companies (MNCs) have become important agents of economic growth and development in Romania. They have also successfully pressed for changes to labour law favourable to themselves which has, in turn, led trade unions to change their demands and also their strategies and methods. This chapter uses an original dataset compiled on MNCs in Romania (Muntean 2021) and in-depth interviews with management and workers’ representatives to track the development of labour relations in MNCs in the retail and automotive sectors. It explains how differences in the fragmentation and concentration of workforces, differences in the organisation and strategies of management and workers’ collective organisations and contextual factors such as workforce migration and the Covid-19 pandemic crisis affect the local, sectoral, national and transnational social dialogue.1 In the second section the chapter discusses the evolution of foreign direct investment and changes in employment relations. The third section presents a multidimensional framework of analysis for understanding the factors that influence social dialogue in companies, such as the strategies of social partners to adapt and survive, and the costs of different types of power and strategy. The fourth section analyses social dialogue in the retail sector while the fifth analyses the automotive sector. The sixth section presents empirical findings and conclusions.
Do cartoons trigger an influence on children's altruism?
(West University of Timisoara, 2020) Minulescu, Mihaela; Lulciuc, Claudiu; Maricuțoiu, Laurențiu
The present study evaluated children's prosocial behavior (M = 7.39, SD = 0.93) (i.e., specific altruism) under the influence of three types of cartoons (neutral, prosocial, or antisocial). Subjects (N = 140) were randomized and exposed to treatment with pre- and post-intervention measurements. The results didn't confirm the hypothesis that children who will watch prosocial cartoons will have increased altruism proving a higher volume of donations. The second hypothesis regarding the inhibitory effect of antisocial cartoons on altruism by decreasing the volume of donations was not confirmed either. No significant gender effects were recorded. No significant general age effect was found either, however, we found that donations tend to increase with age, a statistically significant effect being recorded for children age 8 years old compared to those of 6 years old. The implications of the statistical data are discussed together with the possibility of registering a ""moral licensing"" effect."
Do the child-related challenges associated with ASD put the poarental couple at risk for couple conflicts? : a literature review paper
(Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad, 2019) Stoia, Dalia; Vintilă, Mona; Minulescu, Mihaela; Bredicean, Ana Cristina
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is one of the most widespread child psychopathologies. The impact of the diagnosis is well known in the literature as a considerable increase in marital distress. Hence, we understand very little about the exact impact of ASD upon the family dynamics, especially parents’ marital relationship. In this context and considering that couple conflict is considered one robust indicator of marital quality, we aim to approach the themes of conflict parents of ASD children face. We aim to explore some answers referring to the child-related challenges and the risks of conflicts and consider whether these conflicts are real or just the peak of the iceberg. A number of 20 studies were identified as exploring the subject, out of which only six were eligible for further analysis. The reported results revealed some of the topics of conflict and their impact on the family. The review highlights the further need of studies exploring these conflicts in ASD families and mentions practical implications of the current analysis.

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