Recent studies generally show growing levels of homeownership across Europe. However, a comparison of statistical data shows a stark difference in the extent of homeownership between western Europe ...versus central and eastern Europe. Whereas the development and growth of homeownership in western Europe has been extensively discussed in the literature and various theories have been advanced, its strong dominance in central and eastern Europe has been barely examined. Due to the lack of thorough discourse on this topic, there thus continues to be a void in the literature, which is manifested in the absence of a sound explanation for the comparatively much higher expansion of homeownership in post-communist central and eastern Europe. This article contributes to filling this gap. The central argument is that theories that were developed to explain the growth of homeownership in western Europe (economies with a capitalist tradition) might not necessarily apply to situations in central and eastern Europe (with previous communist centrally planned economies). Focusing on the case of Slovenia, the discussion is orientated towards developing an alternative theory that may be more relevant in explaining and understanding the growing preference for homeownership in the country.
Novejše raziskave kažejo, da se deleži lastniških stanovanj po vsej Evropi zvišujejo, primerjava statističnih podatkov pa kaže velike razlike v velikosti tega sektorja med zahodnoevropskimi državami ...ter državami Srednje in Vzhodne Evrope. Razvoj in rast lastniških stanovanj v zahodnoevropskih državah sta bila v znanstveni literaturi temeljito obdelana, pri čemer so bile predstavljene različne teorije, njihova močna prevlada v srednje- in vzhodnoevropskih državah pa je slabo raziskana. Zaradi pomanjkanja podrobne znanstvene razprave o tej temi je v literaturi še naprej vrzel, ki se kaže v tem, da še vedno ni utemeljene razlage neprimerno večjega razmaha stanovanjskega lastništva v postkomunističnih državah Srednje in Vzhodne Evrope. V članku skuša avtor to vrzel zapolniti. Njegov glavni argument je, da ni nujno, da dosedanje teorije, ki so jih razvili za razlago rasti stanovanjskega lastništva v zahodnoevropskih državah (gospodarstvih z dolgo tradicijo kapitalizma), veljajo tudi za srednje- in vzhodnoevropske države (nekdanja komunistična planska gospodarstva). Razprava se osredotoča na Slovenijo. Avtor skuša oblikovati alternativno teorijo, s katero bi lahko bolje pojasnili in razumeli vse večje preference do lastniških stanovanj v državi.
Background: Illicit drug use is a global public health problem with grave health and socio-economic consequences. Related intoxication has been associated with accidental injuries and fatalities. In ...Uganda, 67% of road traffic accidents are attributed to motorcyclists. Methods: This study assessed the prevalence and determinants of illicit drug use among commercial motorcyclists in Uganda, using a cross-sectional survey research design. We interviewed 785 commercial motorcyclists in the divisions of Nakawa, Rubaga, Makindye, and Kawempe of Kampala district. We used an on-spot saliva drug test kit to screen and detect the presence of illicit drugs. Data were analyzed using frequency distributions, cross tabulations and multi variable logistic regression. Results: Findings show that 11% of the cyclists used illicit drugs. The use of illicit drugs was associated with division of operation, religiosity, and whether a cyclist resided with a family. The odds of use of illicit drugs were higher among cyclists from Nakawa division compared to cyclists from Kawempe. Cyclists who went to places of worship on a weekly basis compared to those who were less frequent, and cyclists who lived with their families compared to those who did not, had reduced odds of use of illicit drugs. There are variations in the distribution of cyclists that use illicit drugs in Kampala. Religious commitment and residence with families had a mitigating influence on illicit drug use among commercial cyclists. Conclusion: Illicit drug use prevention, treatment, and harm reduction programs among cyclists should collaborate with faith-based organizations and other key stakeholders, and promote stable family relations.
This article advances and argues the thesis that Slovenia has a low housing standard and that the majority of people live in dwellings that may be described as overcrowded according to ...internationally recognised standards. Evidence supporting this thesis is provided with the help of statistical data, a comprehensive literature review and a review of the views of various Slovenian authors that have discussed the subject in the past. In addition to an extensive review of domestic and foreign literature, I also highlight the major historical factors that have significantly influenced the implementation and maintenance of the current housing standard. The final part of the article identifies and discusses a widely held false conviction that I characterise as the major obstruction to the introduction of a higher housing standard in Slovenia. In this section, I suggest alternative theoretical explanations for the continued maintenance of the low housing standard. The final aim of the article is to spur concrete actions that will lead to implementing appropriate measures and eventual improvement of the housing standard.
The rights of persons with disabilities to barrier-free access and equal opportunities are guaranteed by numerous documents at the international and national levels, but various studies and daily ...experience show that these legal provisions have not always been implemented in practice. Persons with disabilities continue to experience numerous barriers in the urban environment. This situation shows that current approaches to eliminating environmental barriers are inadequate and that there is an urgent need to search for alternative, more effective solutions. This article presents such a novel solution, premised on the hypothesis that significant progress in this area will be achieved only through restructuring the roles of the major stakeholders. The author thus proposes a reversal of roles, suggesting the introduction of a bottom-up approach as opposed to the current ineffective top-down approaches. In order to facilitate such a bottom-up approach, an interactive internet portal has been designed that is presented and described in this article as a "web forum". Based on a thorough review of the literature on the notion of "social innovation", it is argued that the suggested new approach is a social innovation, an attribute that qualifies it as an effective mechanism that will lead to eventually achieving barrier-free environments and consequently eliminating discrimination against persons with disabilities in the living environment.
Pravice oseb z oviranostmi do enakih možnosti in dostopa brez ovir so zagotovljene v številnih dokumentih na mednarodni in državni ravni, različne raziskave in vsakdanje izkušnje pa kažejo, da se te ...pravne določbe v praksi ne izvajajo vedno. Osebe z oviranostmi se še naprej soočajo s številnimi ovirami v urbanem okolju, kar potrjuje, da trenutni pristopi k odpravljanju ovir niso ustrezni in da je treba nujno poiskati druge učinkovitejše rešitve. V članku je predstavljena ena od rešitev, ki temelji na hipotezi, da lahko pomemben napredek na tem področju dosežemo samo, če preoblikujemo vloge glavnih déležnikov. Avtor članka predlaga, naj se vloge zamenjajo in naj se namesto sedanjih pristopov od zgoraj navzdol uvede pristop od spodaj navzgor. Da bi olajšal uvedbo tega pristopa, je bil oblikovan interaktivni internetni portal, ki je v članku predstavljen in opisan kot »spletni forum«. Na podlagi temeljitega pregleda literature na temo »socialne inovacije« avtor članka meni, da je predlagani novi pristop socialna inovacija, zaradi česar lahko postane učinkovit mehanizem, ki bo omogočil oblikovanje okolij brez ovir in s tem odpravil diskriminacijo oseb z oviranostmi v bivalnem okolju.
As defined by the Investment Dictionary, housing bubbles usually start with an increase in demand in the face of limited supply, which takes a relatively long period of time to replenish and ...increase. At some point, however, demand decreases or stagnates at the same time supply increases, resulting in a sharp drop in prices known as a bubble burst. During the last two decades, the Slovenian housing market has been characterised by a very high housing demand under circumstances of a limited supply, which may primarily be attributed to the effects of the housing reforms introduced in the early 1990s. As is always the case in such situations, speculators seeking huge quick profits drove house prices to unsustainable levels relative to average incomes. Like in many countries throughout the world, the situation has recently changed. Statistical records show a slight decline in the growth of house prices and there are signs of stagnation in housing demand. These developments have prompted various (contrasting) viewpoints among housing experts. Some are convinced that the bubble has finally burst because house prices had reached the highest possible levels that buyers were willing to pay. On the other hand, others argue that house prices would have continued to grow had the credit crunch not occurred, which resulted in the reduced availability of mortgages and therefore depressed demand. These two viewpoints represent the main hypotheses of this discussion. This paper reviews the housing market circumstances over the last two decades and identifies facts that may substantiate or disprove these hypotheses.
Stanovanje spada med osnovne človekove dobrine in pravice. Njegova vloga je mnogostranska, saj omogoča zadovoljevanje številnih človekovih potreb, poleg tega stanovanje ni omejeno le na ozek bivalni ...prostor, ampak vključuje tudi širše bivalno okolje, v katerem posameznik prebiva. Odnos posameznika do stanovanja in bivalnega okolja se skozi njegovo življenje spreminja. Zlasti v času starosti naj bi dobilo stanovanje še poseben pomen. Kot kažejo raziskave, želijo starejši zato čim dalj časa ostati v svojem bivalnem okolju, saj naj bi bili nanj navezani. Da bi ugotovili, ali spoznanja o navezanosti starejših na lastno bivalno okolje držijo tudi za Slovenijo, smo v članku analizirali, koliko so na svoje stanovanje in širše bivalno okolje navezani starejši v Sloveniji in kako so z bivanjem v njem zadovoljni. Mnenja starejših smo pridobili z anketiranjem, statistično analizo pa smo opravili s programom SPSS, in sicer na podlagi izračuna več statističnih testov povezanosti. Analiza je potrdila našo predpostavko, da so tudi slovenski starejši na svoj dom oziroma domače okolje zelo navezani in da so z bivanjem v njem zadovoljni. Pokazalo se je še, da so med starejšimi glede tega nekatere razlike, ki so odvisne od tega, koliko so ljudje stari, kje živijo in koliko časa že bivajo v svojem domu.
Housing is a basic human good and right. It plays a versatile role, allowing people to fulfil a number of needs, and it is not limited only to one’s immediate living space, but also includes an ...individual’s wider living environment. People’s relationship toward housing and their living environment changes over the course of their lives. Especially in old age, housing becomes more important. Research shows that the elderly want to remain in their home environments as long as possible because they are closely attached to them. In order to determine whether these findings also apply to Slovenia, this article analyses how attached the elderly in Slovenia are to their homes and wider living environment and how satisfied they are with living there. The elderly’s views were obtained with a survey, and a statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS software, based on the calculation of various statistical correlation tests. The analysis confirmed the assumption that the Slovenian elderly are also very attached to their homes or home environments and are satisfied with living there. In addition, the analysis showed some differences among the elderly in this regard depending on their age, where they live and how long they have been living in their current homes.
Stanovanjski mehurček se po definiciji investicijskega slovarja začne ustvarjati s povečanim povpraševanjem po stanovanjih, medtem ko ostaja ponudba stanovanj na trgu omejena ter se zelo počasi ...dopolnjuje in povečuje. Ko pa se ponudba stanovanj poveča, pride do stagnacije ali celo do znižanja povpraševanja, kar povzroči strm padec cen stanovanj. Ta pojav se strokovno imenuje počenje stanovanjskega mehurčka. Za slovenski stanovanjski trg sta v zadnjih dveh desetletjih značilni visoka stopnja povpraševanja in zelo omejena ponudba stanovanj, ki sta neposredni posledici stanovanjskih reform, ki so bile uvedene v začetku devetdesetih let prejšnjega stoletja. V takih razmerah so špekulativni investitorji v iskanju maksimalnih in hitrih dobičkov povzročili nenehno rast cen stanovanj tako, da so te kmalu dosegle nevzdržne višine v razmerju do povprečnih dohodkov državljanov. Kot v številnih drugih državah po svetu se je tudi v Sloveniji stanje na stanovanjskem trgu spremenilo šele v zadnjem času. Iz statističnih podatkov je razvidna upočasnjena rast oziroma celo rahlo znižanje stanovanjskih cen in opaziti je mogoče, da je prišlo tudi do stagnacije povpraševanja. Ti dogodki so v strokovnih krogih sprožili različna stališča glede nastalega stanja na stanovanjskem trgu. Nekateri so prepričani, da je končno počil stanovanjski mehurček, ker naj bi cene stanovanj dosegle najvišjo mogočo vrednost, ki so jo potrošniki pripravljeni plačati. Na drugi strani so tisti, ki trdijo, da bi cene stanovanj še vedno rastle, če ne bi prišlo do kreditnega krča, ki je povzročil težji dostop do stanovanjskih kreditov in s tem upad povpraševanja. Ti stališči sta glavni hipotezi prispevka. Na podlagi pregleda najpomembnejših značilnostih stanovanjskega trga poskušamo v prispevku opredeliti dejavnike, ki so osnova za odločanje za eno ali drugo hipotezo oziroma proti eni ali drugi.
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