BORE

Study on Zagreb’s nightlife published based on TripAdvisor reviews

Dragana Markanović — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:38:56 +0000

Marko Raič and Dr Daniela Angelina Jelinčić from the Institute for Development and International Relations have published an article titled “Tourist assessment of nightlife in Zagreb through TripAdvisor reviews”. The article was published in the Polish Scopus-indexed journal Turyzm/Tourism and is the result of work carried out within the IRMO Centre for Sustainable Development through Culture (CORK) and the BORE project. The study is based on sentiment analysis of TripAdvisor reviews of clubs and bars over the 2022-2024 period. The findings show that tourists most frequently describe Zagreb’s nightlife through social and sensory dimensions, while generally perceiving it as friendly, affordable and vibrant. The authors note that Zagreb’s nightlife has not previously been studied in a systematic way, and that the findings can serve as a basis for improving tourism policy and developing Zagreb’s night-time economy. Article link: https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/tourism/article/view/27766

Participation of IRMO in the International Conference The 17th Asian Conference on the Social Sciences – ACSS 2026

Dragana Markanović — Tue, 26 May 2026 08:25:07 +0000

From 9 to 13 May 2026, Ivana Keser and Sanja Tišma from the Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO) participated in the international conference The 17th Asian Conference on the Social Sciences – ACSS 2026, held in Tokyo, Japan. The conference was organised in partnership with the IAFOR Research Centre at the Osaka School of International Public Policy – OSIPP, The University of Osaka, while part of the programme activities, held from 11 to 15 May, was connected with the Open Campus in Osaka.

Within the framework of the project BORE – Bits and Colours of Sustainable Regional Development in the Republic of Croatia, the paper entitled Who Lacks Time and Who Lacks Money? Lessons from the Ex Post Evaluation of the Operational Programme Competitiveness and Cohesion 2014–2020 in Croatia was presented at the conference.

The paper emphasised the use of evaluation as an analytical framework for assessing the sustainability of public policies and their effectiveness in achieving the objectives of sustainable regional development in the Republic of Croatia. Particular attention was given to how the findings of ex post evaluations can contribute to a better understanding of implementation constraints, the allocation of resources, and institutional capacities, as well as to the improvement of future programme design and public policies in times of crisis.

Marta Šveb Dragija at the ENCATC Academy in Bilbao

Dragana Markanović — Mon, 25 May 2026 10:10:37 +0000

Marta Šveb Dragija, assistant within the BORE project team and the Centre for Sustainable Development through Culture, together with her colleagues Barbara Lovrinić Higgins, PhD, and Sunčana Franić, participated in the ENCATC Academy in Bilbao, an international programme dedicated to cultural management and cultural policy, with a special focus on sustainability, innovation, and the role of culture in societal development. Through a series of expert lectures, case studies, and discussions with participants from various countries, the participants explored ways in which cultural organisations can adapt to contemporary challenges while creating long-term social impact. The programme provided practical tools and new insights into the development of the cultural and creative sectors, as well as a valuable opportunity to exchange experiences and ideas with professionals from across the world.

Heritage on Stage

Dragana Markanović — Fri, 22 May 2026 07:35:06 +0000

IRMO researcher, Head of the Center for Sustainable Development through Culture Daniela Angelina Jelinčić participated in the Heritage on Stage conference, where she coordinated a workshop entitled Possible Uses of Museums and Heritage Sites. The conference was organized by ICOM Croatia, ICOM SEE, INTERCOM, ICOM Hungary, ICOM B&H, ICOM Slovenia and ICOM Latvia with the support of ICOM Paris, the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia and the Archaeological Museum of Istria. The conference is part of a broader project that addresses the ways in which museums, as guardians of heritage, balance their needs when they become venues for events from other (cultural) fields, as well as for commercial activities. In addition to their social roles, museums often face financial pressures and seek to expand their audience and income. In this context, the use of museums and heritage sites as venues for events, performances and commercial activities has become an increasingly relevant practice, opening up space for extensive discussion. In addition to interesting lectures, participants had the opportunity to work on simulated projects and, through a guided discussion, determine the appropriate purpose of individual museums/sites. Previously, Dr. Jelinčić presented contemporary ways of achieving institutional competitiveness through the experience economy and provided inspiring examples of practice, highlighting the challenges that heritage managers must deal with in an increasingly demanding environment. The lecture and workshop attracted significant interest.

IRMO researcher participated as an invited speaker Izmir Talks Culture

Dragana Markanović — Mon, 11 May 2026 08:26:31 +0000

IRMO researcher Daniela Angelina Jelinčić participated as an invited speaker in Turkey at the Izmir Cultural Policies Summit and Workshop (Izmir Talks Culture) where she shared her experiences in developing the Cultural Development Plan for the City of Zagreb. The summit brought together high-level domestic and international experts in cultural policies discussed in the context of sustainable development. Our researcher explained the process of strategic cultural planning used in the example of the City of Zagreb, as well as some experiences in implementing the Plan itself. This generated significant interest given the similarity of the approach used in developing the cultural strategy of the City of Izmir, and the research approach used in preparing the current state analysis was of particular interest, which is why further cooperation was agreed.

The scientific paper “Sustainable Public Libraries in Croatia: Reactive and Proactive Approaches to Sustainability” by Daniela Angelina Jelinčić (IRMO) and Maja Pranić (Zagreb City Libraries) has been published in the journal Vjesnik bibliotekara Hrvatsk

Dragana Markanović — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 08:43:51 +0000

The paper examines the role of public libraries in Croatia within the framework of sustainable development through two complementary dimensions: internal (reactive) sustainability, referring to institutional operations, and external (proactive) sustainability, referring to their broader societal role. The study is based on a mixed-methods approach, including a survey conducted among 99 public libraries.

The findings show that Croatian public libraries implement sustainability practices to some extent, but mostly in an unsystematic manner and without a clear strategic framework. Social sustainability is the most developed dimension, particularly through inclusion programmes, lifelong learning, and access to knowledge, while economic sustainability remains the least developed. The paper highlights libraries as key actors in local sustainable development and introduces an integrated conceptual framework that, for the first time in the Croatian context, systematically distinguishes between internal and external dimensions of sustainability.

The research was conducted within the framework of the Center for Sustainable Development through Culture as part of the project The Essence and Colors of Sustainable Regional Development in the Republic of Croatia. Full paper is available at: https://doi.org/10.30754/vbh.69.1.1820

Dr. Irina Panovska delivered a lecture “Mexico’s Labor Market through the Lens of the Beveridge Curve”

Dragana Markanović — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 10:53:47 +0000

On Wednesday, April 8, 2026, a guest lecture by Dr. Irina Panovska, Associate Professor at the University of Texas (USA), was held at the Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO) in Zagreb, titled “Mexico’s Labor Market through the Lens of the Beveridge Curve”, as part of the BORE project.

In her presentation, Dr. Panovska analysed how Mexico’s labour market evolved during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings showed a sharp increase in unemployment and a decline in job postings during the pandemic, followed by a gradual recovery starting in 2021. Interestingly, in the past two years, the number of job vacancies has declined without a corresponding rise in unemployment, suggesting a stabilization of the labour market. The relationship with inflation was also highlighted. It was emphasized that key drivers of these developments lie within the labour market itself, such as labour supply and the efficiency with which workers and employers are matched. The lecture also pointed to significant regional differences across Mexico and underscored the importance of understanding these dynamics for effective economic policymaking.

The lecture concluded with a discussion with participants, addressing differences between Mexico and the EU, the impact of informal employment on the labour market, and further deepening the analysis of regional disparities in Mexico.

Guest Lecture by Associate Professor Irina B. Panovska, PhD

Dragana Markanović — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 07:35:01 +0000

We invite you to attend a guest lecture by Associate Professor Irina B. Panovska, PhD, from the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas, USA, on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at 2:00 PM, in the library of the Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO). The lecture is held as part of the project “BORE – The substance and colours of sustainable regional development in Croatia.”

The lecture, titled “The Mexican Labor Market through the Lens of the Beveridge Curve” will present the first Beveridge curve for Mexico and its regions. The analysis is based on collected data on job vacancies and (conditional formal) unemployment rates, with the aim of identifying key drivers of economic activity at both the national and regional levels in the post-COVID-19 period. The presentation will examine changes in the relationship between labor supply and demand, as well as the structural adjustments that have taken place during this period.

The lecture will be held in English.

New Colleague in the BORE Team – Associate Professor Vladimir Arčabić, PhD

Dragana Markanović — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 13:16:58 +0000

The Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO) is pleased to announce that Associate Professor Vladimir Arčabić, PhD, has joined the Department of Resource Economics, Environmental Protection and Regional Development and BORE project.

His internationally recognized research experience encompasses advanced methods in macroeconomics, business cycles, applied econometrics, and macroeconomic modelling, with a particular focus on the analysis and modelling of economic dynamics and convergence processes. Associate Professor Arčabić regularly publishes in prestigious international journals, participates in projects funded by Croatian and European institutions, and has received several awards for scientific excellence.

Within the IRMO team, Associate Professor Arčabić will make a significant contribution to the quantitative analysis of the economic aspects of sustainable development. His expertise in macroeconomic models, time series analysis, and empirical methods will further strengthen the Department’s research capacity in areas related to regional development and sustainable development policies.

Associate Professor Arčabić is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, which remains his home institution. He is also an Associate Member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts.

The scientific paper has been published „Processing and Protection of Personal Data in the Context of Empowering Urban Security Ressilience“ has been published

Dragana Markanović — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 11:21:32 +0000

Ivana Keser has published scientific paper „Processing and Protection of Personal Data in the Context of Empowering Urban Security Ressilience“ as part of the BORE project. The paper was published in Volume 82 of the publication series of the Scientific Council Modernization of Law of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (HAZU). The paper analyzes the prism of European urban resilience through the context of facial recognition technology utilized by law enforcement bodies. The introductory part provides a theoretical framework of European urban resilience relevant to the security aspects, especially regarding the use of modern technologies to enhance public security. Focus is placed on the utilization of modern technology in data acquisition and processing, with relevant public and private sector examples that highlight the challenges in balancing public security interests with private data protection interests. The paper provides a thorough analysis of the European (LED Directive) and domestic legal framework for data processing conducted by law enforcement bodies during criminal investigations and actions undertaken to ensure public security. Attention is placed on automated data processing, profiling, accountability, measures’ expediency, limitations regarding measures’ scope, obligations regarding the availability of information, and decision-making procedures. Finally, the paper highlights several items within the legal framework that are too vague and require further legislative endeavors, both regarding the need for a more thorough legal framework for facial recognition technology utilization, as well as fulfilling the broader urban resilience strategy requirements and goals.