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Business and Economics
Abstract
In our rapidly changing world characterised by globalisation, economic crises, a pandemic, and regional integration, the structure and functioning of welfare states have undergone significant transformations. These forces have shaped and continue to redefine welfare state models worldwide. This study examines the trajectories undertaken by European Union member countries regarding their welfare state models, particularly focusing on the transformative experiences of former communist states. Based on a critical assessment of previous research by a bibliometric analysis, our study comprehensively investigates five categories of factors (fiscal, economic, social, institutional, and political factors) influencing the configuration of welfare state models. Considering these five categories and using cluster analysis, we split European countries into five welfare state models. Our main contribution is the investigation of the migration of European Union states across various welfare state models during the 2003–2021 period. Policymakers can use these results to increase the well-being of former communist states within their clusters.
Abstract
The purpose of the article is to assess the extent to which digital transformation policies in Bulgaria are modernized and receptive to new multi-sectoral reform approaches. Criteria were developed to evaluate the alignment of government documents with one or more strategic paradigms. An analysis was conducted on eight strategic documents related to digital transformation in Bulgaria, developed after 2010. This analysis utilized the Grounded Theory Coding procedure for inductive category development and applied codes from the criteria framework. Atlas.ti software was used for textual analysis, which provided quantitative data on the frequency of codes meeting the defined criteria for each strategic paradigm. The initial document evaluation was complemented by a qualitative content analysis to clarify the criterion-based findings and further explore the influence of different paradigms. In-depth interviews with representatives from public sector organizations confirmed and enriched some of the conclusions drawn during the analysis. The study finds that (1) the traditional approach dominated the early strategic documents but was gradually displaced by New Public Management; and (2) the network approach is insufficiently represented in the vision and strategic goals of Bulgaria's digital transformation process.
