Papers by Diana Nasulea
Smart Cities and Regional Development Journal, 2018
Objectives The main aim of our paper is to offer some creative & innovative ways of using crowdso... more Objectives The main aim of our paper is to offer some creative & innovative ways of using crowdsourcing in order to improve the wellbeing of both individuals and local communities by providing alternative solutions to real-life problems inspired mostly from some local best practices examples. Prior work As a trend, there are a lot of national and regional initiatives that are trying to push further the idea of creating and developing smart cities through the adoption of new technologies mostly within the governmental and local institutions. Many of the best practices examples are based on automatization, innovative sensors for measuring pollution and on the big data approach like in the case of traffic monitoring. Even though different regions design some well-integrated projects, the goal of becoming a smart city ultimately lies in the ability of local communities to self-organize and voluntarily use some innovative technologies that might facilitate to find efficient and effective solutions for solving some of the most pressing daily issues, such as traffic. Approach We look to identify different solutions that might improve the social, economic and environment cohestion of some small and medium communitites. We explore also some of the the ways in wich social-media platforms might help the complex process of raising awareness regarding road hazards, accidents and related issues and problems. We also discuss the applicability of crowdfunding for local communities as a poosible mean that might be used in order to promote and improve the civic participation. Results We design and suggest a model of an online platform based on the use of crowdsourcing whithin local smart communities such as smart cities. We expect this model to represent the basis for challenging local communities to move from the physical communities approach towards the virtual space by mobilizing crowds to create and support smart, sustainable and inclusive development strategies. Implications Small communities started perceiving Internet as a means of solving day-today problems through spontaneous initiatives. Practitioners and public officials should look towards technology as a means of better understanding the needs of their constituency. Our research offers a series of coordinates that can be further adapted according to the needs of different groups and correspondengly adopted to different problems. Value The potential of exploring Internet of Things (IoT) bottom-up solutions for less developed areas is increasing once people are becoming more and more aware of their ability to be actively involved without consuming a lot of their spare time on solving complex communities issues.
10th International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation, 2017
Online education has a tremendous impact on the education system as a whole. By changing the way ... more Online education has a tremendous impact on the education system as a whole. By changing the way students and instructors interact, online education is challenging universities to adapt in order to meet the requirements of present day students. Research into online education efficiency and effectiveness tends to consider there is a clear distinction between online education and traditional education. We believe that this is no longer the case. Variables considered when assessing online education are different from those used in assessing traditional education. This model of assessment is no longer suitable to the realities of the educational process as we can no longer find a clear separation between the online and that which remains offline. The distinction between jobs and education is also becoming less clear, lines are blurring and the two formerly distinct worlds of the labour market and the university campus keep finding new points of intersection and interaction. Tools traditionally considered to be the exclusive domain of online education have become mainstream and are now used for what we should simply call " education ". Taking into account all of the above, we propose a model that supports economic efficiency and effectiveness in education. The model aims to provide alternatives designed to make us better adapted to face the challenges put forth by our modern world. We largely focus on providing more opportunities within the entire educational system based on a vision of lifelong learning. Throughout the development of the model we relied on the standard tools associated to economic efficiency in order to determine which components should be part of the model and also in testing the model's functionality. This paper focuses mainly on the cost-benefit analysis that we conducted on US and EU markets although other tools have been tested and used in earlier stages of our research. The data that we used integrated information, from US and EU markets, about both private and state investment of time and money in education with information about labour productivity and economic value added in those same markets. Our results have shown that only through an integrated approach, one that looks at both online and offline education, one that looks at education throughout the productive lifetime of the individual, can we correctly assess educational impact and design better, value creating, educational processes and systems.
10th International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation Proceedings, 2017
Research, development and innovation play a fundamental role in the economic development of moder... more Research, development and innovation play a fundamental role in the economic development of modern day societies. Access to research, inventions, and discoveries, shapes science, the economy, and humanity at large in a very important way. Within this paper we debate the evolution of the academic publishing model over the past 70 years in order to understand what has lead to the status quo. Access to a very large part of all new and past research is controlled by a relatively small number of publishers, acting under an obsolete model, that ultimately leads to large increases in the cost of knowledge. Despite the fact that the accelerated advances in technology have greatly decreased, and continue to decrease, the costs of information distribution, yet the market price of access to knowledge has increased constantly. Open access alternatives to the established publishing system are being developed everywhere. We will also look at the incentive structure and the legal aspects related to the current models associated to research generation and access to research. By analysing the status quo and the legal framework through the lens of economic efficiency and effectiveness we will identify the most important components of a research access model and we will describe some possible forms of new models for open access research.
Twenty-six years ago the international community witnessed one of the most dramatic changes in ec... more Twenty-six years ago the international community witnessed one of the most dramatic changes in economic systems. Naturally, the fall of communism in Eastern Europe and its consequences were events difficult to judge and anticipate in their immediate aftermath. Today, we have gained a much more coherent perspective on their meaning. The political liberalization of Poland in 1989 and its transition to the market economy was generally perceived as the most successful of all post-communist countries. From 1990 to 2013, Poland experienced the most outstanding economic growth within the former communist bloc. It doubled its GDP in real terms and became the only country to experience economic growth during the financial crisis of 2008-09. However, the polish secret recipe lies in the “shock therapy” adopted at the beginning of the 90’s. The aim of this paper is to examine the importance of the Balcerowicz’s program in creating the basis for economic stability and growth through privatization, liberalization of foreign trade, monetary reform and an open economy. We will also review the impact of this unprecedented transformation in shaping a strong, market-oriented economy.
Although new sanctions have been imposed, to varying degrees, on Russia since the debut of the Cr... more Although new sanctions have been imposed, to varying degrees, on Russia since the debut of the Crimean crisis, few experts are taking the chance of publishing an assessment of the impact these sanctions will have on Russia or the European Union. On one hand, the complexity of the variables involved makes it extremely difficult to predict the outcome of said sanctions; on the other hand, an accurate assessment would make an invaluable tool in the hands of decision makers, no matter if their decisions are made with regards to foreign policy, public policy or the daily business of private companies. This article sets out to examine the context, some of the variables involved and some of the forecasts that have been put forward by various experts, while trying to provide a simplified model for assessing the impact of sanctions enacted by the EU on its own economy.
This paper argues that Ukraine, because of its tight relation with Russia and geographic appurten... more This paper argues that Ukraine, because of its tight relation with Russia and geographic appurtenance with Europe has the privileged opportunity to function as an economic bridge between its two main economic vectors. The paper is divided in two parts, one that analyses Ukraines recent history as to determine its relation with Russia, its economic and politic limitations and background. The second part presents the main economic areas of Ukraine that show interest to EU and Russia, as to determine its overall economic potential.
Presentations by Diana Nasulea
Presented at the International Economics Conference in Sibiu 2015
Books by Diana Nasulea
Unul dintre principalii indicatori ai performanței economice și ai integrării în piețele financia... more Unul dintre principalii indicatori ai performanței economice și ai integrării în piețele financiare globale este reprezentat de investițiile străine directe. În timpul tranziției economice de la economia planificată la piața liberă, pentru țările din Europa Centrală și de Est, investițiile străine deveneau o necesitate în condițiile în care capitalul autohton adeseori lipsea sau era foarte limitat. Lucrarea de față se concentrează pe analizarea factorilor ce au determinat performanțele diferite în domeniul atragerii investițiilor străine directe de către România și Polonia în perioada 1990-2000. Astfel, vor fi identificate și analizate probleme structurale ale contextului politico-economic din țarile gazdă, care determină o influență majoră asupra deciziei companiilor multinaționale de a investi în economiile acestora. Totodată va fi analizat și modul în care aceste dificultăți politico-economice au afectat intrările de ISD, dar și impactul acestora din urmă asupra dezvoltării unei economii de piață funcționale.
Conference Presentations by Diana Nasulea
We often speak of tech entrepreneurs these days as a driving force of progress and economic growt... more We often speak of tech entrepreneurs these days as a driving force of progress and economic growth. Being an entrepreneur entails risks and uncertainty, and creative people invest large quantities of their money, their time, and their creativity in bringing to market something that may or may not gain popular interest and become profitable. While political discourse tends to emphasize the importance of entrepreneurs, innovation, creativity, and high-end technologies, policies are rarely constructed in ways that truly favour the entrepreneurs in their endeavours. Policy makers and regulatory bodies are passing more and more regulations and creating specific certifications and standards that all products must comply with. One of the main issues that every company or individual developing a product for the European market needs to deal with is the CE Marking, a procedure that is in appearance about assuring safety, consumer health and care for the environment but that in reality doesn’t mean much for either the producer or the consumer. The red tape in the case of CE Marking is so sheer and complex that is makes it almost impossible to be fully compliant. This study aims to assess the utility of CE Marking and Certification regulations and their impact on costs for manufacturers and distributors. Using a variety of surveys, interviews and public data analysis we conclude that the CE Marking’s associated costs far exceed its benefits.
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Papers by Diana Nasulea
Presentations by Diana Nasulea
Books by Diana Nasulea
Conference Presentations by Diana Nasulea