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The main objective of this article is to describe and study the specific level of postgraduate education in Croatia - postgraduate specialised MBA studies. MBA studies in Croatia are on the same educational level as postgraduate specialised studies. While MBA programmes are known all over the world, specialised postgraduate studies are a peculiarit...
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The doctoral thesis "Social aspects of the waste management system in Zagreb" theoretically and empirically examines the waste management system from a sociological perspective, using
the city of Zagreb as an example. Waste is an unavoidable by-product of life and is increasingly recognized as a risk to the environment and public health as well as a social problem in a modern, consumerist society. Nevertheless, this topic is relatively weakly represented in the
social sciences and thus also in sociology. However, the sociological relevance of the topic is beyond question, as, for example, inefficient waste management can pose a threat to constitutional and internationally recognized fundamental human rights such as the right to a healthy environment and the right to health.
The aim of this paper is to identify the key social relationships that influence the perception and management of waste. It aims to provide a sociologically informed answer to questions about the social relations between the main groups of actors relevant to the system and within these groups, about the harmonization of the framework of values and norms on waste with the actual state of the system in Zagreb, and about the harmonization of the framework of norms with the principles of environmental and social sustainability. In addition, the thesis attempts to answer the question of what is the optimal and long-term sustainable solution for waste management
in the city of Zagreb and the Republic of Croatia.
The thesis consists of three main parts: (1) theoretical framework, (2) multilevel analysis of normative documents of various types, and (3) presentation and analysis of empirical research results. All chapters are divided into smaller units (subchapters), which represent well-rounded units of thought and topics.
The theoretical part mainly problematizes sociological concepts and theses on waste, with the concepts of three sociological sub-disciplines, sociology of risk, urban sociology and social
ecology, being the most represented. The reasons for choosing these three sub-disciplines are assessments that the topic falls within the realm of risk because waste and related facilities are
fundamentally risky; urban because waste problems are more pronounced in cities; and socioecological because waste is one of the greatest global threats to the ecosystem. In addition to
the aforementioned sociological starting points, the work takes a transdisciplinary and pluriperspective view. The concepts and theses of authors who are not sociologists, but who consider waste as a social phenomenon, are listed and analyzed because we believe that a
complete solution to a complex problem such as waste management is only possible if the different professions are respected.
The normative framework on waste is analyzed in this paper using the qualitative content analysis method and the main documents on waste at European (8 documents), national (3 documents) and city (1 document) level were selected. The method of qualitative content
analysis of the normative framework was chosen because normative documents represent a linkbetween the prevailing accepted social values and the actual and desired state in the living world. The European level (1) is governed by directives and plans for sustainable waste management, of which the main strategic document is considered in this paper, together with six key operational consolidated directives; (2) the national level is governed by three key
documents, namely the Waste Management Strategy of the Republic of Croatia (2005), the Act on Sustainable Waste Management (2013) (including amendments, published in Official
Gazette no. 73/17, 14/19 and 98/19) and the Waste Management Plan of the Republic of Croatia for the period 2017-2022; (3) at the city level, the Waste Management Plan of the City of Zagreb
2018-2022. The documents were selected after a detailed study of the entire normative framework and consultation with experts in the field. The analyzed documents are not only of different level, but also of different types. Thus, strategies (long-term documents of a broader
type, expressing social values), plans (more focused documents, indicating the goals of the system and setting deadlines for their fulfillment) and laws and policies (legal documents with
clear and precise provisions and responsibilities) are analyzed.
The analysis has shown that local and national documents are derived from the European framework, but also that they are not fully coherent and do not fully comply with the latest European principles of waste management. The inconsistency manifests itself in the fact that
the national normative framework could not be implemented because some of the provisions are contradictory. Indeed, if the set goals were achieved - a high rate of separate waste collection and the construction of all the planned waste management centers - there would be nothing to process in the said centers. The National Strategy is an outdated document and it is necessary to adopt a new strategic document on waste harmonized with the latest principles of waste
management of the European Union. The plans are ambitious, but previous experience with similar documents shows that they are not implemented in practice. In the national and urban
normative frameworks, public participation in decision-making is less present compared to the European framework, and there is less emphasis on public education.
The empirical research was conducted using a qualitative method of semi-structured interviews with key actors in the waste management system in Zagreb. Thirty key actors participated in the survey, divided into 5 groups (professional, political, managerial, media and civil (NGO)
actors). Interviews were conducted face-to-face and all participants were located in Zagreb. The study of available literature and media content helped to select relevant potential participants
for the research. The sample was intentionally non-random because it was believed to be most conducive to research on such a specific topic with a small total number of key actors. The
actors were selected according to different criteria depending on the group. In the case of politicians, those who deal with environmental issues in their political parties were selected; the selected management actors were those who hold the highest hierarchical positions in their departments; the media representatives were selected according to the criterion of specialization
in environmental and waste issues; all civil actors in the study are in the leadership of the most influential Zagreb environmental organizations. Experts were selected according to the criteria
of diversity, i.e. inclusion of different professions, and scientific and/or professional excellence.Participants recognized corruption, clientelism, and disrespect for professionals when deciding on important social issues as Croatia's biggest social problems, and frequently mentioned the problems of unemployment, insufficiently high standards, demographic devastation, and hopelessness among young people. The general social situation was mostly assessed as
unsatisfactory, although some stakeholders pointed to some positive developments since Croatia's independence (1990).
The issue of the general state of the environment in Zagreb has led to a division among groups of actors. Civil society actors are most critical of the state of the environment and focus most on the waste management system. Administrative actors are satisfied with the general state of the environment in the city. Apart from waste, the experts also point out the problem of water supply and traffic.
It was noted that there is a latent social conflict between the groups of main actors, but also within these groups. The conflict between political and civil actors is the most pronounced, and the relationship between civil society and the media is the most positive. All other relationships are split, meaning that within groups there are both positive and negative opinions about other groups. Such relationships are most frequently diagnosed; between politicians and managers,
managers and experts, journalists and experts, journalists and managers, experts and civil society organizations.
Participants' attitudes towards the waste management system in Zagreb are heterogeneous, but all participants agree that the system needs to be improved and that it is necessary to systematically educate the general public about these issues at all levels of education and through the media and other forms of education. Consensus among thirty highly qualified and specialized stakeholders is difficult to achieve on any issue, but from the responses presented it
can be concluded that all stakeholders believe that social and environmental conditions in Zagreb and Croatia can and should be improved, and that the Zagreb waste management system
needs significant improvement. The participants of the research are not too optimistic about the development of the city of Zagreb in the near future and believe that it depends mainly on political trends.
The final part of the paper summarizes the results of the two investigations and relates the findings to the concepts presented in the theoretical part of the paper. It is concluded that the Zagreb waste management system needs to be transformed. There is a need to introduce an economically, environmentally and socially sustainable model of waste management in Zagreb - and this can be achieved through systematic education about waste at all levels of education
and by creating a complete waste management system. The prerequisites for this are (1) the creation of a social consensus on the importance of this issue, (2) the selection and long-term
work on the implementation of a consistent and sustainable management model that does not depend on political power changes, and (3) the involvement of experts, civil society organizations and the public in the decision-making processes.
