Papers by Boštjan Kerbler
Sustainability
As a reaction to the critical writings of urban sociologists regarding the quality of post-Second... more As a reaction to the critical writings of urban sociologists regarding the quality of post-Second World War large housing estates (monotonous architectural design, cheap/poor quality building materials, high building density, minimum dwelling sizes, overcrowding, etc.), fewer problematic types of mass housing neighbourhoods started to emerge, first in Western European countries in the 1970s, and later in Eastern European countries after they abandoned the planned economy system of the communist era and adopted the market economy system. One of the major concerns often raised in this regard is that, due to a variety of negative aspects associated with post-WWII housing estates, these neighbourhoods may eventually end up as concentrations of low-income households, after the more affluent residents relocate to the more attractive, less problematic residential neighbourhoods. Such developments are, understandably, undesirable. This concern inherently assumes that the inhabitants of post...
Due to ageing of the population, the issue of suitable housing provision for the elderly is becom... more Due to ageing of the population, the issue of suitable housing provision for the elderly is becoming increasingly critical. Several types of housing are available to the elderly in Slovenia, and this article focuses on the two most widespread forms: eldercare facilities and owner-occupied housing. It presents their features, critically analyses the problems connected with both types of housing and presents solutions to these problems. The article is based on an analysis of relevant research literature, statistical data and the findings of studies dealing with this topic. It discusses and introduces new findings on possible ways of ensuring an adequate level of housing provision for the elderly in Slovenia in the future.
The problem of the ageing population has become an important political topic as well as an increa... more The problem of the ageing population has become an important political topic as well as an increasingly greater challenge for health, social and housing care services in the developed countries. The ageing population is, however, creating strongly growing financial needs to provide suitable healthcare, social care and housing for the elderly. Innovative forms of living and care for the elderly are, therefore, the reaction of the western countries to the increasing number of the older people in the society. One of such innovative systems, which is based on the information and communication technologies, is called remote home care or "telecare". It represents an applied form of an intelligent environment, by which users' home environments are arranged following the smart house concept, connected to a remote monitoring network, and through this to providers of care and other services. Although the governments try to implement such systems to reduce the costs, the findings...
Critical Housing Analysis, 2021
Airbnb has become a fixture in the development of global cities. It especially impacts cities’ re... more Airbnb has become a fixture in the development of global cities. It especially impacts cities’ residential characteristics. The company works with the concept of the sharing economy, the essence of which is the exchange of services or goods between individuals who set the rules of operation without generating profits, but together generate more revenue. It insists that it does not represent a form of direct competition with other urban accommodation services and that it merely seeks to expand the tourism market. Nonetheless, this article proceeds from the assumption that Airbnb is influencing and transforming the housing market of the cities it operates in. It focuses on Ljubljana, which until 2019 had a record number of international arrivals and overnight stays. The findings confirm that short-term Airbnb rentals have affected the long-term rental market in Ljubljana. They also show that a very large share of rentals through Airbnb take place in the grey economy. However, the anal...
European Journal of Futures Research, 2016
The key research question is to discuss and elaborate the potential value added that futures stud... more The key research question is to discuss and elaborate the potential value added that futures studies could provide for European citizens and political, social and economic institutions. In the article the problems of European welfare policy issues are theoretically described and analysed. In the article broader framework to understand key policy issues of European welfare policy challenges are defined. A general analysis and generic model for European welfare policy is presented. The Authors also present futures oriented methodological approach to analyse and solve new challenges of European welfare policy problems. Key contributions of this article are: (1) Analysis of theoretical basis for construction of welfare models in future environments, (2) the relationship between research questions and topics in welfare policy planning and management, (3) the analysis of the relationship between futures oriented research questions, methodological stages and outcomes in the field of European welfare policy and (4) the concrete methodological proposal how futures research methodology can help to solve future puzzles of European welfare policy. Keywords European welfare state. European Union. Welfare model. Futures orientation. European framework of welfare policy. Futures studies research methodology. Perspectivist scenario building. Welfare policy analysis. Trend analysis. Change management. European Union. EU28 countries
Acta geographica Slovenica, 2015
The Slovenian population is aging. In order to best adapt to this demographic change, it is neces... more The Slovenian population is aging. In order to best adapt to this demographic change, it is necessary to face this issue and to study it from the perspective of various disciplines, including geography. This article therefore especially focuses on the spatial characteristics of population aging in Slovenia in addition to general characteristics. The findings show that population aging in Slovenia is not uniform; instead, there are large differences in population aging in Slovenia. In addition to general social processes such as falling birthrates and increasing life expectancy, these are primarily the result of spatial movement of the population. The conclusion presents some consequences that will arise in Slovenian territory and society in the future due to population aging.
Acta geographica Slovenica, 2012
Acta geographica Slovenica, 2010
Family farms are characterized by the fact that they are passed down within the family from one g... more Family farms are characterized by the fact that they are passed down within the family from one generation to the next. In this way, the orientation of parents and especially farm owners is also passed on to children. With regard to this characteristic, this paper proceeds from the hypothesis that owners' beliefs, opinions, and perceptions have an important impact on farm succession in Slovenia. It has been established that an owner's positive attitude, encouragement, and positive opinion of a farm, its structure, and development can strongly influence the potential successor's decision to take over the farm and continue farming, and thus preserve continuity between generations and consequently enable the farm's further development and existence.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
A poor person–environment fit may bring various negative effects to older people’s independence a... more A poor person–environment fit may bring various negative effects to older people’s independence and physical and psychological well-being. The presented study is especially valuable as it explores the challenges of living in cities in a country located in central and eastern Europe; namely, a less researched area when it comes to the quality of life of older people dwelling in an urban environment. The research questions that were explored are (1) what environmental pressures have people identified in the urban environment in Slovenia; and (2) what strategies have they used to deal with them? The study is based on 22 interviews with older people and three focus groups, that were then analysed using a thematic analysis approach. The study results identify a number of environmental pressures, which were divided into structural housing pressures, structural neighbourhood pressures, and formal and informal pressures. The analysis shows important behavioural responses, such as strategies...
Igra ustvarjalnosti - Creativity Game, 2019
Social Sciences, 2013
Guaranteeing people with disabilities full access to all aspects of life has, for decades, been a... more Guaranteeing people with disabilities full access to all aspects of life has, for decades, been accepted as a major global commitment. Notwithstanding the innumerable declarations and supporting legislation that have been adopted to this end, research and daily experiences show that people with disabilities continue to be inhibited, by various barriers, from fully participating in society. The recognition of this state of affairs prompted our search for a new solution that would facilitate greater efficiency in the realization of the rights of people with disabilities to barrier-free access. Such a solution is the interactive web tool we present in this paper. Created as the final result of a three-year research, the web tool is an instrument that enables the execution of concrete actions to remove concrete barriers, with the participation of the general public. On the basis of a review of the relevant literature, we also argue in the paper and provide supportive evidence, that the interactive web tool we developed is a 'social innovation'. We conclude the article with the conviction that the creation of the interactive web tool is a giant step towards the gradual removal of barriers and eventual full inclusion into society of people with disabilities.
Journal of European Social Policy, 2018
The transformations in the welfare state regimes that have occurred globally, over the last three... more The transformations in the welfare state regimes that have occurred globally, over the last three decades or so, have seriously affected the capacity of states to sustain the previous levels of social care and protection. These changes, already being manifested, inter alia, in trends in declining earnings of pensioners have inspired some researchers in this field to explore alternative ways of mitigating their impact on the well-being of the elderly during the retirement period. One of the theories that has been advanced to this effect is the so-called asset-based welfare concept which suggests that the wealth accumulated by people in the form of housing assets presents a financial reservoir that may serve as a source of income for pensioners in time of need. To address these issues, a variety of mechanisms have been developed and presented as ‘equity release products’ that may be used by senior homeowners to improve their living situation. This article contributes to the debate fro...
Agricultural Economics (Zemědělská ekonomika), 2012
Slovenia, like other developed countries, is characterized by the fact that the number of farm ta... more Slovenia, like other developed countries, is characterized by the fact that the number of farm takeovers is decreasing and farms are not being transferred to successors in a timely manner. As an EU member state, Slovenia is entitled to financial incentives intended to halt or at least ameliorate this trend, but the situation is nonetheless not improving. This article proceeds from the hypothesis that economic factors are not the only ones that affect succession on Slovenian farms. The hypothesis was confirmed in a study limited to mountain farms. It was determined that, although economic factors have a significant effect on succession on Slovenian farms, at the same time other factors also affect this. Among these, the factors that stand out the most are those through which tradition or traditional thought and behavioral patterns are expressed, as well as the factors that express the standpoints, perceptions, and opinions of farm owners.
Housing, 2018
In Slovenia, a post-socialist Central and Eastern European country, a high percentage of young pe... more In Slovenia, a post-socialist Central and Eastern European country, a high percentage of young people still live at home with their parents. However, they wish to become independent and to leave their parents’ home, but unemployment and, consequently, the lack of financial means make this difficult. In contrast to the young, older people do not wish to leave their homes. They want to stay in their own-occupied housing as long as possible, postponing moving to an institutionalized accommodation. A lack of finance is an aggravating factor for older people as well. It particularly affects those individuals who live in a single-person household or in their own, often oversized house. This study, therefore, presents housing conditions of two age groups, that is, younger population, focusing on individuals aged from 18 to 35 years who still live with their parents, and older populations, represented by individuals aged 60 and above not living in institutional forms of accommodation (yet).
The relationship of the elderly toward their home and living environment Housing is a basic human... more The relationship of the elderly toward their home and living environment 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.
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Papers by Boštjan Kerbler