The quality of medical services is a key indicator of the health system’s success. Traditionally, it has been assessed through the accessibility and effectiveness of services provided. However, modern approaches emphasising the real impact on patient health measure it through health outcomes (clinical, CROMs, patient-reported outcomes, PROs). This shift from process-oriented to outcome-oriented models is at the heart of the concept of patient-centred healthcare. Outcome-oriented approaches are a key element in improving the quality of healthcare services. Patient-centred healthcare shifts the focus from quantitative indicators to the real impact on health, combining clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness. By implementing strategic measurements and incentives to improve outcomes, health systems can deliver better added value for patients and contribute to sustainable development in the sector.

Albert Hirschman (1915–2012) was an economist known for his influential interdisciplinary social science models. In the 1950s, he developed the theory of unbalanced growth, which changed development theory. Hirschman argued that partial effects induced by targeted investments can have positive economic impacts on the development of national economies. In another behavioural model – exit and voice, he explains how dissatisfied individuals can react and how these reactions may affect the quality of output provided in both private and public goods. Hirschman's ideas have been incorporated into many concepts in the social sciences.

Nobel Prize laureate in economics Friedrich von Hayek (1899–1992) was interested in the way rules are formed and how they are understood. This approach is referred to as the theory of spontaneous order. It sees the evolution of social rules as the product of numerous interactions, the consequences of which are often unintended. At the same time, it investigates the spontaneous emergence of conventions concerning the ownership and division of valuable resources. Such conventions concern non-legislative rules of conduct, construed as impersonal or anonymous norms that are based on unorganised, informal sanctions. There are contexts in which coordination occurs spontaneously, without the intervention of any legal structure. A degree of assonance can be seen between Hayek’s spontaneous order and the conventional approach.

Despite the accumulated evidence that national culture influences the financial decisions of households across the European Union, there are relatively limited quantitative studies about its impact on the distribution of assets between secure deposits and riskier investments. This study examines whether Hofstede's six cultural dimensions contribute to explaining this phenomenon by analysing their effect on the financial behaviour of European households, measured by the share of investments in deposits and investment funds. Regression analysis statistically validates the claim that individualism is negatively associated with the relative share of deposits, while uncertainty avoidance has a positive effect on this share, indicating a stronger orientation towards security. Conversely, motivation towards achievement (masculinity) and individualism are positively associated with participation in investment funds, suggesting a higher propensity to take risks in individualistic and ‘masculine’ cultures. Power distance, long-term orientation and indulgence do not show any lasting effects. The results confirm the importance of cultural archetypes as factors determining the distribution of household assets and highlight the need to integrate them into the development of behavioural finance-based policies.

The article presents the results of a study on the relationship between minimum wage increases in  Bulgaria and the dynamics of the so-called "working poor". It is assumed that setting the minimum wage amount as a fixed percentage of the national average wage – and therefore imposing it centrally through administrative channels and with limited participation of social partners – weakens the potential of this policy tool to achieve a sustainable reduction of the in-work poverty rate. Applying a single-factor regression analysis of the association between the ratio of the minimum wage to the average wage in the country (Kaitz index) and the share of working poor, it was found that there is a statistically significant positive association between the two variables. In other words, the higher the Kaitz index, the higher the share of working poor. This finding is important for the debate on the procedure for determining and updating the minimum wage in the country. It also highlights the need for public authorities to make targeted efforts in promoting the development of scientific knowledge on the economic and social effects of the minimum wage in a national context.

The purpose of this paper is to trace the contemporary condition and mutual dependence of e-commerce and courier services, as well as perspectives for their development. Thus, it is necessary to examine the current state of e-commerce and courier companies faced with the challenge of working together to achieve high market shares and satisfy customer requirements, both in terms of products exchanged with sellers and services provided by couriers. Based on research carried out for the 2014–2024 period, we reach the conclusion that the trends for both e-commerce and courier services have been positive, with trade ahead in its development. The main prospects we associate with the future of courier services concern a reduction of human participation in delivery processes under the influence of technological developments in the form of robotics, artificial intelligence, big data and analytics, transport management systems, etc.

The monograph "Flexibility of Social Support in Times of Crisis (Experience and Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic 2020–2022)" presents the results of a research project completed in 2025 research project, carried out within the framework of the research program of the Institute for Economic Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences by a team consisting of Prof. Georgi Shopov, PhD, head of the project, Prof. Petko Salchev, PhD, and Assoc. Prof. Teodora Peneva, PhD. The issues related to the analysis of various aspects of social protection in a scientific-theoretical or practical-applied context have always been the focus of diverse perspectives in scientific research and in the formulation of the main guidelines and specific forms and mechanisms of social policy.