CES Working Papers – Volume VII, Issue 3 www.ceswp.uaic.ro Volume VII, Issue 3, 2015 EDITORIAL BOARD SCIENTIFIC BOARD: Doina BALAHUR, Professor PhD, Faculty of Philosophy, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania Daniela Luminita CONSTANTIN, Professor PhD, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania, President of the Romanian Regional Science Association and member of the Council European Regional Science Association Gabriela DRAGAN, Professor PhD, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania, The General Director of the European Institute in Romania Gheorghe IACOB, Professor PhD, Faculty of History, Vice-Rector of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania Corneliu IATU, Professor PhD, Dean of Faculty of Geography and Geology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania Ion IGNAT, Professor PhD, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania Vasile ISAN, Professor PhD, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Rector of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania Gheorghe LUTAC, Professor PhD, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania Cosmin MARINESCU, Associate Professor PhD, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania Dumitru MIRON, Professor PhD, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania Gabriela Carmen PASCARIU, Professor PhD, Director of Centre for European Studies, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania Carmen PINTILESCU, Professor PhD, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania Alexandru-Florin PLATON, Professor PhD, Faculty of History, Executive Director of Centre for European Studies, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania Victor PLOAE, Professor PhD, Vice-Rector of Ovidius University of Constanta, Romania Ion POHOATA, Professor PhD, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania Ioan POPA, Professor PhD, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania Spiridon PRALEA, Professor PhD, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania Rodica ZAHARIA, Professor PhD, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania EDITOR IN CHIEF: Liviu-George MAHA, Associate Professor PhD, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania EDITORS: Anamaria BERCU, Lecturer PhD, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania Sinziana BALTATESCU, Lecturer PhD, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania Ovidiu BURUIANA, Associate Professor PhD, Faculty of History, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania Elena CIORTESCU, Assistant PhD, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania Ramona FRUNZA, Researcher PhD, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania Ana SANDULOVICIU, Lecturer PhD, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania EXECUTIVE EDITORS: Ciprian ALUPULUI, PhD, Centre for European Studies, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania Gabriel-Andrei DONICI, PhD, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania Sebastian ENEA, PhD Candidate, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania Cristian INCALTARAU, Researcher PhD, Centre for European Studies, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania Sorin-Stefan MAHA, PhD, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania Loredana Maria SIMIONOV, Researcher PhD, Centre for European Studies, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania Volume VII, Issue 3, 2015 Table of contents THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ECONOMIC COOPERATION 675 Gabriel Ciprian ANDRUSEAC and Iulian HERTUG UNCERTAINTY IN NEOCLASSICAL AND KEYNESIAN THEORETICAL 682 APPROACHES: A BEHAVIOURAL PERSPECTIVE Sinziana BALTATESCU THE QUALITY OF CULTURAL SERVICES IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS 689 CONTEXT Aurica DVORACIC THE RELATIONS BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE RUSSIAN 700 FEDERATION PRIOR AND AFTER THE CREATION OF THE COMMON ECONOMIC SPACE Razvan-Alexandru GENTIMIR A THEORETICAL APPROACH OF TRANSITION FROM RESOURCE BASED 708 ECONOMY TO KNOWLEDGE-ECONOMY Diana GIOACASI THE ACQUIS COMMUNAUTAIRE WITHIN TTIP - THE CASE OF ROMANIA 718 Ioana GUTU EUROPEAN INTEGRATION: A MULTILEVEL PROCESS THAT REQUIRES A 728 MULTILEVEL STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Roxana-Otilia-Sonia HRITCU CAN HIGHER WAGES PROTECT YOUR HEART? REGIONAL EVIDENCE FROM 740 ROMANIA Cristian INCALTARAU, Adrian-Vasile HORODNIC and Doru BOTEZAT DIMENSIONS OF MULTINATIONAL ENTERPRISES 751 Maria - Ramona SARBU CONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC GROWTH MODELS AND THEORIES: A 759 LITERATURE REVIEW Ilkhom SHARIPOV WILL THE EU`S BOAT FLOAT IN MURKY POST-CRISIS WATERS? AN 774 ASSESSMENT OF EU`S ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL AGENDA Adrian Daniel STAN and Brindusa Nicoleta PINCU THE UE AS REGIONAL AND GLOBAL PLAYER 785 Oana Emiliana TATARCAN TAXATION OF PER DIEM. ROMANIAN CURRENT LIABILITIES FOR EMPLOYERS 794 AND EMPLOYEES Mihaela TOFAN and Ana Maria BERCU HEALTHCARE QUALITY AND ITS EFFECTS ON GROWTH. A REGIONAL 802 ANALYSIS Ana Iolanda VODA and Claudiu TIGANAS CES Working Papers – Volume VII, Issue 3 THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ECONOMIC COOPERATION Gabriel Ciprian ANDRUSEAC Iulian HERTUG** Abstract: Economic cooperation, the engine of relations of international economic cooperation, is an insufficiently defined, dynamic concept. The transformations of the international environment, globalization and the intensification of economic interdependencies render economic cooperation a must, and not just an option within international relations. Similar to the international environment, economic cooperation undergoes a process of redefinition, of adjustment to the new realities. This article aims at identifying and analyzing the approaches of economic cooperation in this context. Keywords: cooperation; economy; international relations JEL Classification: F53; F55; F59; F19 Introduction In the context of globalization, the intensification of economic interdependencies and technological development, economic cooperation, by means of all its forms, has become an “objective need” (Caraiani and Georgescu, 2013, p. 9) of economic development. Moreover, economic cooperation is identified as basic method in the approach of the problems of humanity in the international environment (environmental protection, access to natural resources, food products, unequal development, etc.). According to O’Farrill et al. (1999), economic cooperation is a complex, insufficiently defined concept, generally pertaining to industrial, financial, commercial, entrepreneurial and production- related cooperation. Furthermore, economic cooperation is identified as a component of international cooperation which aims at creating conditions that facilitate the process of commercial and financial integration in the international environment by implementing actions meant to bring indirect medium- and long-term economic benefits. In this sense, economic cooperation is not only limited to matters related to commerce, it also comprises a wide range of aspects such as industrial cooperation, research and innovation, scientific PhD Candidate, Doctoral School of Economics and Business Administration, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi, Romania; e-mail: [email protected] ** PhD Candidate, Doctoral School of Economics and Business Administration, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi, Romania; e-mail: [email protected] This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License 675 Gabriel Ciprian ANDRUSEAC and Iulian HERTUG exchanges and the establishment of scientific and economic commissions and committees (Barston, 2014, p. 391). 1. Economic cooperation – what is it? Caraiani and Georgescu (2013, p. 9) define economic cooperation as the form of international collaboration for the purpose of obtaining mutual advantages through the common use of financial, material and technological resources of all partners. Caraiani and Georgescu (2013, pp. 14-15) cite Petre Tanasie (1974, p. 9) who distinguished between three dimensions of economic cooperation: in a wide sense; in a narrow sense, where international economic cooperation; and, in a specific field of activity. Thus, in a wide sense, international economic cooperation is the exchange of activity in various fields and countries, and encompasses international commerce, cooperation in production, scientific and technological cooperation, international transportation, tourism, financial relations, the service domain, etc. If we look at the international economic cooperation in a narrow sense, we can define it as a form of collaboration, between two or more countries or entities from various countries, in various ways, for the purpose of reaching certain industrial, agricultural, commercial, technical-scientific, touristic goals or other. In this sense, economic cooperation is not a commercial exchange or a mere transfer of goods, services and capitals from one country to another, but, it represents the common use of the resources and means of all partners. The process of defining international economic cooperation, according to Caraiani and Georgescu (2013, p. 15), may be divided into three stages: in a first stage, economic cooperation was about the economic relation