Research background: Since the introduction of the concept in 1972 Autopoiesis has enjoyed great popularity among academicians representing various fields of science. However, the number of studies devoted to the investigation of factors that have an impact on the formation of autopoietic economic structures is quite limited. This paper addresses the gap in scientific research on autopoiesis of economic structures in small open markets, specifically in the Baltic States. Purpose of the article: The paper aims to identify and evaluate factors that turn on self-organization mechanisms of autopoietic economic structures in the Baltic States, in particular in Latvia. Methods: Expert survey was used to identify the most important factors affecting the for-mation of meso-economic entities in the Baltic States. The factors’ assessments provided by seven experts were analyzed. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) with fuzzy numbers was employed to process the data. Two different scales of evaluation (inverse linear and balanced) were used. Findings & Value added: The factors influencing the process of formation of business groups were evaluated by experts. Research results allow for making conclusions regarding the causes of the business integration, and impact of diversified integrated business structures on the country's business system in Central Europe.
Financial literacy as a prerequisite of citizens’ financial well-being and, as a consequence, economic security is a hot topic not only in the academic envi-ronment, but also among the representatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations. One of the most important activities realized by the government in order to enhance citizens’ financial literacy level is the implementation of the National strategy. The first step of this process is an evaluation of a current situation, which, in turn, requires a proper measurement instrument. The current research was aimed at specifying the content and the structure of the instrument, as well as to reveal the differences in perception of financial matters by students from different countries. A set of 12 financial questions was developed to detect perceived importance and complexity of financial literacy components, as well as to get financial literacy self-assessment scores. The questions were disseminated among the Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian students. The obtained results assisted to specify the content and wording of questions to be included into the financial literacy measurement instrument. Besides, revealed differences between students’ perception of financial questions allowed making conclusions about students’ self-confidence that has a great impact on financial literacy level.
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