Sociology Students Debate on Public Finance

On Monday, 19 January 2026, second-year students of the Catholic University of Croatia’s Master’s program in Sociology participated in a students’ debate on public finance.

In the final lecture of the course Fundamentals of the Budget, students actively presented the knowledge they had acquired and debated current social issues, with a particular focus on economic and political developments.

Under the expert guidance of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Roman Šubić, students critically discussed expenditures for employees in public and government services. The topic of this year’s debate was chosen due to its relevance, as the annual negotiations between the Government and the unions had not yet been concluded by the end of 2025.

From a sociological perspective, students debated whether public sector employees should receive a salary increase and whether such an increase would be justified, given that last year’s wage growth in the public sector was higher than in the rest of the economy.

Individual presentations within their assigned roles were delivered by Ana Salopek as a representative of the unions, Veronika Žmalec as a representative of the employers’ association, Antonio Treppo in the role of Minister of Labor, and Marija Ratković in the role of Minister of Finance. Congratulations to our sociology students on a successful debate and constructive discussion!