Professors from the Department of Sociology at the Faculty of Croatian Studies, University of Zagreb, Professor Irena Cajner Mraović, PhD, and Assistant Professor Ana Marija Dunaj, PhD, participated on Thursday, 24 September 2026, in the 4th international scientific and professional conference ‘Continental Croatia: Historical Context, Current Issues and Future Perspectives’, held on 24 and 25 September in Đakovo. They presented their research online, as part of the afternoon online panel.
Both presented papers were produced within the institutional research project ‘Dimensions of Digital Inclusion and Exclusion in Croatian Society (DIGI-HR)’, conducted by the Faculty of Croatian Studies at the University of Zagreb.
Professor Irena Cajner Mraović, PhD, presented the paper ‘Female Homicide Victims in Urban and Rural Areas of Continental Croatia: Are There Differences?’, co-authored by Mirjana Kondor-Langer and Avgustin Pavičić from the University of Criminal Investigation and Police Studies. The research was conducted on a sample of 95 cases in continental Croatia in the period from 2016 to 2024. The results show that female victims in rural areas statistically significantly more often live with the perpetrator, have a lower level of education and worse material circumstances compared to victims in urban areas. The results point to the importance of taking into account the specific social, economic and relational characteristics of victims when designing preventive measures in urban and rural settings.
Assistant Professor Ana Marija Dunaj, PhD, presented the paper ‘Digital Inclusion and the Use of E-Government: The Role of E-Participation and Perceived Service Quality in the Case of Međimurje County’, co-authored with Assistant Professor Marija Zelić, PhD, also from the Department of Sociology at the Faculty of Croatian Studies. The research, conducted on a sample of 351 respondents, showed that citizens' e-participation through the official social media profiles of cities and municipalities and the perceived quality of e-government are significantly associated with the use of electronic public services. The final regression model explained 35.2% of the variance in e-government use, with e-participation proving to be the strongest predictor. The results highlight the importance of high-quality digital public services, participatory digital channels and the development of citizens' digital skills.
The international scientific and professional conference ‘Continental Croatia’ brings together scientists, professionals and practitioners from various disciplines, and its aim is the interdisciplinary consideration of social, economic, demographic, migration, historical, cultural and other processes important for the development of continental Croatia. The conference seeks to connect different scientific and professional perspectives and to encourage dialogue on development potentials and quality of life in the continental part of Croatia.