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CSD Policy Brief No. 02: Anti-Corruption Reforms in the Judiciary

CSD Policy Brief No. 02: Anti-Corruption Reforms in the Judiciary

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Keywords: Corruption;

In the first week of October 2003, the Center for the Study of Democracy published the Judicial Anti-Corruption Program (JACP), a policy paper developed with the support of the United Nations Development Programme. The JACP is the first document of its kind detailing a comprehensive agenda for reducing corruption within the judiciary and enhancing its efficiency in penalizing administrative and political corruption. The Program deals with the most significant constitutional, legislative and institutional aspects of anti-corruption measures in the judiciary and combines gap analysis with extensive policy recommendations. // The development of the JACP involved more than 30 eminent Bulgarian legal professionals, including magistrates, and resulted from the combined efforts of influential non-governmental organizations, representatives of state institutions, and experts. This approach reflects CSD’s long standing capacity to bring together various reform constituencies and allows the Program to draw on most of the suggestions provided by government agencies, NGOs, professional associations and media. The analysis and the proposals made are supported by the survey Corruption and Anti-Corruption: the Magistrates' Viewpoint carried out by Coalition 2000 and Vitosha Research. The survey, carried out among 454 magistrates from the whole country in the period April-May, 2003, using the methodology of the Coalition 2000 Corruption Monitoring System, was the first ever survey on corruption issues conducted among magistrates.

Report on the State of - Education in 2014. Exterior exams in the educational policy and practice

Raport o stanie edukacji 2014. Egzaminy zewnętrzne w polityce i praktyce edukacyjnej

Author(s): / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: education; education in Poland; knowledge; society

W dyskusjach o edukacji coraz częściej mówi się o jakości i coraz ważniejszą rolę odgrywają różne sposoby jej mierzenia. Jeszcze kilkadziesiąt lat temu porównania systemów oświatowych ograniczały się do zestawiania odsetków absolwentów kończących poszczególne etapy edukacji czy wskaźników upowszechnienia edukacji, np. w przedszkolach czy w szkolnictwie wyższym. W nadzorze nad szkołami dominował model tradycyjnej, hierarchicznej kontroli, polegającej na sprawdzaniu, czy przestrzegane są przepisy i inne zewnętrznie zdefiniowane normy. W ostatnich dekadach zwiększyły się oczekiwania stawiane przed edukacją. W większym stopniu zaczęto też postrzegać edukację przez pryzmat poziomu wiedzy i umiejętności absolwentów. W nadzorze nad szkołami zaczęto zwracać uwagę nie tylko na procesy, ale też i efekty, w tym zwłaszcza efekty uczenia się. Międzynarodowe badania osiągnięć edukacyjnych pokazały problem zróżnicowania poziomu umiejętności uczniów, w tym istnienia sporej grupy uczniów, którzy kończą szkoły z zasobem umiejętności nieodpowiadającym wyzwaniom współczesnego społeczeństwa i potrzebom rynku pracy.

The Coaltion 2000: Process in 1999

The Coalition 2000: Process in 1999

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

The Report, discussed at the Policy Forum of Coalition 2000 in December 1999, presents the major activities of Coalition 2000 during 1999: Clean Future Public Awareness Campaign; The Institution of the People's Defender the Ombudsman; International activities; Monitoring.

Corruption Indexes of Coalition 2000, November 2004

Corruption Indexes of Coalition 2000, November 2004

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

The report presents key findings about the level of corruption and corruption related perceptions. The analysis is based on national sample (n=966) survey of the Bulgarian population aged 18 and over and also includes previous Vitosha Research survey data (back to February 1999).

Slovak Presidency of the EU Council: Implications for the Visegrad Group

Slovak Presidency of the EU Council: Implications for the Visegrad Group

Author(s): Łukasz Ogrodnik / Language(s): English

Keywords: Slovakia; Central Europe; EU Council presidency; Visegrad Group

Slovakia’s presidency of the Council of the European Union will be dominated by the debate on EU reform in light of Brexit. The government in Bratislava will try to link current community policy to its national interests and improvement of Slovakia’s image in Europe. Therefore, the Slovak position on possible institutional reform or energy policy may differ from the Polish stance. If the Visegrad Group has the ambition to use the Slovak presidency to strengthen its role in Europe, it will be necessary to develop a uniform approach to the key issues of the EU.

'The power gained, we will never surrender' Russian ruling elite versus the succession and economic crisis

'The power gained, we will never surrender' Russian ruling elite versus the succession and economic crisis

Author(s): Jadwiga Rogoża / Language(s): English,Polish

Keywords: Russian ruling elite; governance; corruption

Even though the economic crisis proved harmful to the Russian economy and people's living standards, it has nonetheless failed to make the elite revise its policy. Despite some problems, the government has managed to sustain economic and political stability, thanks to the reserves it amassed in the times of prosperity, and to the propaganda campaign that protected it, above all Vladimir Putin. The crisis failed to force the elite to implement deeper structural and political reforms. Moreover, it has actually reinforced existing tendencies, such as state control over the economy and its oil-oriented character, the elite's economic expansion at the expense of private businesses, and the preservation of political power. Thus, the crisis has so far failed to dismantle Putinism, indeed quite the reverse - it has in fact contributed to its becoming 'set in stone'.

Continuity and Change in the U.S. Foreign and Security Policy with the Accession of President Obama

Continuity and Change in the U.S. Foreign and Security Policy with the Accession of President Obama

Author(s): Nik Hynek / Language(s): English

Keywords: USA; foreign and security policy; president Obama; American administration; George W. Bush;

The question of continuity and change in the U.S. Foreign/Security Policy (henceforth USFSP) after the accession of President Obama can be constructively studied from two complementary perspectives: the thematic perspective and the procedural perspective. This method determines the structure of this analysis. In the beginning, key issues of the USFSP in the context of the change of the American administration are examined. A part of the discussion of the transition from the Republican administration of George W. Bush to the Democratic administration of Barack Obama will be an attempt to follow the continuity and change in the key issues of the USFSP and the change in the prioritization of issues. For a comparison of the approaches of Bush and Obama, one needs to approach the topic indirectly due to the fact that Obama’s presidency is still in its early stages, which means that we still cannot completely evaluate the USFSP under the current American president. It is precisely the fact that it is impossible to compare eight years of the government of George W. Bush with approximately seven months of the Obama government that is the cause of the indirect approach of this evaluation. It will be based on a combination of extrapolation from existing but still scattered early signals and defining what can be regarded a success when considering the goals of the primary issues of the USFSP on the basis of Obama’s publically known positions. Subsequently, an evaluation of the preferred procedural means of reaching the set goals in the framework of the central issues of the USFSP will tie into the perspective related to changes in thematic priorities. The main finding of the first part will be that even though Obama is seen as the president who put an end to several trends that were introduced by Bush, such a conclusion must necessarily be rejected as reductive or even misleading. In contrast to this, in the second part, the analysis will point out several shifts associated with the change of the administration.

Macedonian Diplomatic Bulletin 2014/86

Macedonian Diplomatic Bulletin 2014/86

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Keywords: North Macedonia; international relations; diplomacy; bilateral relations; Process of Stabilization and Association; EU integration;

WEEK - Issue 060. Thursday August 21, 2003

JÁVA - Numri 060. e ejte 21 gusht 2003

Author(s): Shkëlzen Maliqi,Jelena Milić,Arlinda Desku,Chris Hughes,Ardian Klosi,Ilir Dugolli / Language(s): Albanian

Keywords: Kosovo 2003; Wesley Clark ;Gjon Shllaku;

Comparative Overview of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Progress Report 2015 by the European Commission and the Alternative Progress Report for Bosnia and Herzegovina 2015 by the Initiative for Monitoring the European Integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Comparative Overview of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Progress Report 2015 by the European Commission and the Alternative Progress Report for Bosnia and Herzegovina 2015 by the Initiative for Monitoring the European Integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Keywords: Bosnia and Herzegovina; European Commission; progress report; European integration; European Union; EU accession; progress evaluation;

As in the previous two years, the Initiative for Monitoring the EU Integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina published the 2015 Alternative Progress Report1 that presents an overview of progress Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has made in 2015 in completing the Political Criteria (Chapter 2 in the Progress Report of the European Commission) from the perspective of almost 30 civil society organizations in BiH that operate in the spheres of human rights, political accountability, and the rule of law. This document presents a comparative overview of the European Commission’s Report and the Alternative Report, like the one produced last year. The aim of the comparative overview is to determine to what extent the European Commission, in its conclusions and recommendations, acknowledged the recommendations and conclusions of civil society organizations; and to determine similarities and differences between these two reports. [...]

Political Consequences of the U.S. Federal Government Shutdown

Political Consequences of the U.S. Federal Government Shutdown

Author(s): Mateusz Piotrowski / Language(s): English

Keywords: U.S. Federal Government shutdown; political dispute; Donald Trump; Democrats; building wall on the US-Mexico border;

The U.S. federal government shutdown in December-January ended but that does not mean the end of the political dispute between President Donald Trump and the opposition Democrats in Congress. The crux of the conflict remains the president’s demand to build a wall on the southern border with Mexico. If the president, with the Republicans (GOP), and the Democrats want to avoid another shutdown, they must reach a compromise before 15 February. The Republicans’ scepticism of another shutdown makes the Trump administration more likely to reach an agreement with the Democrats in time. If not, the president may seek to bypass Congress to get wall funding.

“Cohesion as a Common European Value:” Romania’s EU Council Presidency

“Cohesion as a Common European Value:” Romania’s EU Council Presidency

Author(s): Jakub Pieńkowski / Language(s): English

Keywords: Romania; European Union; Romanian presidency of the EU Council; EU cohesion; common European value; internal political conflicts; disputes with European institutions;

On 15 January, Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă announced the programme for the first Romanian presidency of the EU Council. As a neutral arbitrator, Romania wants to strengthen the EU’s cohesion, especially by equalising the Member States’ level of development. Most Polish and Romanian interests are concurrent. The presidency’s effectiveness may be limited by internal political conflicts and disputes with European institutions. The Member States’ concentration on Brexit, planned in March, and elections to the European Parliament (EP) in May, would not be conducive to the Romanian presidency’s success.

The Digital Dimension of the Three Seas Initiative

The Digital Dimension of the Three Seas Initiative

Author(s): Bartosz Wiśniewski / Language(s): English

Keywords: Three Seas Initiative; digital infrastructure; TSI’s digital dimension; energy and transport infrastructure; digital single market;

Expansion of digital infrastructure is one of the three pillars of the Three Seas Initiative (TSI). So far, the TSI’s digital dimension has been less elaborate than the goal of enhancing energy and transport infrastructure. Yet, without closing the digital development gaps, the TSI will struggle to make the most of the EU’s emerging digital single market. Placing greater emphasis on the enhancement of digital infrastructure could convince those TSI countries that have thus far seemed to stand on the sidelines to become more involved the project in the future.

Cohesion Policy after 2020: A Cautious Attempt at Reform

Cohesion Policy after 2020: A Cautious Attempt at Reform

Author(s): Marta Makowska / Language(s): English

Keywords: European Union; cohesion policy; Multiannual Financial Framework; budget programme; EU budget;

The future of the EU’s second-largest budget programme, European Cohesion Policy (ECP), is the subject of a dispute during negotiations on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2021-27. The main dividing line runs between advocates of maintaining high transfers for this purpose, and those who wish to transfer some of the funds to other areas of the EU budget. Despite the opposition of some net contributing states, it is likely that the amount proposed by the European Commission will be maintained at the price of moderate ECP reform.

The Latvian EU Presidency: Beyond Window Dressing

The Latvian EU Presidency: Beyond Window Dressing

Author(s): Karolina Borońska-Hryniewiecka,Kinga Dudzińska / Language(s): English

Keywords: Latvia; European Union; Latvian EU presidency; economic reforms; digitization; policy towards Russia; Energy Union;

Despite the formal limitations on the role of the EU presidency, it can still be an important political tool for countries holding it. Latvia, which has just assumed the presidency of the EU Council, will try to use it to push reforms important from its point of view in economic governance and digitisation. From the Polish perspective, it is important that the Latvian presidency effectively handles less convenient topics such as policy towards Russia and the Energy Union.

Exploring SVAR-based empirical Measure of Inflation Expectations for Belarus: Implications for Monetary Policy

Свойства и характеристики SVAR-индикатора инфляционных ожиданий для Беларуси: последствия для монетарной политики

Author(s): Dzmitry E. Kruk / Language(s): English

Keywords: inflation expectations; empirical measures of inflation expectations; monetary policy; Belarus;

This article explores empirical SVAR-based measure of inflation expectations for Belarus. Properties of this measure result in a diagnosis that inflation expectations in Belarus are highly volatile and unanchored. Level shifts in inflation expectations give a rise to a specific phenomenon of Belarusian monetary environment which is multiple regimes of functionality with severely different properties. This sensitively restricts the effectiveness of monetary policy in the country. Hence, stabilizing inflation expectations at a reasonably low level and anchoring them is argued to be an important precondition for effective monetary policy in Belarus.

Intelligence of political leaders

Inteligența liderilor politici

Author(s): Bruno Stefan / Language(s): Romanian

Keywords: European elections;trust in political leaders;voting intentions;IQ;

Survey conducted between 12-20 January 2019 on a national sample of 1099 people. He measured the voting intentions in the European elections, the estimated IQ of national and international political leaders, the most desired future MEPs, their expectations, the perception of Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă, confidence in political leaders.

Pre-electoral barometer of Baia Mare municipality

Barometrul preelectoralal municipiului Baia Mare

Author(s): Bruno Stefan / Language(s): Romanian

Keywords: administrative issues;trust in political leaders;voting intentions;

The survey was conducted between 1-5 August 2020 on a sample of 911 inhabitants of the city. He measured people’s opinion about the mayoral candidates, voting intentions, comparisons between the main competitors, the expectations of the population from the future mayor, the evaluation of the current mayor’s involvement in various administrative issues.

Survey Results: High Degree of Distrust in Political Parties and Government Institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Survey Results: High Degree of Distrust in Political Parties and Government Institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Author(s): Not Specified Author / Language(s): English

Keywords: BiH; institutions; political parties; government; distrust; survey results;

According to a July 2014 research, most citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) do not trust political parties and government institutions at the cantonal, entity and state level, while they trust the police, armed forces and utility companies the most. These are the results of a CATI survey conducted on a representative sample of 1000 respondents from all over the country.

Historical Trauma and Radicalisation - How Can Intergenerational Transmission of Collective Traumas Contribute to (Group) Radicalisation?

Historijska trauma i radikalizacija - Kako međugeneracijski prijenos kolektivnih trauma može doprinijeti (grupnoj) radikalizaciji?

Author(s): Barbora Holá,Mirza Buljubašić / Language(s): Bosnian

Keywords: criminology; collective trauma; intragenerational transmission; radicalisation studies;

U ovom radu, nastojimo se oslanjati na postojeće teorijsko i empirijsko znanje - koje proizilazi, između ostalog, iz kriminologije, studija sukoba i mira i studija radikalizacije/ekstremizma - s ciljem ispitivanja (potencijalne) uloge historijske traume u (kolektivnoj/grupnoj) radikalizaciji. Historijska trauma je objektivna, izmijenjena ili zamišljena trauma koja se desila u (daljoj ili bližoj) prošlosti i koju dijeli određena grupa ljudi (odnosno, koja predstavlja jedan od markera njenog grupnog identiteta kroz generacije) kroz generacije. Radikalizacija se odnosi na proces u kojem osoba postaje sve ekstremnija u političkim, vjerskim ili društvenim ideologijama, te podložnija prihvatanju bilo kojeg oblika (nasilnog) ekstremnog ponašanja da bi postigla svoje ciljeve. Međugeneracijski prijenos kolektivne traume može nesumnjivo imati značajnu ulogu u radikalizaciji budućih generacija grupa koje smatraju da ih “Drugi“ historijski viktimizira. Cilj ovog rada je istražiti kako međugeneracijski prijenos kolektivne traume može doprinijeti (grupnoj) radikalizaciji? U ovom radu se stoga uvodi (do sada relativno zanemarena) međugeneracijska perspektiva u studije radikalizacije. U tu svrhu, trebamo se prvo kratko osvrnuti na postojeće znanje o pojedinačnoj i kolektivnoj radikalizaciji. Nakon toga, govorimo o pojedinačnoj i kolektivnoj traumi i opisujemo njene posljedice i pojavne oblike. Pažnju onda skrećemo na međugeneracijski prijenos nasljeđa političkog nasilja, sa posebnim fokusom na međugeneracijski prijenos kolektivne traume, odnosno historijske traume. Posljednji dio daje sintezu naših argumenata i predstavlja nekoliko (okvirnih) tvrdnji o tome kako historijska trauma potencijalno može doprinijeti radikalizaciji današnjih i budućih generacija. U ovom radu se ne izlažu konačni dokazi niti ultimativne preporuke za politiku. Glavni cilj rada je da otvori nove prostore za dalje rasprave i buduća istraživanja (nasilne) radikalizacije, traume i njenih međugeneracijskih posljedica