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Wars of Memory in Post-Communist Romania

Wars of Memory in Post-Communist Romania

Author(s): Michael Shafir / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: Post-communism;Romania;Memory;

As in many other former communist countries, a “competitive martyrdom” struggle erupted in Romania soon after the collapse of the former regime. By “competitive martyrdom” I understand the implicit or explicit attempt to exonerate the Romanian political community embodied by the state, or segments of that community, from either guilt or responsibility for having participated in World War II as a Nazi ally and from having perpetrated genocidal crimes against the Jews and the Roma. Coined by several scholars in the context of de¬bates around the extent, the limit or the desirability of emulating the alleged postwar denazification in Western Europe, competitive mar¬tyrdom is a complex issue, influenced not only by the immediate communist past and its treatment of the Holocaust in official history, but also, and above all, by socio-psychological factors linked to collective memory and to the social frameworks of the memory of specific groups within society. Furthermore, it entails also an international aspect, for the de-communizing polities strive to demonstrate their appurtenance to the democratic “international regime” and its values, but are obviously at pain when urged to confront collaboration.

Green Technologies

Green Technologies

Author(s): Seema Gupta / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: green technology; green building; green chemistry; green nanotechnology; environmentally preferred purchasing; green IT

Green is the color for immaturity and inexperience. The ripe the fruit, the quicker it falls. As life is advancing every minute and maturing by attaining the saturation level it is reaching near the verge of decease. There is need to recover the early stage of earth. The environment which is messed up due to human intrusion needs to be slow down and adopting healthy ways towards life. Earth can be recovered by adopting green technology wisely. Green technology is the safeguard against environmental pollution. 21st century is the age of technological development. There are increasing trends of innovations and practices to discover new things for what modern technologies play pivotal role. The changes come with the help of various technologies and due to the current scenario of technological development; there are large possibilities of environmental pollution and natural disasters.Therefore, green technology is the best way to maintain clean environment. The innovations and practices can be carried out without harming the natural resources and environment with the help of green technology. Green technology is the future of this modern society, it discovers the way to produce the goods and services which don‟t destroy the natural resources of the earth.

THE FORECASTS ACCURACY DURING THE ECONOMIC CRISIS AND STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE IT

THE FORECASTS ACCURACY DURING THE ECONOMIC CRISIS AND STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE IT

Author(s): Marilena Bratu / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: forecasts accuracy; economic crisis; inflation

In crisis periods many malfunctions affect the economic environment. The forecasting process is also influence by the negative evolution of the macroeconomic variables. It is hard to predict the economic behavior of many indicators because of the lack of stability of the economic world. It is clear that the forecasts accuracy decreases during the crisis periods, this phenomenon being seen in the activity of international institutions specialized in providing macroeconomic forecasts for different countries or regions. Therefore, we try to solve this problem, by finding suitable strategies or ways of improving the predictions accuracy during the economic crisis. We will start from the forecasts made by international institutions.

CHALLENGES OF REAL ESTATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT IN CENTRAL EUROPEAN COUNTRIES IN THE POST-CRISIS PERIOD

CHALLENGES OF REAL ESTATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT IN CENTRAL EUROPEAN COUNTRIES IN THE POST-CRISIS PERIOD

Author(s): Koloman Ivanička,Daniela Špirková / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: estate sector; economic crisis; European Union

The real estate sector represents the important part of the economy, since it creates the preconditions for the economic development. The structural reforms and substantial foreign direct investments in Central and Eastern European countries during the transition period had enabled to develop the booming real estate markets. At first it seemed that the global economic crisis will not have any impact on the region, however at the end of 2008 the situation has reversed dramatically. Since the region is not homogenous and economic fundamentals are distinct in the particular countries, the impact of crisis and the post crisis situation varies throughout the region, which is investigated in this chapter. According to our opinion the future development of the real estate sector in CEE countries will depend on several external factors, such as the results of the introduction of the new banking regulation, the growing role of the private equity funds and the solution of Eurozone crisis. The internal factor such as the healthy public finance and further economic recovery will be important as well.

THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY SYSTEM IN FLUX: OVERVIEW AND PROSPECTS

THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY SYSTEM IN FLUX: OVERVIEW AND PROSPECTS

Author(s): Pedro Bação,António Portugal Duarte,Mariana Simões / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: currency war; euro; financial crisis; International Monetary System; exchange rate misalignments

This chapter analyses the architecture of the International Monetary System (IMS) and the role of reserve currencies in it. We begin by describing the evolution of the IMS from the Gold Standard to the Bretton Woods system and the European integration process that led to the creation of the euro. We then discuss the role played by the euro in the IMS as an international reserve currency. Drawing on econometric estimations, we extrapolate the evolution of the shares in international reserves of the euro, the US dollar and the renminbi. In the discussion, we take into account the current sovereign debt crisis and the possibility of a currency war taking place as a result of the reportedly excessive undervaluation of the renminbi and of the expansionist monetary policies undertaken in several advanced economies, namely in the USA. The text ends with a review of proposals for reducing the likelihood of currency wars, which may disrupt the functioning of the current IMS.

The Index of the Financial Safety of a Country: Estimation and Forecast

The Index of the Financial Safety of a Country: Estimation and Forecast

Author(s): Roman MATKOVSKYY / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: Financial safety; index of financial safety (IFS); forecast; Bayesian vector autoregressive (BVAR) model; MCMC

This chapter proposes an approach to explore and forecast the strength of the financial system of a country against the possibility of financial disturbances appearing based on the construction of the Index of Financial Safety (IFS) for the country with the application mainly to South Africa. Testing the methodology of the IFS is made with the application to Turkey, Germany and the USA. To forecast changes in IFS of South Africa, BVAR models are used. The Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) and Gibbs sampler technique are used to estimate a Bayesian Vector Autoregressive Model of the IFS.

Insurance as a Means of Risk Transfer

Insurance as a Means of Risk Transfer

Author(s): Elena Šira,Katarina Radvanska / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: risk; risk management; risk transfer; insurance; Herfindahl–Hirschman Index; concentration ratio

This chapter provides an overview of basic definitions and divisions of risk. It contains characteristics of risk management and a description of its components. Risk management is designed for different strategies and one of them is the transfer of risk, which can be done in several ways. One of them is the insurance. Insurance is one of the most common ways how businesses cope with risk. Therefore, there are given the basic characteristics of insurance and insurance market in the next section. One of the ways how to assess the market is to analyze its concentration. For the assessment of the concentration of insurance markets in selected countries were used Herfindahl-Hirschman Index and concentration ratio.

The Role of Business Plan Competitions in the Processes of Defining and Launching a New Venture Cases of Companies Involved in the ‘StartCup’ Palermo and Developed Inside the ARCA Academic Incubator

The Role of Business Plan Competitions in the Processes of Defining and Launching a New Venture Cases of Companies Involved in the ‘StartCup’ Palermo and Developed Inside the ARCA Academic Incubator

Author(s): Marcantonio Ruisi / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: ARCA Academic Incubator; business plan; new venture; business competition

In the last decade there has been a proliferation of business plan and start-up competitions, most of them organized by universities. This chapter reflects on the effectiveness of these competitions, starting from a theoretical framework, and analyzing the experience of some Sicilian entrepreneurs and their business histories. Attention is paid to three companies that made their debut by participating in two editions of the StartCup – a business plan competition sponsored by the University of Palermo - and who were later differently involved in ARCA academic incubator.

The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Lebanon. Challenges and Opportunities

The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Lebanon. Challenges and Opportunities

Author(s): Bettina Bastian,Yasser Akkaoui / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: entrepreneurial ecosystem in Lebanon; entrepreneurship; start-ups; incubator organizations,; economic development

The following article describes the EES in Lebanon as an example of a country in development. Worldwide, and especially in the developing world, economies face major challenges regarding the alleviation of poverty and unemployment (Naude 2010). Here, the demands for entrepreneurial projects that help stimulate growth and forward the economic development process are very high (Ho and Wong, 2007). Still much of the literature in entrepreneurship addresses the context of advanced economies. However, the majority of people live in a developmental context and nearly half of them are below the poverty line (ILO 2012). Thus, it is important to pay closer attention to entrepreneurship in developmental contexts which typically face great institutional weaknesses and constraints.

A Unique Folk Culture in Europe

A Unique Folk Culture in Europe

Author(s): Vilmos Voigt / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Although it is connected to its environment by a thousand strands, Hungarian folk culture is unique. Although every culture can be equally valuable, it is impossible not to notice this unique quality that has manifested in the remote and recent past, and which is obvious even today. We are a people who came from the East; our environment doesn’t understand our language. We have met the unexpected challenges well at times and very badly at other times. Meanwhile, we have always tried to live in accordance with our own values; this quality has been decisively important in Hungarian folk culture. “Magyar” culture has almost always tried to adopt from others quickly. While it is an open and adaptable culture, it has always remained itself. It is a mystery, however, not only to the outside world but also to itself. Although it is on the whole a unifi ed culture, it has always had to contend with innumerable internal differences and confl icts.

Middle East As the Region Where Interests of Regional and Global Powers Clash. Implications for International Security

Bliski Wschód jako region ścierania się interesów mocarstw regionalnych i globalnych. Implikacje dla bezpieczeństwa międzynarodowego

Author(s): Katarzyna Czornik / Language(s): Polish / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: regional powers; global powers; Middle East; rivalry

At the beginning of the 21st century, Middle East was engulfed with intraregional conflicts, which were made international, as external (global) powers were involved in them; these powers have commenced intensified actions to be able to influence the events in the Middle East. The rivalry of the powers in the region is therefore multifaceted and multilevel. The rivalry of regional and global powers is not direct, though, which means that rather than any armed conflicts among the powers, there are the so-called proxy wars. Participating in the regional conflicts in the Middle East, global powers pursue their own particular long- and short-term interests, they support their permanent allies and commence activities in order to win new ones.

From Emulation of the European Models to Regional Harmonization-the Other Side of the Coin

Од угледања на јевропејске узоре до регионалне хармонизације-друга страна медаљњ

Author(s): Radovan D. Vukadinović / Language(s): Serbian / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: Harmonization; Emulation; Regional harmonization; Directives; Codification; Legal transplants; Irritants;

Harmonization of law is a complex process that causes significant political, economic and legal consequences in a country that is implemented.The author considers at harmonization of law not only as a process of adopting solutions from EU law, but also as part of the overall process, “emulation”on foreign models of law and as part of the process of standardization. Thus understood, harmonization has its roots in ancient history, Roman law, and was the implemented in the Middle Ages through the process of creating a new law merchant (lex mercatoria). In this context, the author states that the impact of Byzantine law had to the law of medieval Serbia during the making of Dushan’s Code of 1349, as well as during the making Serbian Civil Code of 1844.Today’s harmonization that Serbia conducts in process of preparation for EU membership is critically assessed as incompatible with the internal expectations and economic circumstances and as no synchronized with the priorities that the EU has in the coming period in respect of admission of new members.

Legal Framework of the European Union Against Organized Crime

Pravni okvir Evropske unije protiv organizovanog kriminaliteta

Author(s): Mile Šikman / Language(s): Serbian / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: Legal framework; European Union; Organized crime; Recommendation; Resolution; Action plan;

The European Union has faced the problem of organized crime since its creation in the 1990’s (The Maastricht Treaty) and it has become an ever increasing threat to the security of Member States, and thus affects European Union's activities and policies. As the risk from organized crime had become greater, the Member States developed a stronger response to organized crime. The integrated approach guiding the action of the European Union extends from prevention to law enforcement, including cooperation of Member States, especially the law enforcement agencies, the exchange of information,cooperation between joint work groups, etc. The legal framework of the European Union against organized crime plays the most important role.In addition, the European Union is a pioneer in developing an all-inclusive criminal justice response to organized crime, and through its instruments has to a great extent contributed to the global fight against organized crime. In that sense many standards and policies have been adopted, in particular with the aim of harmonizing the international framework and legal regulations of Member States in the fight against organized crime. The basic instruments of the European Union that deal with the problem of combating organized crime will be presented in the paper, including The Stockholm Programme(2010) and The Action Plan (2010-2014), The Framework Decision of the European Union on the Fight Against Organized Crime (2008) and other decisions (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009), as well as strategies(2000, 2003, 2005, 2010), joint action (1996, 1998), action plans (1997,2000), conventions (1995, 2009), resolutions (1996, 1998) and EU communications(2000, 2004, 2005, 2007).

From Feeling to Narrative: Father in Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Juvenile Poetic Dedications

From Feeling to Narrative: Father in Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Juvenile Poetic Dedications

Author(s): Yana Rowland / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: Elizabeth Barrett Browning; juvenilia; father; selfhood; experience; consciousness; memory

In the present paper I focus on the pivotal place father occupies in Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s juvenile poetry. I explore the young poetess’ filial attachment in terms of her developing an identity, independence of mind and memory (in cultural terms), as evidenced by her earliest works, from 1814, through to 1826 (when her debut poetic volume, An Essay on Mind, with Other Poems, was published). A modest look into the matter through Ricoeur and Bakhtin could help the scholar perceive how the poetess grows aware of selfhood as duty within a criteriology of writing as co-being.

Leksikon YU mitologije – The Phenomena of Yugoslavian Popular Culture and their “Second Life”

Leksikon YU mitologije – fenomeny jugosłowiańskiej kultury popularnej i ich „życie po życiu”

Author(s): Wojciech Szczepański / Language(s): English,Polish / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: Lexicon of YU mythology;Yugoslavia;popular culture;communism;myths;symbols;memory;yugo-nostalgia

For some time now Poles seem to be increasingly more interested in the Yugoslav popular culture which has thus been gaining its own experts as well as lovers in Poland. It is undoubtedly associated with the development of studies in fields such as (Southern) Slavonic and Balkan Philology as well as with increasing historical, politological, ethnological and anthropological research into the past and present of the post-Slavic area, including cultural, social and political issues. Leksikon YU mitologije (The Lexicon of YU mythology), published in 2005 in Serbian (Belgrade) and distributed more widely in Croatia, is a unique work in the field of cataloging and recognizing phenomena of popular culture of Yugoslavia. This impressive book edited by Iris Adrić, Vladimir Arsenijević and Djordje Matić several years after the break-up of the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) is the result of work of many professional lexicographers and even a larger group of amateur lexicographers representing different nationalities. It is also the realisation of a design of Dubravka Ugrešić, Dejan Kršić and Ivan Molek dating back to 1989, a few years before the fall of SFRY. The thoughts on some of the content contained in lexicon is to provide not only an opportunity to look at the selected phenomena of popular Yugoslav culture in the communist period. It is also intended as a contribution to reflection and discussion on the relationship of these phenomena with the identity of the Yugoslavs over their current functioning, hence “life after life”), and finally on the determinants of the process of the creation of certain specific images of collective memory, among which one should mention “yugonostalgia”, which is one of the most important imperatives of participation of many authors of the lexicon

Around the Oven and the Table. Practices of Living of Textile Industry Workers from Łódź

Wokół pieca i stołu. Praktyki zamieszkiwania łódzkich włókniarzy

Author(s): Grażyna Ewa Karpińska / Language(s): Polish / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: textile industry workers from Łódź; practices of living; kitchen; house; space

The lack of a room in the architectural block of a house that would serve the function of a kitchen – a feature of unicameral housing built for workers before World War II. Only the collected and spaced out equipment and objects established the landscape of the kitchen (people and objects), in which the residents cooperated and which “evoked” certain interactive responses from the human side. In the article, from the perspective of residential habitation, I look at objects and their structuring within a fragment of the space of a flat called a kitchen. I rely on the material collected during many years of research on the interior of housing for workers’ families, which I conducted with students of ethnology at the turn of the seventies and eighties of the twentieth century in Lodz, among residents of tenement houses and family homes built by manufacturers for “their” workers. Among the collected accounts, I choose the ones that the workers who deal with the families lived in the same apartments before and after the war, because I want to look at living as a practice that connects with generational staying in a certain space and passing patterns of her domestication.

Crises and capitalist oligarchies: a radical critique of society and its political economy

Crises and capitalist oligarchies: a radical critique of society and its political economy

Author(s): Judith Dellheim / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: European Union;crisis 2007–2009;oligarchic capitalism;

Author's examination of 'crises and capitalist oligarchies' focuses on the socio-economic power exerted by economic elites in advanced economies and the particular role of contemporary oligarchies in shaping the mode of production of financialised capitalism. The author underscores the malign effect of intertwined ownership structures (including the role of credit rating agencies) on human and environmental development and proposes a radical reordering of social and economic priorities.

Teaching Spanish as an additional foreign language to experienced learners

Teaching Spanish as an additional foreign language to experienced learners

Author(s): Ingrid Bello-Rodzeń,Aida Montenegro / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: Third/additional language learning; Spanish L3/Ln instruction; multilingual language education; experienced language learners

This chapter advocates the multilingual turn in language education and stems from the premise that multilingualism is a resource to exploit in the foreign language classroom. Drawing on the literature and on empirical knowledge, two Colombian language educators reflect upon their experiences teaching Spanish at a Polish and at a German university. The authors contend that lack of awareness and misconceptions about multilingualism may limit the opportunities for multicompetence development, affect classroom dynamics, and have a negative impact on student motivation, engagement, and autonomy. Overall, the discussion focuses on the need of adopting a multilingual approach for third/additional language instruction and pinpoints four major challenges in the Spanish L3/Ln class, suggesting they be regarded as possibilities for methodological innovation and professional growth. Ultimately, the authors invite language teachers to reflect upon their classroom practices from a multilingual stance, taking into account the linguistic profile, specific needs, and great potential of experienced learners.

Double-Sided Encolpion with the Virgin and Child and Three Saints in the Collection of the Princes Czartoryski in Krakow

Double-Sided Encolpion with the Virgin and Child and Three Saints in the Collection of the Princes Czartoryski in Krakow

Author(s): Mirosław Piotr Kruk / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: Byzantium; Hilandar; Simonopetra; Czartoryski; encolpion; St. Sabbas; St. Sava; St. Simeon; minor arts

One of the most precious Byzantine objects in the collection of the Princes Czartoryski Museum in Krakow is the double-sided pendant in the form of a carved wooden medallion (9.8 × 7.2 × 1.5 cm) with a refined openwork filigree silver-gilt mount studded with pearls and garnets (inv. no. MNK XIII-475). There is a depiction of the Virgin and Child on the front and of three saints with a temple model on the back. Its features suggest that it was made in the second half of the 18th century, probably in one of the monastic centers on Mount Athos, perhaps at Simonopetra or — even more plausibly — at Hilandar; and all the more so if the figures depicted in the medallion actually are St. Sava, the first Serbian Archbishop, and St. Simeon, his father and the first Serbian king.

FORMATION OF ENERGY SAVING POLICY FOR AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISES ON THE BASIS OF EUROPEAN EXPERIENCE

FORMATION OF ENERGY SAVING POLICY FOR AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISES ON THE BASIS OF EUROPEAN EXPERIENCE

Author(s): Kseniia Chichulina,Vitaliia Skryl / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0