CSD-Report 34 - Monitoring Radicalisation: A Framework for Risk Indicators

Author(s): Rositsa Dzhekova,Mila Mancheva,Nadya Stoynova,Dia Anagnostou / Language(s): English

Radicalisation processes impacting on disaffected and indoctrinated persons and the later involvement of some of them in acts of terrorism are of growing concern for European citizens, their governments and the wider international community. Addressing this threat requires effective prevention policies which some EU member states have been proactive in developing. Effective policies need reliable diagnostic tools designed to identify individuals and groups who might pose a threat. The publication provides a review of existing approaches and tools to identifying, monitoring and assessing radicalisation in Europe and beyond. It further offers a conceptual framework of radicalisation risk and vulnerability indicators and their interpretation as a basis for developing early-warning mechanisms for frontline practitioners in countries which are yet to develop specific prevention and counter-radicalisation policies. The target group of the guide are policymakers at national and EU levels, as well as practitioners directly involved in the prevention of radicalisation in Central and Eastern Europe and beyond.

CSD-Report 33 - Extortion racketeering in the EU: vulnerability factors

Author(s): Atanas Rusev,Lorella Garofalo,Elena Sciandra,Andrea Gimenez-Salinas,Carmen Jorda,Manuel de Juan Espinosa,Tihomir Bezlov,Margarita Gasparinatou,Irene Stamouli,Sofia Vidali,Marina Marchiaro,Valentina Giampietri,Radu Nicolae / Language(s): English

Extortion racketeering has been long pointed out as the defining activity of organised crime. Although in recent years this crime has not been among the top listed organised crime threats in the strategic EU policy documents, it still remains ever present in European countries. The seriousness of the phenomenon has been recognised at the EU level and the crime has been listed in a number of EU legal acts in the field of police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters. The report Extortion racketeering in the EU: vulnerability factors analyses extortion racketeering forms and practices in six EU member states. The analysis disentangles the risk and the vulnerability factors for enterprises in two business sectors – agriculture and hospitality – as well as in the Chinese communities. Drawing on the results of the analysis, the report suggests new policies for tackling extortion racketeering in the EU. This report has been produced with the joint efforts of the Center for the Study of Democracy, Instituto de Ciencias Forenses y de la Seguridad – Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Transcrime – Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano and Vitosha Research and with the support of Guardia Civil in Spain.

CSD-Report 23 - Penitentiary Policy аnd System in the Republic оf Bulgaria

Author(s): Maria Yordanova,Dimitar Markov / Language(s): English

The report explores to what extent Bulgaria has introduced the European standards in the legal regulation of the prison system and the execution of the penal sanction of imprisonment, how are they implemented in practice, what is the State’s penal policy and strategy in this area in general and in respect to drug-addicted prisoners in particular, and what is the opinion of the people working in the penitentiary system and the non-governmental organizations monitoring the activities of penitentiary facilities.

CSD-Report 19 - Corruption in the Healthcare Sector in Bulgaria

Author(s): Konstantin Pashev / Language(s): English

At a time of heightened social sensitivity to persisting problems in the Bulgarian healthcare system, the report examines the causes and consequences of corruption in the Bulgarian healthcare. In the context of slow institutional reforms the analysis reveals the incentives of medical personnel for corruption, as well as the size and scope of corruption in the Bulgarian healthcare sector.

CSD-Report 17 - Police Stops and Ethnic Profiling in Bulgaria

Author(s): Tihomir Bezlov,Martin Dimov,Philip Gounev,Nikoleta Yordanova / Language(s): English

Between June and December 2005 the Center for the Study of Democracy and Vitosha Research, supported by the Open Society Justice Initiative carried out a study of police stops. The resulting report Police Stops and Ethnic Profiling in Bulgaria examines the use of stops by the Bulgarian police, focusing on the practices of disproportionate stops of members of the Roma ethnic minority. The report also highlights issues related to police abuse during stops as well as crime among in Roma communities. // The study is part of a Europe-wide initiative aimed to map discriminatory police practices across Europe. In addition to Bulgaria, research was carried out in Spain, Hungary and Russia indicating that there is disproportionate treatment of minorities by the police in all these countries. // Police stops are the main point of contact between officers and citizens. Police officers view stops as essential for detecting and preventing crime. Therefore, the appropriate use of this tool is crucial to police efficiency, whereas when used in the wrong way, it could seriously deteriorate the relations between citizens and the police. The findings and the report were launched at a public meeting of the National Crime Prevention Commission on September 19, 2006.

CSD-Report 15 - Transportation, Smuggling and Organized Crime

Author(s): Tihomir Bezlov,Philip Gounev,Emil Tzenkov,Petkan Iliev / Language(s): English

The report analyses the participation of transportation companies in smuggling practices, more specifically: // • it examines and describes a range of companies and individuals involved in organized crime groups whose main business is the trafficking of consumer goods. // • it also gives and overview of the criminal and semi-legal networks involved in smuggling Chinese and Turkish goods. // • it presents new data on oil and oil products smuggling. // • it examines the role of duty-free shops and their involvement in illicit cigarettes imports.

CSD-Report 13 - Partners in Crime: The Risk of Symbiosis between the Security Sector and Organized Crime in Southeast Europe

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

The penetration of the organized crime into the security sectors of the countries in transition is one of the darkest aspects of the post-communist transformations of states. During the past 15 years the growing impact and influence of organized criminal groups was felt not only in the countries in transition but also in the European Union. This process was facilitated by the increasingly free movement of people, goods and finances around Europe. The report is a necessary contribution to heightening public awareness of the considerable risks arising from criminal partnership within the security sector in Bulgaria and the Western Balkans and the need for measures to counteract and prevent it.

CSD-Report 12 - The Drug Market in Bulgaria

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

The Center for the Study of Democracy has undertaken a special inquiry into the topic of drug abuse - which was fueled by the drug epidemic of the late 1990s and has grown to become a real social threat - and the problem of drug dealing, which is a major mechanism for the generation of organized crime in Bulgaria. This report addresses drug supply and demand in Bulgaria with the ambition of mapping a vast information void and identifying the basic mechanisms and stakeholders of the drug market. However, the peculiarities of drug diffusion and consumption do not allow the use of the standard suite of economic research tools and vehicles throughout the study. This analysis has been divided into three sections. The first addresses the genesis of drug distribution, while the second describes its structure and functioning. The findings about supply presented in the first two parts are based on a series of in-depth interviews with dealers of different groups of drugs, long-term drug users, with police and security officers (experienced in combating drug traffic, drug production, and drug dealing), doctors, and civil organizations engaged in treatment services to drug addicts. Section 3 highlights drug demand, and brings into play the findings of the First National Population Survey on Drug Consumption in Bulgaria conducted by Vitosha Research. For the purpose of this study, CSD and Vitosha Research used the research tools of the European Monitoring Center on Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). While paying attention to a variety of views, the team of authors has tried to find common ground upon which to evaluate the actual number of drug users in the country. Even if population-based surveys are often unreliable due to stigmatized and hidden patterns of drug use, they are the type of surveys that provide a comprehensive representation of the situation in the country, as well as reference material for later in-depth studies.In addition, a series of indirect variables, tailored to Bulgarian circumstances, were drawn up to register psychoactive substance use. Two more surveys, of the qualitative type, were conducted: one among heroin addicts and frequent users of soft drugs, and another among experts and treatment agencies. This report was developed by the CSD as part of project evaluating the patterns of drug supply and demand in Bulgaria.

CSD-Report 11 - Corruption, Trafficking and Institutional Reform

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

The present report summarizes researches and discussions conducted by members of the expert group within the framework of the Bulgarian anti-corruption initiative Coalition 2000 established in 1997. The report is dedicated to one of the most serious problems of the Bulgarian transition towards market economy, stable democratic institutions and legal state. The exploding growth of trans-border crime during the last 12 years has led to the emergence of criminal infrastructure, developed and maintained by criminal groups and semi-legal "power groups," which have appeared in the mentioned period. The trans-border crime in Bulgaria is a part of the new network of international organized crime, which was established after the end of the Cold War and which is closely connected to the regional channels of smuggling and trafficking. Smuggling (including drug smuggling) and trafficking are in particular the main sources of income for organized crime in the country.

CSD-Report 17 - Полицейски проверки и използване на етнически профили в България

Author(s): Tihomir Bezlov,Martin Dimov,Philip Gounev,Nikoleta Yordanova / Language(s): Bulgarian

Between June and December 2005 the Center for the Study of Democracy and Vitosha Research, supported by the Open Society Justice Initiative carried out a study of police stops. The resulting report Police Stops and Ethnic Profiling in Bulgaria examines the use of stops by the Bulgarian police, focusing on the practices of disproportionate stops of members of the Roma ethnic minority. The report also highlights issues related to police abuse during stops as well as crime among in Roma communities. // The study is part of a Europe-wide initiative aimed to map discriminatory police practices across Europe. In addition to Bulgaria, research was carried out in Spain, Hungary and Russia indicating that there is disproportionate treatment of minorities by the police in all these countries. // Police stops are the main point of contact between officers and citizens. Police officers view stops as essential for detecting and preventing crime. Therefore, the appropriate use of this tool is crucial to police efficiency, whereas when used in the wrong way, it could seriously deteriorate the relations between citizens and the police. // The findings and the report were launched at a public meeting of the National Crime Prevention Commission on September 19, 2006.

Оценка на заплахите от тежката и организираната престъпност 2010-2011

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

The report Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment 2010-2011 (SOCTA) analyses the current state and trends in serious and organised crime in Bulgaria. The report estimates the threats generated by these criminal activities and ranks them according to the harm they cause Bulgarian society. The analysis is intended to support a better informed evidence-based design of anti-crime policies.

Technology of State Capture. Overregulation in Macedonian Media and Academia

Author(s): Jordan Šišovski ,Katerina Kolozova / Language(s): English

ПРАВО И КУЛТУРНИ ЦЕННОСТИ. Сборник с доклади ОТ МЕЖДУНАРОДНА НАУЧНА КОНФЕРЕНЦИЯ НА ТЕМА ПРАВО И КУЛТУРНИ ЦЕННОСТИ ОРГАНИЗИРАНА ОТ ЮРИДИЧЕСКИЯ ФАКУЛТЕТ НА ПЛОВДИВСКИ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ „ПАИСИЙ ХИЛЕНДАРСКИ“

Author(s): / Language(s): English,Bulgarian

Konferencja Przeglądowa Traktatu o nierozprzestrzenianiu broni jądrowej (NPT) w 2015 roku: nowy kompromis lub ryzyko erozji

Author(s): Jacek Durkalec,Artur Kacprzyk,Marcin Andrzej Piotrowski / Language(s): Polish

Traktat o nierozprzestrzenianiu broni jądrowej (Non-Proliferation Treaty – NPT) został podpisany w 1968 r. i wszedł w życie w 1970 r. Pierwotnie miał obowiązywać 25 lat, ale Konferencja Przeglądowa i Przedłużająca w 1995 r. (NPT Review and Extension Conference) nadała mu charakter bezterminowy. Traktat jest niemal uniwersalny. Jego stronami jest 190 państw, a poza nim pozostają jedynie Indie, Izrael, Pakistan, Korea Północna i Sudan Południowy. Depozytariuszami traktatu są Stany Zjednoczone, Rosja i Wielka Brytania. NPT opiera się na trzech głównych filarach: nieproliferacji (art. I, II), rozbrojeniu (art. VI) i pokojowym wykorzystaniu energii jądrowej (art. IV). U jego źródła leży tzw. wielki kompromis (grand bargain) między pięcioma państwami nuklearnymi (USA, Rosja, Wielka Brytania, Francja, Chiny) a nienuklearnymi. Państwa nienuklearne zrzekły się prawa do posiadania broni jądrowej, a w zamian otrzymały pomoc w cywilnym wykorzystaniu energii jądrowej oraz zobowiązanie państw nuklearnych do działań na rzecz nuklearnego rozbrojenia. Nad tym, by państwa nienuklearne przestrzegały swych zobowiązań, czuwać ma Międzynarodowa Agencja Energii Atomowej (MAEA).

Kondycja współczesnej rodziny – ujęcie interdyscyplinarne

Author(s): Monika Kornaszewska-Polak,Monika Gwóźdź,Marek Wójtowicz,Leokadia Szymczyk / Language(s): Polish

The concept of the monograph was created on the basis of the observation of contemporary world and the changes taking place in it. In the postmodern world, the concepts of human nature, family, community, love, development, freedom have been redefined – in the face of intensively changing cultural, economic, political and health phenomena. For centuries the family has been the basic source of shaping the attitudes of individuals, but now these natural processes have been degraded in favor of the progressive visions of man and society. The changes affected the family structure, its functions, rules of conduct and value systems. The monograph presents a multifaceted analysis of changes in marriage and family from the following scientific perspectives: philosophy, psychology, pedagogy, theology and canon law.

Dyskryminacja kobiet na polskim rynku pracy

Author(s): Barbara Kalinowska-Nawrotek / Language(s): Polish

Głównym celem monografii jest analiza i ocena ekonomicznej sytuacji kobiet na polskim rynku pracy w latach 1990-2003. Zasadniczymi płaszczyznami rozważań są zwłaszcza: status prawny kobiet i mężczyzn, aktywność zawodowa, zatrudnienie i bezrobocie oraz wynagrodzenia. W analizie i ocenie problemów kobiet w wyróżnionych wyżej płaszczyznach najistotniejszym dążeniem autorki jest poszukiwanie odpowiedzi na pytanie: czy kobiety polskie były na rynku pracy dyskryminowane? W bardziej szczegółowym ujęciu istotnym zamierzeniem jest również próba identyfikacji tych form dyskryminacji, z jakimi spotykały się kobiety polskie w badanym okresie, a także wskazanie na źródła tego zjawiska. Na koniec zaprezentowano możliwości polityki równościowej na rynku pracy. Pod uwagę wzięto zwłaszcza zmiany w ustawodawstwie krajowym, instrumenty polityki antydyskryminacyjnej oraz uwarunkowania cywilizacyjno-kulturowe i bytowe.

МЕЖДУНАРОДНА НАУЧНА КОНФЕРЕНЦИЯ "ЧЕРНО МОРЕ – ВРАТА И МНОГО МОСТОВЕ" 10-11 ЮНИ 2022

Author(s): / Language(s): English,Bulgarian

Innovations and investments in the Black Sea region. Challenges to infrastructural and regional development in the Black Sea. The development of tourism and marketing solutions in the sea and river territories. Solutions in psychology, social activities and pedagogy stimulated by the theme of water, water spaces and nature-based development. Legal and administrative aspects related to maritime territories and regulations. Technical and transport solutions related to water spaces. Information technologies and the use of alternative sources in blue development.

МЕЖДУНАРОДНА НАУЧНА КОНФЕРЕНЦИЯ "ДИГИТАЛНИ ТРАНСФОРМАЦИИ, МЕДИИ И ОБЩЕСТВЕНО ВКЛЮЧВАНЕ"

Author(s): / Language(s): English,Bulgarian,Russian

The focus of International Scientific Conference “Digital Transformation, Media and Inclusion”, organized by Burgas Free University, is the economic, regulatory, technological and societal aspects of the arising innovations resulting from the digital transformation.

Poufność a użyteczność informacji statystycznych. Dylematy ochrony udostępnianych danych

Author(s): Andrzej Młodak,Michał Pietrzak,Tomasz Klimanek,Tomasz Józefowski,Paweł Lańduch / Language(s): Polish

Monografię otwiera omówienie ogólnych koncepcji kontroli ujawniania danych (ang. Statistical Disclosure Control, SDC) oraz definicji z tym związanych, a także regulacji prawnych dotyczących ochrony danych wrażliwych stosowanych w różnych krajach, również w Polsce. Zaprezentowano tutaj także najważniejsze typy udostępnianych danych wynikowych oraz rolę metadanych, paradanych, a także danych dodatkowych w SDC. Drugim ważnym poruszanym tematem jest istota i ważność ryzyka ujawnienia informacji wrażliwych oraz ocena jego poziomu. Ukazano tutaj także odmienności występujące w tym zakresie między mikrodanymi a danymi zagregowanymi w postaci tablic częstości i wielkości czy wyników analiz. Szczególną uwagę poświęcono z kolei szczegółowej charakterystyce metod i technik kontroli ujawniania danych wynikowych w przedstawionych powyżej trzech typach. Wskazano ponadto na zagrożenia dla poufności danych, mogące wystąpić w publikowaniu statystyk opisowych, ilustracji i wyników analiz w opracowaniach statystycznych oraz sposoby przeciwdziałania możliwościom odtworzenia danych wrażliwych. W toku dalszych rozważań autorzy scharakteryzowali istotę problemu straty informacji oraz najistotniejsze rodzaje miar oceny owej straty, z pewnymi oryginalnymi propozycjami, a także wpływ straty informacji na jakość estymacji dokonywanej w oparciu o dane poddane SDC. Czytelnik znajdzie w monografii szczegółowe omówienie – wraz ze stosowną egzemplifikacją – narzędzi informatycznych stosowanych w SDC, przede wszystkim programów T–Argus i µ–Argus oraz pakietów środowiska R: sdcTable i sdcMicro. Następnie uwaga została skoncentrowana na organizacji kontroli dostępu do danych i zasadach jej realizacji. W szczególności scharakteryzowano typy udostępnianych mikrodanych, sposobu organizacji funkcjonowania punktów dostępu oraz stosownych zabezpieczeń, przebieg efektywnej kontroli dostępu i zakres odpowiednich uprawnień. Całość wieńczy podsumowanie, w którym wskazano najistotniejsze konkluzje oraz postulaty dotyczące stosowania SDC. Dla wygody czytelnika na końcu opracowania zamieszczono słownik występujących w nim pojęć. Z uwagi na uniwersalność zagadnienia publikacja została opracowana tak, aby mogła służyć metodologom projektującym badania statystyczne oraz odpowiedzialnym za ich jakość i bezpieczeństwo zgromadzonych w ich wyniku informacji. Stąd duży wybór przykładów i praktycznych omówień przedstawianych zagadnień, które pozwalają lepiej zrozumieć przekazywane treści. Monografia ma obszerne angielskie streszczenie.

Rentowność i płynność finansowa przedsiębiorstw w kontekście programów rozwojowych gospodarki. Uwarunkowania Polskiego Ładu

Author(s): Cezary Kochalski,Dawid Szutowski / Language(s): Polish

Celem monografii jest rozpoznanie możliwości posługiwania się narzędziami analizy ekonomicznej przy ocenie rentowności i płynności finansowej przedsiębiorstw w kontekście programów rozwojowych gospodarki. W warstwie empirycznej publikacji odwołano się do uwarunkowań programu Polski Ład. W badaniach nad oddziaływaniem realizacji programów rozwojowych na kondycję finansową przedsiębiorstw sięgnięto zarówno do tradycyjnych metod analizy finansowej, jak i coraz powszechniej wykorzystywanych niedeterministycznych systemów uczących się, to jest sieci neuronowych. Zwrócono uwagę na potencjalny związek wdrożenia Polskiego Ładu z sytuacją finansową przedsiębiorstw, scharakteryzowano możliwości posługiwania się danymi mikro i makro przy ocenie rentowności i płynności finansowej przedsiębiorstw, zidentyfikowano związki między zmiennymi makroekonomicznymi a wymienionymi zjawiskami finansowymi oraz przedstawiono wyniki badania obejmującego lata 2003–2021. Publikacja dofinansowana ze środków budżetu państwa w ramach programu Ministra Edukacji i Nauki pod nazwą „Nauka dla Społeczeństwa”, nr projektu NdS/543640/2021/2022, kwota dofinansowania 12 000 zł, całkowita wartość projektu 699 200 zł.