"RUSKA IDEJA" KAO ELEMENT POLITIČKE KULTURE RUSIJE

Author(s): Milan Subotić / Language(s): Serbian / Issue: 2/1996

Starting from the widespread opinion that the reason and explanation for the failure of a rapid democratic transformation of post-communist Russia should be sought in the characteristics of the Russian political culture, the author interprets current discussions on the concept of the "Russian political culture" as a renewal and extension of the traditional philosophical-political debate about the meaning of the "Russian idea". In the first part of the paper Almond’s classical definition of "political culture" is presented. The fruitfulness of applying this concept in understanding communism is subsequently analyzed, stressing the importance of thematicizing Russian tradition in explaining the emergence and functioning of Bolshevism.

Access to Public Information as a Political Sciences Technique: What and How Should Be Studied, and What for?

Author(s): Marcin Wałdoch / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2019

Access to public information in Poland is most typically discussedin the legal and political contexts. However, it is not consciouslydiscussed as a possibility for political scholars to exercise their right ofaccess to public information. This paper, which is of postulatory nature,identifies the benefits for those political scholars who decide to use, inthe process of data collection, their right of access to public informationas a data collection technique. The proposed technic of data collectionmay be used by scholars – political scientists around the world.

ARCTIC NARRATIVES AND POLITICAL VALUES: ARCTIC STATES, CHINA AND NATO

Author(s): Iona Mackenzie Allan / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 2019

The following research is based on discourse analysis of official statements, speeches and policy documents published by the governments of the eight Arctic states as well as China and the NATO alliance between January 2012 and June 2019. This document provides a brief summary of the key narratives promoted by each of these 10 Arctic actors, drawing particular attention towards how they frame their identity in the Arctic (self), how they conceptualise the region (region) and how they frame relations with other Arctic stakeholders (others). The narratives identified in the discourse were coded according to the different national power dimensions and political values that they communicate. This summary is intended to give an over-view of the narrative landscape of the Arctic as indication of key national interests and areas of strategic priorities for each of these 10 Arctic actors.

BALTIC COUNTRIES

Author(s): Ilze Balcere / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

When one is asked to identify a typical populist party from the party systems of East-Central European countries, there is only a slight chance that a party from the Baltic States will be named. Indeed, if we look at the body of research on populism in this region, the usual cases under investigation are, for example, the Slovak National Party, the Party of Hungarian Truth and Justice, Czech Republicans or the League of Polish Families (see, for instance, Dočekalová 2006). So far, cross-national or single case studies on populism in the Baltics have been an exception, rather than a systematic and well-developed research field.

Bastian Vergnon: Die sudetendeutschen Sozialdemokraten und die bayerische SPD 1945 bis 1978

Author(s): Birgit Vierling / Language(s): German / Issue: 2/2019

Review of: Birgit Vierling - Bastian Vergnon: Die sudetendeutschen Sozialdemokraten und die bayerische SPD 1945 bis 1978. PL Academic Research. Frankfurt am Main u. a. 2017. 508 S., Ill. ISBN 978-3-631-73535-0. (€ 64,95.)

Bottom-up peace-building: Local engagement in resolving conflicts

Author(s): Zuzanna Samson / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2018

The article discusses how local engagement can contribute to preventing or ceasing ongoing confl icts. By the comparative analysis of three case studies – Somaliland, the Idjwi island in eastern Congo and Colombia, the author examines what methods do the local inhabitants use in order to successfully maintain peace and build a coherent society. The research on a bottom-up approach may supplement the strategies implemented by the international organisations of peace-building or peace-keeping missions, which usually neglect the engagement of local society and thus do not ensure sustainable peace.

Change or continuity? Exploring post-revolution state - building in Ukraine and Armenia

Author(s): Aram Terzyan / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2020

The paper focuses on the post-Maidan and post-Velvet Revolution state-building in Ukraine and Armenia. Examining the cases of Ukraine and Armenia, the qualitative, comparative analysis presented in this paper uncovers some of the similarities and differences between the two post-Soviet revolutions in terms of their political and economic implications. The study suggests that, while the revolutions have given a strong impetus to political and economic reforms in oligarchy-driven and corruption-stricken Ukrainian and Armenian societies, the path to ultimate success involves overcoming the authoritarian legacy and developing democratic institutions. The analysis of the relationship between domestic change and foreign policy shows that in contrast to Ukraine, where the “choice for Europe” was the core rationale behind the Euromaidan, the domestic change in Armenia has not led to foreign policy shifts. Nevertheless, this study avoids reductionist explanations of external drivers of change. Rather, it treats the domestic actors as the key agents to transform the economic and political landscapes of the two post-Soviet countries.

CLUSTER ANALYSIS OF SEPARATE INDICATORS OF THE BANKING SYSTEMS OF NORTH MACEDONIA, THE EU MEMBER STATES AND THE BALKAN COUNTRIES

Author(s): Emilija Stojanova Ivanovska / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2020

In this paper, a multivariate analysis of the computer statistics, i.e. the Cluster analysis of the banking system concentration indicators and the financial intermediation and portfolio quality indicators by applying the complete linkage and the Ward’s linkage method are presented. The main idea is to find out whether the level of banking system concentration and degree of financial intermediation in banking system of North Macedonia is similar or closer to any of the EU Member States or the Balkan countries. Furthermore, since the appropriately modified analyses were performed also with the structural indicators of the banking system and results obtained 10 years ago, the objective is to see whether there are any positive shifts in the similarity of the analysed characteristics of the banking system in North Macedonia to a particular country or group of countries. In the conducted cluster analysis made by applying the method of complete linkage to the indicators of concentration of the banking sector, North Macedonia is grouped first with the Slovak Republic and then with Croatia which means that the similarity of the values of these indicators of these countries is the largest. Regarding the outcome of the second cluster analyses, of the indicators of financial intermediation and portfolio quality by using two comparative clustering methods, North Macedonia is grouped with Montenegro in the penultimate cluster and then this cluster is grouped with Serbia, which confirms that the level of financial intermediation in these Balkan countries is lower compared to the EU Member States, but on the other side the quality of the portfolio is good.

Comparison of Ivan Mažuranić's Political Writings with the Declaration on the Name and Status of the Croatian Literary Language

Author(s): Josip Miletić / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2020

The paper analyzes and compares Mažuranić’s political writings published in 1848 under the titles Croatians to Hungarians and Manifesto of the Croatian-Slavonian People with the 1967 Declaration on the Name and Status of the Croatian Literary Language as well as the reactions of the contemporaries to these texts. Based on considerations of the social reaction and fate of the authors of the aforementioned texts, we have analyzed the democratic character of society in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and socialist Yugoslavia. The results of the research have shown the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy saw a more democratic atmosphere and far more freedom of expression of personal opinion than socialist Yugoslavia.

COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF SOUTH SUDAN CONFLICT: DETERMINANTS AND REPERCUSSIONS

Author(s): Frederick Appiah Afriyie,Jian Jisong,Kenneth Yaw Appiah / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2020

South Sudan, which separated from Sudan in 2011 after nearly 40 years of civil war, was embroiled in a new devastating conflict at the end of 2013. This happened when political disputes coupled with preexisting ethnic and political fault lines became brutal. This conflict has mostly targeted civilians and most often, ethnic groups, and warring parties have been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The conflict has resulted in a major humanitarian crisis, mass displacement and mass atrocities against South Sudanese citizens. Notwithstanding, instability in South Sudan has made the country one of the most dangerous countries for humanitarian aid workers in the world, especially as majority of them have lost their lives during their operation. In view of this, the article seeks to interrogate the main driving forces that triggered the deadly conflict and also the ramifications brought upon the population as well as the country.

CRIME OF AGGRESSION IN INTERNATIONAL LAW AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Author(s): Goran Bandov,Dorotea Ogorec / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2020

The paper focuses on the analysis of the problem of defining the crime of aggression in the international law and international relations, focusing primarily on the historical development of the term from its initial directed efforts, all the way to its modern outcomes. Observing in a historical manner, the establishment of the definition of the crime of aggression, as well as its aligning under criminal offences has encountered several obstacles which resulted in a continuous delay of clear defining what exactly would the crime of aggression encompass. In order to fully understand the matter, the importance of several international documents is undeniable, especially the Charter of the United Nations as well as the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Democracy at Risk. The Growth of Nationalism and Extreme Right Parties as Threat to the EU

Author(s): Ewa Rokicka,Jeremy Leaman,Dieter Eißel / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 2020

The book analyses the threats to democracy that are associated with the rise of extreme-right parties and xenophobia in European Union countries. The authors show that the growing distrust towards democratic institutions and the increasing strength of populism and nationalism are connected with persistent inequalities and the malign focus on immigrants as scapegoats for the misery. Case studies from Germany, Great Britain, and Poland examine the details of the anti-democratic movements in these countries. They demonstrate the real threats to democracy and peaceful coexistence, and to the very future of the European project, its principles of solidarity and its political ambitions of convergence through mutual support. The reader will find in the book extensive empirical material outlining the situation in the European Union, along with proposals for solving the region’s social, economic and political dilemmas, for reversing the trends of fragmentation and for revitalising Europe’s democratic culture.

Demographic factors, solid waste generation and solid waste expenditures

Author(s): Michal Struk / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Paper presents a quantitative research concerning various municipal demographic factors and their relationships with municipal solid waste generation. Analyzed factors consist of overall population size of the municipality, level of males and females among the population, level of registered unemployment, population age structure, ratios of flats to total houses, population density and municipality size. Created econometric model estimates coefficients and significance of examined factors regarding actual solid waste generation based on the data from selected sample of municipalities from the South Moravian Region in the Czech Republic.

DETERMINANTS OF NON-PERFORMING LOANS AND THE RELATIONSHIP WITH MACROECONOMIC FACTORS: EVIDENCE FROM SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

Author(s): Maja Ristevska / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2020

Despite significant progress in this area, the problem of non-performing loans continues to receive central attention in the banking systems of the SEE countries after the 2008/2009 crisis, reducing the profitability and resource utilization of banks. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the determinants of non-performing loans and their effect on the macroeconomic situation in Southeast Europe. First, in order to test the relationship between credit risk and certain balance sheet and macroeconomic indicators, we create a model that uses annual panel data for 5 Southeast European countries for the period 2008-2017. The results show that profitability has a negative impact on nonperforming loans, while credit growth and capitalization rate have a positive and statistically significant impact on the non-performing loan portfolio. The second part of the econometric analysis consists of examining the cointegration, i.e. long-term and short-term relationships between non-performing loans and macroeconomic variables. The results imply that in conditions of higher unemployment, slower economic growth and falling prices, credit risk increases in the long run. Such conclusions are robust when using alternative valuation methods on the longterm relationship. However, in the short run, only GDP has an inverse statistically significant relationship with non-performing loans, while unemployment and inflation have proved to be statistically insignificant, although the relationship between them and nonperforming loans has the same direction as in the long- run model. Such conclusions are generally consistent with both the theory and the numerous studies that have been done on this topic.

Differential Comparative Note: Slovakia

Author(s): Tomáš Abelovský / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

It can be said that Slovak Republic legislators have been inspired in many situations by the Czech legal setting. To define the constitutional limits of interception, we have to look at the Slovak Constitution (Act No. 460/1992 Zb. Constitution of the Slovak Republic). It states in Article 2, Paragraph 3 that state bodies can act only on the basis of the Constitution, within its limits, and to the extent and in a manner defined by law. Pursuant to Article 19, everybody has the right to protection against unjustified interference with his or her private and family life and against the unjustified collection, publication, or other misuse of personal data.

Direct Democracy and the Rise of Political Entrepreneurs: An Analysis of Citizens' Initiatives in Post-2010 Croatia

Author(s): Darlo Čepo,Dario Nikić Čakar / Language(s): English / Issue: 16/2019

The last decade saw a rise in the use of direct democracy in Croatia. The proliferation of citizens' initiatives and referendums was meant to activate politically passive citizens and to strengthen their role as controllers of the executive. Our research, based on the qualitative analysis of the legal framework on citizens' initiatives and referendums in Croatia, as well as post-2010 initiatives, showed that this was not the case. Instead, political and social entrepreneurs, both long established, like trade unions, and newly formed, like conservative civil society organizations, used the tools of direct democracy to promote their particular anti-minority, anti-government or anti-establishment agendas. They succeeded in both constraining the power of the elite through the process of getting to the referendum and wresting control over the agenda-setting process post hoc. The added value of this paper lies in showing that citizens' initiatives can succeed in getting their demands met even when they are not successful in organizing referendums, which is due to weaknesses in the legal framework surrounding referendums and initiatives.

DRUG TRAFFICKING IN WEST AFRICA BORDERLANDS: FROM GOLD COAST TO COKE ACOST

Author(s): Collins G. Adeyanju / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2020

Drug trafficking has become the new threat to the economic and political stability of the West Africa sub-region; by virtue of its new toga as the new transit hub for drug trafficking. 80% and 13% of seizures in cocaine transhipment annually of 60 – 250 tons to Europe and globally respectively, passes the West African maritime borderlands/coast. The informal economy based on drugs has replaces over $400 million contribution to the region’s GDP from fishing. The impacts of drug trafficking had had a long negative toll on the institutions of the states and state-building infrastructure in the region. Besides, intra-states conflicts, drug money and activities had exacerbated state failure in the region; notably in Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Guinea, etc. The West African Coast Initiative is making crawling impacts. Although, still in its pilot phase, it had enhanced coordination of intelligence in the region on drug trafficking and organized crime. However, it is still short of fundamentally addressing obvious policy gap, due to its lack of clear focus; plus, being only operational in just five West African states. This paper identified absence of comprehensive maritime coordination policy against drug trafficking in West Africa as the bane of the surge. Therefore, a tripartite approach, based on state, regional and global levels policy restructuring in the region is required.

DÜNYADA SAĞLIK KURUMLARINDAN MEMNUNİYET ve TÜRKİYE’DE COVID-19 KRİZ SÜRECİ

Author(s): İbrahim Bora Oran / Language(s): Turkish / Issue: 46/2020

All healthcare service activities whose primary aim is to protect and improve the health are a part of the healthcare system. The primary objective of the quality healthcare systems is to provide people not to get sick. Performing the diagnosis and treatments of people comes to the forefront as the second objective in case they get sick despite all efforts showed. The last objective is to provide the rehabilitation facilities for enabling people to maintain their life without looking to somebody if they become in need of nursing of other people. The healthcare services become a Professional team work entailing cooperation and any fault is not accepted. Inadequate healthcare services may lead to big social problems. The healthcare businesses are businesses in which healthcare service demand is determined by physicians, which require qualified personnel who is ready for any kind of service at any time and where service is provided by the characteristics of diseases experienced. One of the most important responsibilities of the healthcare system is to protect the people from financial losses to be caused by diseases. Showing the best performance in such matters depends on the achievement of total quality management in the healthcare systems. At this point, the importance of patient satisfaction comes out. The struggle shown in the countries due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic experienced all over the World in recent months lead the opinions about the structure of the healthcare system to be established. General analyses are performed within the scope of this study where the globalizing pandemic crisis by rapidly spreading and the healthcare strategies pursued in Turkey are discussed as an example country.

Edukacja jako przedmiot zainteresowań polskich partii politycznych w drugim dziesięcioleciu XXI w. Analiza wybranych programów wyborczych

Author(s): Ewelina Malendowicz / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 1/2019

The aim of this article is to reflect on the pluralism of plansand projects of the school education system in Poland at the end of thesecond decade of the 21st century and the positions of political partiesregarding reforms of children’s and youth education. The hypothesisof the research in the article is the assumption that the electoral programmesof Polish political parties are characterized by a plurality ofeducational visions. They often are proposals for reforms adapting educationto the tasks of the modern economy, market and social changes. Theresearch method used in the article is the analysis of source documents,i.e. political party programmes, as well as their comparative analysis.The programmes of 14 political parties, valid in the second decade ofthe 21st century, were analyzed. These were in the order: DemocraticLeft Alliance (SLD), Labor Union (UP), Polish Labor Party – August 80(PPP-S’80), Party Together, Spring, Green Party, Polish People’s Party(PSL), Democratic Party (SD), Civic Platform (PO), Modern Party, Lawand Justice (PiS), Coalition of the Restoration of the Republic Freedomand Hope (KORWiN), Right Wing of the Republic, National Movement(RN).

EU policy on strengthening resilience in Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia

Between the rule of law and oligarchic influence

Author(s): Denis Cenușa / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 2019

The state capture and oligarchic control of political power and electoral processes in the associated countries of the Eastern Partnership – Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine – are acknowledged by EUinstitutions, civil society organisations and in public opinion. That inevitably puts pressure on the resilience of these three countries, in addition to Russia’s aggressive campaigns, carried out with or without the use of conventional weaponry. This policy brief looks at the EU’s actions to invest in and consolidate the rule of law, in the direction of stimulating internal resilience. It provides a range of arguments supporting the idea that the EU is not sufficiently tackling the oligarchic influences inMoldova, Ukraine and Georgia. These are followed by timely recommendations for the EU institutionsto remedy the situation.