"Auf unserem Papier findet das meiste gleichzeitig statt": Zum Projekt der Gegenweltgeschichte in Günter Grass' "Der Butt" in kulturökologischer Perspektive

Author(s): Nathalie Kónya-Jobs / Language(s): German Issue: 18/2021

In this article, the novel The Flounder is re-read from the perspective of environmental literary criticism and with a view to the highly topical issues of education for sustainable development. The line of argument moves along the central questions for Grass’s work about the importance of fairy tales and myths for literary-anthropological processes of the formation of meaning, his Enlightenment criticism, his critical understanding of history, his poetics of ‚Vergegenkunft‘ and his examination of feminism, ecology and dystopian visions of the post-human age. The article closes with an outlook on relevant research desiderata. An overview table for a selection of thematic, relevant works should serve as an inspiration to rediscover Grass as a representative of ecocriticism in schools and universities.

12. Dani Bosanskohercegovačko-američke akademije umjetnosti i nauka (BHAAAS) u Bosni i Hercegovini

Author(s): Not Specified Author / Language(s): Bosnian,English Issue: 2/2021

12. Dani Bosanskohercegovačko-američke akademije umjetnosti i nauka (BHAAAS) u Bosni i Hercegovini. Međunarodni simpozij iz društvenih i humanističkih nauka Mostar, 24 – 27. juni 2021. Godine / 12th Annual Days of Bosnian-Herzegovinian American Academy of Arts and Sciences (BHAAAS) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Social Sciences and Humanities Symposium Mostar, June 24th – June 27th, 2021

25 Years of Public Administration Developments and Reforms in V4 region

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

This publication deals with the public administration development in Visegrad member states during the last 25 years. The first four chapters describe development of public administration in Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. In the last chapter are summarized approaches to public administration development and discussed good praxis that was used during reforms in mentioned states.

25 years of public administration in the Czech Republic

Author(s): Bojka Hamerníková,Milan Lindner / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Fundamental political and economic changes have taken place in the Czech Republic in the past quarter of a century. It is a relatively long period of time, during which all areas of life of society have been radically transformed, with public administration being no exception. The significant milestone of the country’s history was marked by the events of November 1989. The political, legislative, and economic changes – in a word “dismantling” – of the socialist state and its transformation into a democratic state relying on the market economy also required transformation regarding the perception of its role, activities of executive apparatus and institutions, nature and quality of public administration employees, and effectiveness of their work. And it is a very challenging and prolonged transformation that is not always absolutely clear. By analyzing the public administration development during the period, we should point out the key moments of its transformation and allow critical assessment of individual steps of various reforms, both planned and implemented. This is the only way to determine the pros and cons of the existing development and to indicate the trends of going forward.

A contribution to the sociological study of population: Suzana Marković Krstić (2021), Population in the Sociological Context, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Niš, Niš, 331 pp.

Author(s): Nenad M. Stanojević / Language(s): English,Serbian Issue: 1/2022

The paper presents a review of the textbook Population in the Sociological Context by Professor Suzana Marković Krstić, PhD. At the beginning, the importance of the sociological study of population is indicated, as well as the necessity of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches in studying this topic. Then the structure of the textbook is given, with the analysis of the key matters of the sociological study of population the author deals with.

A framework for exploring cultural and creative industries in regional contexts: the role of cultural intermediaries

Author(s): Annette Naudin,Ieva Zemite,Agnese Hermane / Language(s): English Issue: 46/2022

The overarching goal of this article is to contribute methodological frameworks for identifying Latvia’s cultural and creative ecosystem and its key actors. The authors reiterate the significance of the cultural and creative industries (CCI) and the complexities of defining and analyzing the CCI. The main research question of the article is to ask: what concepts need to be considered when researching Latvia’s CCIs ecosystem? This leads to the following questions: 1)What are the characteristics of regional, national and global perspectives of CCI and how that might help in the exploration of regional CCI in Latvia; 2)Who are the key actors and what are their roles in CCI ecosystems? In exploring these questions the authors propose some theoretical frameworks and concepts for understanding CCI in Latvia. In the first part of this article, the authors re-assess definitions of the so-called ‘creative industries’ to clarify what has become a confusing term for researchers and policymakers alike (Hesmondhalgh and Pratt 2005; Chapain, Clifton, Comunian 2014; Dobreva, Ivanov 2020). For the purposes of this article, the authors use the term ‘cultural and creative industries’ (CCI) which, as explained below, encompass the relevant debates and meanings. Then, the authors reflect on the CCI in regional contexts: ideas of ‘locality’ and place-making in small towns and regions. Finally, attention is drawn to the role of cultural intermediaries, which are described as entrepreneurial professionals working as part of the CCI, facilitating relationships, shaping and contributing to local cultural and creative ‘ecosystems’ (Neelands et al. 2015). By emphasizing the position and role of actors engaged in intermediation, this article argues that it is important to highlight local social interactions and tasks, which are sometimes hidden or perceived to be inconsequential by policymakers, CCI practitioners, and scholars alike. To begin this discussion the authors review key scholarly debates for defining the CCI.

A logistic regression analysis of determinants of child malnutrition in Uttar Pradesh, India

Author(s): Reena Kumari,Rekha Gupta / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2022

This paper examines the effects of socio-economic determinants on child malnutrition in Uttar Pradesh- the most populous and malnourished state of India. Using data from NFHS-4, this study highlights district-wide variations in nutritional status of children less than five years in the state. The percentage of stunted, wasted, and underweight have been taken as dependent variables, while main explanatory variables of child malnutrition were female education, maternal malnutrition (BMI), breastfeeding practices, children's place of residence, father’s education, wealth index of household, family planning, sex of the child, sex of the household and age cohort of mother. Logistic regression models have been applied in order to observe the association between explanatory variables and malnutrition. The findings revealed a high incidence of less stunted, wasted, and underweight infants in case of an educated parents, particularly educational level of mother. Wealth index representing the possession of assets by the household found to be an important indicator in the sense that children born to households with richer and richest quintiles showing better-nourished children aged under-5. The modern method of using contraceptive, breastfeeding practices, maternal malnutrition were also important indicators influencing the rate of malnutrition in children. The study suggested that imparting education to females, breastfeeding practices, economic status, and contraceptive use can play an important role in reducing nutritional status of children. 

A meritorious research in a pandemic context

Author(s): Adrian Dinu Rachieru / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2022

A nonlinear model for evaluating the impact of internally displaced persons dynamics on the level of regional socio-economic development

Author(s): Inna Arakelova / Language(s): English Issue: 5-6/2018

The consequence of the military aggression of the Russian Federation is the loss of control over part of the territory of Donetsk and Luhansk regions in Eastern Ukraine and the annexation of the Crimean peninsula. The events are accompanied by the objective processes of migration of persons who were forced to leave their permanent residence and move to other regions of Ukraine or abroad. As a result, a new category of citizens who are the internally displaced persons (IDPs) has arrived in the country counting for millions of people. In such circumstances, the study of the interdependence between gross regional product (GRP) and the IDP migration is topical and reflects the ongoing social and economic processes in a big European country. As a result of the study, a two-layer neural network with an error back-propagation model that simulates the nonlinear impact of the number of internally displaced persons on the dynamics of gross regional product has been constructed. According to the number of IDPs, regions such as Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv, including Kyiv city, are among the first ten regions of Ukraine. Based on the data from the abovementioned regions, we have formed a statistical sampling in order to formulate and test the prospective economic and mathematical model. The study of mutual correlation function graphs by regions has allowed justifying the value of the time lag, which shifts an array of explanatory variables along the time axis, on average, into nine periods (three quarters). According to the results, only for Kharkiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv regions, there is a significant correlation between the studied indicators. This conclusion is substantiated in view of the fact that the number of IDPs, in the structure of which only about 23% represents the working age population, impacts the size of the gross product growth in the regions. The abovementioned regions account for 75% of the total number of internally displaced persons. The estimation of the forecast reliability, based on the 2017 data for Dnipropetrovsk region, points to the high accuracy of the developed model. The author of the article has identified specific features that accompany the processes of internal migration of the able-bodied population. In particular, based on the correlation function, the value of the time lag, which is shifted by the effect of IDP movement into a separate region, has been substantiated. The author has developed a neural network which establishes nonlinear regression dependence between the number if IDPs and the dynamics of GRP with high reliability.

A unified methodology in the application of the comparative approach

the necessity of buildings valuations in Albania

Author(s): Elfrida SHEHU / Language(s): English Issue: 03/2022

As real estate is one of the most valuable assets of any state and any individual, the valuation process takes on a special significance. Valuations are required of different interests in different types of property for different purposes. Among the methods used to determine the value of a property, the simplest and most direct method of valuation is direct comparison. The method is based on comparing the property to be valued with similar properties and the prices achieved for them, and allowing for differences between them to determine the market value. The art of the comparison method is the discovery of relevant data and the subsequent analysis. Comparison can be defined as ‘the act of comparing’ and to compare as “to examine in order to observe resemblances or differences”. As property is unique, no two are truly the same, the problem lies in the adjustment to be made to the comparable to fit the property being valued.Are known and accepted (within certain limits) the differences in the values reported by different appraisers for the same property and for the same purpose of valuation , but daily contacts with appraisers and appraisals prove that there are significant differences in the reported values. These changes are not simply the result of judgments of different appraisers, but mainly the result of changes in the methodologies used for evaluation.In this perspective the paper proposes the use of a unified methodology in the application of the direct comparison method in order to narrow such differences. The study includes residential and commercial buildings in the Tirana City.

ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD

Author(s): Jüri Engelbrecht,Ivo Šlaus / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2022

Academies of sciences have a long history starting in ancient Greece and later in Italy during the Renaissance. Over the centuries, the tasks of academies have been developed according to societal changes. In this paper, the roles of academies of sciences in the contemporary world are briefly analysed. The members of national or international academies are the best scientists and scholars and their responsibility is to promote knowledge. The basic principles of action in academies include independence of thought, excellence, and authority. The advisory role of academies is growing. The complexity of the world needs cooperation that strengthens the production and dissemination of knowledge. The way forward is briefly envisaged.

AFFORDABILITY CRISIS AND GENTRIFICATION IN FDI EXPORT-LED ECONOMIES: PRICES IN THE DEMAND-DRIVEN HOUSING MARKET OF CLUJ-NAPOCA

Author(s): Norbert Petrovici,Vlad Bejinariu,Diana Marțiș,Vlad Aluaș / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2022

This paper examines the rapid increase of prices in the residential sector of Cluj-Napoca in the context of the housing affordability crisis (Wetzstein, 2017). By using insight from the Growth Regimes literature, we look at the internal demand as a main driver of rapid price rise. As Kohl and Spielau (2018) argue, the monetary conditions needed for export-led growth regimes are restricting the outputs of the construction sector, creating under-supplied, demand-driven housing markets. We propose three alternative hypotheses regarding the major agent driving the prices within the city as major source of demand: the employees in knowledge-intensive services, the diffuse regional savings of employees in search for some yields, the specialized real estate investors. We use OLS and spatial regression (lag and error) to model the price per square meter using the social composition of the neighbourhoods, the within and out-of-town origin of investors, and the source of money (bank loans vs. cash payment) to demonstrate that the existing crisis is driven by the middle class’s savings that also benefits from gentrification, while speculative investments in the housing markets are rather limited.

Akceptacja agresji kobiet w zależności od jej zgodności ze stereotypem

Author(s): Katarzyna Batko,Izabela Rejment,Marcelina Szydłowska,Jarka Wencel / Language(s): Polish Issue: 12/2022

Aim of study. The aim of study was to verify the impact of gender stereotypes on society’s perception of women’s aggressive behaviour. To check which aggressive behaviour is perceived by society as stereotypically male and female, a pilot study was conducted. Research method. To measure social approval of a woman's aggressive behaviour, two original questions were used. The questions contained an assessment and the degree of behaviour justification. The Scale of Masculinity and Femininity (SM&F) has been used to level masculinity in women. In the final study 155 people took part, 104 women and 47 men. Four people, who didn’t specify their gender, weren’t included in the further analysis.Results. The results allow us to confirm one of the assumptions that a woman’s aggressive non-stereotypical behaviour would not be perceived as positive as stereotypical behaviour. Considering the fact that not enough evidence has been gathered, we weren’t able to confirm the other two assumptions. Conclusion. The study did prove that non-stereotypical woman’s behaviour isn’t as approved by society as stereotypical woman’s behaviour. The results didn’t differentiate between the sexes in terms of non-stereotypical woman’s behaviour. In further research other factors should be taken into consideration, such as: age, education, size of place of residence and environmental differences in political, ideological or religious terms.

Aktuální problémy tvorby a implementace zdravotní politiky z pohledu regionů

Author(s): Ivan Malý,Marek Pavlík,Veronika Krůtilová / Language(s): Czech Publication Year: 0

The paper presents partial results of the multiannual research project “Impact of selected public policies on the regional development – comparison of the Slovak Republic and Czech Republic. The aims of this paper are following: (1) Identify the extent of regions’ conceptual activities and compare results with health status indicators and (2) Demonstrate the problem of regions competencies, differences and relations with the cabinet on the case of regulatory fees. The paper presents results for the Czech Republic.

Alienation as a source of political decomposition of society

Author(s): Petar M. Matić,Miša S. Stojadinović / Language(s): English,Serbian Issue: 1/2022

There are plenty of challenges brought by modern society. Globalisation, modernisation, transition processes, social conflicts and off-the-charts development of technology have resulted in the world changing at overwhelming rates on a daily basis. In such circumstances, the individual finds himself/herself alienated from society. The aim of this paper is to analyse the complexities of the phenomenon of alienation in political theory, as a significant indicator of the collapse of democratic institutions. Following a detailed analysis of theories that are relevant for understanding political alienation, the paper at the same time presents experiences and perspectives of relevance for comprehending political alienation in the Republic of Serbia.

Amalgamated territorial communities as a basis for the introduction of decentralization of power in Ukraine

Author(s): Oleksandr M. Nepomnyashchyy,Oleksandra A. Marusheva,Yurii H. Prav,Andrii V. Havrylov,Oleg Diegtiar / Language(s): English Issue: SI/2022

The peculiarities of the amalgamated territorial communities as a basic condition for the introduction of a course of decentralization of power in Ukraine are considered in the article. It has been found that globalization can often exclude the democratization of the development of territorial communities and society as a whole, as there can be a gradual loss of one of the fundamental elements of democracy, namely: the right of the community to participate in the management of public affairs, especially at the local level, and therefore it was concluded that the sustainable development of the regions and the state as a whole was formed through the transfer of power to the ground, that is, decentralization. The need to define the category of "territorial community" on the basis of the scientific works of world and European economists and domestic specialists in public governance has been proved and five approaches to determining the essence of the concept of "territorial community" have been identified. The author's definition of the concept of "territorial community," which corresponds to the modern political and legal realities of Ukraine, is provided. The characteristics of an amalgamated territorial community are systematized and grouped. A complex of components has been developed that are the basis for the creation and functioning of an amalgamated territorial community of Ukraine in the context of decentralization of power. Strategic and operational problematic issues of formation and development of the amalgamated territorial communities are identified, and ways to overcome them are proposed. Incentives provided to these communities by the state and other regulators have been systematized and studied to motivate them to overcome problematic issues of formation and development of the amalgamated territorial communities of Ukraine. It has been proved that cohesion is an important factor in ensuring socio-economic development, financial self-sufficiency, and investment attractiveness of the amalgamated territorial community. It was concluded that the introduction of the institution of amalgamated territorial communities provides an opportunity for its members to receive rational assistance to solve various problems of the changing present.

Analysis of the Brain Drain Phenomenon and Socio-Economic Impact at EU Level

Author(s): Ovidiu Andrei Cristian Buzoianu,Cosmin Andreica,Cristina Carol Gombos,Anna Kant,Mihai Dinu / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2021

Today's world economy is strongly influenced by profit-oriented directions and the conquest of sales markets. The competition has become fierce, out of bounds and able to use unethical methods. The desires of rich people have seen an escalation that has affected many countries, transnational corporations or economic blocs. The race for better living conditions or the accumulation of wealth and capital seems to be the main concern of potential financial people and economic conglomerates. It is practically about money, influence, profitable relationships. In this situation that must produce added value, the most unjust are those who work. Nowadays, this phenomenon, called brain-drain, is constantly evolving and has reached impressive proportions. Among the favorable elements are: the trend of globalization, the concentration of capital, the desire to seize markets, the advance of high technologies, the emergence of economic blocs. The expansion of economic systems in any direction has as main support research, innovation, digitization, robotization that leads to increased performance. In this article we want to develop a hypothesis according to this migratory phenomenon brings more and more the contribution of the structural change of the population within some territories.

Analysis of the current state of political education in Ukraine

Author(s): Olena Zakharova,Anatoliy Oktysiuk,Svetlana Radchenko / Language(s): English

One of the main problems of modern Ukrainian society is the lack of political responsibility of officials and political education of citizens. Political education encourages people to acquire new knowledge and their participation in public affairs, to form responsible interaction and cooperation of citizens with the authorities. Democratic regime establishing and civil society building is impossible without participating in the process of political decisions-making of active and conscious citizens who are capable of realizing their rights and being responsible to the community and society for their actions. In order to be able to do this, the citizen must understand the social and political reality and the processes that take place in it. Political education is aimed at creating a critical mass of citizens who have comprehensive and reliable information about political reality, independently and critically form their own opinions and are ready for public activity. It acts as a vital element not only in the construction and establishment of a democratic civil state, but also in the development and effective functioning of all spheres of social life.

Analysis of Urban Planning in Bucharest. Current and Future Challenges

Author(s): Cristina Alpopi,Ştefan Gabriel Burcea,Ruxandra Irina Popescu / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2021

This study is an review of urban planning in Bucharest today. The research, based on the consultation of a large number of publicly available documents, led us to the conclusion that the reality in which we live is the result of an incoherent, unsustainable and uneven development process, lacking a clear long-term vision, not sufficiently focused on increasing the quality of life of the population, being rather based on a competition of several economic, social, cultural, historical, natural and built environment factors. All this has led to a series of territorial disparities that have resulted in unbalanced and inequitable development of the technical and socio-economic infrastructure, compromised natural resources and land reserves, as well as major functional and landscape discrepancies in the country's capital. Following this analysis, we are able to express our views on the necessary and possible actions to solve the major problems related to urban planning of the city in which we live.