Areas with Abandoned and Vacant Properties in Croatia. A Plea for Recognition, Research, Policies and the Development of Regeneration Strategies

Author(s): Sanja Lončar,Dario Pavić / Language(s): English / Issue: 43/2020

This paper explores the phenomenon of areas with a large number of abandoned and vacant properties that have a significant impact on the life of communities in economic, environmental and socio-cultural terms. Although the phenomenon has been present in some parts of Europe and the USA for a number of decades, it has become more prevalent in recent decades. The aim of this paper is to explore whether the phenomenon of abandonment is present in contemporary Croatia, as a complex network of negative demographic, social, economic and environmental causes and impacts. Furthermore, the aim is to create a theoretical framework for research into areas with a large number of abandoned or vacant properties in Croatia. Quantitative analyses of key indicators, content analysis of published media and official documents, and ethnographic field research show that abandoned areas are certainly present in Croatia, as are local initiatives to mitigate the negative situation. The recognition of this phenomenon at national, regional and local level needs to be accompanied by the development of an interdisciplinary research methodology, policies and regeneration strategies. Some guidelines on these matters are provided at the end of the paper.

Around the Bloc: Bosnia Asks for Help With Rising Migrant Numbers

Author(s): TOL TOL / Language(s): English / Issue: 04/04/2018

Overall, the number of migrants transiting the Balkans is down sharply, although traffickers are blazing new trails in the region.

Around the Bloc: Koran Burned at a Rally in Czech Republic

Author(s): TOL TOL / Language(s): English / Issue: 07/12/2016

The summer season has done little to slow down one of the country’s most prominent, anti-Muslim activists.

ARTICULATING PROTEST LEGITIMACY: A CASE STUDY OF COLLECTIVE ACTION FRAMING IN AN ENVIRONMENTAL CAMPAIGN

Author(s): Tao Papaioannou / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2018

Using the case of the “Save Akamas” campaign, an environmental initiative protesting for the protection of the Akamas National Park in Cyprus during the Cypriot financial crisis in 2015 – 2016, this study explored whether and how the campaigners utilised collective action frames to enhance their articulation of protest legitimacy. Based on 15 interviews with key protest organisers, the results illustrated that the protestors creatively employed several collective action frames in their struggle for public recognition, contextualisation and amplification of protest grievances. These frames were purposefully aligned to protest legitimacy while taking into consideration of clearly identifying direction/locus of responsibility attribution, enlarging the interpretive scope of a symbolic act and augmenting credibility of the proffered frames through social media. Combining collective action framing analysis with empirical legitimacy research, this study contributes to further understanding of strategies and processes of legitimation in issue-based citizen protests within the sociological theory of collective action.

Aspecte ale stratificării sociale în contextul transformărilor sociale şi perspectivei de integrare europeană a Republicii Moldova. Note de cercetare

Author(s): Victor Mocanu,Angela Mocanu / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 01/2015

The independence period of the Republic of Moldova conditioned important changes at the economic and political level. The deepest and most grievous changes, in terms of social cost, are those who have an impact on the social structure, the life conditions, the people’s behaviour and mentality. Social change refers to the modifications in the basic structures of the society, so it produces a quality and quantity passing to one level to another level of the social system. In this paper we present the results of a survey on a national-level in Moldova. The research was focused on the recent trends in social stratification in this former soviet country.Another issue was the evaluation of the current socio-political situation and the people’s orientations (towards Europe or towards the Euroasian Union).

BAĞIMSIZ TÜRK DEVLETLERİNDE MİKRO FİNANSMAN

Author(s): Nurhodja Akbulaev / Language(s): Turkish / Issue: 15/2012

Almost all societies have some citizens living in poverty. Although the most severe poverty is in the developing world, there is evidence of poverty in every region. The fight against poverty is usually regarded as a social goal and many governments have some dedicated institutions or departments. Poverty itself is also likely to be a barrier for poverty reduction. In general, the government can directly help those in need. However another method in helping to fight poverty is to use microfinance approach. Microfinance tries to fight global poverty and bring opportunities to the world’s poorest people. With tiny loans and financial services, it helps the poor, mostly women, start businesses and escape poverty. Also microfinance is not only financial aids for the poor but also its social improvements. As previous studies have implied sustainability and cost-effectiveness within the microfinance programme is important for the long-run poverty reduction in the Republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. In this study focus on some solutions for Central Asia poverty problem such as mikrofinance approach. Also it examines the Republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan conditions the aspect of poverty and microfinance practices.

Barometru politic național

9-16 februarie 2019

Author(s): Bruno Stefan / Language(s): Romanian / Publication Year: 2019

Survey conducted between 9 and 16 February 2019 on a national sample of 1106 people. He measured the perception of the public health system in Romania, the trust in the national political leaders, the evaluation of Traian Băsescu, the appreciation of the parties, the voting intentions.

Barometru politic național

27 noiembrie - 5 decembrie 2018

Author(s): Bruno Stefan / Language(s): Romanian / Publication Year: 2018

Survey conducted between November 27 and December 5, 2018 on a sample of 1087 people. He measured issues such as: union with the Republic of Moldova, special pensions, electronic voting, expectations from the European Union and MEPs, the perception of Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă, confidence in political leaders, voting intentions, evaluation of the last four presidents of Romania.

Betty Friedan, Jane Jacobs, Richard Sennett and the 1960s’ Challenge to the Suburban Era Mystique of Security and Order

Author(s): Piotr Skurowski / Language(s): English / Issue: 04/2017

The paper examines and compares some of the 1960s’ most representative expressions of social critique: Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique, Jane Jacobs’s The Death and Life of Great American Cities and Richard Sennett’s The Uses of Disorder, in an attempt to demonstrate how each of those intellectuals, social critics and visionaries, in their own distinct way, called for a radical departure from the established notions of the social and spatial order amidst the growing public fears of insecurity stimulated by the rising crime rate, the spread of racism and xenophobia, and the continuing “white flight” to the suburbs.

Between Reality and Dream: Eastern European Media Transition, Transformation, Consolidation, and Integration

Author(s): Peter Gross / Language(s): English / Issue: 01/2004

This article explores the progress made in the transition and transformation of Eastern Europe’s news media and the potential for their integration into the Western European media scene. Transformation and consolidation in Eastern European societies and in their media systems should not be pursued in the name of integration. For these societies, these processes have a raison d’etre of their own: reaching the stated desideratum of a bona fide democracy, which means a degree of sameness in the key aspects of their political culture; for the media, it means professionalization based on shared standards of journalism and media roles.

Bezpieczeństwo imprez masowych.

Author(s): Jerzy Zawisza / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 2/2013

Security is one of the most important needs of man since the immemorial times. At the moment, one of the areas of security is the security of mass events which regularly take place in many countries of the world. Poland is no exception in this area, in which each year these events come, they are sports, concerts, organized demonstrations, etc. As shown by the Polish experience of previous years and the experience of other countries in this regard, mass events are characterized by a multitude of people among the participants involve a number of risks, both for the participants and for those responsible for their safety. An important role is played by the organizers of these events, as well as state authorities responsible for the supervision and control resulting from the provisions of the law.

Bieżące dyskusje na temat różnorodnych barier biologicznych, kulturowych i psychospołecznych wobec karmienia piersią w społeczeństwie współczesnym

Author(s): Elizabeth Ping / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2014

Breastfeeding provides good-quality nutrition for babies and can be very beneficial for both mom and baby. However, modern women face many challenges in breastfeeding their babies that can be attributed to today’s ever-evolving cultural and psycho-social underpinnings. These multiple barriers to breastfeeding in today’s society hinder women from developing a good breastfeeding relationship with their babies. The various factors that prohibit initiation and prolonged breastfeeding however can be counteracted by examining the barriers to breastfeeding and finding reasonable methods for resolving the challenges. Twenty-first century women who desire to breastfeed can be successful at achieving their breastfeeding goals with greater support by society and by having more confidence in themselves.

Big data w statystyce publicznej – nadzieje, osiągnięcia, wyzwania i zagrożenia

Author(s): Maciej Beręsewicz,Marcin Szymkowiak / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 48/2015

The main purpose of the article is to describe the state of the art in using big data in official statistics. The article presents selected examples of how data from mobile operators, sensors, social media or scanners are used by national statistical offices. The authors also identify chances, challenges and risks related to the use of big data in the field of official statistics.

Bo źle złożyłem tapczan u teściów. Przemoc domowa wobec mężczyzn

Author(s): Diana Karwowska / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 04/2012

In 1977, appeared a new term, „battered husband syndrome”. Still little is said about wives/partners-oppressors. An additional problem is that ladies often apply the „invisible” psychological violence. Quite significantly failed to sensitize public opinion on the phenomenon of violence against women and children, but also perpetuated the image of man as the only possible offender. Husband/partner is usually the victim of jokes and the object of pity. My analysis is focused on newspaper articles and cabaret work. I wonder also on differences in the situation of victims of both sexes.

Bohemians, Vagabonds, and Wanderers of the “Ragged Promised Land” in Jack Kerouac’s On the Road

Author(s): Daria Anna Urbańska / Language(s): English / Issue: 04/2018

The article focuses on the journey into the “ragged promised land” (80) in On the Road. It can be seen as an escape of the main protagonist Sal Paradise from his roots and from the conformity of American society. Kerouac, having a Franco-Canadian heritage, presents a marginal possibility of heterogeneity in a homogenous postwar America. The author depicts additional mentors and heroes met along the way. They are, among others, tramps and hoboes, ragged wanderers and the Fellahin of Mexico, as well as Sal’s travel companion Dean Moriarty. Sal experiences something true and meaningful among those living on the margin of society. He travels considerable distances: from coast to coast across the United States, from boarder to boarder and to Mexico. The real journey, though, is inward, a passage through the wilderness of the self, the true “ragged promised land”.

Bolek i Lolek: od widowni dziecięcej do systemu rozrywkowego. Rekonesans badawczy

Author(s): Piotr Sitarski / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 03/2018

The paper examines the Polish television series Bolek and Lolek (1963 – 1986) and discusses its growth into an entertainment supersystem as defined in Marsha Kinder’s Playing with Power in Movies, Television, and Video Games. Modes of image circulation of the system are described as well as various modes of addressing the audience and expanding it to include various groups of older viewers. Special attention is paid to numerous toys and other objects produced within the system by the socialist state media industry but also by small private companies and individual fans.

Book Review: Mental Health in the Digital Age: Grave Dangers, Great Promise

Author(s): Agnes Zsila / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2016

The review of: „Mental Health in the Digital Age: Grave Dangers, Great Promise“ by Elias Aboujaoude and Vladan Starcevic (Eds.); Oxford University Press: New York, NY, 2015, 277 pp. ISBN: 978-0-19-938018-3

Book Review: The Wiley Handbook of Psychology, Technology, and Society

Author(s): Fanni Bányai / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2016

The review of: „The Wiley Handbook of Psychology, Technology, and Society“ by Larry D. Rosen, Nancy A. Cheever and L. Mark Carrier (Eds.); John Wiley & Sons Ltd., Chichester, UK, 2015, 1st ed., 592 pp. Hardback ISBN: 978-1-118-77202-7

Bosna i Hercegovina – Država ili bauk pravne države

Author(s): Duško Vejnović,Vladimir Stojanović,Boris Trivanović / Language(s): Bosnian / Issue: 20/2020

In Bosnia and Herzegovina (furthermore: B&H), as a state with a complex state organization, the opposing and particular national and social interests that exclude unity and social compromise are dominant. Such a state of society is significantly contributed by political parties in B&H, whose activities do not lead to a change in social conditions, but are exclusively aimed at struggle for votes and gaining power in order to achieve their own particular interests. If “parity democracy”, which is a distinctive feature of the political system in B&H as a specific form of pluralistic democracy in which the focus is on the group and not on the individual citizen, is applied as the only form of democracy in a society and state, then there is a real danger that individuals and the narrow groups usurp power and figure as the only “protectors” of the national interest, which is significantly influenced by the deficit of democratic tradition and the low level of education of the population in B&H. Consequence of the parity principle of decision-making in institutions of B&H is that national sovereignty is placed above people’s sovereignty, i.e. it leads to strengthening the power of national elites, therefore it is necessary to establish an appropriate balance between parity decision-making and majority decision-making in a manner that protects the rational functioning of the system, but at the same time eliminates any possibility of majorization. Establishing such a balance is significantly hampered by national and religious divisions, which are very pronounced in B&H, and the presence of such political and cultural divisions is an obstacle to the creation and functioning of civil society. One of the dominant factors slowing down the integration processes in B&H is the populist model of public policy, which implies a change of government institutions through democratic elections, and the removal of all institutional democratic restrictions on their rule after gaining power on the basis of “democratic electoral legitimacy”. B&H needs a high degree of political socialization in order to build unity and common goals, and to promote integration processes.

Bosnia and Herzegovina – State, or a Specter for Shady Business

Author(s): Duško Vejnović,Vladimir Stojanović,Boris Trivanović / Language(s): English / Issue: 20/2020

In Bosnia and Herzegovina (furthermore: B&H), as a state with a complex state organization, the opposing and particular national and social interests that exclude unity and social compromise are dominant. Such a state of society is significantly contributed by political parties in B&H, whose activities do not lead to a change in social conditions, but are exclusively aimed at struggle for votes and gaining power in order to achieve their own particular interests. If “parity democracy”, which is a distinctive feature of the political system in B&H as a specific form of pluralistic democracy in which the focus is on the group and not on the individual citizen, is applied as the only form of democracy in a society and state, then there is a real danger that individuals and the narrow groups usurp power and figure as the only “protectors” of the national interest, which is significantly influenced by the deficit of democratic tradition and the low level of education of the population in B&H. Consequence of the parity principle of decision-making in institutions of B&H is that national sovereignty is placed above people’s sovereignty, i.e. it leads to strengthening the power of national elites, therefore it is necessary to establish an appropriate balance between parity decision-making and majority decision-making in a manner that protects the rational functioning of the system, but at the same time eliminates any possibility of majorization. Establishing such a balance is significantly hampered by national and religious divisions, which are very pronounced in B&H, and the presence of such political and cultural divisions is an obstacle to the creation and functioning of civil society. One of the dominant factors slowing down the integration processes in B&H is the populist model of public policy, which implies a change of government institutions through democratic elections, and the removal of all institutional democratic restrictions on their rule after gaining power on the basis of “democratic electoral legitimacy”. B&H needs a high degree of political socialization in order to build unity and common goals, and to promote integration processes.