Voda v západní Africe: Zdroj konfliktu, či podnět ke spolupráci?

Author(s): Miroslav Petruška / Language(s): Czech Issue: 2/2015

The article investigates the problem of sharing water from international water resources and focuses on the Niger River, the Senegal River, and the Volta River in West Africa. Its main aim is to examine the sharing of water provided by the mentioned important rivers and to point out the existence of conflicts or cooperation between the individual countries in the said river basins. When examining the situation related to the sharing of water from the mentioned rivers, the text will be based on two approaches. The first one shows the international water resources as a potential cause of conflicts, and the other one as a means allowing for the development of cooperation. In accordance with the approach, the reasons why water from the mentioned rivers becomes a source of conflicts will be discussed at first, followed by the discussion of the mechanisms supporting mutual cooperation between the individual countries in the said river basins. The aim of the article is to examine whether there is a danger of future conflicts over water in the basins of the Niger River, the Senegal River and the Volta River or an evolution of cooperation in this field.

Grad Sarajevo u međugradskoj saradnji glavnih gradova zemalja Jugoistočne i Centralne Evrope

Author(s): Mirko Pejanović / Language(s): Bosnian Issue: 1/2016

In the period between 70s and 90s of the twentieth century, the city of Sarajevo had a remarkable boom in its development. Implementation of three development projects contributed to this fact: the project of protection of the environment; the project of territorial expansion of Sarajevo with 10 municipalities and the project of organization of the XIV Winter Olympic Games in 1984. The rise in the development of Sarajevo was stopped in the war against the existence of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the siege of the city between 1992 and 1995. Reconstruction of the city of Sarajevo in the post-war and post-Dayton period took place with the help of foreign donations. Municipal infrastructure and housing facilities were rehabilitated. The rebuilding of the economy had an unfavorable flow within the course of privatization of state-owned companies. A strategic issue for the development of the city of Sarajevo in the post-Dayton period referred to the definition of the political-constitutional and legal position of the city of Sarajevo. The influence of historical forces in the process of implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement had led to the signing of the Protocol on the Organization of Sarajevo in 1996 by the two ruling parties at that time: the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) and the Croat Democratic Party (HDZ), and Deputy High Representative of the international community. With this protocol, the city of Sarajevo had lost its own jurisdictions from the pre-war time. It also lost its urban-territorial wholeness. From ten municipalities it had before the war, Sarajevo was reduced to four municipalities in the narrow urban core. It also lost its original powers and own revenue. Authority in the area of municipal infrastructure, utilities and urban planning were transferred to the Sarajevo Canton. Such chain of events in defining the con¬stitutional-legal position of the city of Sarajevo was treated in the literature as the process of reduction of jurisdiction and territorial reach of Sarajevo in the post-war period.Despite significantly limited jurisdictions, the city of Sarajevo emerges as a successful carrier of inter-city and regional cooperation. It has developed cooperation with most capitals of SEE countries. This paper brings an overview of the contents of cooperation agreements which Sarajevo has signed with the major cities of the countries of Southeast Europe. In the last two decades, inter-city and regional cooperation have been focused on the areas of culture, sports and tourism. What is still missing are cooperation projects between Sarajevo and the capitals of SEE countries in the fields of economic development, development of utility infrastructure and the construction of roads and railways. In the coming years, which are the years of integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina into the European Union, Sarajevo as BiH’s capital and its largest city has an important role in the creation of development projects and their implementation through collaboration with major cities in the region of Southeast Europe and in the area of the Danube and the Adriatic-Ionian European macro-region.

Nova razvojna dimenzija gradova u okviru Evropske makroregije

Author(s): Sofija Adžić,Jelena Kovačević / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 1/2016

Regional development today is multi-dimensional, and as such it becomes a strategic pro-blem of all countries. There are many possible solutions to the regional dilemma of susta-inable development within functional implementation and establishment. However, as no solution in economic development is currently superior, it is necessary to find and select the new modalities of operationalization at the local level, where cities will have the initiative in effective regional governance that will expand and realize the development dimension. The development dimension of cities should stimulate and increasingly develop the productive activity of available production capacities and ensure their productive linking in rural areas. Work must begin with determining the content of a good public regulation, in service of la-unching and implementation of projects for reindustrialization of determined areas within the European macro-region, with the goal of faster and more productive employment. We have treated an example of the strategic direction for development of economy in the Danube region with the case study of the city of Bac, with emphasis on food production and processing, and the survival and promotion of traditional crafts with respect to environmental protection and improved correlation of knowledge and skills with greater support for entre¬preneurship in Bac municipality. This is a complex activity on research of differences in needs, interests and results which necessitate appropriate institutional-organizational arrangements.

Perspektive umrežavanja glavnih gradova Gornjeg Podunavlja

Author(s): Borislav Stojkov,Gordana Memišević / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 1/2016

The role of European cities is approaching its peak importance in times of global crisis. The reasons for this are their financial, intellectual, institutional and political capacities and influence. This advantage of cities is combined with shortcomings of demographic hyper concentration, social segregation, financial blunders and security threats. Dynamic changes are increasing, and are accompanied by centripetal forces that direct the flow of population towards the town centers, finance and investment towards big cities, while smaller towns in many cases lag behind. The role of cities and towns is of particular importance in the European countries in transition, such as the countries of Central and South East Europe, with all their advantages and disadvantages. The complex network of still undiscovered links between large cities - especially capitals - with their functions as the basis of networking, along with the growing emergence of large metropolitan areas as economic regions and the lack of polycentrism as a national spatial policy, could emerge as a critical and challenging issue for the governments of the major cities of South East Europe (SEE). Functional pro¬file of a city and its economic structure, together with a system of public services, technical equipment and capacities, jointly contribute to the level of its competitiveness. Cooperation and networking of capitals in the SEE is a topic of importance not only for this part of Europe but also for Europe as a whole. The system of city management in SEE therefore requires modernization instead of politicization.

A “Bulgarian Connection” in the Anthropological Research on the Catastrophes: Disasters and Cultural Stereotypes.Ed. by ElyaTzaneva with Fang Sumei and Edwin Schmitt. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle, 2012.

Author(s): Rachko Popov / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2015

Родителски практики и управляемост: естественост, женственост и самодостатъчност на съвременната майка

Author(s): Maria Martinova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 44/2/2015

This article examines contemporary forms and practices of parenthood. The main focus is on mothers who have regular access to Internet, good education and standard of living. The effort to understand new maternal practices goes through the Foucauldian concepts of governmentality and technologies of the self. The fi gure of the mother is discussed both as important for the biopolitical strategies of the modern family and as a main target of different parental suggestions. New practices devoted to the enforcement of child creativity and adaptivity are regarded as a means to achieve relative security and as a part of the process of inheriting social statuses. Empowerment of the mother is discussed as crucial in these forms of governing the self. Three topics are spotlighted as significant for the self-actualization of the mother and for bringing up 'successful'children. The importance of naturality, femininity and self sufficiency and their specific interpretations and correlations are discussed.

Trapped in ‘Involuntary’ Work in the Late Career? Retirement Expectations versus the ‘Desire to Retire’ in Estonia

Author(s): Kristina Lindemann,Marge Unt / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2016

In light of recent policies aiming to promote the prolongation of working life, one of the key questions is how people have adjusted their retirement expectations (i.e., realistic plans) and preferences (i.e., wishes and desires). We explore which social groups plan to continue working after the statutory retirement age, and whether they wish to do it or whether it is a forced choice (‘involuntary’ work). Overall, almost all employed late career workers plan to work until or beyond retirement age in Estonia, especially men and those who have more educational and health resources. Still, results of a joint analysis of plans and wishes indicate that two groups have a higher risk of ‘involuntary’ work. First, a higher education combined with a low job satisfaction predicts staying longer in the labour despite the wish to retire as early as possible. Second, individuals who have poor health and a low job satisfaction often wish to retire as early as possible but stay in the labour market until reaching to the compulsory retirement age. Thus, policy measures increasing merely the statutory retirement age create tensions, especially among those not satisfied with their jobs. More analytical work and policy measures are needed to provide solutions at the workplace level that would enable a prolonged work career.

К ВОПРОСУ О ВОЗМОЖНОСТЯХ ВЗАИМОДЕЙСТВИЯ ОРГАНОВ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОЙ ВЛАСТИ С ОБЩЕСТВЕННЫМИ ИНСТИТУТАМИ (НА ПРИМЕРЕ ОБЩЕСТВЕННОЙ ПАЛАТЫ РЕСПУБЛИКИ МАРИЙ ЭЛ)

Author(s): Tat'yana Nikolayevna Mikheeva / Language(s): Russian Issue: 4/2013

The article discloses the possibilities of interaction between public institutions and state authorities in a federal subject, based on the analysis of the activity of the Civic Chamber of the Mari El Republic. The work shows the increasing role of civil institutions in public control over the activity of state power and reveals certain legal wants, the filling of which will enhance the public vector in the state.

Election of Donald Trump and migration

Author(s): Philip L. Martin / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2017

Donald Trump campaigned on seven major issues, two of which involved migration, viz, have the US build and Mexico pay for a wall on the 2,000 mile Mexico-US border and deport the 11 million unauthorized foreigners in the US. Trump also promised to reverse President Obama’s executive orders that provide temporary legal status to some unauthorized foreigners, and to “put American workers first” in migration policy making. After winning the November 2016 election, Trump modified some of his positions, announcing that deportation efforts would be focused on two million unauthorized foreigners that Trump says were convicted of US crimes.

PR AND MARKETING OF SOCIAL POLICY INSTITUTIONS IN POLAND

Author(s): Michał Szyszka / Language(s): English Issue: 1/1/2015

The paper presents the problems of presence of social policy institutions in media messages (Internet, television, radio, press) as well as the use of media and new media (including electronic communication) in order to support activities in this area. Communication deficits and barriers occurring in modern Polish public institutions are discussed and compared with the possibilities of applying marketing and PR tools. The text also presents the concept of holistic joining of the activities in the social space with those in the media space, the latter including marketing and PR, in order to support and reinforce the functioning of social policy institutions.

Cointegration of Monetary Policy in GCC Countries as Measure of Economic Integration

Author(s): Pawel Mlodkowski / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2015

Economic integration in the world is not always an explicit and intentional process. For some regions we are able to observe unintentional coordination of economic policies that results from following similar institutional and legal solutions. One of such cases can be recognized in the nominal sector of the national economy. As a consequence, a group of countries may be forming a de-facto currency union. It could alternatively compose an OCA without any need for forced nominal convergence. This paper focuses on monetary policy stance and its developments in the period from 1981 to 2013 of a very special group of resource-based economies. The GCC countries share many similarities in the underlying exchange rate regime solutions. They are in the same time following some explicit economic integration initiatives.It happens, however, that due to the financial turmoil after 2008, many of the integration processes have been reversed, or stopped. An empirical research tries to answer a question of the extent to which the integration process in nominal sector has been developing. For this purpose the monetary policy stance correlation is measured. Observing its developments, with a cointegration analysis in a standard(non-structural) VAR model, delivers interesting in sights into an issue of the GCC as an OCA. With statistical data provided by the World Bank (WDI Database) it is possible to observe significant convergence in monetary policy stance among all but one of the GCC countries. This study draws attention to a broader picture of a region that has potential of benefiting from a common market. However, not all GCC countries seem to be suited for economic integration in nominal sector. It is Bahrain that shows significant divergence for the whole period covered. There may be many country-specific factors, but persistence of asymmetry in monetary policy in this particular case allows for skeptical thoughts. If the GCC initiatives are continued, the economic integration will be more challenging in the new situation. As the observed convergence in monetary policy stance has been present from late 1970s one could suggest that it could have been a non-intentional process, but a result of similar exchange rate regimes. However, the latter divergence has been a result of conscious changes in the economic policies that affect the nominal sector.

Metodologia oceny ryzyka powodziowego gmin województwa łódzkiego

Author(s): Marta Borowska-Stefańska / Language(s): Polish Issue: 147/2016

The aim of the article is to analyze methods of flood risk assessment used in Poland and to compare the results obtained on the basis of these analyses. The analysis involves 21 communes ( Polish: gmina ), which in the document created by the Department of Security and Crisis Management of the Łódź Municipal Government were referred to as those in which the damage connected with flooding is the biggest. In accordance with the Flood Directive ( 2007 ), flood risk is a “ combination of the probability of a flood event and potential adverse consequences for human health, the natural environment, and cultural and economic activity ” ( Flood Directive of 2007, Art. 2 Item 2 ). The article uses the methodology implemented in the Flood Control Operating Plan for the Łódź province ( 2013 ), Plans of Flood Risk Management ( 2015 ), and their results were compared with the author’s interpretation. Research has shown that the biggest discrepancies concerning flood risk levels concern five communes: Uniejów, Działoszyn, Warta, Gidle and Sulejów. This is linked with a different attitude towards flood risk. Regrettably, there still exists no reliable method of risk assessment, which would greatly facilitate the pursuance of an adequate anti-flood policy.

MORAVČÍKOVÁ, HENRIETA, SZALAY, PETER, HABERLANDOVÁ, KATARÍNA, KRIŠTEKOVÁ, LAURA A MONIKA BOČKOVÁ. BRATISLAVA (NE)PLÁNOVANÉ MESTO. BRATISLAVA (UN)PLANNED CITY.

Author(s): Elena Mannová / Language(s): Slovak Issue: 1/2022

Review of: Moravčíková, Henrieta, Szalay, Peter, Haberlandová, Katarína, Krišteková, Laura a Monika Bočková. “Bratislava (ne)plánované mesto. Bratislava (un)planned city”, Bratislava: SLOVART, 2020, 613 strán a nestránkované prílohy. ISBN 978-80-556-4696-1.

Considering the Future of the Profession and Universal Basic Income Implications

Author(s): Ionuț Cioarță / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2024

Scholars in different disciplines claim that the implementation of Universal Basic Income (UBI) at a large scale has the potential to address and even eradicate poverty and inequalities. Taking into account this context, the present paper seeks to explore views on how this utopic scenario can impact the social work profession and society as a whole. Even though the social workers’ insights on the UBI debate are somehow marginal, their voices are highly relevant. As known, social workers are those who have direct contact with marginalised groups and can, therefore, contribute with their formal and informal experience in the field. Additionally, considering their role as advocates of social change and justice, social workers can provide an informed perspective on the potential reform of the welfare system if UBI were to be implemented. Based on these aspects, this article invites social work professionals and researchers to reflect upon the future and consider further opportunities and challenges that UBI could pose for our societies. These discussions also have the potential to engage with a wider range of social work theories and research.

Zpráva z XXXII. konference České asociace pedagogického výzkumu, Praha, 10.–12. září 2024

Author(s): Zuzana Krejčí,Karolina Šlehobr Kubíčková / Language(s): Czech Issue: 2/2024

In early September 2024, the Faculty of Education at Charles University hosted the 32nd conference of the Czech Association for Educational Research, focusing on interdisciplinary collaboration to enhance education quality. The event, under the patronage of the new dean, doc. Antonín Jančařík, featured methodological workshops, plenary sessions, and thematic panels. Highlights included prof. Naďa Vondrová's research on interdisciplinary teaching and prof. Keith Barton's insights on preparing students for democratic participation. The conference also addressed the challenges faced by novice teachers, the importance of teacher well-being, and the need for comprehensive curriculum reforms. The event concluded with a panel discussion on contemporary educational research, emphasizing the integration of innovative teaching methods and the support of both teachers and students.

Solving the Housing Crisis in Interwar Košice. Examples of Social Housing for the Unemployed and Impoverished

Author(s): Adriana Priatková / Language(s): English Issue: 1-2/2024

Even prior to the First World War, the challenging or indeed catastrophic housing situation in Košice was a regular topic of discussion in the city’s press. The war years, followed by the collapse of the Habsburg Empire and the establishment of the First Czechoslovak Republic, threw the city into an entirely new reality, yet still confronting the problem of insufficient housing stock. Although the Czechoslovak state responded to the housing crisis by introducing new policies as early as the beginning of 1919, the chronic shortage of residential accommodation continued to have a negative impact on the city’s population, in particular the lower classes. The study is the result of the author’s long-term archival research and offers positive examples of the city’s efforts to provide the poor with satisfactory solutions to the housing crisis throughout the entire interwar period.

Challenges in Achieving Equilibrium between State Accountability and the Protection of Public Interests

Author(s): Andrii KUBKO,Nataliia BEREZOVSKA,Vladyslav IOANNO,Dymytrii GRYTSYSHEN,Yevhen ROMANCHENKO / Language(s): English Issue: 88/2025

The topic’s relevance is driven by the need to balance state responsibility and ensure state interests in the context of globalisation, economic instability and digitalisation. The importance of this issue is reinforced by the current challenges affecting the functioning of state institutions and public control. The purpose of the study is to examine the legal and institutional mechanisms that help to achieve a balance between the state’s responsibility and ensuring its interests. The research methodology includes analysis and synthesis of scientific literature, as well as a comparative method and systematic approach. The study has identified key challenges in ensuring social justice and transparency of public administration, in particular, the insufficient effectiveness of existing legal mechanisms. In addition, the importance of information security and financial stability as the basis for effective public administration is emphasised. The study’s practical significance lies in the possibility of using its results to improve state responsibility’s legal and institutional mechanisms, which will help improve the interaction between the state and society. The proposed recommendations serve as a basis for developing policies to increase state institutions’ transparency and accountability.

Between a Shrinking and a Shifting Space: the Symbolic Inclusion of the Disability Movement in Policy-Making in Romania

Author(s): Leyla Safta-Zecheria,Gabriela Tănăsan,Gábor Petri / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2024

In this paper, we explore how political opportunity structures for the inclusion of the disability movement in Romania are shaped from the perspective of self-advocacy and service provider NGOs active in the field of disability. Building on in-depth semi-structured interviews with nine representatives of self-advocacy and service provider organizations, we explore how they understood the processes by which they participated in policy formulation processes. Our results show that both service provider and self-advocacy organizations feel that their inclusion in the policymaking process is mostly symbolic and tokenistic, but that this can and did change in the last years. However, despite a general concern for a shrinking space for civil society organizations influence on policymaking in Central and East European countries, disability organizations in Romania describe the political opportunity landscape as a fluctuating one, rather than one that is evolving in one direction. Moreover, whereas service provider organizations seem to perceive higher levels of inclusion on the national level, whereas self-advocacy NGOs seem to perceive themselves as being better included and more influential on local levels. This also reflects the presence of bottom-up federative efforts of service provider organizations as opposed to the lack of successful bottom-up federative efforts in the field of disability based self-advocacy organizations. Finally, our paper problematizes inclusion in policy-making as an unequivocally positive process, showing how disability organizations sometimes choose not to participate in order not to legitimize problematic decisions through their symbolic presence in the negotiation process.

Navigating the digital frontier: platform work and its challenges in the Western Balkans

Author(s): Vladimir M. Radivojević / Language(s): English,Serbian Issue: 1/2025

The paper explores the platform economy’s development in the Western Balkans, highlighting its unique challenges and opportunities. It aims to understand the regional impact of digital transformation, focusing on barriers such as limited digital infrastructure, regulatory hurdles, and significant gender disparities in the online workforce. The research employs comparative analysis and case studies to examine these issues, identifying critical gaps in legislative protections and varying degrees of gender representation and earnings. By emphasizing the need to improve digital literacy and enhance competition, the study offers well-founded measures for advancing the digital economy in this region and underscores additional avenues for future research. The findings are particularly beneficial for policymakers, platform entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders seeking to address regional inequalities, improve digital inclusion, and foster a more equitable and resilient platform economy in the Western Balkans.

Sharenting – the parents’ right or the abuse of the child’s rights?

Author(s): Uroš P. Novaković / Language(s): English,Serbian Issue: 1/2025

The paper analyzes the modern practice of parents who share virtual content about their children on social networks and on online platforms in general (Internet, YouТube...). In legal theory, sharenting is defined as the use of social media by parents for sharing the content about their children via textual posts, photographs and video-clips which contain the child’s personal data. Sharenting is the parents’ authorization, the segment of exercising the parents’ right to fully decide on their own about the child’s visibility on the Internet, without including the child in that decision. The parents’ limited right to publish the content about their child would be reflected in the parents’ posting news about the child on their profiles (that the child was born, that the child started walking, talking, going to the kindergarten or school etc.), but without the visual content accompanying it (photos and videos). In that manner, the child’s identity would not be revealed and, thus, potentially threatened by third parties.