"Care Drain". Explaining Bias in Theorizing Women's Migration

Author(s): Speranta Dumitru / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2016

Migrant women are often stereotyped. Some scholars associate the feminization of migration with domestic work and criticize the “care drain” as a new form of imperialism that the First World imposes on the Third World. However, migrant women employed as domestic workers in Northern America and Europe represent only 2% of migrant women worldwide and cannot be seen as characterizing the “feminization of migration”. Why are migrant domestic workers overestimated? This paper explores two possible sources of bias. The first is sampling: conclusions about “care drain” are often generalized from small samples of domestic workers. The second stems from the affect heuristic: imagining children left behind by migrant mothers provokes strong feelings of injustice which trump other considerations. The paper argues that neither source of bias is unavoidable and finds evidence of gender stereotypes in the “care drain” construal.

10 points versus 11 points? Effects of Left-right Scale Design in a Cross-national Perspective

Author(s): Cornelia Zuell,Evi Scholz / Language(s): English / Issue: 25/2016

Left-right self-placement on a unidimensional scale is a standard question in many social and political surveys to measure respondents’ ideological orientation in a minimalist way. Although the left-right scale is a standard question, the scale design is not standardized across surveys. One aspect of scale design is the offer of a midpoint. This paper is about design effects on central left-right scale placement in a cross-national context. How do respondents answer if there is no true midpoint: Do respondents who want to express a middle position, in the case of a 10-point scale, use scale middle categories as a substitute for a true midpoint? Are findings consistent across countries? Offering a midpoint is much debated among researchers and quite often, a midpoint might serve as a hidden “don’t know” or a missing attitude. Does nonresponse increase when non-attitudes cannot be expressed by choosing the neutral midpoint to hide nonresponse? If middle categories in the 10-point scale work as substitute for a true midpoint in the 11-point scale, nonresponse will not differ. We tested these questions in a split-half experiment where either a 10-point or an 11-point scale was asked in an experimental web survey fielded in six countries. Our results seem to confirm the idea that respondents who favor choosing a scale middle find a virtual center in the 10-point scale. However, results are inconsistent in cross-national perspective.

A balatoni társadalom kohéziójának kérdései

Author(s): Gergely Kabai / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 04/2014

A Century of Failure: Political Science and the Issue of Governance in the Arab World

Author(s): HAMDY R. HASSAN / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2015

What has the Arab world benefited from a century worth of political study? Has it been able to utilize such studies in issues of political succession and democratization? To answer such questions, this paper explores three sets of contexts. First, since the outbreak of WWI, there has been no significant original scientific work in the Arab World. Second, the experts in the field of political science in the Arab World have failed to offer a sufficient degree of formulation or analysis that can aid in solving contemporary issues. This way, stable authoritarianism, has remained the ruling paradigm until the outbreak of Arab Spring. Third, there is a time gap between the East and the West; where the East is always a step behind Western conceptual and theoretical advancements. In addition, many Arab researchers find themselves tied to a Western agenda for research. Even with the limited effort to formulate an Arab-Islamic perspective of political science, such effort is usually directed at the study of early Islamic experiences, with little direct impact on current politics.

A CYBERNETICS APPROACH TO THE SOVEREIGN DEBT CRISIS

Author(s): Alexandra Maria Constantin / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2015

The purpose of this paper is to approach the sovereign debt crisis from a cyberneticsperspective, as a system that includes several interrelated subsystems. We emphasize thedynamic nature and sustainability of the sovereign debt system. The paper also discusses thetransition from a sovereign debt dynamic system to a sovereign debt crisis dynamic system,transition included in the feedback control loop of the dynamic system of national economy.

A Distant Mirror: Poland between the Visegrad Group and the Eastern Alliance

Author(s): Artur Roland Kozlowski,Andrzej Piskozub / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2016

The article offers an overview of the position of the Visegrad Group in the history of Central-Eastern Europe. The Group emerged in the 14th Century as a coalition of three medieval kingdoms: Poland, Bohemia and Hungary. Towards the end of the century, Poland favoured an alliance with Lithuania, motivated by the conflict of both states with the Teutonic Order. The shift involved a personal union under the Jagiellonian dynasty, which in the course of time evolved into an actual union (the Union of Lublin, 1569) creating the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Rzeczpospolita Obojga Narodów). Nationalist ideology, which emerged after the partitions of the Commonwealth towards the end of the 18th Century, resulted in the disintegration of entire Central-Eastern Europe into nation states formed on the basis of ethnic differences. The present study have aimed to verify the potential of the cultural contribution of the Visegrad Group and the Eastern Alliance for the development of European integration processes. The influence of these groups of countries in the external environment in the development of European civilization has been presented in terms of historiosophical. Today, the former medieval partners are members of the European Union, where they revive the Visegrad Group in order to pursue their narrow interests, thus affecting the progress of European integration. Unlike the Visegrad Group there is Easter Alliance perceived as a bloc of countries with a potential for introducing progressive ideas for a constructive development of the European Union.

A politika, mint politikai probléma. Kis János és Schlett István a politika autonómiájáról

Author(s): Attila Gyulai / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 4/2016

Political realism claims that politics can be understood only on its own terms. Realist political theory attempts to have the autonomy of politics recognized and to emancipate politics from the authority of other domains such as ethics, economy or aesthetics. After the democratic transition, Hungarian political theory has claimed autonomy of politics as opposed to technocratic and other deterministic approaches. The study discusses two texts of Hungarian political theory which, differing from the mainstream, conceived the problem of the autonomy of politics in the context of the relationship between politics and morality. János Kis’ ‘Politics as a Moral Problem’ and István Schlett’s answer to that book, ‘Morality as a Political Problem’ represent the two main standpoints in the realist – moralist debate described by contemporary realist theory, however, neither of them fi ts into those positions perfectly. The differences analysed in this article emerge regarding the autonomy of politics. As a conclusion, it is supposed that the concept of the autonomy of politics cannot account for a realist approach to politics.

A STUDY ON DEFENSE ACQUISITION MODELS WITH AN EMERGING MARKET PERSPECTIVE. THE CASE OF TURKEY

Author(s): Mustafa Kemal Topcu,Murat Mala,Selim Müslüm / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2015

With the end of the Cold War, the static environment, characteristic of thebipolar world, has changed quickly into a dynamic and complicated environmentwith new actors. These changes have also affected the countries’ armed forces andnew approaches to procurement/acquisition come into progress. After the Cold War,countries have focused on responding to changing threats with their decreasing defensebudgets. In this study, acquisition models and their effects on Turkey’s technologyacquisition and defense industry are evaluated. The evaluation is performed basedon criteria such as contribution to national economy, customization, acquisition cost,time and risk, life cycle cost, and technology acquisition. Major acquisition modelsin this study are determined as direct procurement, production under license, jointventure, indigenous development, production via international consortium. Finally,it is observed that the best model is indigenous development while the others willserve as technology acquisition for indigenous development.

A terapeutaszerep mint retorikai stratégia Bibó István politikai gondolkodásában

Author(s): Gábor Kovács / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 12/2016

Acharya, Amitav. 2014. The End of American World Order. Cambridge: Polity Press, 157 pp.

Author(s): Marija Popovic / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2015

Adam Lityński Prawo Rosji i ZSRR 1917–1991, czyli historia wszechzwiązkowego komunistycznego prawa (bolszewików). Krótki kurs Pierwsze wydanie: C.H. Beck, Warszawa 2010, ss. 396 + XXVI Drugie wydanie C.H. Beck, Warszawa 2012, ss. 402 + XXVI

Author(s): Andrzej Wrzyszcz / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 2/2013

A Book Review

Adaptacja polityczna Singapuru w Stowarzyszeniu Narodów Azji Południowo-Wschodniej

Author(s): ANNA GRZYWACZ / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 4/2015

The article focuses on the analysis of Singapore’s political adaptation. The author attempts to answer the following question: What kind of strategy of political adaptation has been adopted by Singapore as regards its activity in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)? The paper verifies the hypothesis that Singapore’s political adaptation is characterised by creativity, which means that Singapore strives to adjust to the changes taking place in the regional environment and tries to influence its shape. The article is divided into several parts. In the first one, the author discusses the concept of political adaptation, the second one focuses on the vision and principles of Singapore’s foreign policy, and the subsequent ones describe the country’s activity in ASEAN.

Addressing the Threat of Fraud and Corruption in Public Procurement: Review of State of the Art Approaches

Compendium

Author(s): Center for the Study of Democracy CSD / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 2013

The present compendium of selected best practices addresses the threat of fraud and corruption from multiple perspectives, with the underlying purpose of providing practitioners from Romania and Greece with a set of state of the art approaches for addressing the threat of fraud and corruption in the complex multi-layered national public procurement systems. This publication is based on ideas presented at the international seminar EU's Financial Interests under Threat: New Approaches in Assessing the Risks from Public Procurement and EU Funds Fraud, organised on 31 October – 1 November 2013 in Sofia, with the support of the European AntiFraud Office (OLAF).

Adult Education and Lifelong Learning in Romania: Current Issues and Future Perspectives

Author(s): Alexandru Clain / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2015

One of the main objectives of the Education and Training 2020 Strategy is to increase participation rates in lifelong learning across EU member states. In spite of the fact that almost six years have passed since the strategy was adopted, empirical data shows that Romania has the lowest participation rate of adults in lifelong learning among EU member states, of only 1.5%. Starting from this premise, the present paper has two main objectives. The first objective is to determine the current state of affairs regarding the participation of adults in Romania in lifelong learning in general, and in adult education in particular, by looking at the main EU benchmarks in the field of lifelong learning. The second objective is to conduct a critical assessment of the current policy framework for lifelong learning in Romania, with special focus on the National Education Law from 2011 and the National Strategy for Lifelong Learning 2015 – 2020, in order to identify the main features of the policy framework, as well as potential issues and risks that could have a negative impact with regard to reaching desired results. Furthermore, several recommendations, which could contribute to increasing the participation of adults in lifelong learning, will be made.

African Studies in the Other Europe: A Legitimate Perspective on Africa

Author(s): Peter Skalník / Language(s): English / Issue: 42/2016

African Studies in the countries that were under communist rule and that today are known as post‑ communist, have originally developed an interest in Africa based on ideological, political and economic interests of the state. There has been a gradual shift from ideology to economy while the study of African politics seems to follow the vagaries of the influence that Africa exerts on the world scene. Characteristically, until recently AEGIS did not include a single centre or association based in post‑ communist Europe even though in countries such as Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary African studies currently experience considerable growth. This reflects both the hegemony of Western Europe with its strong colonial and neo‑ colonial emphases and weak official interest that post‑ communist Europe shows for Africa. The article describes changing emphases of eastern European Africanist scholarship and discusses the question of legitimacy of the marginal but non‑ colonial approach to African studies. In contradistinction to the Western European African studies and with Eastern European approaches it shows that the latter perspective is useful for a critical look at the hitherto dominant paternalistic style of African studies in Europe.

AFRYKAŃSKIE INSTYTUCJE BEZPIECZEŃSTWA

Author(s): WIESLAW LIZAK / Language(s): Polish / Publication Year: 2012

Świat pozimnowojenny charakteryzuje się dużą dynamiką ról i pozycji międzynarodowych poszczególnych państw oraz grup państw w ramach istniejącego ładu międzynarodowego. Procesy przemian zachodzą także na kontynencie afrykańskim, dotychczas postrzeganym przede wszystkim przez pryzmat dystansów rozwojowych, tendencji autorytarnych w ramach systemów politycznych poszczególnych państw czy też konfliktów etnicznych i międzynarodowych. Reformy przeprowadzane zarówno w wymiarze wewnątrzpaństwowym, jak i w ramach instytucji powołanych dla pogłębiania współpracy międzynarodowej, które symbolizuje ukuty przez byłego prezydenta RPA Thabo Mbekiego termin „afrykański renesans”, stwarzają szanse na stopniową zmianę sytuacji mieszkańców kontynentu.Wiesław Lizak swą książkę poświęcił właśnie analizie działań państw afrykańskich na rzecz stworzenia skutecznych i efektywnych środków reagowania w sytuacjach kryzysowych. Autor przedstawił w niej genezę, ewolucję i funkcjonowanie najważniejszych instytucji bezpieczeństwa i współpracy – począwszy od Organizacji Jedności Afrykańskiej, po prezentację Unii Afrykańskiej jako organizacji, której zadania i kompetencje mają być odpowiedzią na wyzwania rozwojowe i modernizacyjne, przed którymi stoi współczesna Afryka. W literaturze polskiej nie było dotychczas monografii tak wszechstronnie przedstawiającej afrykańskie instytucje bezpieczeństwa.

AGENDA 2030. NEW PERSPECTIVES

Author(s): Edith Mihaela Dobrescu / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2017

Agenda 2030 has set up a global partnership revitalized which has facilitating involvement intensive worldwide in support of the implementation of all objectives and targets, bringing together governments, civil society, private sector, United Nations system and other stakeholders and mobilizing all available resources.

Ajateenijatest Juhtide Hoiakute Kujundamine

Author(s): Marko Pungar / Language(s): Estonian / Issue: 19/2014

The role of small-unit leaders has now become more important than ever. The Estonian Defense Force is a reserve army which educates its squad and platoon commanders through conscription. To achieve better results the Estonian Defense Forces need commanders who possess not only the required knowledge and skills, but also the right attitudes that enable them to complete tasks in a combat situation. If attention is not paid to the attitudes of the commanders during conscription, then the risk arises that they will not respond to call-outs for mobilization or reservist training. And even if they do turn up, there is also the possibility that they will be unable to promptly fulfill their tasks according to their positions. The aim of the present article is to examine how the attitudes of conscript leaders are shaped, and whether they can be shaped. To this end, the author raised four research questions: 1) In which direction and in what way should the attitudes of the conscript leaders be shaped? 2) Are the attitudes of conscript leaders refl ected in the regulations? If yes, how? 3) How are leadership qualities understood and valued? 4) How are the attitudes of concript leaders shaped in practice?

Aktywność międzynarodowa regionów (paradyplomacja) w ujęciu teoretycznym

Author(s): Maciej Ras / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 3/2016

The article presents proposed systematisation of international activity of regions (constituent parts of states) – regional paradiplomacy – within the framework of international relations studies. The author outlines the problems with defining the concept in question, the determinants of increasing activity of regions in international relations as well as the development of paradiplomacy studies. Furthermore, the author points out the dynamism and complexity of the analysed phenomenon aswell as the vagueness of the concept of regional paradiplomacy and the need to conduct further studies on the issue.

Working Paper: A Revanchist Russia versus an Uncertain West: An Appreciation of the Situation since the 2014 Ukrainian Crisis

Author(s): Brian Jenkins / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 2016

An aggressive Russia, a divided and unsettled Europe, and a distracted and unpredictable United States have created an unprecedented and perilous confluence of events that could undermine the European security architecture and the liberal-democratic order. Ultimately, it is conceivable that the Western allies and Russia could achieve through dialogue some kind of constructive modus vivendi whereby Russia becomes a less paranoid power that respects the independence of its former empire. A long shot to begin with, such a rapprochement is less achievable if Europe and the United States appear disorganized and vulnerable.