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Efficient Questioning in Teaching Mathematics: Teachers’ Attitudes and Practices

Author(s): Nina Tarasenkova,Iryna Akulenko,Kira Hnezdilova,Olga Chashechnikova,Vadym Kirman,Zoia Serdiuk,Oksana Kolomiets,Anton Zaporozhets / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: Educational questioning in teaching mathematics; functions of questions; psychological-semiotic approach; semantic support in questions’ wording;

The paper is an exposure to the latest practices of questioning in teaching and learning math (TLM) on the basis of psychological-semiotic approach. Emphasis is placed on the degree of semantic support of the expected answer when formulating educational questions. The paper explored: whether teachers are able to distinguish between types of questions and to use them in sync with didactic purpose; what types of questions teachers consider to be the most effective; what factors influence this process. To achieve these goals, survey-based research was conducted among 173 high school mathematics teachers across Ukraine. The research proved that, in their majority, teachers are able to correctly distinguish among the types of the questions offered. According to the teachers, questions with full semantic support for the answer are less useful in TLM. The study showed teachers’ lack of ability to identify the goals of the questions. There has been revealed a gap between the teachers’ attitude to the expedience of using questions with several possible answers and the practice of their implementation in TLM. The study yielded 35 variables characterizing the current status of the problem. They were optimized to 13 factors. It was stated that questioning should comply with the content of educational material, and the questions formulated with the use of topical vocabulary known to the students are viewed as most cost-effective. The research revealed the significant impact of the number of questions that teachers or students ask. The factor of primary importance appears to be that of time.

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Formation of Communicative Competencies of Applicants for Higher Education in the Context of Distance Learning

Author(s): Mykola Nesprava,Inna Zarishniak,Olesya Koropetska,Аlla Kurinna,Snizhana Syvash,Larysa Sushchenko / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: Competence; higher education; applicant; communication; communicative competence; distance learning; neuroscience; neurolinguistics;

The article deals with the formation of communicative competencies of applicants for higher education in the context of distance learning from the perspective of neurosciences. The relevance of the article lies in the fact that for a successful, effective organization of distance learning, it is necessary to select the rational methods of teaching, aimed at enhancing the development of personality. The purpose of the article: to clarify the interpretation of the concepts: “competence”, “communicative competence”, “distance learning”, “neuroscience”, “neurolinguistics”, to investigate service platforms for online learning; to find effective teaching methods that contribute to the formation of communicative competence of university applicants. Methods of work - analysis of scientific and methodological literature, system analysis. Results: the use of active teaching methods has a great impact on the formation of communicative competence in higher education students. Service platforms that help teachers conduct online learning with students have been investigated. It was emphasized that videoconferencing and video meetings help to form communicative competence with students. In addition, it was noted that higher education should be implemented using a competency-based approach. Novelty in the work is a review of neurolinguistic programming as one of the effective methods of formation of communicative competence. Conclusion: the use of current pedagogical technologies in the university helps to implement new principles of individualization and differentiation, taking into account the psychological aspects of the person associated with his intellect and speech.

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Improving the Level of Cognitive Component of Mathematical Competence in the Process of Mathematical Training of Students of Technical Specialties

Author(s): Alona Kolomiiets,Vitaliy Klochko,Olena Stakhova,Oksana Klochko,Vira Petruk,Maiia Kovalchuk / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: engineering; higher education; fundamentalization; mathematical training; future technical specialists; educational process; cognitive component; training of engineers;

The article reveals some approaches to the interpretation of the concept of the cognitive component of mathematical competence, reveals some ways of forming the cognitive component of mathematical competence of students of technical specialties. Based on the analysis of literature sources, the purpose and objectives of the study, the research hypothesis are substantiated. The purpose of the study is to check the effectiveness of the proposed method of improving the level of mathematical training of students of technical specialties (STS) in the form of checking the formation of the cognitive component of mathematical competence of STS. The method of improving the level of mathematical preparation consists in its fundamentalization. The paper also presents a statistical verification of the reliability of the obtained results. The methodological apparatus of the research covered modern principles and approaches of higher school pedagogy. The main approaches to improving the quality of mathematical training through its fundamentalization include: synergistic, systemic, activity, competence, knowledge-activity, personality-oriented; teaching and research approach. Also, the idea of forming professionally oriented mathematical competence is substantiated in the work. The work describes the structural scheme of the concepts of the proposed methodological system for improving the mathematical training of students of technical specialties through its fundamentalization. The obtained results of the study clearly confirm the effectiveness of the proposed concept of improving the quality of mathematical training of STS, and confirm the impact on improving the cognitive component of mathematical competence. The obtained results of the study indicate the need for further development in order to improve the quality and level of mathematical preparation of STS.

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Primary Education in Wartime: How the Russian Invasion Affected Ukrainian Teachers and the Educational Process in Kryvyi Rih

Author(s): Mariana Velykodna,Natalia Mishaka,Zoia Miroshnyk,Vladyslav Deputatov / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: primary education; primary school; school psychology; Russian-Ukrainian war; primary school teachers;

The ability of children in Ukraine to continue their primary education after the Russian invasion is inextricably linked to the direct providers of education – primary school teachers. This study aimed to clarify the psychological effects of the war on Ukrainian primary school teachers and their everyday educational activities, using teachers in the city of Kryvyi Rih as a case study. The research design included personal and professional data, questions on changes in students and the educational process, Psychological Stress Measure (PSM-9), Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), and Miroshnyk Teacher’s Roles Self-Assessment Scale (MiTeRoSA) integrated into an online survey conducted three months after the invasion. In the results, primary education in Ukraine during the invasion required teachers (n=495) to make significant changes in their work, namely shifts in schedules, increased workload, conducting remote lessons, providing tutoring for certain students, conducting crisis interventions with a broader range of subjects, and volunteering. The majority of the surveyed practitioners experienced considerable stress due to a significant increase in the amount of time they spent preparing their lessons. The psychological conditions of primary school teachers depended on the number of students who were expelled and new students who had been evacuated from other war-torn regions, the ability of school administrators to re-organize the work for online teaching, and perceived support from colleagues. All of these factors along with resilience were predictors of stress and burnout among teachers in wartime. Teachers experiencing burnout, especially exhaustion, high-stress scores, and low levels of resilience frequently evaluated the performance of their students with more leniency. In addition to a list of typical teachers’ roles (MiTeRoSA), teachers indicated frequently taking on the new roles of a ‘tutor’ and a ‘crisis counselor’ in response to the war.

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The Strategic Concept of Meritology in Learning

Author(s): Ludmila Frantuzan,Tatiana Callo,Veronica Bâlici / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: Merit; Meritocracy; Meritology; Effort; Knowledge; Elite; Internalization of Knowledge; Nano learning;

This article addresses the issue of meritology as a strategic concept in the theory and practice of the learning process in school. The investigation of this field is generated by the need for the theoretical substantiation of the phenomenon in question, as well as by the deficient practice of capitalizing it in the process of assessing the student's learning activity. Based on constructivist ideals, correlative notions are analyzed, such as those of competition, effort, elite, knowledge, learning internalization, merit, and nano learning. Through analytical synthesis, the cardinal problems of meritology are recorded- the main question being that of clarification. In an innovative sense, the structure of the strategy associated with meritology is outlined, with the clarification necessary to use the concept of meritology as both strategically recorded and topical, shedding light on the specificity of the learning approach. Clarifying the pedagogical significance of meritology is the objective that generates the elaboration of the Strategy associated with meritology. The initial idea is to modernize the learning process by connecting to current social trends. The substantiation of the identity of meritology opens the perspective of the positive impact on the training of students through the internalization of learning and nano learning.

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RURAL AREAS AND WINE TOURISM: THE CASE OF ROMANIA

Author(s): Cornelia Pop,Monica Maria Coroş / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: vineyards; wine tourism; rural area; Romania;

The purpose of the present paper is to provide an integrated approach to the development of wine tourism in Romania’s rural areas. The main research question is: are the communes hosting vineyards and wine-producing facilities and/or cellars/wineries in a better position to attract tourists, compared to the other communes? This question was induced, first, by the fact that Romania is among the top 15 wine pro-ducers worldwide, and some of its wine brands are (well)known at least at the regional level, hence this position might influence Romania as a wine tourism destination. Second, Romanian rural tourism is still in its early stages of development at the national level and therefore a differ¬entiation feature represented by wine-related activities might enhance the attractiveness of a rural destination. Furthermore, wine tourism is a fastly developing trend at the international level and those destinations which have the resources to establish and/or improve wine tourism should take advantage of this trend. The findings of the current paper indicate that wine tourism is poorly developed for the group of wine-producing Romanian rural localities. The extra tourist potential of these localities (represented by vineyards and wineries) is used in an unsatisfactory and inexpertly manner for attracting tourists. The findings are in line with the relatively low level of rural tourism development in Romania presented by other academic works.

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ADAPTIVE FACEBOOK COMMUNICATION OF ORTHODOX ENTITIES IN COVID-19 CONTEXT

Author(s): Horațiu Vasile Borza,Ionuţ-Călin Căzan,Smaranda Adina Cosma / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: religious communication; adaptive communication; Facebook; Orthodox; COVID-19;

A generalized migration of the consumers to digital channels was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic situation. In this context, the purpose of the research was to analyze the online options the consumer of religious services had and the way Church adapted its communication at the new circumstances. Questions regarding the intensity of communication, posts’ type or frequency, and reactions were investigated through a longitudinal retrospective study focused on Facebook platform. More than 6,150 posts and 1.6 million reactions were included. Distinctive profiles were observed: monasteries vs. urban parishes vs. rural ones. The study suggests that the pattern of consumers’ reactions was influenced by the type of the posts. The impact that online messages have, advocates for a professional approach or support in communication. The results may serve as informational input for a future unitary communication strategy of religious entities.

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HUMAN RESOURCES AS THE MAIN VECTOR OF COMMUNICATION: THE CASE OF MOBEXPERT GROUP

Author(s): Erika Kulcsár,Cristina Scridon / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: Mobexpert Group; communication; brand essence; employees; owner;

Owners and employees represent those stakeholders who substantially shape the organisational culture. In fact, their values, their expectations, significantly influence the company’s performance. Moreover, customers see a brand through its employees, through the owner. This paper has the following objectives: to explore the expectations/possibilities ‒ as basic pillars of an effective collaboration ‒ both from the point of view of the employees and from the point of view of the owner of the Mobexpert Group, and to identify those values that are appreciated by the employees of the Mobexpert brand, which also define the owner of the Mobexpert Group. In order to achieve the proposed objectives, content analysis was conducted based on the show ‘Empire of Lions’, Season 3, i.e. regarding the experiences and opinions of employees posted on YouTube (Mobexpert People section). Following the analysis, it was found that: (1) the success of the brand is summed up in the set of expectations, outlined values, (2) trust, self-confidence, perseverance and creativity representing the foundation/stone of the employee-brand relationship, and of possible collaboration between the owner of the Mobexpert Group as investor and potential business partners.

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THE ROLE OF SELF-ESTEEM IN THE BUYING DECISION PROCESS. A THEORETICAL APPROACH

Author(s): Brîndușa-Mariana Bejan / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: self-esteem; consumer behavior; extended self; buying process;

Within the consumer behaviour literature, there are few studies in the consumer behaviour literature dealing with the relationship between consumer self-esteem and its role in the buying decision process. This paper explores the influence of self-esteem throughout the five stages of the consumer buying decision process. The first aspect for consideration is getting a clear picture of the definition and dimensions of self-esteem. The second element of the study concerns the five stages of the decision-making process, with special focus on how the process takes place depending on the level of self-esteem.The results show that impulse purchasers have more often than not a low level of self-esteem and do not go through the stages of the decision-making process in the usual way. With respect to managerial implications, the study indicates that organizations have to pay more attention to customer self-esteem when making customer segmentation, as, at the moment, the focus is only on demographic differences (age, gender, background, education) which do not always provide sufficient information. The evidence shows that self-esteem plays an increasing role in explaining consumer behaviour and sheds light on how individuals make decisions which mould their existence.

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A MEASUREMENT OF RURAL TOURISM DESTINATIONS’ COMPETITIVENESS

Author(s): Ioana Maria Dumitru (Tripon),Smaranda Adina Cosma / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: tourism competitiveness; rural destination competitiveness model; rural tourism; rural destinations;

The trend of rural tourism is growing and is becoming increasingly significant for most nations. Rural tourism is believed to have the potential to revive traditional approaches and perspectives on tourism and provide new dimensions to sustainable growth. Romania is regarded as one of the main destinations with a high potential in sustainable tourism development, due to its beautiful, unspoiled rural landscapes, traditions, and rustic lifestyle.Tourism, as a development tool, in rural communities, is one of the major concerns. The scarcity of case studies on rural tourist competitiveness, particularly in Romania, is what inspired the current research. This study attempts to investigate the factors that impact Romania’s rural tourism’s competitiveness and develop a conceptual framework for measuring it. In conducting our research, there were employed both exploratory and descriptive approaches. Secondary data from statistical and published research and studies were gathered, and it were collected primary data through surveys and personal interviews.The objective of the current research was to introduce a distinct and exclusive method of evaluating tourism in rather small regions with unique characteristics and applied and test the proposed model to Maramures region. The paper concludes that measuring and understanding rural tourism competitiveness and dynamics is essential for supporting sustainable development in rural areas, and it is of great importance for practitioners, policy makers and researchers.

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“THE TASK OF THE INSTITUTE IS TO ACCEPT ORPHANED CHILDREN, RAISE THEM THERE AND PREPARE THEM FOR LIFE” – JEWISH ORPHAN CARE IN ARAD DURING THE DUAL MONARCHY

Author(s): Imelga Földi / Language(s): English / Issue: 32/2022

Keywords: Arad; Austria-Hungary; Jews; orphans; orphanages;

Lucrarea de față își propune să prezinte câteva aspecte ale îngrijirii orfanilor evrei în orașul Arad în timpul dublei Monarhii sau a Imperiului Austro-Ungar. Comunitatea religioasă evreiască din Arad a îndeplinit sarcina de a îngriji orfanii – exclusiv orfanii aparținând confesiunii evreiești și în principal membrii comunității religioase din Arad – cu sprijinul financiar al membrilor înstăriți proprii. Scopul, așa cum indică citatul din titlul acestei lucrări, era acela de a crește orfanii pentru a deveni membri “utili” (adică muncitori și autosuficienți) ai societății la vârsta adultă. Comunitatea religioasă punea un mare accent pe educația orfanilor, respectând reglementările religioase (respectarea sărbătorilor religioase, a stilului de viață kosher etc.). Orfelinatul evreiesc de băieți din Arad și-a început activitatea în 1874, situație ce a fost posibilă datorită unei donații generoase din partea lui Ignác Deutsch. Generațiile ulterioare ale familiei Deutsch au sprijinit și ele cu sume importante instituția, a cărei întreținere era finanțată în întregime de comunitatea evreiască. Cu toate acestea, problema îngrijirii fetelor orfane a fost rezolvată abia în perioada dintre cele două războaie mondiale, dar Orfelinatul evreiesc de fete în sine a funcționat doar două decenii.

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MERGER AND ACQUISITION ANNOUNCEMENT OF INDIAN BANKING SECTOR: A PRE-POST ANALYSIS OF STOCK MARKET REACTION

Author(s): Mahesh Dahal,Joy Das / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2022

Keywords: Merger and Acquisition; Indian Banking Companies; Event Study Methodology; BHAR;

With the recommendation of the Narasimham Committee (1991), the Indian banking sector saw a soar in M&A with the objective of value creation, but the existing literature does not provide any conclusive evidence in respect of value creation for shareholders. Therefore, in the present study, an attempt has been made to investigate whether the M&A announcement generates value to the shareholders or not. By employing event study methodology, the study observed significant negative abnormal returns during the post-M&A announcement period for both overall market and individual banking sector stock. The returns further deteriorated in the long run with significant negative BHAR. Thus, the study concludes that the M&A did not create value to the shareholders; instead, it deteriorate the shareholders’ value.

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DETERMINANTS OF STOCK MARKET LIQUIDITY. THE QUANTIFIABLE EFFECTS OF PSYCHIC DISTANCE STIMULI

Author(s): Andrei Dimcea / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2022

Keywords: Psychic distance; liquidity; culture; panel regression;

Our study aims to narrow the existing gap in the academic literature on cultural determinants of stock market liquidity by addressing the problem through a completely new lens - that of the international investor’s point of view. To do this, we resort to bringing together the financial and psychological concepts and use a proxy that can measure the perception an individual investor has upon the differences between his/her home country and other countries. The motivation behind this decision is as follows: despite there being a waste majority of studies analyzing the cross-country cultural distance effects upon the stock market liquidity, they only resume to describing those effects through the perspective of the domestic investor. We decided to go one step further and employ a proxy to capture the effects of the difference between the home country and the target country upon an investor’s decisions to trade internationally, which in turn, can affect the overall liquidity of the stock market in the target country. This proxy is called psychic distance stimuli and was first measured and used by Douglas Dow. We performed the analysis on a rather extensive sample of 21 developed and 24 developing countries, spanning an interval of 21 years, beginning in 1996. The results confirm our hypothesis that the measure of psychic distance plays a significant role in explaining the liquidity of the stock market in the target country.

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ASSESSING THE LONG-RUN AND SHORT-RUN EFFECT OF MONETARY VARIABLES ON STOCK MARKET IN THE PRESENCE OF STRUCTURAL BREAKS: EVIDENCE FROM LIBERALISED INDIA

Author(s): Animesh Bhattacharjee,Joy Das / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2022

Keywords: Monetary factors; ARDL-ECM; interest rate; monetary policy; Bai-Perron test multiple break point;

The present study examines the long-run and short-run effects of monetary factors (money supply, interest rate, inflation, and foreign currency exchange rate) on the Indian stock market. The study uses sophisticated econometric tools to analyse monthly observations from January 1993 to December 2019. The Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) test indicates that the variables involved in the present study are either I(0) or I(1). The Bai-Perron multiple break point test identifies four breakpoint dates in the Indian stock market index series. The breakpoint dates are incorporated as different dummy variables in the ARDL-ECM regression. The F-bounds test reveals that the variables in the study are cointegrated within the time period under consideration. Our findings show that the interest rate, which is a proxy for monetary policy instrument, and the foreign currency exchange rate have a negative impact on the Indian stock market both in the long-run and short-run. Furthermore, we find that structural changes significantly affect the performance of Indian stock market. The study covers a long period of time, which the majority of previous work did not consider. Furthermore, the study uses different dummy variables in the ARDL model to represent structural breaks (as determined by the Bai-Perron multiple break point test).

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Western Balkans Trade with Russia and EU amid the Ukrainian Crisis – Threats and Opportunities

Author(s): Nataša Stanojević / Language(s): English / Issue: 1187/2023

Keywords: Ukrainian crisis; international trade; Western Balkans; Russia; European Union; manufacturing; deindustrialisation

This research aims to assess the most significant and potentially lasting effects of the Ukrainian crisis on the structure, volume, and directions of Western Balkans international trade. The analysis refers only to trade with Russia and the European Union (EU) as the only trade directions sensitive to disruptions due to the Ukrainian crisis. The research questions are: 1. What are the effects of the Ukrainian crisis on the trade of the Western Balkan (WB) countries with Russia? and 2. Which industries in the WB are at risk of weakening, and which have a chance to develop and increase exports due to disturbances in the EU economies? To prove the hypotheses, an analysis of statistical data on changes in trade in key commodities (index of change) in the most important export products for each WB country was used, as well as an analysis of static data on energy prices, producer prices in the EU, and other data. The results showed that the trade of all WBs except Serbia with Russia declined during 2022. This is a long-term problem for the trade of only a few economic sectors, such as the export of pharmaceutical products from Bosnia & Herzegovina (B&H), stone from Montenegro, and wheat from Albania. In contrast, trade with the EU is changing significantly, as this crucial partner is undergoing a process of accelerated deindustrialisation. The effects of these changes are mixed. Smaller advantages for Serbia, B&H, and North Macedonia in a few sectors may arise from taking over abandoned production in the EU. Whether or not the EU industry’s decline continues at its current rate, these minor advantages may be permanent. But if the shutdown of production extends to the higher industrial sectors, this will directly affect a considerable part of the industrial exports of the WB countries, especially Serbia.

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Foreign Trade Commodity Exchange between the Countries of the Former SFRY

Author(s): Sanja M. Filipović,Jelena D. Ignjatović / Language(s): English / Issue: 1187/2023

Keywords: transition; foreign trade commodity exchange; countries of the former Yugoslavia

This paper aims to determine the effects of the transition on mutual trade between the countries of the former Yugoslavia. The research will be based on a qualitative and descriptive analysis of representative databases of the six countries mentioned for the time period after the disintegration of the SFRY. Economic reforms and the trade liberalisation process started even within the SFRY, but the reforms did not yield the desired results. After the disintegration of the SFRY, all countries independently defined the transition process and chose the path of European integration. In the first phase of the transition, all countries experienced recession and hyperinflation and a high foreign trade deficit due to trade liberalisation. The second phase was characterised by regulatory reform and institution building, but this process did not proceed at the same speed in all countries. After 2000, Slovenia was the only one with a higher export level as a percentage of GDP compared to imports (68.2%), and the other countries lagged significantly behind. When Slovenia and Croatia became EU members, they increased their foreign trade exchange with the EU. Other countries of the former Yugoslavia developed their mutual trade, primarily due to the CEFTA Agreement. By signing the agreement, all countries achieved export growth as a percentage of GDP, and the highest values of this indicator were recorded in North Macedonia (49.6%) and Serbia (40.8%). Within the CEFTA group, Serbia is the largest exporter and importer by value (its most important partner is Bosnia and Herzegovina). If we consider all the countries of the former SFRY, the largest exporter and importer is Slovenia, and its largest foreign trade partner is Croatia.

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What Are the Realistic Capabilities of the Berlin Process and the Open Balkans Initiative?

Author(s): Sanja Jelisavac Trošić,Mitko Arnaudov / Language(s): English / Issue: 1187/2023

Keywords: Berlin Process; Open Balkans; Western Balkans; European Union integration; regional integration; Common Regional Market; Single Market

In the Western Balkans, two initiatives currently stand out and, in a way, compete: the Berlin Process and Open Balkans. Both initiatives emphasise the European perspective and the strengthening of regional cooperation. On the one hand, for most countries in the region, the prospect of joining the European Union seems too distant, uncertain, and fraught with many obstacles. On the other hand, regional cooperation is gaining momentum, with numerous agreements recently reached. But, so far, some Western Balkans countries have been unwilling to participate in the Open Balkans. The paper analyses the real capabilities of these two initiatives, both in terms of creating opportunities for the countries of the Western Balkans to come closer to the postulates of the European Union and progress on the path of joining it, as well as in terms of strengthening and facilitating regional cooperation between the respective countries. For that purpose, the authors used content and comparative analysis. The authors conclude that although both initiatives are hybrid, i.e., both contain political and economic interests, they will not significantly contribute to faster integration into the European Union or stronger regional integration or, in the last case, to the process of resolving existing disputes between countries.

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Can China Challenge the Technological Supremacy of the United States: Current Standpoint and Perspectives

Author(s): Petar Milutinović,Goran Nikolić / Language(s): English / Issue: 1187/2023

Keywords: technological development; emerging technologies; high-tech; decoupling; China; United States; New Cold War

The aim of this paper is to project the future dynamics of US-China relations and assess the associated risks of bifurcation of the global economy between the two blocs. The United States and China face a strategic paradox in their long-term competition to research, develop, and acquire new and emerging technologies. In the commercial sphere, the two nations’ research and development (R&D) of emerging technologies is now deeply integrated, potentially providing mutual benefits to each country’s markets. However, despite their commercial interconnectedness, national security planners in each country continue to view each other as potential adversaries. By using the methods of explanatory research and an inductive approach for analysing the management of technological innovation and economic development, the authors argue that China’s economic transformation towards the upper end of global industrial value chains and the seizure of entire product ranges or supply chains have put at risk the US’s hegemonic status. By imposing export sanctions, the United States is trying to force technological decoupling and disable the functioning of global supply chains in the domains critical for Chinese high-tech in order to slow down or contain China’s technological and economic rise. Consequently, the conclusion drawn is that the United States will continue its efforts to maintain primacy over China in emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and nanotechnology, by mobilising investments in research and development as well as by using export bans and other kinds of sanctions. In this way, it is likely that a state of cohabitation between the two trading blocs will be developed, which would create the conditions for the evolution of the strained relations between the US and China.

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The Biden Administration’s Policy Towards the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2021-2022

Author(s): Olga Stevanović / Language(s): English / Issue: 1187/2023

Keywords: the US; Saudi Arabia; US-Saudi partnership; the Persian Gulf; Joseph Biden

This paper addresses the question of the Biden administration’s policy towards the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with special regard to the reasons for the US decision to send strong signals of reassurance in 2022 after the initial deterioration in their relations. This paper’s main hypothesis posits that the US overall implemented a hybrid strategy towards its Gulf partner, but there were different constellations of coercive and accommodative elements to it in different time frames. It draws on Jeffrey Taliaferro’s theory of intraalliance politics, which examines great power patrons’ strategies towards allies and partners based on the administration’s perception of the regional power distribution, the assessment of the threat level and time horizon for its actualization, as well as the presence of domestic constraints. In the case of this paper, it was contended that the Biden administration perceived a mostly unfavourable power distribution in the Middle East and that the initial perception of a long threat horizon was replaced by uncertainty, stemming from the indirect effects of the Russia-Ukraine war on the Persian Gulf. These variables, combined with the high domestic opposition of Congress to accommodating Saudi Arabia, can explain the resulting hybrid strategy. The method of congruence analysis was used in this paper to test the observable manifestations of the hypothesis.

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Framing the Climate Change Debate: A Multilevel Analysis

Author(s): Sanja Vojvodić / Language(s): English / Issue: 1187/2023

Keywords: climate change; environment; dilemma; framing; international relations; politics; scepticism

The author constructs a classification of dilemmas in the debate on climate change. She notes that these dilemmas arise during a democratic political response to climate change. Given that climate change is one of the most significant challenges of the 21st century, it is necessary to analyse this phenomenon from as many research perspectives as possible. The comprehensiveness of climate change requires the simultaneous articulation of a policy response at three levels of analysis: individual, national, and a given international system. Although necessary, such an overarching and all-encompassing political approach is fraught with several dilemmas. The author intends to present the complexity of the political response to climate change by framing this debate through three dilemmas: ontological-epistemological, economic-ecological, and national-global. Thus, researchers and decision-makers who deal with individual aspects of climate change will be presented in one place, with theoretical and practical tensions manifested at three levels of analysis.

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