Immigrants in the Legal System of the Welcoming Country: Considering the Role of Intermediaries

Immigrants in the Legal System of the Welcoming Country: Considering the Role of Intermediaries

Author(s): Ramunė Miežanskienė / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: migration; intermediation; law, public administration;

Immigrants‘ encounters with the new legal system of the welcoming country might vary from challenging to easy process. The newcomers’ path of interaction in the field of welcoming countries‘ legalities is related to the legal knowledge and variety of ssumptions about the legal world and how it is embedded in the social reality of a welcoming country. There are many factors, that are involved and shape this complexity but one of them is highly meaningful - the role of intermediaries. Therefore, this research focuses on identifying and discussing the different statuses and roles of the intermediaries as they participate in the process of immigrant‘s interaction with the legalities of the welcoming country. These assumptions are based on the 53 qualitative interviews of foreign third-country residents in Lithuania. The results of the analysis reveal the main roles of the intermediaries while immigrants interact with the new legal system of the welcoming country. This research indicates that intermediaries actively or passively participate in the processes of migrants’ gaining legal knowledge, influence their legal behaviour and become a part of migrants‘ legal interactions. Intermediaries are also seen in the variance of official statuses, visibly gaining different roles in legal relationships which results in different outcomes. Therefore, this research draws attention to the need for more profound attention to the immigrants’ legal relationship and deduces practical implications for it as well.Immigrants‘ encounters with the new legal system of the welcoming country might vary from challenging to easy process. The newcomers’ path of interaction in the field of welcoming countries‘ legalities is related to the legal knowledge and variety of assumptions about the legal world and how it is embedded in the social reality of a welcoming country. There are many factors, that are involved and shape this complexity but one of them is highly meaningful - the role of intermediaries. Therefore, this research focuses on identifying and discussing the different statuses and roles of the intermediaries as they participate in the process of immigrant‘s interaction with the legalities of the welcoming country. These assumptions are based on the 53 qualitative interviews of foreign third-country residents in Lithuania. The results of the analysis reveal the main roles of the intermediaries while immigrants interact with the new legal system of the welcoming country. This research indicates that intermediaries actively or passively participate in the processes of migrants’ gaining legal knowledge, influence their legal behaviour and become a part of migrants‘ legal interactions. Intermediaries are also seen in the variance of official statuses, visibly gaining different roles in legal relationships which results in different outcomes. Therefore, this research draws attention to the need for more profound attention to the immigrants’ legal relationship and deduces practical implications for it as well.

Does the Funding of the Defence Sector Depend on Economic Factors in the Long Run? The Cases of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania

Does the Funding of the Defence Sector Depend on Economic Factors in the Long Run? The Cases of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania

Author(s): Gitana Dudzevičiūtė / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: defence funding; defence expenditure; economic factors; Estonia; Latvia; Lithuania;

The purpose of this publication is to study the dependence of defence funding on economic factors, namely the prosperity of the country, economic growth, the budget deficit, gross government debt, and inflation rate. The investigation uses secondary data obtained from the Eurostat database and covers the period from 1997 to 2021. The author analyses three Baltic countries such as Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, to ascertain which economic factors have a statistically significant effect on defence sector funding. For this purpose, the author applies correlation analysis and automatic linear modelling (ALM). The findings of the investigation showed differences and similarities between the countries under consideration. In the case of Estonia, defence funding is significantly affected by the prosperity of the country, which is expressed in real GDP per capita, and gross government debt. These economic factors explain 92.6 per cent of defence funding. The cases of Latvia and Lithuania are very similar in terms of the influence of economic factors on defence spending. In these countries, the tendencies of real GDP per capita significantly effect on defence funding. This influence is slightly different and amounts to 76.2 and 78.4 per cent, for Latvia and Lithuania, respectively. The insights of the research can be useful to the governments of these nations when making decisions about defence funding aimed at ensuring security in the Baltic region.

Profiles of Cognitional, Emotional, and Behavioural Characteristics Influencing Value Systems and Public Policies

Profiles of Cognitional, Emotional, and Behavioural Characteristics Influencing Value Systems and Public Policies

Author(s): Kim Young Ki,Lee Yang,Kim Young Gon / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: behavioral emotional and cognitional characteristics; value systems; public policies; Korean local governments;

This study purposed to analyze inter-influences among the administrators’ profiles of characteristics, their value systems, and their public policies in the situations of local governments in South Korea. The characteristic profiles are attributed to behavior, emotion, and cognition. The value systems are referred to as economics and job ethics. The public policies were divided into distribution and regulation. The research methods were based on a questionnaire that constructed items for the above three variables and requested Likert scales. The sample size was 1061, recruited from all eight Korean local governments. The results of the structure analysis suggested that the administrators’ decisions about their public policy were influenced by their value systems attributed to their characteristics profiles. Further studies required the application of this study’s paradigm to the diverse values and policies that were limited in this study and to the world’s nations, where the governmental processes are different in economic ideology and political culture from Korean structures.

Educational Innovation through Information and Communication Technologies: the Case of People Analytics Course

Educational Innovation through Information and Communication Technologies: the Case of People Analytics Course

Author(s): Živilė Stankevičiūtė,Vilmantė Kumpaikaitė-Valiūnienė / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: ICT; educational innovation; Zoom; Mentimeter; Escape rooms; Padlet; People analytics:

Recently, education and teaching have been significantly impacted by information and communication technologies. New cohorts of students, COVID-19 pandemic and pressure in the labour market on the labour force to master the technology-related skills and competence serve as main drivers for universities to redesign the way of teaching. A radical transformation of education caused by technologies is related to several aspects, such as online teaching or using other technologies in both physical and online learning environments with the focus on student-centred learning. The existing literature suggests that educational innovation through technologies allows for the adoption of collaborative, inclusive and student-driven pedagogy. The paper aims at revealing educational innovation through information and communication technologies in one of the courses for master’s students, namely People Analytics. While disclosing the particular case of one course, the paper seeks to provide the argumentation (advantages and disadvantages) for choosing specific tools and how these tools are embedded. The use of tools such as Zoom, digital escape rooms, Mentimeter, and Padlet, is presented. The paper concludes that technologies may offer many wide-ranging benefits in education; however, the further study is needed for revealing the students’ acceptance of technologies and the impact of technologies on learning outcomes.

The state’s role in “worlding” a popular national genre: The case of China and Liu Cixin

The state’s role in “worlding” a popular national genre: The case of China and Liu Cixin

Author(s): Tao Huang / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: Capital. Translation. State. Liu Cixin. Transnational publishing field.

This article investigates the transnational publishing field of Liu Cixin’s science fiction and his road to consecration in the U.S. literary market. By adopting Pascale Casanova’s mapping of the international literary field and Pierre Bourdieu’s categorization of capital, this study analyzes how the state, in its incarnated form of a state-owned publisher, has mobilized the economic, cultural, and social capital of the agents in the field, which eventually helps the author cross over the linguistic-literary gap. In the process, the state shows its potential as a propellant for “worlding” a popular literary genre.

Local Government Collaborative Innovation Policy

Local Government Collaborative Innovation Policy

Author(s): Irwan Noor,Oscar Radyan Danar,Lestari Eko Wahyudi / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: local government; innovation policy; collaboration; policy formulation;

The lack of stakeholder collaboration is considered one of the main triggers for unsustainable regional innovation. This phenomenon often occurs in archipelago countries due to limited access to information in the region. In this context, the current discourse between public administration scholars and policy practitioners emphasizes the importance of collaboration in policy innovation. This study aims to examine local government innovation policies in Indonesia, an archipelago country in Southeast Asia, with a focus on the policy formulation process which involves collaboration to produce innovative policies. This study uses a mixed methods research approach based on a sequential explanatory design consisting of two main stages. The first stage uses a quantitative method, followed by the second stage which uses a qualitative approach. The research data consisted of a combination of primary and secondary data obtained from questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. This data was analysed descriptively using NVivo software and supplemented with statistical analysis results. The results of this study confirm the existence of a pattern of dependence between collaborative actors, in which regional heads have a dominant role in the formulation of innovative policies. However, business actors, academics, and community leaders are rarely involved, indicating that they are highly dependent on regional leadership initiatives. As a result, the resulting innovation policies tend to be unsustainable. Therefore, this research suggests that collaboration forums become the main reference in building and creating sustainable regional innovations. This forum is expected to facilitate common aspirations and innovative arguments, as well as encourage the creation of broader innovative policies. In conclusion, the lack of stakeholder collaboration is one of the main obstacles to creating sustainable policy innovations in the regions. To overcome this challenge, collaboration forums are important to facilitate collaboration and active participation of various stakeholders. With stronger collaboration, it is hoped that sustainable innovative policies will be created, addressing regional problems, and improving people’s quality of life.

The end of world literature?

The end of world literature?

Author(s): David Pan / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: World literature. National literature. Globalization. Johann Gottfried Herder.

The idea of world literature arose as a cultural counterpart to the process of globalization. However, since literature is organized within discrete traditions, the possibility of a world literature depends not just on increasing economic ties, but upon the formation of a global tradition. Since a tradition can only maintain its unity to the extent that it forms a single public sphere, the lack of a global public sphere undermines the possibility of a single world literature. The measure of this fragmentation is differences between public spheres defined by nation-state sovereignty.

Semantics of Leadership in the Qur’an: A Possible Reading

Semantics of Leadership in the Qur’an: A Possible Reading

Author(s): Mirza Sarajkić / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: al-khalifa; al-imam; leadership; Moses; particular; Qur’an; universal;

Although the notion of leadership is semantically inflated, its meaning and semiotic potential are fading; Muslim societies await a saviour, but detailed studies on leadership are scarce. The article opens new avenues of interpretation for this and other Qur’anic terms, configuring geographic considerations and interpretational hot spots, starting from universal laws (sunnatullah), and addressing leadership references in religious practice and daily life. It highlights the most prominent leadership concepts in the Qur’anic text, and questions their core meanings and extended semantic fields. The conclusions develop more inclusive approaches to plural exegesis, and broaden the discourse of Qur’anic Studies.

Blaming Muslim Women: Intersectionality and the Headscarf in the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Blaming Muslim Women: Intersectionality and the Headscarf in the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Author(s): Đermana Kurić / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: headscarf; intersectionality; Islamophobia; anti-Muslim racism; FoRB; ECHR;

Through the concept of intersectionality, this paper examines the marginalisation, exclusion and disciplining by dominant institutions and systems, of Muslim women in Bosnia and Herzegovina who wish to wear the headscarf in the country’s public service. It contributes to the conceptualisation of a larger situational framework that captures the complex positions and lived experiences of Bosniak Muslim women, through the case of Emela Mujanović Kapidžija of the Armed Forces of Bosna and Herzegovina. Mujanović Kapidžija’s repeated requests to wear the headscarf while in uniform triggered reactions that revealed the underlying Islamophobic and sexist culture that has long dominated the country’s social, political, legal and psychological spheres.

Beyond Quantitative Measures: Researching Identity Formation and Development through the Qualitative Paradigm

Beyond Quantitative Measures: Researching Identity Formation and Development through the Qualitative Paradigm

Author(s): Amina Isanović Hadžiomerović / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: qualitative research paradigm; quantitative research paradigm; purpose of education; identity formation; identity development;

The m ain objective of this paper is to explore the potential of the qualitative research paradigm in addressing complex topics related to identity formation and development. There has been a shift in conceptualizations of education’s purpose, with scholars arguing that the paradigm of identity formation (rather than the paradigm of preparation) should be promoted in educational contexts. This implies that education should aim to enhance personhood and facilitate the formation of personal identities in young individuals. Traditional quantitative studies, relying on statistical analyses of numerical data, are becoming less effective in providing insights into the increasingly diverse pathways of human development and the dynamic environments in which they take place. Quantification of human experience and development is encountering a growing pushback in the postmodernity. Conversely, the qualitative research paradigm offers a fresh and authentic perspective by delving into real-life biographies and encompassing the entirety of human experience. However, it is important to note that the qualitative paradigm has specific epistemological characteristics that define the scope of inquiry it generates.

The Bargaining Politics: Determining Regional Public Policy in Formulating the Samisake Revolving Fund Program in Bengkulu City, Indonesia

The Bargaining Politics: Determining Regional Public Policy in Formulating the Samisake Revolving Fund Program in Bengkulu City, Indonesia

Author(s): Achmad Aminudin,Titi Darmi,Agus Pramusinto,Iqbal Miftakhul Mujtahid / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: community development; Fund Program Policy actor; local regulation; participation politics; Public Policy Formulation Revolving; Smart City;

The political arena influences the selection of an alternative policy for Samisake Revolving Fund program. In this phase, various interests affect the policy outcome, including conflict and bargaining positions among policymakers. Therefore, this study aimed to examine public participation in policy formulation for the Samisake Revolving Fund program in Bengkulu City, Indonesia. A qualitative method was used with a case study approach to the policy design, as well as typical conditions and variables. Data were collected by interviewing seven informants of five stakeholder elements and analyzed using flowing analysis. The results indicated high community involvement in the public policy formulation process that entails pushing issues into the policy agenda. The best policy alternative should satisfy all interested parties. Additionally, the policy was established by issuing the Regional Regulation draft on allocating the funding. This Regional Regulation should be accepted and implemented by all parties transparently with accountability to increase community participation and empowerment. The policy process displays a complex interaction among the policymakers. These policymakers include the executives of the Bengkulu City government from the Regional Technical Unit, community leaders and organizations, NGOs, and university academics. The interaction influences choices and policy decisions by creating conflict and tension in discussing the draft of Samisake Fund Regional Regulation. Therefore, future studies could examine stakeholder network participation in policy formulation and strengthening inter-institutional capacity to avoid conflict.

Digital Transformation’s Impact on Sustainable HR Management: Comparative Study of Work-Life Balance and Skill Development in Public versus Private Sectors of a Developing Country

Digital Transformation’s Impact on Sustainable HR Management: Comparative Study of Work-Life Balance and Skill Development in Public versus Private Sectors of a Developing Country

Author(s): Arbnor Bajraliu,Gazmend Qorraj / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: Sustainable HRM; Digital Transformation; Work-life Balance; Skill Development; Trainings; Online Platforms

The quick development of digitalization has transformed the nature of work and has brought new opportunities for businesses to achieve sustainable human resource management in many ways, including remote working as a means to achieve work-life balance and training access for new skill development. Objective - the objective of this study is to offer a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by private and public organizations in Kosovo. This study tries to make a comparison between these two sectors aiming to help public administration policymakers spot the gaps between sectors and improve digitalization in the public sector. Methods: we have conducted a qualitative analysis. 21 interviewed businesses explained in detail the process of digitalization and its effect on achieving work-life balance and new skills development as ways to achieve SHRM. Results: according to the analysis, digitalization is improving both public and private workers’ skills. However, private companies are more likely to use remote work to achieve work-life balance, while in public organisations; digitalization has mostly helped in the training of employees. Conclusions: In general, digitalization has helped businesses achieve SHRM. Despite the fact that, in general, private-sector businesses benefit more from digitalization than public organizations.

The Impact of the State Regulation System on the Income of Freelancers

The Impact of the State Regulation System on the Income of Freelancers

Author(s): Diana Abdreissova,Daniyar Baitenizov / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: state regulation; freelance market; survey; COVID-19; freelancers’ income; level of education; standard working hours; labor market; former Soviet Union;

This article presents the tools with which the state can influence the level of income of freelance professionals in Kazakhstan. Foreign methods and ways of state regulation of the freelance market in terms of freelancers’ income, the infrastructure of Kazakhstan’s remote work market reviewed and analyzed in this article, identified the main characteristics of independent professionals in 2021: working hours, income level, length of service of freelancers, etc. It is noted that freelancers’ incomes depend on the influence of the state policy in the field of education and length of service as a freelancer. The stereotype that the more a freelancer works, the more he earns is refuted. In this case, the well-known eight-hour workday standard established by the state is the most optimal option for freelancers to earn more income, which is confirmed by the data of our study. Information is provided on the educational structure of freelancers, the amount of personal monthly income by type of freelancer employment, the experience of freelancers by type of employment, and the average number of hours allocated to work during the week. Multiple regression models of the dependence of freelancers’ pay on their education level, work experience, and number of hours worked per week are presented and analyzed in this article. The authors propose recommendations for state regulation that would ensure an effective impact on the level of freelancers’ income both in Kazakhstan and in former Soviet Union.

Walking through the text: The representation of mobility in late 19th-century Latvian fiction

Walking through the text: The representation of mobility in late 19th-century Latvian fiction

Author(s): Benedikts Kalnačs / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: Cultural studies. Spatial turn. Place in literature. Sense of place. Literary geography. Geocriticism. Liminality. Contact zones. History of Latvian literature. Rūdolfs Blaumanis. Andrievs Niedra.

This article builds on research prompted by studies of small literatures as well as the so-called spatial turn in cultural studies. Attention is focused on the representation of place in late 19th-century literature and its changing meanings in this period of radical social transformation. Through theoretical observations as well as case studies of Latvian literature that deal with two novellas by Rūdolfs Blaumanis and a novel by Andrievs Niedra, this investigation scrutinizes the transformations of the sense of place, the estrangement of a person from his or her environment linked to mobility as well as the manifestations of liminality, in particular those attributed to various contact zones. The aspects of bodily reception of place are also looked at as an important condition of individual existence in the world.

Exploratory study of spoken and sign language comprehension among Deaf and Hard-of-hearing adults in Slovenia

Exploratory study of spoken and sign language comprehension among Deaf and Hard-of-hearing adults in Slovenia

Author(s): Jerneja Novšak Brce,Iza Pomlad,Ingrid Žolgar Jerković,Damjana Kogovšek / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: Deaf and hard-of-hearing; spoken language comprehension; sign language comprehension;

The aim of this study was to explore spoken and sign language comprehension among Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) adults in Slovenia. A sample of 116 DHH participants from eleven Slovenian DHH associations completed a series of tasks that were used to measure their comprehension abilities related to spoken and sign language. The instructions were stratified into three groups according to the complexity of the language. Positive correlations were established between the comprehension ability of spoken and sign language. Slovenian DDH participants differed significantly with respect to the following predictors of spoken and sign language comprehension: age at onset of hearing loss, degree of hearing loss, and age of sign language exposure. The findings of this study provide a starting point for further research on the comprehension of spoken and sign language.

Characteristics and parental viewpoints regarding digital device use in children aged 4 to 8 years

Characteristics and parental viewpoints regarding digital device use in children aged 4 to 8 years

Author(s): Matea Bodrožić Selak,Marina Kotrla Topić,Marina Merkaš / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: children; parents; digital device use; motivation; risks; benefits; smartphone;

In the present digital age, the number of digital devices and media has multiplied, giving young children and their parents access to them anytime and anywhere. The family and home environment constitutes an important ecological context for fostering and supporting the development of safe online behaviour, as well as preventing risky online behaviour in young children. During childhood, parents play an influential role in shaping a child’s use of digital technology (DT) devices through parental practices that are shaped by their beliefs about DT. The first aim of this study was to describe preferred digital devices, activities, and emotional states related to digital device use among children aged 4 to 8 years. The second aim was to describe parental viewpoints about their children’s device use. The data was collected through online interviews with 31 children (16 girls), aged 4 to 8 years, and one parent of each of the children included in the project “Digital technology in the family: patterns of behaviour and effects on child development”. The results show that smartphones are the children’s favourite device and playing video games is their preferred digital activity. Most children reported feeling happy when they used DT devices, as well as feeling sad and angry when they had to stop using them. Parental motivation for providing children access to DT devices can be childand parent-oriented. Parents frequently emphasised the educational aspects of their children’s device use, but they were aware of the negative and positive effects on the children’s functioning. The findings indicate that children’s daily context of living in association with DT usage is characterised by small, portable devices that are used mainly for entertainment. Additionally, their parents allow the use of such devices because they believe that DT can have a positive impact on child development, and they need to occupy children’s attention in specific situations. However, DT device usage is limited due to the awareness of the negative impact on child development.

Effects of dance-movement therapy on the movement and self-concept of wheelchair users with intellectual disabilities

Effects of dance-movement therapy on the movement and self-concept of wheelchair users with intellectual disabilities

Author(s): Katja Bucik,Helena Smrtnik Vitulić,Jana Rapuš Pavel / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: intellectual disabilities; dance-movement therapy; wheelchair; self-concept; movement;

This study aimed to determine the effects of dance-movement therapy on individuals with mild intellectual disabilities, focusing on their self-concept and various general and wheelchair movement qualities. The sample included two females and three males with mild intellectual disabilities, ranging in age from 17 to 26 years. Two of the participants were diagnosed with cerebral palsy, while the other three were diagnosed with myelomeningocele. The participants had difficulties/disorders in various aspects of movement and used a wheelchair to move independently. They were included in a dance-movement therapy programme developed specifically for the present study, which incorporated various dance-movement therapy concepts such as Emerging Body Language (Rutten-Saris, 1992), Brain Dance (Gilbert, 2015), and the Dance Movement Therapy approach (Payne, 2006). The dance-movement therapy programme involved one-hour sessions that took place weekly over a four-year period. We used the Self-Concept Questionnaire (Musitu et al., 1998) through which social, familial, physical, learning, and emotional aspects of self-concept were assessed, as well as two scales assessing general and wheelchair movement quality (developed specifically for this study). The results indicate that, at the beginning of the dance-movement therapy programme, participants had below average social, familial, learning, and emotional aspects of self-concept, as well as above average physical self-concept and some difficulties with certain general and wheelchair movements. After attending the dance-movement therapy programme, participants showed improved performance and scored above average on most self-concept aspects. They also improved in all measured aspects of general movement quality and several aspects of wheelchair movement quality. Thus, the results suggest that the dance-movement therapy programme was effective for individuals with mild intellectual disabilities and movement difficulties in the areas of self-concept, as well as general and wheelchair movement.

HERBERT E. CRAIG: Assessing the English and Spanish Translations of Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu

HERBERT E. CRAIG: Assessing the English and Spanish Translations of Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu

Author(s): Charles Sabatos / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

ANTONIO BARNÉS — MAGDA KUČERKOVÁ (eds.): The Figurativeness of the Language of Mystical Experience: Particularities and Interpretations

ANTONIO BARNÉS — MAGDA KUČERKOVÁ (eds.): The Figurativeness of the Language of Mystical Experience: Particularities and Interpretations

Author(s): Rafael Ruiz Andrés / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

YIFENG SUN: Translational Spaces: Towards a Chinese-Western Convergence

YIFENG SUN: Translational Spaces: Towards a Chinese-Western Convergence

Author(s): Yujuan Zou / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023