Europos Sąjungos išsivysčiusių ir besivystančių šalių vartotojų ekonominius lūkesčius lemiančių veiksnių tyrimas

Author(s): Monika Medikienė,Mindaugas Dapkus / Language(s): Lithuanian Issue: 2/2015

This article presents a method to evaluate determinants of consumer confidence and a research, based on suggested method, where determinants of consumer confidence in developed and developing European Union countries are examined. To set the main determinants of consumer confidence a time series ADL model is used. This research aims to contribute to research field of determinants of consumer confidence in EU developing countries: it reveals essential differences between determinants of consumer confidence in EU developed and developing countries, since there was no research on this issue so far.

Around the Bloc: Russia Threatens Response After Montenegro Joins NATO as Observer.

Author(s): TOL TOL / Language(s): English Issue: 05/24/2016

The Balkan nation might become a full member by mid-2017.

Around the Bloc: Kyiv At Fault for Impeding Peace Process: Lavrov

Author(s): TOL TOL / Language(s): English Issue: 03/29/2016

Ukraine insists separatist areas are too insecure to hold elections there, as stipulated in Minsk peace deal.

Around the Bloc: Kosovo Tent City Protesters Vow to Stay Until Gov’t Goes

Author(s): TOL TOL / Language(s): English Issue: 03/01/2016

Hundreds opposed to EU-backed deal with Serbia camp out in Pristina; opposition vows to block Hashim Thaci’s candidacy for president.

Around the bloc: Polish Officials Call for Tusk’s Trial Over Smolensk Air Crash

Author(s): TOL TOL / Language(s): English Issue: 12/01/2015

Remarks may revive conspiracy theories about Russian involvement in disaster that killed Polish president, many other officials.

EXPERIENCE OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION IN THE FORMER SOVIET UNION

Author(s): Daulet L. Baideldynov / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2015

The article is devoted to the political and legal analysis of integration processes in the post-Soviet states – Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. It reviews the activities of the Customs Union and its economic and political expediency, as well as the creation and functioning of the Eurasian Economic Union. The author has revealed the reasons for the ineffectiveness of the EAEC activities and proposed a number of legal, political and economic measures to improve it. The paper provides examples of internal economic and political contradictions of the Eurasian Economic Union and offers a legal mechanism to resolve them, and further regulation on the basis of creating a single legal space.

Contested Notions of National Identity, Ethnic Movements And Democratization in Iran

Author(s): Ozum Yesiltas / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2016

Since the Constitutional Revolution of 1906, successive regimes in Iran promoted competing conceptions of Iranian national identity. However, the policy of promoting nationalism as a state-sponsored ideology that excludes Iran’s ethnic and religious diversity remained unchanged. Competing discourses around nation building and identity strikingly intersect with the struggle for democratization in Iran. Since the Islamic Revolution, the pro-democracy movement in the country takes place on two fronts: the confrontation between the conservatives and the reformists, and the challenge posed by the ethnic movements towards the official denial of the ethnic and religious diversity of Iran. This article argues that be they reformist or conservative, successive governments in Iran have refused to recognize the multi-ethnic structure of Iranian society and the legitimate rights of the ethnic groups. Therefore, a regime change would be unlikely to alter the social and political status of ethnic and religious minorities unless the ethnic movements and the pro-democracy opposition collaborate. Formation of a common discourse on the question of ‘Iranianness’ is the primary condition for this to be accomplished.

THE CONTROVERSY BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND BRAZIL ON SOLUBLE COFFEE

Author(s): Mateusz R. Chudziak / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2014

The paper refers to a diplomatic controversy between Brazil and the United States that took place in the late sixties of the 20th century. The reason of the dispute layed in a fact of exporting processed soluble coffee by Brazil to the USA at very competitive prices. The US processors didn’t have access to law grade coffees, which served as a raw material to fabrication of soluble powder. The US processors forced the Department of State to counteract that situation. As a result the USA government blamed Brazil of discriminatory trade practices and violating free trade. The controversy was put under the consideration of the International Coffee Organization. The proceedings coincided with the twilight of the American aid programme for Latin America called Alliance for Progress. The controversy was an instance of growing suspicions and deteriorating relations between Latin America and the USA, which changed its foreign policy in that region from supporting development of democracy in the continent toward backing up military regimes.

Východ a Západ

Author(s): Svetozár Krno / Language(s): Slovak Issue: 1/2016

In his study, the author searches for the causes of polarized tension in our perception of the paired terms - East and West. He seeks reasons behind this acute dichotomy and points out the sources and manifestations of the so-called Orientalism and its specific form - Balkanism. Methodological blunders prevent us from reaching more deeply into the processes that are under way in two great Himalayan powers. China, which is no longer merely a developing country, has experienced a fourth decade of steady real economic growth. India, too, has recently undergone massive civilisation change.

JEZIK KAO SREDSTVO IDENTIFIKACIJE S POSEBNIM OSVRTOM NA MAĐARE U VOJVODINI

Author(s): Klara Toth Glemba / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 7/2015

Language as means of identification is one of the mightiest bases of differentiation among people and nations, therefore among Hungarians in Vojvodina too. By using freely their mother tongue, nations maintain their own culture, actively acquire the culture of other nations, and at the same time continue to use the abundance of their own cultural heritage, which is, in our case, a precondition for preserving national identity. However, in a multilingual state free use of language, both for personal and public use, public broadcasting services and mother-tongue based education, must be legally regulated. Therefore, it gains importance, not only as an individual but also as a collective right, whose use is one of the important factors for keeping members of one ethnical group connected and preserving their own identity. The community of Hungarians in Vojvodina is mostly bilingual. It means that along with their native language they usually speak the majority language – Serbian. The mutual influence of languages is inevitable and it results in so-called Vojvodina Hungarian language, which is slightly different from the language in their motherland.

Poverty and Under-Nutrition among under five Age Group Children in Mumbai Metropolitan Region

Author(s): Sanjay Rode / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2016

Child malnutrition is a major health problem in India. Mumbai Metropolitan Region is an economically most developed region of Maharashtra. High economics growth of region should not have high incidence of malnutrition among below five age group children. But we found that there is high incidence of underweight among below five age group children in Govandi, Thane, Bhandup. The incidence of stunting is found more in Ghatkopar, Thane, Turbhe, Mulund and Bhandup. The wasting incidence among below five age group children is found more in Koparkhirne, Turbhe, Mulund and Bhandup. At below one age group, more children are underweight, stunted and wasted. Lower household size, parents lower education, lower income and lower asset holding leads to malnutrition among children. We estimated around one lakh deaths per annum of under-five age group children in Mumbai Metropolitan Region. We have used logit regression model to examine the co-relation of child malnutrition with socioeconomic and demographic factors. The incidence of underweight is negatively co-related to age, per capita income, time required to carry water, television, pulses, other methods of contraceptives, injections. It is positively co-related to telephone and curd. The stunting among children is negatively co-related to age, time required, television, bike, pulses, other methods of contraceptives, injections, age at marriage and sterilisation. It is positively co-related to sex, bed, curd, and home delivery. The incidence of wasting is negatively co-related to age, television, pulses and injections. It is positively co-related to per capita income and curd. There is need of different policies in different slums of region. Health care staff must visit slums regularly. They must treat all patients, counsel on immunisation, breastfeeding and institutional deliveries. Government must start training and self-employment for poor people of slums. The NGO’S, researchers, social workers, politicians must work together for the higher standard of living of population. Government must invest money infrastructure in facilities for poor of slums. Slums should not be demolished in region. They are integrated part of region. Every child must be seen as window of opportunity for future human resource of region. Such policies will certainly reduce malnutrition among children at some extent in Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

Household Level Water Recycling for Non-Potable Reuse: A Study on Mujgunni Residential Area of Khulna City, Bang-ladesh

Author(s): Md. Salauddin / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2016

The paper examined the possibility and of reusing household’s grey water for non-potable uses as a means for reducing fresh water demand. The study was done in one of the planned residential areas of Khulna city where water demand and consumption is higher than other haphazardly grown areas. The study used two databases and other secondary materials, collected from relevant organizations. In addition personal communication has been made with concerned personnel. The study found that the residence of the study area get 46% supply water compared with only 20% in the whole city. Availability of water increased water consumption up to 300 litres per day per household. A significant amount of water (90%) is used for bathing, washing and cooking. Both the shower and kitchen water goes straight to drainage system to be more polluted with other toxic wastes. On the other hand, supply system is entirely based on ground water and absence of demand management techniques, over-extraction of ground water has been observed. Khulna city and surroundings have been facing salinity and arsenic contaminations in ground water, making it too vulnerable to provide fresh water to its 1.5 million citizens in coming years. Water treatment still remains uncovered in Bangladesh and authorities repeatedly had gone for capital intensive ground water extraction. Keeping in mind the ease, affordability and available technology, dualreticulated recycling method is thus advised where the grey water will go again for toilet flushing and gardening after minimal treatment. It was assumed that the system will bring the half of the household waste water into use which will eventually reduce demand for fresh water.

Investigating the Issue of Pollution in the Micro-Scale Design of Mega-Cities: A Case Study of Enghelab Street, Tehran

Author(s): Bahareh Motamed,Leila Mahmoudi Farahani,Elmira Jamei / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2015

Today there is a growing concern about urbanization and its impact on environmental pollution, which threatens human health and quality of life especially in mega cities. The mega city of Tehran, the capital of Iran, deals with various types of pollution. Although a large body of research has highlighted the significance of study on urban pollution in mega cities, only a few studies have addressed the issue at the micro scale. However, most of the research is restricted to air and noise pollution, whereas visual pollution as an important type of pollution that can be interpreted more deeply on a micro-scale, has been neglected. This study aims to evaluate some of the major issues of environmental pollution in Tehran by focusing on the micro-scale of the street. Therefore, as the central part of Tehran is one of the most affected divisions in the city, Enghelab Street has been selected as the case study for this research. This paper argues that identification and implementation of pollution mitigating strategies in Tehran’s master plan is not responsive enough to the whole city. This study of Enghelab Street reveals that policy making strategies for decreasing pollution should be initiated from micro-scale with further emphasis on psychological health. In the future, the lessons learned from the case study of Enghelab will help other major cities in developing countries to combat pollution through initiating from most affected districts in small scale.

Urban Reflection Differentiation of Neighborhoods on the Social Aspects, »Case Study: City of Bou-saada (Algeria)«

Author(s): Brahim Nouibat,Ali Redjem / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2015

The article deals with the analysis of the phenomenon of neighbourhood’s differentiation within the same city, and its negative impact on the social aspects and manifestations of the population (prevalence of certain social lesions such as: crime assault, sexual harassment, theft and drug abuse ...). The study aims first at knowing the forms of urban inequality and differences and social relations between the residential neighbourhoods to reduce them as much as possible, and secondly at creating an urban balance between different neighbourhoods to activate a social cohesion among the population within the city, to find a sustainable residential environment and balanced urban through defining a set of recommendations and suggestions of the Steering and to address the urban phenomenon of differentiation between residential neighbourhoods and reduce them.Where neighbourhoods of the Algerian city of Bou Saada is the case study because it is living a large degree of differentiation.

Socio-Economic Correlates of Household Solid Waste Generation: Evidence from Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria

Author(s): Samuel Ojewale Oluwole / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2015

The study analyzed the determinants of household solid waste generation among residents of Lagos metropolis, Nigeria. Primary data for the study were obtained through questionnaire administered on residents in Eti-osa, Ikeja and Mushin Local Government Areas (LGAs) representing the low, medium and high densities respectively into which the sixteen LGAs in Lagos metropolis were stratified. From a total of 15,275 residential buildings in ten electoral wards, one out of every forty buildings (2.5%) was selected using systematic random sampling where a household head was sampled. The actual measurement of the quantity of household solid waste generated was determined in 1% of the sample frame for this study. Data obtained were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. 59.9% of the residents were high income earners, 34.9% and 5.2% were middle and low income earners respectively. Through multiple regression, the study concluded that income, education, age, length of stay and household size of residents explained 54.9% of the variation in the household solid waste generation in Lagos metropolis. The policy implication of this study is that these determinants should be considered as essential factors in the design of solid-waste management programme in urban settlements that share similar residential characteristics with Lagos metropolis especially in Nigeria.

Opasnosti demokratije u Tokvilovoj Demokratiji u Americi

Author(s): Dario Pikulić / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 15/2016

This article is a summary review of fundamental perils of democracy as shown in Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America. After introductionary notes about Tocquevilles’s life and importance as political writer, (I) the goal and structure of the book is briefly analized, then (II) central problem of tyrrany of the majority is shown, after which comes (III) emergence and significance of democratic customs (mœurs) as being constituitional for democratic institutions as well as (IV) their opposite in form of individualism, which finally (V) allows diminution of freedom through government centralization and despotism of public opinion, (VI) solution for which Tocqueville finds in civil associations.

Czy wzrost gospodarczy w krajach rozwijających się musi prowadzić do zwiększenia nierówności dochodowych? Przykład krajów Afryki Subsaharyjskiej z wykorzystaniem analizy skupień

Author(s): Agnieszka Witoń / Language(s): Polish Issue: 47/2016

The article pertains to the topic of the relation between the income inequalities and the economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the Kuznets's hypothesis, sub-Saharan countries, most of them being on the low stage of development, should be characterized by positive impact of growth on the income inequalities. However, data suggest that various development patterns exist in this region. The aim of the paper is to identify groups of sub-Saharan countries where the relation between growth and inequalities is similar. The analysis was based on data concerning the economic growth, Gini coefficient and the share of income held by the richest and poorest 10% of the population in 38 sub-Saharan countries. Due to the availability of the data, the analyzed time period differs for different countries, with 1985 being the oldest data point used, and 2013 the newest. The cluster analysis was conducted using the Ward algorithm and the single-linkage algorithm. The correlation analysis showed no significant relation between economic growth and income inequalities in analyzed countries. The cluster analysis results show that there is a considerable variety in growth-inequality relationship in sub-Saharan Africa. Angola, with a high average economic growth, had managed to significantly reduce income inequalities, while many other countries saw an inequality increase with only slightly lower growth. There is also no link between clusters' composition and the resources abundance in analyzed countries.

Impact du commerce international sur le développement économique de la République Démocratique du Congo

Author(s): Marcel Kamba-Kibatshi / Language(s): French Issue: 47/2016

The monetary policy is the action by which the monetary authority, as a central bank influences the supply of money in order to fulfill its objective of price stability. She also task of achieving the other objectives of monetary policy, called Keynesian triangle: growth, full employment, external balance. Monetary policy differs from fiscal policy. Monetary policy can aim to maintain the exchange rate of the national currency with a currency. Fixed exchange rates may be achieved by the central bank selling and buying currency at the day to reach the target rate. The objective of monetary policy states that leads the Central Bank in the Congo is to achieve and maintain price stability through adjustment of the money supply to money demand. To implement this, the Central Bank of Congo determines the control framework through which monetary policy will be implemented during the year. From this framework, it decides the extent to which it is appropriate to reserve or ease monetary conditions. Indeed, it is apparent from analysis of the evolution of the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo over the past three decades (1970 to 2000), the episodes of depreciation of the national currency (Zaire and New Zaire / or Congolese franc) are often at a faster pace of domestic price formation, as well as periods of heavy inflationary pressures are also characterized by speed loss of the national currency against foreign currencies. With these considerations, we ask the following questions: Is the Congolese franc stable? What are BCC's policies to support the stability of the Congolese Franc?The answers to these questions are the object of our investigations throughout this study. Throughout the article we analyzed the difficulties of monetary policy in the context of complete dollarization of the banking system and institutional weaknesses. The empirical analysis confirms that the Central Bank in the Democratic Republic of Congo is able to control almost inflation, despite that we could have a rapid response to inflationary shocks. After analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of different exchange rate regimes, it can be said that strengthening the current framework of monetary policy remains the best solution, given that the country is exposed to numerous exchanges of foreign currency (exchange currencies). The increase in the reserve requirement seems to contradict other measures taken by the central bank. The interest rate is designed to regulate liquidity in the financial system and affects the development of economic activi-ty. It is one of the main tools of monetary authorities to influence lending and inflation modulation in the country.

Rywalizacja handlowa Unii Europejskiej i gospodarek wschodzących w Afryce

Author(s): Wioletta Nowak / Language(s): Polish Issue: 47/2016

The European Union is the most important trading partner for Africa. However, since the beginning of the global financial crisis it has been steadily losing its advantage over emerging economies in merchandise trade with African countries. Trade in goods between China, India, Brazil, Turkey and 34 Africa’s least developed countries has been surpassing trade between the EU and Africa’s LDCs since 2007. Emerging economies not only compete between themselves for access to African resources, markets, and influence on the African continent but also pose a threat for the EU’s position and interests in Africa.The paper shows the level and trends in merchandise trade between the EU and 54 African coun-tries, and between four emerging economies (China, India, Brazil, Turkey) and Africa in the years, from 2000 to 2013. The analysis is based on the data retrieved from the UN Comtrade Database.Trade relations between the EU and Africa are very complicated. The EU negotiates agree-ments with individual African countries, groups of countries, and the African Union. It declares partnership, insists on multilateral trade liberalization by African countries but at the same time protects its own market. The EU provides more and more development assistance to African countries. However, its assistance is highly conditional.The emerging economies treat African countries as equal partners, they develop the South-South cooperation and do not interfere in domestic affairs of their trading partners. Besides, they systematically increase their development assistance to Africa without any political conditions. Both, the EU and emerging economies combine trade policy with development and investment policies. However, it seems that the emerging economies do it more efficiently.

Slovenská rozvojová spolupráca v roku 2013

Author(s): Peter Brezáni,Nora Beňáková / Language(s): Slovak Issue: 1/2013