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Plus, Yerevan and Baku trade more barbs over helicopter shootdown and Uzbekistan lays claim to a sliver of Afghan territory.
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Plus, EU’s Albania justice mission faces corruption probe, and Orban tacks back toward Europe.
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The article engages with several basic features of public values and studies them as a primary field of responsibility of public sector and public administration. Recognizing that public values’ fulfillment is a complex and sometimes controversial process, nonetheless it is accepted that it is the needed common ground for collective action.
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The text examines the legal nature of the science of policy creation – Public Policy Analysis. Public Policy Analysis is what the experts do to determine what is best to be done under the circumstances in solving individual social problem (sometimes very significant) in particular area of life (such as education, health, security, foreign affairs etc.). They recognize as priority the long-term political impact and social consequences of future actions without underestimating the financial parameters, risk etc. of any actions that will be taken. Ultimately, it’s about creating and considering options for future actions which are examined in details in order to find the best among them. Public Policy Analysis has a value- oriented starting point of a particular client and undertakes specific steps to formulate the grounds for a future course of action. Thus, the analysis turns into a professional advice, building logical and practical connection between policy and governance, between self- determination based on values and solving of public problems.
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The paper aims to determine the trajectories of the development of small towns in terms of the urban resilience concept in a demographic dimension. It makes it possible to answer the question of how towns adapt to contemporary socio-economic processes. The subject of the research is a set of small towns in Wielkopolskie Voivodship. The period of the study involves the years 2003–2016 which enables us to grasp the changeability of development conditions related to transformation, globalization, and integration processes as well as the economic crisis. The research is conducted with the use of indexes of change dynamics with a fixed basis. Analysis provides for a diversified size structure of small towns, their location and administrative functions performed. In 2003–2016 the trajectories of the resilience of Wielkopolskie small towns were diversified. The basic criterion influencing their course is the size structure of a given center and its location, whereas administrative functions are of minor significance. The smallest towns (of a mixed type — i.e., roller-coster with elements of avant-garde type) seem the most resistant to external disturbances, have a higher degree of resilience and thus adapt better to contemporary socio-economic changes in the demographic dimension. An important external disturbance which clearly modifies the values of the selected indexes of resilience and vulnerability dynamics as well as the course of the trajectories of the development of towns with a diversified size structure was an economic crisis strengthened by globalization and integration processes.
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In the subject literature, the terms “illegal migration” and “illegal migrant” encompass many categories of processes, people, and phenomena that have little to do with migration as a movement of people in space. This includes, most prominently, unauthorized employment and unauthorized residence in the receiving country. Both of these circumstances may be related to prior illegal migration, but do not necessarily have to be. The physical process of migration may have taken place entirely in accordance with the law. This is the starting point for the reconsideration of the standard migration terminology, as proposed in this paper. As three basic dimensions of illegality associated to date with migration analysis may focus on one person in as many as eight different combinations, this would require us to describe a single person using three different terms, which would quickly turn out to be inefficient. For practical reasons, the most convenient term is illegal migrant. Given its vague nature, however, the paper proposes to supplement this using the classification presented in the Migration Legality Cube encompassing eight types, depending on which group of migrants is in focus. This will make it easier for analysts and laymen alike to find their way in the ocean of uncertainty in which current debates on migration drift — and often founder.
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The objective of the study is the investigation of the dependency between the asymmetry of economic development of cross-border regions in the European Union and the perception of near-border location as an “opportunity” or “obstacle.” For this purpose, an index of relative asymmetry of economic development was developed (DI) based on the GDP per capita in Purchasing Power Standards (PPS). The variability in the scope of perception of cross-border location as an “opportunity” or “obstacle” by the population of near-border areas was determined based on results of the Flash Eurobarometer 422. The basic statistical method applied in the study was the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. The obtained results provide a basis to state that the level of disproportions in the economic development of near-border regions (asymmetry of economic development) is linked to the perception of near-border location.
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Changes in the functions of Polish borders at the turn of the 20th and 21st century resulted in a reorientation of transport connections with countries of the former Soviet Union. One of the consequences of the phenomenon are considerable transformations in the scope of degree of use of rail transport in cross-border passenger traffic. The objective of the article is the dynamic assessment of the importance of railways in passenger traffic between Poland and Ukraine in the years 1990–2016 (including limited data for 2018), with consideration of the infrastructural and organizational factors. The analyses employed data on traffic of persons and vehicles on railway and road border crossings. They provided the basis for the determination of changes in the position of rail towards other modes of cross-border transport. The second source is Network Train Timetable (in Polish: Sieciowy Rozkład Jazdy Pociągów), used for the preparation of maps of connections functioning in selected time intervals. The analyzed period was characterized by a continuous decrease in the importance of rail in bilateral passenger traffic. It proved completely inflexible towards systemic and geopolitical transformations and intermodal competition of bus transport, and from 2013 also air transport. The spatial layout of rail connections suggested initial de-concentration involving several border crossings, and then concentration on two main lines. The vast general increase in traffic that occurred in recent years in the Ukrainian direction constitutes a chance for increasing the role of rail transport in a situation of overload of road border crossings.
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The paper presents an attempt of determination of changes in the level of socio-economic development of communes in the Lubelskie Voivodship. The variability of socio-economic development for 2005 and 2015 was determined based on the measure of development proposed by Hellwig. The research covered 193 communes, including 166 rural communes and 27 urban-rural communes. The source material was data for the local level (i.e., communes) obtained from the Local Data Bank of the Central Statistical Office. The research showed that the Lubelskie Voivodship is characterized by relatively high internal socio-economic variability. High level of development was usually obtained for urban-rural communes and communes neighboring on urban communes. The lowest level was determined for communes characterized by peripheral location. The large majority of communes represented a moderate level of socio-economic development. An increase in the general level of socio-economic development was observed in 2015 in comparison to 2005 in the majority of communes of the Lubelskie Voivodship.
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Rural settlements, as a basic element of space, are dynamic structures subject to changes due to various factors determining the conditions of their development and functional transformations. Certain directions of changes occurring in rural areas are characteristic of each historical period. They are particularly evident in demographic and socio-cultural processes, in rural economies, and living conditions of residents. This article analyses population changes in rural areas of the Lubelskie Voivodship in the years 1950–2011. Strong polarization of settlements was observed. Considering the current trends, the author constructed two forecasts (short- and long-term) of transformations in the structure of rural settlements.
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The article presents an attempt to determine the economic specialization of cities of the Lubelskie Voivodship. High level market specialization can result from the dominant function of a city related to the socio-economic activities of the citizenship. The study employs Florence’s location quotient, also known as the local specialization index. The analysis was carried out on the basis of Statistics Poland data. The main source of information was the REGON register database (National Official Register of National Economy Entities). The survey proved that the vast majority of cities located in the Lubelskie Voivodship have been characterized by a relatively low level of local specialization. This may indicate that the economic structure of the survey units is quite diverse. In the case of smaller centers, lack of the dominant function can result from a problem with proper identification factors constituting the economic base of a given city, and therefore suggest small chances for development.
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The purpose of the article is the estimation of the level of development of Polish-Ukrainian transborder regions, provision of an outline of problems and perspectives of their development, and of possible ways of solving such problems. The hypothesis states that the border line, on both the Ukrainian and Polish sides, is a powerful negative factor in the development of border regions. It is particularly visible on the Ukrainian side of the border. In order to delimitate the research area, the criterion of its location on counties (administration areas are named: in Poland — “poviat,” in Ukraine — “raion”) frame was applied. Therefore, for the transborder region, we consider administrative units located directly near the border: 9 counties of the Lubelskie and Podkarpackie voivodships for the Polish side, and 10 counties of 3 transborder regions in Ukraine (Lviv, Volyn, and Zakarpattia). For complex analysis of its development, we selected 9 diagnostic variables of sociodemographic, environmental, and economic development. In order to evaluate the level of development of transborder region, the synthetic index of its development was elaborated (Perkal index). The analysis of the spatial distribution of selected variables showed similarities in the development of Polish-Ukrainian transborder regions by environmental aspect, but significant differences in economic and sociodemographic depictions. In the context of the Perkal index, 4 classes of development of administrative units were elaborated. The worst situation regarding development was observed in the Volodymyr Volynskyi County with a level of development of -0,58. The best situation was observed in the case of the Bieszczadzki County with a level of development of 0,50. According to the authors, greater integration of Ukraine with the European Union, and active policy for activation of transborder regions could contribute to a reduction of differences in development of Polish-Ukrainian border regions.
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Formulations such as ‘hybrid war’ that have been used to try and explain Russia’s political campaign against the West have political utility but little scholarly relevance. Apart from the fact that the Russians themselves see gibridnaya voina as a Western approach used against them and their allies, the term also conflates two distinct, even if overlapping Russian concepts. To the military, such non-kinetic means as subversion, hacking, disinformation and sabotage are instruments with which to prepare the battlefield, as in Crimea. However, to the national security establishment, they are an alternative to direct military operations, and it is this kind of ‘political war’ that is being waged on the West. Understanding this distinction is crucial for a proper appreciation of the nature of the challenge and the most effective means with which to resist it.
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This paper aims to study five ideological dimensions of anti-democratic propaganda in Bulgarian media that articulate in a variety of perspectives the same general talking points: ‘The decline of Europe’, ‘The rise of Russia’, ‘Bulgaria’s venal elites’, ‘The US/NATO as global hegemon/puppet-master’. Its task is to check the ‘elasticity’ of Bulgarian anti-democratic propaganda, to see how, and to what extent, the general talking points can be rearranged and extended in different ideological directions so as to encompass different social stereotypes and discontents and package them around three basic oppositions: nationalism versus liberalism, the people versus the elites, Russia versus the West. The paper also attempts to clarify what are the political implications and what is the future of the world that the ideological variations of the main propaganda talking points presuppose and suggest.
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This paper analyzes the media and political reactions in Bulgarian online media to the Government’s 2016 Annual Report on the State of National Security of the Republic of Bulgaria, subsequently approved by Parliament, in the period from 1 September to 30 November 2017. References to the Report were subjected to content analysis according to the timeline of the reactions and the intensity of their occurrence, according to the different categories of institutional and non-institutional speakers, as well as according to the basic messages they were carrying. The findings show a strong disproportion in the representation of different opinions and the lack of public debate on the subject. From the very beginning of the researched period, there was a visible disparity between the dynamic of reactions to the Report and their media coverage. Media attention was almost exclusively focused on the passages in the Report describing the role of Russia for Bulgaria’s national security, which were the most debated political issue on this topic. It is highly likely that the next national security topic that will get extensive coverage will revolve around the state of security in the Black Sea.
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The article is an approch to characterize the situation of Finno-Ugric langauges in Russia in 21st century on the basis of statistical, legal and sociolinguistic sources. Globalisation prevails in a more or less closed, originally multi-lingual and multi-cultural society mainly due to political or ideological reasons. This situation can be observed in case of Finno-Ugric peoples in Russia. Because of political conditions one-sided bilingualism is the entrance hall to a new (Russian) monolingualism.
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The article stands as a proposition of a methodological clarification of the so called transmedial narratology as a comparative studies. By using the existing applications and understandings of transmedial narratology the author is suggesting a necessity of broadening the dominant models with a historical (diachronical) perspective connected with a transmedial archaeology approach to a given narratives. The author is trying to illustrate his project by showing a comparative look at some of the Captain America’s fictional narratives with theirs different ideological and political meanings according to a changing (trans)medial and temporal realities.
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This article presents selected historical and geopolitical events contributing to formation od specific Russian identity throughout its earliest times up to security developments in 21st century. Cultural awareness formed by those events does contribute to current Russian foreign policy formulation no only to relation to its „near neighborhood“, but also within broader ontological forces shaping current processes of globalization. Ontological narrative of specific Russian „Self “ within international security environment does shape its actions in world affairs. and to a significant degree can point to likely future behavior. Such onto-logically based security behavior will be thus based more on epistemological rather than on „rational actor behavior“ approach. We will try to prove this concept throughout the text by defining driving forces forming identity of Russian federation and consequently on two major security involvements in Ukraine and in Syria.
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The author analyses contemporary historical discourse on Communism from the perspective of narratology. Applying the tools most often used in the discussions of fiction, the author describes the construction of historical actors and the patterns of employment (sensu H. White), as well as characteristic strategies and tendencies of mainstream historical narratives.
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