Young People in Albania: Looking for the “Promised Land”

Author(s): Dafina Peci / Language(s): English Issue: 05-06/2016

It’s not easy at all to deal with life as a young person in Albania, nowadays. Having the possibility to see the best images of a world full of beauty, fancy lifestyle, money and luxury, from social media and technological development, does not correspond in general with the opportunities that our state offers and more generally with our economic development.Between the need to express themselves, to enjoy years full of energy and explore the world around, young people have to deal with shaping their present and future, taking responsibilities and finding a solution in a system which does not guarantee a lot.Except their personal and professional life, adolescents in Albania are struggling to bring a voice into those structures which will decide about them. Of course that needs good will,competence and continuing perseverance. It is important to note that in the years of Albanian transition we are now facing a little higher inclusion of youngsters into politics. This actually is good news because it shows that there is hope, energy and motivation to bring change –not only for this young generation but also for the generations to come. European integration is a challenge which can be achieved only through political awareness and tenacity for a better life. Young people in Albania do have that power.

A Greek Eye on the Future

Author(s): Regilla Bastian / Language(s): English Issue: 05-06/2016

Greece – as well as many EU countries – is in an admittedly hard situation, regarding politics,economics, social injustices, etc. This situation has taken its toll on everyone, but mostly on the younger generations and their perception of the future of Europe. On the one hand, we are facing extremism, which has started to arise since the beginning of the refugee crisis. On the other hand, youth unemployment and cut-backs on public expenditure – with whatever consequences these may have – are examples of how a stable future for young people is slowly being destroyed.Is Greece capable of protecting its young citizens from dangers such as waste of potential?Does moving to some other EU country sound more appealing? Is there light at the end of the tunnel for the younger generation? I frequently like to think maybe, but possibly not. I also feel that we must remain committed to create this light, to enlarge it and share it with the young in Greece, in Southeast Europe and elsewhere. Despite everything and in light of.

Opportunities and Challenges of Non-state Dialogue across the Finnish-Russian Border

Author(s): Jussi Laine / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2014

Increased inclusion of non-state actors in world politics has brought up the need for a wider understanding of power and agency. In a new Europe of post-national borders, the state sovereignty and authority has been weakened not just upwards and downwards, but also sideways by social movements and civil society organizations. The re-scaling of state, multileveled governance, and the cross-border initiatives fuelled by them, have initiated a transition from international to transnational relations. Reflecting this shift from debordering to rebordering, the role of borderlands has changed from integrators to buffer zones. More attention needs to be paid on those actors and processes that respond to globalizing forces by propelling border-spanning activities and foster cross-border relations. Building on empirical material collected from the Finnish-Russian border, this paper argues that cross-border civil society has the potential to address bi-/transnational problems and push governments toward binational solutions.

Regionálne črty politickej kultúry a volebného správania občanov Ukrajiny: regionalizácia alebo separácia?

Author(s): Anatoliy Klyuchkovych / Language(s): Slovak Issue: 1/2014

Distinctions of electoral behavior among different regions of Ukraine are analyzed in the article. The election results in the period 1991 – 2012 made it possible to conclude that the fundamental importance of regional factors is present in the system of electoral preferences of citizens. The main reasons and factors of ideological differences among the regions are presented. Main attention is paid on the clarifying the regional polarity of political culture and electoral behavior of citizens according to an axis “east – west”.

Obmedzenie participačnej demokracie v USA

Author(s): Gilbert Futó / Language(s): Slovak Issue: 2/2013

Referendum and initiative as integral parts of participatory democracy are key elements in preserving retained powers of the people. Diminishing the ability to guard their will by refusing to defend the outcomes of state popular vote in federal courts, leaves open question about interpretation of standing doctrines by United States Supreme Court. Samesex marriage cases present an example of different standards set by the highest court in this area. Hollingsworth v. Perry decision, stating that the official proponents of the initiative lack standing to appeal the judgement of the District Court undermines the principles of the initiative process, hence the whole concept of popular sovereignty.

Challenges to immigrant associations and NGOs in contemporary Greece

Author(s): Apostolos G. Papadopoulos,Christos Chalkias,Laukia-Maria Fratsea / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2013

The paper explores the challenges faced today, in a context of severe economic crisis, by immigrant associations (ΙΜΑs) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Greece. The data analysed here was collected between October 2009 and February 2010 and incorporates references to all recorded migration-related social actors operating in Greece. The paper takes into account such indicators as legal form, objectives, financial capacity and geographical range of activity, concluding with a typology of civil society actors dealing with migration issues. This study aims at informing the migration policymaking and migrant integration processes. By a spatial hot-spot clustering of IMAs and NGOs, we also illustrate the concentration patterns of civil society actors in Greece.

Izveštavanje Blica i Politike o Bregzitu: identitet za druge u medijskom diskursu u Srbiji

Author(s): Smiljana Milinkov,Norbert Šinković / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 37/2016

This paper presents the analysis of the scope and manner of media reporting about the referendum on the status of Great Britain in the European Union, which was held on 23 June 2016. Empirical research was conducted using quantitative and qualitative methods: content analysis and media discourse analysis. The sample includes online editions of two daily newspapers, Politika and Blic, both monitored a week before the scheduled referendum and two days after the referendum. The results of analysis have confirmed previous research of media in Serbia which showed that media coverage of the European Union is superficial, based on coverage of daily political events, predominantly factual and mostly without deeper analysis. The research has shown that the analysed media did not have a clear critical distance from authorities and official politics in general. The analysis of media coverage of UK leaving the European Union has showed the presence of identity-for-other’ in media discourse in Serbia, which is in the case of Brexit split between the impact of the East (Russia) and the West (Europe and USA).

Mesaj catre fratii nostri basarabeni

Author(s): Ioan Selejan / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 07-09/2016

In the spring of 2016, a program initiated from across the river Prut and entitled “Know your Country!” was started, having taken place in July and August and facilitating the arrival of over 100,000 Bessarabian brothers, endowed with the desire of getting to know their Mother-Land. Bessarabia is the true story of a tear on the cheek of Romania. We should to all that we can so that, through word and pray, we may erase this tear off the cheek of our country! So, we are one national and belong to one country, “sweet Romania”.

Społeczeństwo obywatelskie: mit czy warunek konieczny stabilnego rozwoju demokracji

Author(s): Ewelina Wojciechowska / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2016

This essay aims at taking reflection on the civil society. The author tries to prove the validity of the thesis that civil society is a precondition for stable development of democracy. For this purpose, author invokes the Polish and foreign studies and sources of public opinion surveys, referring mainly to the example of Poland. At the beginning terms such as civil society and stable democracy are explained. Then the arguments are given and critical private opinions of the author. They confirm this thesis. There is no shortage of the scientific data and references to personal experiences of the author, which is professionally associated with many non-governmental organizations for several years. This texts aim is to deepen the theme of the development of civil society and encourage the substantive discussion of the condition of contemporary democracy in Poland.

Mediji i korupcija

Author(s): Jovan Ćirić / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 3-4/2013

Usually, it is said that media play very important role in the fight against corruption. Their main role is to discover cases of corruption and to write and inform about those cases. In that sense, the free media should be critics of negative social phenomena, and especially corruption. This leads to the establishment of political responsibility. But by itself the political responsibility has many shortcomings. The author of this text holds that without real criminal sanction there is no real responsibility, and because of that the significance of the media is not so great. On the other hand, there are many media manipulations. To disqualify certain politicians, media can invent corruption scandals and, by that, they can jeopardize the presumption of innocence. All this exerts a negative impact on the morality in a society, because people starts to reason that all politicians are a like. This leads to the fact that those who are really immoral start to be engaged in policy. So that example shows that the role of the media in the fight against corruption does not have to be positive. A particular problem is corruption within the media, tied to the property over media, i.e. whether it provided transparency of media ownership in Serbia. †hat is a serious problem when it comes to functioning of media and their fight against corruption.

Organizaciona kultura kao stub integriteta javne uprave

Author(s): Srđan T. Korać / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 3-4/2013

This paper analyzes the effect of organizational culture on building an environment convenient for the consequent pursuit of ethical standards in professional exercise of public affairs. †he anal–sis is situated in the institutional context of implementing the policy of human resources management as a part of the public administration reform in post–industrial democratic hierarchies, according to basic tenets of a model of the novel public management. †he author emphasizes that ignoring the essential difference between ethical reasoning of employees in a private enterprise acting in the circumstances of profit maximization and that of public officers who are obliged to act in accordance with public interests leads inevitably to the emergence of corruptive patterns of behaviour in public sector. Because it shapes in an imperceptible way, through the socialization process, the ethical choices of public officers in the interpretation and application of prescriptions and accepted public policies in specific cases, only an organizational culture founded on ethical standards carries with it the counter–corruptive potential.

Pokušaj definisanja političke mafije

Author(s): Aleksandar Gordić / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 1-2/2014

Rola organizacji pozarządowych w świadczeniu pomocy postpenitencjarnej w Polsce i w Niemczech– historia i teraźniejszość

Author(s): Małgorzata Kubala / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2016

W artykule przedstawiono w ujęciu historycznym polskie i niemieckie rozwiązania w zakresie pomocy postpenitencjarnej oraz odniesiono się do działań realizowanych współcześnie w obu państwach. Dokonano prezentacji wybranych organizacji pozarządowych prowadzących w obu państwach działania na rzecz byłych skazanych i na tym tle zaproponowano implementację na grunt polski niektórych rozwiązań niemieckich.

The Role of Non-governmental Organizations in Providing Post- penitentiary Assistance in Poland and Germany – History and Present

Author(s): Małgorzata Kubala / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2016

The article presented a historical perspective of the activity of Polish and German solutions in post-penitentiary assistance. Furthermore, it refers to present activities carried out in both countries. The author presented selected non-governmental organizations engaged in activities for former convicted in both countries, and against this background, proposed the implementation of some German solutions in Poland.

Around the Bloc: Uzbek Activist Urlaeva Held in Psychiatric Facility

Author(s): TOL TOL / Language(s): English Issue: 03/14/2017

Advocate for worker rights was due to meet with international organizations on forced labor in the cotton industry.

Trzy filary kultury bezpieczeństwa

Author(s): Juliusz Piwowarski / Language(s): Polish Issue: XI/2016

Artykuł prezentuje propozycję interdyscyplinarnej platformy naukowej, jako podstawy dla nauk o bezpieczeństwie. Zawierają się w niej nie tylko militarne, ale głównie niemilitarne spekty bezpieczeństwa. Nacisk został położony na kulturę bezpieczeństwa, główną oś naukową czaspisma naukowego "Kultura Bezpieczeństwa", wraz z koncepcją trzech filarów kultury bezpieczeństwa: mentalno-duchowy, prawno-organizacyjny, materialny.

Trzy filary kultury bezpieczeństwa

Author(s): Juliusz Piwowarski / Language(s): Polish Issue: X/2016

Artykuł prezentuje propozycję interdyscyplinarnej platformy naukowej, jako podstawy dla nauk o bezpieczeństwie. Zawierają się w niej nie tylko militarne, ale głównie niemilitarne aspekty bezpieczeństwa. Nacisk został położony na kulturę bezpieczeństwa, główną oś naukową czasopisma naukowego „Kultura Bezpieczeństwa”, wraz z koncepcją trzech filarów kultury bezpieczeństwa: mentalno-duchowy, prawno-organizacyjny, materialny.

Trzy filary kultury bezpieczeństwa

Author(s): Juliusz Piwowarski / Language(s): Polish Issue: IX/2015

Artykuł prezentuje propozycję interdyscyplinarnej platformy naukowej, jako podstawy dla nauk o bezpieczeństwie. Zawierają się w niej nie tylko militarne, ale głównie niemilitarne aspekty bezpieczeństwa. Nacisk został położony na kulturę bezpieczeństwa, główną oś naukową czasopisma naukowego „Kultura Bezpieczeństwa”, wraz z koncepcją trzech filarów kultury bezpieczeństwa: mentalno-duchowy, prawno-organizacyjny, materialny.

MIĘDZY KONFLIKTEM A POJEDNANIEM. LUDY RDZENNE MEKSYKU W USTAWIE ZASADNICZEJ I DZIAŁALNOŚCI ADMINISTRACJI PUBLICZNEJ

Author(s): Maja Biernacka / Language(s): Polish Issue: 04/2016

The article is dedicated to constitutional grounds and public policy in Mexico with reference to indigenous peoples. Many of them are subject to severe social problems such as school absenteeism and dropouts, illiteracy, poverty and unemployment. The fundamental institution which specializes in public activity for the benefit of indigenous people in Mexico is the National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples (La Comisión Nacional para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indígenas). It was founded under Article 2 of the Constitution and operates at the federal level to devise strategies and implement public sector activities, including entitlement programs in order to foment their development.

The socialization potential of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum

Author(s): Hrant Kostanyan,Bruno Vandecasteele / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2013

This article assesses socialization in the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, an institutionalized civil society cooperation consisting of non-governmental organizations from the European Union and the Eastern Partnership countries: Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The article argues that uniting the literature on socialization and on Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum adds considerably to scholarly knowledge about the role of the institutionalized civil society in the world. The analysis of the activities of the Civil Society Forum shows that the conditions for socialization are largely fulfilled. We conclude that the organisation and functioning of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum not only provides a passive framework for transmitting European values and norms, but also results in a middle degree of socialization between civil society organizations of the European Union and the Eastern Partnership countries. There is a large degree of internalization of European Union-sponsored norms and values among the participants of the Civil Society Forum: they fervently promote and defend such norms and values. The little-politicized environment in which discussions take place also allows civil society organisations to make ambitious statements, often more straightforward than political representatives (can) make.