905 resultados para Russian, East European
Resumo:
This article builds on the securitisation and post-development literature and it scrutinises the Czech and Hungarian legitimising discourses of the two countries respective Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) in the Logar and Baghlan provinces of Afghanistan from 2007 to 2013. In spite of the hybrid civilmilitary character of the PRTs, their securitydevelopment nexus was absent and they were respectively securitised and developmentalised only indirectly and to a varying extent. The PRTs were mostly justified by the Czech Republic's NATO membership as an identity issue and they were justified as a Hungarian national interest and as both an obligation and an opportunity. Rather than merely importing NATO's arguments as suggested by the previous literature, the depoliticisation and positive connotation of the intervention in Afghanistan was constructed by the domestic NATO-related identities and interests in the Czech Republic and Hungary.
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The accession of the East-Central European (ECE) countries carried a promise of enhancing and enriching the EUs Eastern policy. The new member states had the strongest interests among EU member states to ensure that countries in the East are prosperous, stable and democratic. Yet, EUs Eastern policy has been largely criticised for its ineffectiveness. So why have they not been able to address the shortcomings in the EUs Eastern policies? The article argues that the ECE countries supported the way the EUs Eastern policies were conceived and implemented because they saw it as a potent vehicle to promote their own transition experience not only in the region but also within the EU. We argue that the ECE states have experienced three types of challenges when promoting their transition experience. First, uploading to the EU level remained largely at a rhetorical level. Second, there are conceptual and practical difficulties in defining what constitutes transition experience and harnessing it, as well as coordinating its transfer between the ECE states. Finally, while using transition experience as the basis for their development assistance strategies, the ECE countries actually insufficiently conceptualised the development aspect in these policies. Being so driven by their own experience, they have not drawn the lessons from enlargement to use in a non-accession context, especially by incorporating the broader lessons with regard to development.
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Resource discovery is one of the key services in digitised cultural heritage collections. It requires intelligent mining in heterogeneous digital content as well as capabilities in large scale performance; this explains the recent advances in classification methods. Associative classifiers are convenient data mining tools used in the field of cultural heritage, by applying their possibilities to taking into account the specific combinations of the attribute values. Usually, the associative classifiers prioritize the support over the confidence. The proposed classifier PGN questions this common approach and focuses on confidence first by retaining only 100% confidence rules. The classification tasks in the field of cultural heritage usually deal with data sets with many class labels. This variety is caused by the richness of accumulated culture during the centuries. Comparisons of classifier PGN with other classifiers, such as OneR, JRip and J48, show the competitiveness of PGN in recognizing multi-class datasets on collections of masterpieces from different West and East European Fine Art authors and movements.
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Against a backdrop of ongoing educational reforms that seek to introduce Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in Albanian primary and secondary state schools, Albanian teachers, among others, are officially required to use communication-based textbooks in their classes. Authorities in a growing number of countries that are seeking to improve and westernise their educational systems are also using communication-based textbooks as agents of change. Behind these actions, there is the commonly held belief that textbooks can be used to support teacher learning as they provide a visible framework teachers can follow. Communication-based textbooks are used in thousands of EFL classrooms around the world to help teachers to fully understand and routinize change (Hutchinson and Torres, 1994:323). However, empirical research on the role materials play in the classroom, and in particular the role of textbook as an agent of change, is still very little, and what does exist is rather inconclusive. This study aims to fulfill this gap. It is predominately a qualitative investigation into how and why four Albanian EFL teachers use Western teaching resources in their classes. Aiming at investigating the decision-making processes that teachers go through in their teaching, and specifically at investigating the relationship between Western-published textbooks, teachers decision making, and teachers classroom delivery, the current study contributes to an extensive discussion on the development of communicative L2 teaching concepts and methods, teacher decision making, as well as a growing discussion on how best to make institutional reforms effective, particularly in East-European ex-communist countries and in other developing countries. Findings from this research indicate that, prompted by the content of Western-published textbooks, the four research participants, who had received little formal training in CLT teaching, accommodated some communicative teaching behaviours into their teaching. The use of communicative textbooks, however, does not seem to account for radical, methodological changes in teachers practices. Teacher cognitions based on teachers previous learning experience are likely to act as a lens through which teachers judge classroom realities. As such, they shape, to a great degree, the decisions teachers make regarding the use of Western-published textbooks in their classes.
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This article explores the new institutionalist literature in political economy in the context of Kosovo's contested statehood, focusing on institutional arbitrage and legitimacy. This article considers both the consequences of institutions for actors' behaviour and the norms that shape this, as well as the factors determining the legitimacy of institutions. In doing so, it combines the new institutionalist theory with documentary and interview material collected during research on energy regulation in one contested state, Kosovo. Rather than singling out one particular variety of "new institutionalism", the article attempts to blend insights from historical (or "political"), rational choice, and sociological institutionalism. 2014 2014 Taylor & Francis.
A kzp-kelet-eurpai bankfzik eredmnyessge (The success of the bank mergers in Central Eastern Europe)
Resumo:
Az elmlt vekben a nagy eurpai bankcsoportok egyre tbb kzp-kelet-eurpai bankot vsroltak fel. Tanulmnyunkban a bankfzik rtkteremt hatst rszvnyesi szemmel elemezzk. A kzp-kelet-eurpai rgiban tevkenyked ht legnagyobb bankcsoport 2000 s 2008 kztti akvizcis tranzakciit az esemnyelemzs mdszervel vizsgljuk. gy tnik, a rszvnyesek sszessgben rtkelik a bankcsoportok akvizcis trekvseit: a fzik kicsit tbb mint felben pozitv a kumullt abnormlis hozam, s enyhn pozitv az sszes esemny abnormlis hozamnak tlaga is. Szmtsaink sorn elsknt az egyes bankcsoportok felvsrlsi stratgijt rtkeljk. A felvsrls bejelentse krli hromnapos idintervallumot alapul vve, a Raiffeisen s az OTP stratgija tekinthet a legsikeresebbnek, mg az Erste felvsrlsai a legkevsb eredmnyesnek. Ezt kveten rvilgtunk arra, hogy eltr befekteti szndkbl ugyan, de mind a legmagasabb, mind a legalacsonyabb rtk gyletek esetben a pozitv abnormlis hozam fzik vannak tlslyban. Vgezetl megllaptjuk, hogy az orszghatron tvel gyletek befekteti megtlse nem rosszabb az orszghatron belli tranzakciknl. /===/ The big European banking groups have been buying up more and more banks in Central Eastern Europe. The study analyses the value-enhancing effects of the mergers from the shareholders angle by examining by occurrence analysis methods the Central East European acquisition transactions of the seven biggest banking groups between 2000 and 2008. The shareholders as a whole seem to appreciate the acquisition activity of the banks: cumulative abnormal yield is positive in over half the mergers and average abnormal yield of all occurrences is mildly positive as well. The authors evaluate first the acquisition strategies of each banking group. Based on a three-day period round the acquisition announcement, Raiffeisen and OTP seem to have the most successful strategies and Erste the least successful. Light is then shed on investment intentions in each case, but mergers with a positive abnormal yield predominate among the highest and the lowest value transactions. Finally, the investor evaluation of cross-border transactions is no worse than for domestic ones.
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2004-ben Magyarorszg kilenc kzp-kelet-eurpai orszggal egytt csatlakozott az Eurpai Unihoz, ami szmos vltozst idzett el az agrrkereskedelem tern. A cikk clja, hogy a legfrissebb adatok s a szakirodalmi fejlemnyek tkrben bemutassa, hogyan alakult Magyarorszgon a mezgazdasgi alapanyagok s a feldolgozott termkek kereskedelme az Eurpai Unival. A megnyilvnul komparatv elnyk mdszert alkalmazva a cikk szmos kvetkeztetsre jutott. Elszr is vilgoss vlt, hogy a csatlakozs nvelte az agrrkereskedelem intenzitst, m negatv hatssal volt a kereskedelem egyenlegre. Kimutathat tovbb, hogy Magyarorszg az alacsony hozzadott rtk alapanyagexportra s a magas hozzadott rtk feldolgozott termkek importjra koncentrlt a csatlakozs utn, noha ezek komparatv elnyei nagymrtkben megvltoztak egy hatkony alkalmazkodsi folyamat kvetkeztben. A vltozsok tnyt tmasztjk al a klnbz rvid s hossz tv stabilitsvizsglatok is, amelyek az agrrtermkek megnvekedett versenyre utalnak az EU-15 piacn. Agrrpolitikai szempontbl az elemzsek altmasztjk a strukturlis reformok szksgessgt. / === / Numerous changes in agricultural trading from the EU accession of Hungary and nine other Central-East European countries in 2004. The article sets out to present, in the light of the latest figures and written contributions, how Hungarys EU trade in agricultural raw and semi-processed products developed thereafter. It uses the method of manifest comparative advantages to reach its conclusions. First, it became clear that accession increased the intensity of agricultural trading, although it had a detrimental effect on the trade balance. It also appeared that post-accession Hungary was concentrating on exports of basic materials of low added value and imports of processed articles with high added value, although these comparative advantages were much altered by an effective process of adaptation. The fact of the changes is supported by various short and long-term stability examinations, which point to increased competition for agricultural products on EU15 markets. From the policy point of view, the analyses support the need for structural reforms.
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Work-life balance (WLB) is a key issue in our societies in which there is increasing pressure to be permanently available on demand and to work more intensively, and when due to technological change the borders between work and private life appear to be dissolving. However, the social, institutional and normative frames of a region have a huge impact on how people experience work and private life, where the borders between these spheres lie and how much control individuals have in managing these borders. Based on these arguments, this editorial to the special issue Work-life balance/imbalance: individual, organisational and social experiences in Intersections. EEJSP draws attention to the social institutions, frameworks and norms which have an effect on experience, practices and expectations about work-life balance. Concerning the time horizon, this editorial focuses on the change of regime as a reference point since socialist and post-socialist eras differ significantly, although there is still some continuity between them. The authors of this introduction offer an overview of the situation in CEE (Central and Eastern Europe) based mainly on examples of Visegrad countries.
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We describe the contemporary hydrography of the pan-Arctic land area draining into the Arctic Ocean, northern Bering Sea, and Hudson Bay on the basis of observational records of river discharge and computed runoff. The Regional Arctic Hydrographic Network data set, R-ArcticNET, is presented, which is based on 3754 recording stations drawn from Russian, Canadian, European, and U.S. archives. R-ArcticNET represents the single largest data compendium of observed discharge in the Arctic. Approximately 73% of the nonglaciated area of the pan-Arctic is monitored by at least one river discharge gage giving a mean gage density of 168 gages per 106 km2. Average annual runoff is 212 mm yr?1 with approximately 60% of the river discharge occurring from April to July. Gridded runoff surfaces are generated for the gaged portion of the pan-Arctic region to investigate global change signals. Siberia and Alaska showed increases in winter runoff during the 1980s relative to the 1960s and 1970s during annual and seasonal periods. These changes are consistent with observations of change in the climatology of the region. Western Canada experienced decreased spring and summer runoff.
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The subject of this paper concerns selected experiences of citizens from the Visegrad Group countries (Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary) participating in the process of direct (that is, exercised by means of the tools of direct democracy) decision making as regards the most important matters, ranging from those related to the process of political transformation to the decision on accession to the European Union. The present considerations dwell on the experiences of Central and East European countries.
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The aim of this paper is to present the findings of a quantitative content analysis of the Polish print media. Sharing the codebook and procedures with an international team, we were able to gain a broad perspective on the media coverage of the first Polish EU presidency. In particular, we focused on: (1) the number of items covering events related to the presidency, (2) the prominence of the topic, (3) genres, (4) main topics, (5) authors of news, (6) authors of opinions, and (7) the way Polish journalists evaluated Polands performance during the EU presidency. The findings showed that although Polish print press reported the first Polish EU presidency, the topics prominence was not very high. Media organizations rather rarely presented the topic on the front page and they did not change their regular editorial policy. Most of the news items, as well as opinions and comments, were written by staff members. Furthermore, journalists seemed to be more interested in the opinions of national politicians, rather than experts. As a result, the framework of the coverage was predominantly domestic. Journalists working for daily newspapers focused mostly on providing news and their own interpretations of the reported events. On the contrary weekly magazines provided comments and interviews, but again, most of the opinions were expressed by their own journalists and editors.
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At the dawn of the twentieth century, Imperial Russia was in the throes of immense social, political and cultural upheaval. The effects of rapid industrialization, rising capitalism and urbanization, as well as the trauma wrought by revolution and war, reverberated through all levels of society and every cultural sphere. In the aftermath of the 1905 revolution, amid a growing sense of panic over the chaos and divisions emerging in modern life, a portion of Russian educated society (obshchestvennost) looked to the transformative and unifying power of music as a means of salvation from the personal, social and intellectual divisions of the contemporary world. Transcending professional divisions, these orphans of Nietzsche comprised a distinct aesthetic group within educated Russian society. While lacking a common political, religious or national outlook, these philosophers, poets, musicians and other educated members of the upper and middle strata were bound together by their shared image of musics unifying power, itself built upon a synthesis of Russian and European ideas. They yearned for a musical Orpheus, a composer capable of restoring wholeness to society through his music. My dissertation is a study in what I call musical metaphysics, an examination of the creation, development, crisis and ultimate failure of this Orphic worldview. To begin, I examine the institutional foundations of musical life in late Imperial Russia, as well as the explosion of cultural life in the aftermath of the 1905 Revolution, a vibrant social context which nourished the formation of musical metaphysics. From here, I assess the intellectual basis upon which musical metaphysics rested: central concepts (music, life-transformation, theurgy, unity, genius, nation), as well as the philosophical heritage of Nietzsche and the Christian thinkers Vladimir Solovev, Aleksei Khomiakov, Ivan Kireevskii and Lev Tolstoi. Nietzsches orphans struggle to reconcile an amoral view of reality with a deeply felt sense of religious purpose gave rise to neo-Slavophile interpretations of history, in which the Russian nation (narod) was singled out as the savior of humanity from the materialism of modern life. This nationalizing tendency existed uneasily within the framework of the multi-ethnic empire. From broad social and cultural trends, I turn to detailed analysis of three of Moscows most admired contemporary composers, whose individual creative voices intersected with broader social concerns. The music of Aleksandr Scriabin (1871-1915) was associated with images of universal historical progress. Nikolai Medtner (1879-1951) embodied an Imperial worldview, in which musical style was imbued with an eternal significance which transcended the divisions of nation. The compositions of Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) were seen as the expression of a Russian national voice. Heightened nationalist sentiment and the impact of the Great War spelled the doom of this musical worldview. Music became an increasingly nationalized sphere within which earlier, Imperial definitions of belonging grew ever more problematic. As the Germanic heritage upon which their vision was partially based came under attack, Nietzsches orphans found themselves ever more divided and alienated from society as a whole. Musics inability to physically transform the world ultimately came to symbolize the failure of Russias educated strata to effectively deal with the pressures of a modernizing society. In the aftermath of the 1917 revolutions, music was transformed from a symbol of active, unifying power into a space of memory, a means of commemorating, reinterpreting, and idealizing the lost world of Imperial Russia itself.
