Suchergebnisse

The publication of this book is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union (Jean Monnet Information Project "Policy Debate with Academic World") and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland under the competition "Cooperation in the Area of Public Diplomacy 2015". The book reflects only the views of the Authors and cannot be understood as the official position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland. ; This publication contains studies on issues that nowadays are the biggest challenges for the EU and its Member States. They reflect the lines of research conducted within the framework of European studies and studies in economics and social sciences regarding issues related to the activities of the EU. This publication consists of seven parts. The first part, entitled "Understanding the European Union – the Main Challenges for the Coming Years", provides reflections on the major challenges that the EU will have to face in the nearest future. Eminent representatives of the Polish world of science and politics have shared their views on the matter. Those representatives being: prof. Lena Kolarska-Bobińska, Ph.D. – the current Minister of Science and Higher Education, Jan Truszczyński – the former Director General for Education and Culture of the European Commission, prof. Danuta Hübner, Ph.D. – the former Minister for European Affairs, Poland's first-ever European Commissioner, and prof. Ewa Latoszek, Ph.D. – head of the Jean Monnet Chair of the European Union at Warsaw School of Economics. The second part, entitled "European Union as a Global Actor in a Changing World", discusses the place of the European Union in the rapidly changing global economy. Articles in this section concern both the assessment of the hitherto pursued foreign policy of the EU and the possible perspectives for further cooperation with countries such as the states of the former Eastern bloc, Turkey, China, India and countries of Sub-Saharan Africa. The highly important issue of integrated development of individual regions is the focus of part three of the publication – "Regional Development for Economic and Social Cohesion in the European Union". This part provides reflections on, among others, the role of the state in creating regional policies, the hitherto achievements of the EU's cohesion policy and the role of other policies (for example the policy on energy or fisheries policy) for the cohesion policy and the economic growth resulting from it. Part four, "Towards Better Finance Governance in the European Union", focuses on a particularly important matter given the EU's experiences in recent years – that is the supervision of financial systems. The importance of this issue was clearly highlighted by the 2008+ crisis, which significantly changed the way the financial and real spheres of the economy are perceived. The focal points of the texts in this section are topics such as financial stability, supervision of financial institutions, common currency – the euro, and the reform of the EU budget. Part five, entitled "Shaping and Unfolding Innovation in the European Union", is dedicated to innovation – an essential element for continued growth of developed economies of the West. The articles raise important issues of the EU innovation policy, the role of innovation in international relations and the impact of foreign direct investment on the development of innovation. Additionally, Polish achievements in innovation – illustrated by the example of the airline industry – have been presented. Demographic changes are the focus of part six: "Demographic Changes in the European Union – Questions for the Future". The matter in question is important both in the context of the consequences of long-term population projections for Europe, as well as in the context of a serious migration crisis that is already being called a "refugee crisis". What is more, much attention was devoted to the current issues of population policy, with particular emphasis on its family-oriented dimension. The final part, entitled "Education and Research as Main Drivers of the EU's Sustainable Growth", focuses on the role of education and scientific research in the economic development of EU countries. Particularly noteworthy is the issue of access to education as a determinant of innovativeness of the economy and the quality of life of the society, addressed in this section. Additionally, the authors reflected on the current challenges facing the educational systems of European countries. Poland's accession to the European Union crowned the important historical stage that was the multidimensional systemic transformation. This is why the publication closes with a text entitled "The Success of Polish Transformation – Lessons for the Eastern Partnership Countries". This text is a historical analysis of the Polish political and economic transformation and the opportunities offered by the Polish experience to countries aspiring to EU membership. In addition, it also presents the main results of a survey conducted among the participants of the EuInteg conference in which they were asked to assess various aspects of the Polish transformation. The structure of the publication and the approach to the discussed topics were presented in such a way as to give the reader a broad overview of issues regarding the most important areas of EU activities. ; European Union (The Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency or EACEA) Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland (Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych w Polsce) ; Marta Pachocka

The purpose of this study is to present a unique database on commercialized patents and to illustrate how it can be used to analyze the commercialization process of patents. The dataset is based on a survey of Swedish patents owned by inventors and small firms with a remarkably high response rate of 80 percent. It contains some key variables on commercialization not found anywhere else, including whether, when and how (acquisition, licensing, existing or new firm) patents were commercialized as well as whether this commercialization was profitable or not. Thus, this patent database measures technological innovation. The dataset is complemented with indicators of patent quality (patent renewal, forward citations, and patent family) from archive sources. Basic statistics for the key variables are described. Finally, the scientific output in terms of published articles in peer-reviewed journals shows how this database can be used to analyze the commercialization process of patents. The dataset has, for instance, been used to 1) evaluate government loan programs for inventors; 2) analyze the different roles of the inventor and the Schumpeterian entrepreneur during commercialization; 3) estimate the transfer of tacit knowledge when patents are sold or licensed; and 4) analyze the entry strategy among inventors in oligopolistic markets.

"This paper presents a unified framework for characterizing symmetric equilibrium in simultaneous move, two-player, rank-order contests with complete information, in which each player's strategy generates direct or indirect affine 'spillover' effects that depend on the rank-order of her decision variable. These effects arise in natural interpretations of a number of important economic environments, as well as in classic contests adapted to recent experimental and behavioral models where individuals exhibit inequality aversion or regret. We provide the closed-form solution for the symmetric Nash equilibria of this class of games, and show how it can be used to directly solve for equilibrium behavior in auctions, pricing games, tournaments, R&D races, models of litigation, and a host of other contests." (author's abstract)

International audience ; "Project BNQ 21000" is directly linked to the Québec government's Sustainable Development Strategy 2008-2013, which promotes voluntary approaches to sustainable development of civil society, including business, progressing towards this end. It is in the context of this strategy that is proposed the BNQ 21000 Approach to organizations in Québec. BNQ 21000 Approach is a standard guide and a comprehensive method to promote and accelerate the recognition and implementation of the principles of sustainable development.In a complementary perspective to the BNQ 21000 Standard, BNQ 21000 Method is currently being pilot projects in more than 60 Québec companies. The purpose of this testing phase is to test the normative guide in a practical way and to help validate and improve an approach and tools to meet the needs of companies in terms of sustainability management. In this regard, more than a dozen companies in the Québec mining industry participate in this experiment in the pilot project of the Quebec Mining Association (QMA). In words, the BNQ 21000 standard and 21000 BNQ Method will base the whole Approach BNQ 21000 and can be summarized by the slogan: Driving sustainable development of responsible organization ; Le « Projet BNQ 21000 » se situe directement en lien avec la Stratégie gouvernementale de développement durable 2008-2013, qui favorise les démarches volontaires en développement durable pour que la société civile, y compris les entreprises, chemine vers cette optique. C'est dans le cadre de cet effort qu'est proposé aux entreprises exerçant leurs activités au Québec, un guide normatif et une démarche globale pour favoriser et accélérer la prise en compte des principes de développement durable au sein de leur organisation.Dans une perspective de complémentarité à la Norme BNQ 21000, la Méthode BNQ 21000 fait présentement l'objet de projets-pilotes dans plus de 60 entreprises québécoises. Le but de cette phase d'expérimentation est de tester le guide normatif de manière concrète et ...

International audience The article analyzes the significance of the concepts of "Europe" and "European integration" in the Romanian public discourses, namely the way in which the significance of these terms were reconfigured over time, according to the development of socio-historical contexts and themes. The analysis is based on the premise that Romania's integration into the European Union occurred according to different temporal rhythms (just like the European Community was built "at different speeds"). The chosen historical period, from the end of World War II up to Romania's accession to the EU, highlights the structure of discourses about Europe's unity in diversity and the relation between European integration and phenomena like globalization and modernization. ; L'article analyse la signification des concepts d'"Europe" et d'"intégration européenne" dans les discours publics roumains, à savoir la manière dont la signification de ces termes a été reconfigurée au fil du temps, en fonction de l'évolution des contextes et des thèmes socio-historiques. L'analyse se fonde sur le postulat que l'intégration de la Roumanie dans l'Union européenne s'est faite selon des rythmes temporels différents (tout comme la Communauté européenne s'est construite "à des vitesses différentes"). La période historique choisie, de la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale jusqu'à l'adhésion de la Roumanie à l'UE, met en évidence la structure des discours sur l'unité de l'Europe dans la diversité et la relation entre l'intégration européenne et des phénomènes comme la mondialisation et la modernisation.

• A comprehensive introduction to small states, with a mixture of detailed examples (Quebec and Japan) and a broader range of case studies; • Addresses core questions of what a "state" is, what it is for and the role of small states in the international system; • Refocusses the study of small states away from the usual case studies, refocussing on the North American and East Asian contexts. ; With emphasis on East Asian and North American examples – notably Japan and Quebec – Date, Laniel and their contributors take a new approach to the understanding of small nations and their role in the international system. Small nations, by their very nature, raise significant questions about what a nation is. Some small nations are sovereign states with relatively small populations and limited territory, others are nations within larger sovereign states, with distinctive cultures, governance structures or other features that differentiate them from their "parent" state. By focussing on non-European nations in particular, the contributors to this volume challenge our conceptions of what a small nation is and how it operates within the international system. They focus in particular on the nation-within-a-nation-state of Quebec and on Japan, supplemented by further examples from East Asia. By interrogating what these examples have to show us about the typology and character of small nations, they offer a critique of superpower and draw out the potential of small nation studies. A valuable resource for students and scholars of international relations and theories of the nation and nation state.

The book examines sustainable food procurement policy and practice in the European Union and beyond, exploring the extent to which sustainability objectives have been achieved and evaluating the new developments taking place at both EU and national levels. While there is a growing recognition that public authorities can use public procurement as a policy tool to pursue multiple environmental, health and socio-economic objectives, contracting authorities still face many challenges. This volume investigates the scope for pursuing sustainable objectives in public procurement of food and catering services, examining different regulatory contexts and organisational models to answer the overall question of how to integrate sustainability concerns into the various phases of public food procurement processes. Contributions in the book examine the policy and legal procurement framework and practices for sustainable public catering in three EU Member States: Italy, France and Spain. There is a comparative survey of the Baltic Region, including Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Poland and Russia, and moving beyond the EU, there is examination of the UK and Brazil, as well as a cross country comparison of the UK with Denmark and Sweden. Drawing on the expertise of an interdisciplinary and intersectoral team of contributors allows the book to benefit from the insights of different disciplines, including business sciences, anthropology and law. Tapping into the global discussion on public food procurement as a means to achieve multiple social and environmental goals, this work will stimulate readers looking for new creative ways to create value through public food purchasing. This book will be of great interest to students, researchers, policymakers and public- and private-sector representatives interested in public procurement, food policy and law, sustainable food sourcing and supply chain management.

"This book explores Soviet-North Korean relations during the Cold War (1945-1991). Based on many primary documents and sources (including Russian and Korean), it reveals how the influence of the Soviets on Pyongyang diminished during the course of the Cold War, from overwhelming at the time of the foundation of North Korea, to negligible at the time of collapse of the USSR. The book delves into the early history and foundation of North Korea, the August Plenum and the adaptation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the Sino-Soviet split. It covers topics previously neglected in previous studies on North Korea, such as the preparations and waging of the Korean War, Kim Il-sung's road to political independence, the widespread mockery of North Korean propaganda by Soviet citizens and the Soviet origins of the design of the North Korean flag. This book will be a valuable resource to students and scholars of North Korea, Russian Studies, the Cold War and Communism"--

This book looks at the question of extending the reach of the Brussels Ia Regulation to defendants not domiciled in an EU Member State. The Regulation, the centrepiece of the EU framework on civil procedure, is widely recognised as one of the most successful legal instruments on judicial cooperation. To provide a basis for the discussion of its possible extension, this volume takes a closer look at the national rules that currently govern the question of jurisdiction over non-EU defendants in each Member State through 17 national reports. The insights gained from them are summarised in a comparative report and critically discussed in further contributions, which look at the question both from a European and from a wider global perspective. Private international lawyers will be keen to read the findings and conclusions, which will also be of interest to practitioners and policy makers.

Ukrainian-born Yankev Leshchinsky (1876–1966) was the leading scholarly and journalistic analyst of Eastern European Jewish socioeconomic and political life from the 1920s to the 1950s. Known as "the dean of Jewish sociologists" and "the father of Jewish demography," Leshchinsky published a series of insightful and moving essays in Yiddish on Polish Jewry between 1927 and 1937. Despite heightened interest in interwar Jewish communities in Poland in recent years, these essays (like most of Leshchinsky's works) have never been translated into English.

The Last Years of Polish Jewry helps to rectify this situation by translating some of Leshchinsky's key essays. A thoughtful Introduction by Robert Brym provides the context of the author's life and work.

The essays in this volume, based on years of research and first-hand observation, focus on the period 1927–33. The rise of militant Polish nationalism and the ensuing anti-Jewish boycotts and pogroms; the increasing exclusion of Jews from government employment and the universities; the destitution, hunger, suicide, and efforts to emigrate that characterized Jewish life; the psychological toll taken by mass uncertainty and hopelessness—all this falls within the author's ambit. There is no work in English that comes close to the range and depth of Leshchinsky's essays on the last years of the three million Polish Jews who were to perish at the hand of the Nazi regime.

This book will be of interest to researchers and students of Eastern European history and society, especially those with an interest in Eastern Europe's Jewish communities on the brink of the Holocaust.

The Nazi Invasion: Violence, Displacement, and Expropriation -- Jewish Leadership -- The Supply and Distribution of Food: Strategies and Priorities -- The Physical, Mental, and Social Effects of Hunger -- Hunger and Everyday Life in the Ghetto -- Socioeconomic Status and Food Access -- Relief Systems and Charity -- Illicit Food Access: Smuggling, Theft, and the Black Market -- Labor and Food in the Ghettos -- Deportations and the End of the Ghettos.

Prompted by an unprecedented rise of litigation since the 1990s, this book examines how the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) system and the Strasbourg Court interact with states and non-governmental actors to influence domestic change. Focusing on European Court of Human Rights litigation and state implementation of judgments related to minority discrimination and asylum/migration, it argues that a fundamental transformation of the Convention system has been under way. Repeat and strategic litigation, shifting methods of supervision and state implementation to remedy systemic violations, and above all the growing engagement of civil society and non-governmental actors, have prompted a distinctive trend of human rights experimentalism. The emergence of experimentalism has profound implications for the legitimacy, effectiveness and further reform of the ECHR system. This study provides an original constitutive account of regional human rights regimes and how they are activated by societal actors to claim rights, advance case law, and pressure for domestic legal and policy change. It will be of interest to international law and international relations scholars, political scientists, specialists on the ECHR, the Strasbourg Court, as well as to scholars interested in the human rights of immigrants and minorities.

"The cultural sector plays an important role in sustainable economic development and creates economic activities, opportunities for entrepreneurship and jobs, adding to the attractiveness of cities and contributing to the development of tourism. This book offers both a theoretical and practical analysis of the contemporary approach to culture and innovation, with special emphasis on the relationship between culture, innovation and the economy. Sustainable development itself balances environmental protection, culture, social progress, the economy and stability today, and for the future. The book's key theme is the role and possibility of culture as a laboratory, with a strong supporting subtext on innovative practice. The book provides an eclectic mix of possibilities that reinforce and underscore the full innovative and complex potential of culture. It is a cross-disciplinary volume presenting case studies that cover the main theme of cultural ecosystem in a very broad sense, highlighting the relationships that could lead to a sustainable system where the economy and culture are the main players. It proposes and maps the European perspective of urban cultural development and suggests that the successes and challenges of the European cities under consideration may offer guidance on best practice for urban development in other distant cultural contexts. This book is written in such a way that it can be used as a summary for a cultural professional, a reference text for an academic or for actors in local development and cultural policy at European, national, and local level"--