Suchergebnisse

Addresses whether the grain quality factors used by the Federal Grain Inspection Service of the US Department of Agriculture in determining the quality grades of wheat exported by the USA including test weight, dockage, moisture content, percentage of foreign material, percentage of shrunken and broken kernels, and protein content, are characteristics that influence the price of wheat for export. Using data on the transactions price for hard red winter wheat, hard red spring wheat, and soft white wheat and the associated quality characteristics, exported between January 1990 and October 1991 to 63 countries, finds that only the test weight and the protein content are characteristics consistently valued by the market.

In this study, I use panel data from municipal Japanese National Health Insurance (JNHI) insurers to estimate their financial efficiency scores using nonparametric methods and to estimate the causal effects of structural and regional characteristics on the efficiency scores consistently using econometric methods. The major findings of this study are as follows. First, the estimated efficiency scores imply that many JNHI insurers have serious financial inefficiencies, and that total cost efficiency (economic efficiency) is strongly and positively correlated with allocative efficiency. Second, the empirical results of the effects of various factors on efficiency scores indicate that the two major policy reforms for health care systems for the elderly in 2008 contribute strongly to the improvement of JNHI insurers' finances. Third, the subsidy from a prefectural government positively affects efficiencies, but subsidies from central and municipal governments have an adverse effect. Fourth, contributions to health care systems for the elderly still have an adverse effect on JNHI finances.

Нестабильность мирового порядка, усиливающиеся санкции США в отношении России требуют от органов государственной власти и институтов гражданского общества, в том числе гуманитарной науки, постоянно учитывать и анализировать внутренние угрозы национальной безопасности, разрабатывать систему мер по их преодолению. Научная новизна исследования состоит характеристике и системном анализе причин основных внутренних угроз национальной России, не нашедших должного отражения в Стратегии национальной Российской Федерации; предложен комплекс мер для изменения социально-экономического и политического курса, обеспечения состояния защищенности личности, общества и государства. В статье обоснована необходимость демонтажа неолиберальной модели развития страны и перехода к социально-демократической модели, сформулированы рекомендации по повышению уровня благосостояния, просвещению и всестороннему развитию человека, поставлен вопрос о разработке научно обоснованной модели отбора и общественного контроля высшей государственной бюрократии, обеспечения ее профессионализма, проведения конституционной реформы как ключевых внутренних факторов укрепления национальной безопасности. ; The instability of the world order and the increasing US sanctions against Russia require state authorities and civil society institutions (including the human sciences) to constantly consider and analyze internal threats to national security and to develop a system of measures to overcome them. This article a) describes and systematically analyzes the causes of the main internal threats of national Russia, which were not adequately reflected in the National Strategy of the Russian Federation; and b) proposes a set of measures to change the socio-economic and political course and to ensure the state of protection of an individual, society and the state. The author highlights the need to dismantle the neoliberal model of development of the country and the need for the transition to a social democratic model. He also formulates recommendations for improving welfare, education, and comprehensive human development. In the end, he raises the question of developing a scientifically based model of selection and public control of highest state bureaucracy, ensuring its professionalism, constitutional reform, as key internal factors for strengthening national security.

This article examines the fine art of the Soviet national republics and its discourse in the Soviet Union, which were considerably shaped under the influence of socialist realism and Soviet nationality policy. While examining the central categories of Soviet artistic discourse such as the "national form," "national distinctness," and "tradition," as well as cultural and scientific institutions responsible for the image of art of non-Russian nationalities, the author reveals the existence of a number of colonial features and discursive and institutional practices that foster a cultural divide between Russian and non-Russian culture and contribute to the marginalization of art. Special attention is paid to the implications of this discursive shaping for the local artistic scene in Buryatia.

1. Introduction -- 2. Ethnicity in post-Soviet Russia -- 3. The post-Soviet North Caucasus -- 4. Post-Soviet population change -- 5. Ethnic discrimination and violence in Stavropol kray -- 6. Discourses of demonization : ethnic Chechens, ethnic Russians and the Stavropol riots of 2007 -- 7. Contested memorialization : understanding ethnic relations through the built environment -- 8. Performing ethnic relations : regional spectacles in Stavropol kray -- 9. Conclusion.

This thesis will study the separation between the three primary eras of Soviet cinema (Tsarist/Provisional Government-era, Bolshevik-era, and Stalinist-era) and how Soviet workers (both urban and rural) were affected by, reacted to, and associated with film propaganda. The thesis will attempt to establish a narrative that follows Soviet film from its early creation and nationalization in 1919 to the heavily oppressive Stalinist era. A variety of organizations, films, and individuals are studied to relate public perception to the use of film as propaganda. The thesis will also focus on the bourgeois film leaders that lead the film industry. Not only will Soviet leaders be studied, but the reaction of urban and rural workers to films will be considered. Soviet film strategy had goals of selling a collective Soviet identity to the urban and rural worker in the Soviet Union. There are similarities and differences between the urban and rural working Soviet, but both groups ultimately rejected the avant-garde style of Soviet film.

Since the historic 11th plenary session of the Chinese Communist Party, China has taken bold measures to introduce and carry out a comprehensive range of reform and opening up to the outside. In as little as 20 years, great changes have occurred across the country. Guandong, a pioneer province in China implementing such reform policy, has distinguished itself with an astonishn and greatly enhanced economic strength. This study explores the adminitrative reform in Guangdon province and its characteristics.

Studies on growth empirics with negative coefficient for education proxy have provided challenging puzzles. Since education is expected to promote economic growth. One of the best ways to explain this puzzle is to use an augmented growth model that incorporates country specific characteristics. This study builds such model with Nigerian data to test whether the structural characteristics of the Nigerian economy explain the impact of education on economic growth. Using annual data for gross enrolments, secondary and tertiary institutions as proxy for education, gross capital formation as proxy for investment and labour force as proxy for labour, the study finds that education and labour force are not associated with increased output proxy by real gross domestic product, while investment impacts growth positively. Three auxiliary variables—exchange rate black market premium, government consumption expenditure in real gross domestic product and ratio of primary product export total export were then introduced to capture the structural characteristics of the Nigerian economy. Black market premium and government expenditure impact negatively on economic growth. This suggests that the structure of the economy might have resulted into unproductive use of schooling. This study therefore recommends that changing the structure of Nigerian economy is important for use of education.

In the article I recreate and analyze the attitude of Bronisław Ferdynand Trentowski (1808-1869), one of the leading Polish representatives of "national philosophy", participant of November Uprising and political emigrant, towards Russian Pan-Slavism. In opposition to Pan-Slavism, Trentowski introduced the idea of the Slavic Reich. Originally he based it on values specific to Western culture (occidentalism), and later on the conservative-catholic idea of Poland as the "Christ of Nations". Combination of these two doctrines (Russian pan-Slavism and Polish messianism) offers an insight into historical premises of Polish and Russian national identities. The reconstruction of Trentowski's position is proceeded by synthetic characteristics of Slavophilia and Pan-Slavism in Russia.

Purpose
The media, private citizens and other stakeholders regularly appraise political negotiations, but the character of these negotiations and the reasons for outcomes are little understood. The purpose of this conceptual paper is to discuss this character and explore its implications.


Design/methodology/approach
This is a conceptual paper. The author carried out a literature review and used his experiences in supervising political negotiation simulations.


Findings
The author argues that political negotiations have several specific characteristics that distinguish them from other kinds of negotiations. Political negotiations, for instance, tend to address often rather fuzzy public interests, involve value conflicts or are simultaneously performed "on stage" and "behind the scenes." These characteristics may matter, as they can provide structural disincentives to negotiators, who might be tempted to focus on selling outcomes rather than on improving them ("saleability-oriented negotiating"). Hence, the author argues that political negotiators and their stakeholders face the challenge that political contexts may foster weak negotiation performances.


Practical implications
The author proposes an approach to political negotiations' training that takes the findings of this paper into consideration.


Originality/value
This paper is the first, to the best of the author's knowledge, to provide a detailed characterization of political negotiations and to discuss related implications.