Suchergebnisse

This article is devoted to the analysis of tolerance towards national minorities in Lithuania. The article combines the analysis of the phenomenon of tolerance as a core social value and the analysis of empirical evidence of tolerance in the Lithuanian society. The scientific investigation of empirical situation is based on the secondary analysis of sociological data. Tolerance is one of the social values that are present and protected in modern multicultural democratic societies. Even thought the level of social tolerance varies from country to country and within time periods, Europe remains a perfect example of practices of social tolerance. In general, the level of tolerance is altering and depends on many factors, such as the level of urbanisation, multiculturalism, historical development, the development of the state, etc. In this article, the factors of multiculturalism and urbanisation are analysed in a more precise manner. Lithuania, due to its historical experience and geopolitical situation, is one of the European countries that are multicultural and have a long history of national minorities living in the country. According to the data of sociological research, the majority of the Lithuanian population is tolerant towards national minorities. Even though one third of the population express some kind of negative attitudes towards national minorities, it is necessary to stress that these negative attitudes are almost absent in everyday life of the society.

This article is devoted to the analysis of tolerance towards national minorities in Lithuania. The article combines the analysis of the phenomenon of tolerance as a core social value and the analysis of empirical evidence of tolerance in the Lithuanian society. The scientific investigation of empirical situation is based on the secondary analysis of sociological data. Tolerance is one of the social values that are present and protected in modern multicultural democratic societies. Even thought the level of social tolerance varies from country to country and within time periods, Europe remains a perfect example of practices of social tolerance. In general, the level of tolerance is altering and depends on many factors, such as the level of urbanisation, multiculturalism, historical development, the development of the state, etc. In this article, the factors of multiculturalism and urbanisation are analysed in a more precise manner. Lithuania, due to its historical experience and geopolitical situation, is one of the European countries that are multicultural and have a long history of national minorities living in the country. According to the data of sociological research, the majority of the Lithuanian population is tolerant towards national minorities. Even though one third of the population express some kind of negative attitudes towards national minorities, it is necessary to stress that these negative attitudes are almost absent in everyday life of the society.

This article is devoted to the analysis of tolerance towards national minorities in Lithuania. The article combines the analysis of the phenomenon of tolerance as a core social value and the analysis of empirical evidence of tolerance in the Lithuanian society. The scientific investigation of empirical situation is based on the secondary analysis of sociological data. Tolerance is one of the social values that are present and protected in modern multicultural democratic societies. Even thought the level of social tolerance varies from country to country and within time periods, Europe remains a perfect example of practices of social tolerance. In general, the level of tolerance is altering and depends on many factors, such as the level of urbanisation, multiculturalism, historical development, the development of the state, etc. In this article, the factors of multiculturalism and urbanisation are analysed in a more precise manner. Lithuania, due to its historical experience and geopolitical situation, is one of the European countries that are multicultural and have a long history of national minorities living in the country. According to the data of sociological research, the majority of the Lithuanian population is tolerant towards national minorities. Even though one third of the population express some kind of negative attitudes towards national minorities, it is necessary to stress that these negative attitudes are almost absent in everyday life of the society. ; Straipsnyje nagrinėjama tolerancijos, kaip pamatinės socialinės vertybės, samprata ir jos raiška Lietuvos visuomenėje. Tolerancija "kitokiems" visuomenės nariams neabejotinai yra vienas svarbiausių demokratinių Europos visuomenių vertybinių sistemų elementų. Tolerancijos lygis yra kintantis ir priklauso nuo daugybės veiksnių. Šiame straipsnyje ypač daug dėmesio skiriama urbanizacijos, daugiatautiškumo ir tautinės tolerancijos sąsajoms. Nagrinėjant Lietuvos situaciją, remiamasi pastarųjų metų sociologiniais tyrimais, nagrinėjamas tautinės sanklodos Vilniuje ir visoje Lietuvoje kitimas bei susiformavusios bendrabūvio tradicijos.

Although Lithuanian agricultural settlements were built on the basis of socialist directives, they had some characteristic features. Socialist, political, economic directives and impersonalised creations were represented in the same way as was the striving for Western ideas during the information blockade, and the contraposition vis-a-vis the threat of assimilation [fig. 6]. Another important feature of Lithuanian agricultural settlements was determined by the absence of deportees from other Soviet republics. Volunteer colonists preferred bigger towns to agricultural settlements (unlike the expatriates in Siberia, Kazakhstan, or elsewhere). In the 1960s and 1970s, Dainava (Ukmergė D.), Klausučiai (Jurbarkas D.), Skaistgirys (Joniškis D.), and Kabiškės (Vilnius D.) were illustrative examples of Lithuanian agricultural settlements. Undoubtedly, such newly developed functions had a certain influence on the further evolution of these towns, and the situation in some of them has undergone marked changes.

Although Lithuanian agricultural settlements were built on the basis of socialist directives, they had some characteristic features. Socialist, political, economic directives and impersonalised creations were represented in the same way as was the striving for Western ideas during the information blockade, and the contraposition vis-a-vis the threat of assimilation [fig. 6]. Another important feature of Lithuanian agricultural settlements was determined by the absence of deportees from other Soviet republics. Volunteer colonists preferred bigger towns to agricultural settlements (unlike the expatriates in Siberia, Kazakhstan, or elsewhere). In the 1960s and 1970s, Dainava (Ukmergė D.), Klausučiai (Jurbarkas D.), Skaistgirys (Joniškis D.), and Kabiškės (Vilnius D.) were illustrative examples of Lithuanian agricultural settlements. Undoubtedly, such newly developed functions had a certain influence on the further evolution of these towns, and the situation in some of them has undergone marked changes.

This article deals with the property tax reform that was carried out in Lithuania as well as in other Eastern and Central European countries since the 1990s. Since the beginning of the 1990s most countries of this region have reshaped their national systems from command to free market economy, created a stabile market and some of them joined the European Union. Most of the new EU Member States from Eastern and Central Europe have taken much effort to make their national taxation more consistent and attractive for investors. In particular, these countries have already diminished or consider diminishing the rates of corporate, income and some other taxes. On the other hand, the decreased revenue should be collected from other sources. In this context, property taxes are supposed to be a proper alternative to reimburse the loss of revenue. Furthermore, property taxes are also appreciated due to their nonfiscal functions (e.g.role of property taxation for sustainable urbanisation, effective use of land, land improvement). Major economic and legal reforms in Eastern and Central European countries since the 1990s as well as their implication to the reform of property taxation are observed in this article. The author elucidates privatization, restitution (reestablishment of property rights), reforms of national tax systems, local governance, etc. It is concluded that not all the anticipated reforms have been carried out as quickly as they were planned. The protracted reform of modernisation of property taxes was partly stipulated by undeveloped real estate markets, lack of relevant data, delayed reestablishment of property rights as well as some other objective factors. On the other hand, the politicians were afraid to loose political support if they increase a tax burden. Moreover, lack of consistent national strategies on local taxes and local governance has contributed to successful finalization of property taxation.

This article deals with the property tax reform that was carried out in Lithuania as well as in other Eastern and Central European countries since the 1990s. Since the beginning of the 1990s most countries of this region have reshaped their national systems from command to free market economy, created a stabile market and some of them joined the European Union. Most of the new EU Member States from Eastern and Central Europe have taken much effort to make their national taxation more consistent and attractive for investors. In particular, these countries have already diminished or consider diminishing the rates of corporate, income and some other taxes. On the other hand, the decreased revenue should be collected from other sources. In this context, property taxes are supposed to be a proper alternative to reimburse the loss of revenue. Furthermore, property taxes are also appreciated due to their nonfiscal functions (e.g.role of property taxation for sustainable urbanisation, effective use of land, land improvement). Major economic and legal reforms in Eastern and Central European countries since the 1990s as well as their implication to the reform of property taxation are observed in this article. The author elucidates privatization, restitution (reestablishment of property rights), reforms of national tax systems, local governance, etc. It is concluded that not all the anticipated reforms have been carried out as quickly as they were planned. The protracted reform of modernisation of property taxes was partly stipulated by undeveloped real estate markets, lack of relevant data, delayed reestablishment of property rights as well as some other objective factors. On the other hand, the politicians were afraid to loose political support if they increase a tax burden. Moreover, lack of consistent national strategies on local taxes and local governance has contributed to successful finalization of property taxation.