Western European Countries Research Articles

“We won't go back home!” Women's Experiences with Deindustrialization and Unemployment at Fiat and LIP, a Comparative Perspective

AbstractThis article stems from a project aiming to investigate women's unemployment in the phase of deindustrialization that affected Western European countries from the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis. Countries such as Italy and France, with both a strong working-class movement and a vibrant feminist movement, have had to face economic crises since the mid-seventies and from the eighties have witnessed how neoliberal capitalism started to heavily reshape the global labor market. The old stereotype of female salary as ‘pin money’ within the household budget was again publicly put forth. How did women experience unemployment? What did it mean in terms of their social status, economic independence, sense of self, relationship to the home? To answer these questions and to understand the reconfiguration of class and gender identities, I focus on two milestone cases of labour struggles that are recognized as turning points in the history of the affirmation of neoliberal dynamics: the crisis of FIAT in Italy and of LIP in France. Despite their being at the center of many academic investigations as fundamental sites of resistance, their outcomes in terms of unemployment and particularly the gender dimension of this phenomenon have been largely overlooked so far. I will delineate a comparison between the two cases by drawing on my past research about trade union feminism in the two countries, on archival sources, published accounts and oral histories of two key activists in these struggles. Key factors that will be analysed are: women's participation in the collective mobilisations in the face of unemployment, their relation to the domestic sphere and to care work, their ability to build female networks within their wounded communities.

Systems of innovation: Path of economic transition and differences in institutions in central and Eastern Europe?

AbstractAgainst the backdrop of the current political developments in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, such as Ukraine, Poland, and Romania, the question arises as to the role played by economic transformation and the resulting innovation linkages in these countries over the last 20 years. The main purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of economic and institutional dimensions on the development of CEE countries, explicitly distinguishing between European Union (EU) members and non‐members, and thus reflecting the differences in institutions and path dependency. Furthermore, the paper contrasts the performance of CEE countries with that of Western European countries. To achieve these objectives, the impact of factors such as innovation, institutions, and political practices on the economic development of 37 European countries from 2000 until 2020 is followed using fixed effects regression and Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. The results of the analysis show the importance of institutional factors such as low levels of corruption, political freedoms, and intellectual property. The effect of institutional variables was particularly pronounced in the case of non‐EU countries, which indicates the particular importance of the development of stable institutions for achieving higher levels of economic development for this category of countries.

Distance functions of carabids in crop fields depend on functional traits, crop type and adjacent habitat: a synthesis.

Natural pest and weed regulation are essential for agricultural production, but the spatial distribution of natural enemies within crop fields and its drivers are mostly unknown. Using 28 datasets comprising 1204 study sites across eight Western and Central European countries, we performed a quantitative synthesis of carabid richness, activity densities and functional traits in relation to field edges (i.e. distance functions). We show that distance functions of carabids strongly depend on carabid functional traits, crop type and, to a lesser extent, adjacent non-crop habitats. Richness of both carnivores and granivores, and activity densities of small and granivorous species decreased towards field interiors, whereas the densities of large species increased. We found strong distance decays in maize and vegetables whereas richness and densities remained more stable in cereals, oilseed crops and legumes. We conclude that carabid assemblages in agricultural landscapes are driven by the complex interplay of crop types, adjacent non-crop habitats and further landscape parameters with great potential for targeted agroecological management. In particular, our synthesis indicates that a higher edge-interior ratio can counter the distance decay of carabid richness per field and thus likely benefits natural pest and weed regulation, hence contributing to agricultural sustainability.

A Systematic Review of the Characteristics of Social Support and Poverty Alleviation among Asylum-seekers and Refugees Resettled in Countries in Western Europe

Forced migration and poverty among asylum-seekers and refugees (ASRs) in Western Europe have increased substantially in the last decade and have profound psychosocial ramifications. This systematic review synthesises recent literature that explores the contributions of social support in alleviating the psychological effects of poverty among ASRs resettled in countries in Western Europe. The review was conducted in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Nine studies were identified through searches in Scopus, PsycINFO, and MELINE via Ovid and Sage. These studies described the family, friendship and professional networks of ASR as important sources for providing informational, instrumental, emotional, and appraisal support that empowers them to cope with social and financial hardship in the resettlement context. These findings suggest the need to bring social support of ASRs to the forefront of practice and research as an important resource for mitigating the psychological effects of poverty.

Exercise therapy for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis rehabilitation: a bibliometric analysis (1999-2023).

Among the conservative treatments for rehabilitation of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), exercise therapy has attracted a large number of studies as its advantages of good clinical effect, high operability, high compliance, few side effects and low cost. We conduct a bibliometric analysis of previous research to identify prevalent areas of study and inform research for the future directions in this paper. Relevant publications and reviews were collected using the Science Citation Index Expanded from the Web of Science Core Collection. Information from the included studies was analyzed systematically using VOSviewer and Citespace software to identify patterns regarding publications, keywords, authors, citations, countries, institutions and journals. A total of 172 articles published from 1999 to 2023 were identified. Over the last decade, the number of publications has gradually increased, reaching a peak of 21 publications in 2021. China, North America and Western European countries and institutions are leading the way as far as the quantity of publications and the total number of citations are concerned. The current areas of focus are the efficacy of exercise therapy in relation to enhancing the quality of life of adolescents during rehabilitation. This is the first bibliometric analysis that provides a comprehensive review of the research trends and advances in exercise therapy for the rehabilitation of AIS. The study identifies latest research frontiers and hot directions, providing a valuable reference for scholars in the field of exercise therapy.

Values and physical activity among sports science students in France and China: a transcultural analysis.

The aim of this study was to analyze the relationships between values and physical activity in France (a Western European individualistic country) and in China (an East Asian collectivist country). Six hundred and twenty-seven sport science students in France (N = 308, Mage = 18.99, SD = 1.64) and China (N = 319, Mage = 20.44, SD = 1.09) completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire long version and the Portrait Values Questionnaire. In both France and China, moderated regression analysis revealed that hedonism positively/negatively predicted physical activity, while security-societal, security-personal, and conformity-rules values negatively predicted physical activity. In contrast, stimulation and universalism-nature values positively predicted physical activity only in France. In China, benevolence and benevolence-care positively predicted physical activity, while power dominance negatively predicted physical activity. Additionally, we found evidence of measurement invariance of the value questionnaire. Our findings add to the literature by showing that the value-behavior link is partly the same across countries and partly different. Further, our findings show that for certain populations, the previously established hierarchy of human values does not replicate.

What is populism anyway? Newspaper representations of populism in Spain and Italy between emptiness and political partisanship

The rise of populism in Europe has been accompanied by increasing use of the term in the media. This has been studied in the European press from the democratic corporatist or liberal media systems, but there is a lack of studies on southern Europe and the polarized pluralist media system. Using a content analysis of newspaper articles, we investigate the journalistic construction of populism in Spain and Italy, two countries belonging to the polarized pluralist media system. Results show that the notion of populism is often negatively connotated but remains quite vague and “empty”. Unlike previous results in northern and western European countries, political partisanship and parallelism play an important role in the use of populism in newspapers.

Do innovation and renewable energy transition play their role in environmental sustainability in Western Europe?

Western European economies are among the top innovative countries in the globe and show a remarkable commitment to environmental sustainability through innovations and renewable energy targets. Particularly, renewable energy transition (RET) may shift Western European economies from unclean to clean energy sources and could reduce pollution. Therefore, we analyze the impact of RET and patents on CO2 emissions in 25 Western Europe countries using a period 1995–2020 and cross-sectional dependence techniques. Moreover, the impact of economic growth is also analyzed to examine the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC). The results suggest the presence of EKC with a turning point at GDP per capita of 50,287 dollars and Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Ireland, Norway, Luxembourg, and Switzerland are found at the second stage of the EKC in the long run. Moreover, RET reduces CO2 emissions in the long and short run, Thus, RET helps to achieve environmental sustainability by reducing CO2 emissions in Western European economies. However, patents have negative effects in the long run but do not affect emissions in the short run. Thus, innovation helps to sustain an environment in the long run.

Пріоритети та інструментарій молодіжної політики в контексті соціального захисту, розвитку молоді та збереження людського потенціалу: досвід країн Західної Європи

The article examines the priorities and instruments of youth policy in the countries of Western Europe (France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland) in the context of social protection, youth development and preservation of human potential. In particular, the main characteristic features of the youth policy of Germany (as one of the most progressive and effective not only among Western European countries, but also in the world) are identified: moderate intervention in the life of young people on the side of the State, social partnership between the State and society on the principles of subsidiarity; a combination of social democratic and liberal orientations; high level of democracy; clear structuring by levels: federal, federal state, and local; availability of a strong legislative framework related to the regulation of various issues of young people’s lives. Taking into account the experience of Germany in the distribution of budget financing of youth policy (in particular, its targeting, taking into account local and regional socioeconomic realities and needs), attention is focused on the expediency of applying in Ukraine such an approach to the implementation of the State-based youth policy, taking into account the different conditions and quality of life of domestic youth in different regions of the country (first of all, depending on the distance from the frontline of the war). The priorities and instruments of social protection of youth in Austria are studied (support for the rights of young people to personal development, ensuring the participation of young people in the educational process; providing material and non-material assistance to the unemployed; social support for children under care outside the family; protection of young people from all forms of violence and discrimination; reimbursement of expenses for outpatient and/or inpatient treatment; financing of expenses related to the implementation of residential care for children by foster parents or social pedagogues, etc.). Taking into account the aggravation of the problem of unemployment of the young population in France, the priorities and instruments of the policy of promoting the integration of young people of this country in the labor market, the development of communication skills, etc., are analyzed. The features of the State policy of promoting the development of a culture of youth entrepreneurship, innovation activity, etc., in the countries of Western Europe (in particular, in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands) are studied. The results of the study of the priorities and instruments of youth policy of Western European countries in the context of social protection, youth development and preservation of human potential made it possible to trace the gradual transition from the provision of the State aid to some of the most vulnerable groups of the young population to the financing of social programs that promote youth cohesion, development and preservation of human potential. Taking into account the best experience in the formation and implementation of youth policy in Western European countries, the priority directions for improving youth policy in Ukraine are named.

Leveling up the Mission: HBCUs’ Potentials towards a Global U.S. Study Abroad.

The effort to expand the U.S. study abroad programs to have a global impact has never been fully expressed by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and study abroad administrators. Study Abroad since its inception has not been a truly global platform. This article constructively points out the existing potential of Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to make the U.S. study abroad a truly global program capable of defending U.S. national interest in this era of inter-dependence among nations, especially as the global knowledge economy and cultural competence advantage take center stage. Study abroad is at a crossroads at the moment, new ideas must be developed for study abroad to justify the true potential of education abroad. Over two decades, four countries in Western Europe have been hosting the highest number of U.S. students in study abroad. There is no evidence that this trend will reach the entire globe as a reciprocity of international students in U.S. colleges and universities.

Geographical Inequality in Access to Aortic Valve Intervention in England: A Report from the UK Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Registry and National Adult Cardiac Surgery Audit.

For patients with severe aortic stenosis, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a less invasive but equally effective treatment option compared with surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). In 2019, we reported low rates of TAVI in the UK compared with other countries in western Europe and highlighted profound geographical variation in TAVI care. Here, we provide contemporary data on access to aortic valve replacement by either TAVI or SAVR across clinical commissioning groups in England. We obtained aggregated data from the UK TAVI registry and the National Adult Cardiac Surgery Audit between 2019 and 2023. Rates of TAVI and SAVR procedures per million population were reported by clinical commissioning groups. The relationship between TAVI and SAVR rates was determined using Pearson correlation coefficients. In 2022/23, the rates of TAVI and SAVR in England were 136 per million population and 60 per million population, respectively. The observed increase in TAVI rates since 2019/20 corresponded with a decline in SAVR rates. There remains substantial variation in access to both procedures, with an over tenfold variation in TAVI rates, and an over fourfold variation in SAVR rates across clinical commissioning groups in England. No relationship was identified between the rates of TAVI and those for SAVR (correlation coefficient 0.06). Geographical heterogeneity in access to TAVI persists over time, with the low rates of TAVI in many areas not compensated for by higher rates of SAVR, indicating an overall inequality in the treatment of severe aortic stenosis.

Вопросы подведомственности споров третейскому разбирательству. Анализ законодательства балтийских государств (Латвийской Республики и Эстонской Республики)

The issues of jurisdiction of disputes between economic entities to be solved through the institution of commercial non-state arbitration and the competence of arbitration institutions to consider certain types of disputes are analyzed. As a continuation of the publication in the previous issue of the journal, the arbitration legislation and arbitration practice of the Baltic states of the former USSR, such as the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of Estonia, were researched and the activities of local arbitration institutions. There is an influence on genesis of the above states legislation of Soviet and Russian law, as well as the legal traditions of some states of the European Union, especially the countries of Western Europe and Scandinavia. The Baltic republics are characterized by formed market economy at a relatively high level. The institution of commercial arbitration, as a means of resolving economic disputes, is also quite developed and in popular in the legal and economic systems of the above states. This publication analyses the legal issues of arbitrability of disputes in legal systems of Latvia and Estonia, national and international legislation governing these issues. Conclusions have been developed about the main advantages and disadvantages of legal regulation of institution of arbitration in above states.

The war on flags: The opposition to state-sponsored LGBTQ+ symbols

Negativity against LGBTQ+ and gender equality symbols is escalating across Western European countries, including those at the forefront of sexual modernism. Drawing on data from Spain, this paper theorizes and finds that state-sponsored LGBTQ+ symbols receive significantly more negativity than other aspects of LGBTQ+ issues related to general and specific attitudes toward formal rights. The negativity is primarily explained by support for Vox, a radical right-wing party, and age. The study provides insights into the complexities of public opinion surrounding LGBTQ+ symbols, offering a nuanced understanding of the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community in terms of acceptance and visibility. Furthermore, it highlights the influence of political affiliations and generational factors in shaping these attitudes.

ТЕНДЕНЦИИ РАЗВИТИЯ ВНЕШНЕЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИХ СВЯЗЕЙ КИТАЙСКОЙ НАРОДНОЙ РЕСПУБЛИКИ В 2024 – 2030 ГГ.

The article analyzes trends in the development of foreign economic relations of the People’s Republic of China in 2024 – 2030. Analysis of trends in the distribution of Chinese exports and imports by countries and regions of the world suggests that the distribution of Chinese exports and imports by countries and regions of the world until 2030 will tend to increase the share of Asian countries. The share of North American and Western European countries in the distribution of Chinese exports and imports across countries and regions of the world will remain either unchanged or will decline. Russia’s share in the distribution of Chinese exports and imports by country will tend to increase until 2030. An analysis of the capabilities of the People’s Republic of China to realize the trade and investment potential of import substitution of products in the economy of the Russian Federation in the future until 2030 suggests that Russian imports from China may increase by 2025 to 80.82 billion dollars, and by 2030 to 85 08 billion dollars, which will ensure the realization of the trade potential of import substitution in the Russian economy by 84.79% and 89.26%, respectively. At the same time, direct investments by the PRC in the domestic national economy can increase the realization of the import substitution potential in the Russian economy to 89.25% and 98.85%, respectively. However, the share of high-tech products when China realizes its trade and investment potential for import substitution in the economy of the Russian Federation will remain low. At the same time, the level of scientific and technical development of basic production (technologies for execution, provision) of goods (work, services) imported from China and produced (performed, provided) as a result of direct investment from this country into the Russian economy, until 2030, will tend to increasing. China will thus largely be able to realize its trade and investment potential for import substitution of high-tech products in the domestic economy by 2030.

Implicit Racial Bias in Europe: Cross-National Variation and Time Trends

The authors visualize how implicit racial bias at the collective level varies across European countries and how it changed between 2009 and 2019. To obtain population-level estimates, the authors re-weight implicit association test data from the Project Implicit international dataset ( n = 184,745). Implicit bias against Black people is stronger in southern and eastern vis-à-vis northern and western European countries. It decreased until the mid-2010s but started to increase thereafter.

Трансформація європейського ринку праці в контексті російської військової агресії проти України

The purpose of this research work is to provide an in-depth analysis of the impact of the war in Ukraine on employment in the European Union, in particular in Poland, as well as to identify possible ways to support this market in times of crisis. The paper conducts a thorough analysis of the impact of the war in Ukraine on the labor market of the European Union countries, in particular in Poland; the main trends in the migration of Ukrainians to the EU countries and their participation in the labor market are studied; the main political and economic measures aimed at supporting the labor market during the wartime, in particular in Poland, are analyzed; the number of Ukrainian refugees and the share of those who will remain in the EU and other Western European countries in the medium term has been determined, which will depend on the duration and severity of the ongoing war. If hostilities continue or escalate, the number of fugitives will increase. A prolonged and more intense armed conflict is also likely to reduce the proportion of return Ukraine refugees. The distribution of refugees by age will be important for their impact on the supply of labor in host countries. Since Russia’s invasion, Ukraine has imposed country-wide martial law, preventing men between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving the country. As a result, the first waves of refugees included the elderly, children and women of working age. In the future, the attitude towards Ukrainian refugees in the labor market will be determined by the economic situation in different countries. Rising unemployment, inflation, and slowing economic progress can be perceived by a part of society as a consequence of the mass migration. However, despite rapid policy measures, barriers in and out of the labor market remain serious obstacles for refugees, making it difficult for them to integrate into the labor markets of their host countries, especially in the medium term. Uncertainty about the further development of the war makes it difficult to accurately assess its possible impact on the labor market. The percentage of Ukrainian refugees of working age will determine their impact on the workforce of the countries that host them.

The invasive ambrosia beetle, Gnathotrichus materiarius (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), in Central Europe

Abstract Gnathotrichus materiarius Fitch, 1858 is an invasive bark beetle that colonizes conifers and has spread widely in Europe. The beetle was introduced from North America to Western Europe, where it was first detected in France in 1933. In countries of Western and Northern Europe, the first detections were found at ports or airports, which probably served as sources of further spread. Gnathotrichus materiarius spread eastward to the Czech Republic and other countries in Central Europe from Germany and Poland and spread northward from Italy to Slovenia. The presence of wilting spruces, outbreaks dominated by Ips typographus Linnaeus, 1758, and the subsequent transport of timber have probably accelerated the spread of G. materiarius. It is possible that G. materiarius was imported with timber to Austria, the Czech Republic, and Poland. Although G. materiarius has been present in Europe for almost 100 yr, and even though its host trees include Picea and Pinus spp., which are abundant in Central European forests, no significant damage caused by this beetle has been detected or reported. Gnathotrichus materiarius is a typical secondary pest in that it multiplies on decaying trees or trees already infested and killed by other bark beetle species. It has 2 generations a year in Central Europe. The beetles of G. materiarius occur the whole year, but the flight of adults starts in early May and the offspring beetles emerge in mid-July. The adults of F2 generation overwinter in wood. The best method for monitoring and detecting the presence of G. materiarius is the use of ethanol-baited traps.

Inequality in Incarceration of Foreign Citizens Between Western Europe and Anglosphere Countries: Implications for Supporting Equitable Criminal Justice Systems.

Inequality in Incarceration of Foreign Citizens Between Western Europe and Anglosphere Countries: Implications for Supporting Equitable Criminal Justice Systems.

Modeling the general health of Iranian immigrants based on cognitive flexibility and perfectionism with the mediation of acculturation stress

Background and purpose: Migration is a dual factor that creates a stressful environment and requires the creation of new adaptations, creating psychological pressures. The present study was conducted with the aim of determining the fit of the proposed model of general health of Iranian immigrants based on cognitive flexibility and perfectionism with the mediation of acculturation stress. Research method: The method of this study was correlation type. The statistical population of this study included all Iranian immigrants who lived legally in one of the countries of Western Europe, North America or Oceania for more than one year. 224 people were selected using available sampling method. Data collection was done by publishing Goldberg General Health Questionnaire (1972), Dennis and Vanderwaal Cognitive Flexibility Questionnaire (2010), Hill et al. Findings: The results showed that cognitive flexibility has a negative effect on the general health of immigrants (β=-0.46, P=0.001). Perfectionism has a negative effect on the general health of immigrants (β=-0.42, P=0.001). Acculturation stress has a positive effect on the general health of immigrants (β=0.76, P=0.001). Conclusion: The evaluation of the proposed model with the method of path analysis showed that the proposed model of general health of Iranian immigrants based on cognitive flexibility and perfectionism with the mediation of acculturation stress is suitable; As a result, cultivating cognitive flexibility and positive perfectionism helps to reduce acculturation stress and maintain mental health in immigrants.

BREAST CANCER SCREENING IN ROMANIA: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR EARLY DETECTION.

Breast cancer has surpassed lung cancer as the most common type of cancer globally, representing approximately 25% of all cancer cases and leading in cancer-related mortality among women. In Romania, breast cancer accounts for 26.9% of all female cancer diagnoses, with an increasing incidence and significant mortality rate despite one of the lowest incidence rates in Europe. The study highlights the disparities in breast cancer outcomes across Europe, with Romania showing lower survival rates compared to Western European countries. This disparity is partly attributed to the low participation in breast cancer screening programs, where only 9% of eligible Romanian women underwent mammography in 2020, far below the European average of 60%. The World Health Organization (WHO) and European Commission emphasize the importance of organized population-based screening for women aged 50-69, yet many barriers, including low health literacy, lack of awareness, and socio-economic challenges, hinder effective participation, especially among vulnerable populations. This study, conducted over three years at the "Alessandrescu Rusescu " National Institute for Mother and Child Health, involved 1,705 patients and aims to provide insights into improving breast cancer screening participation and outcomes in Romania.