European Values Research Articles

LEGISLATIVE BACKGROUND OF STATE CULTURAL POLICY IN TIME OF WAR

The article deals with the issue of legislative support of the state cultural policy of Ukraine under martial law. The author argues that it is necessary to update the strategic documents regarding cultural policy, in particular the strategy for the development of the cultural sector. The current documents defining the directions of cultural policy are outdated and are not fit for purpose.
 One vital aspect of the ​​legislative support for cultural policy is the creation of a regulatory framework for public-private partnerships in the field of culture. Currently, the level of budget funding has significantly decreased, therefore the use of the potential of public-private partnerships could become an alternative source of financial support for cultural projects. The current state of the regulatory framework of public-private partnerships needs to be tailored to create optimal conditions for attracting private business resources to support cultural projects. Special attention needs to be paid to the creation of a legal basis for philanthropic activity.
 Russia’s large-scale military invasion radically accelerated the consolidation of Ukrainian society and the strengthening of identity values. New structures of socio-cultural identity are being established in Ukrainian society. The author highlights the relevance of the legislative definition of the directions of humanitarian and cultural work, aimed at supporting new trends in the formation of citizens' identity and the development of human potential. In particular, there is a need to implement European values ​​into the structure of sociocultural identity of Ukrainian society.
 Proposals for additions to a number of regulatory and legal acts have been formulated, which will contribute to increasing the effectiveness of cultural policy, attracting private investment in the cultural realm to make up for the lack of budget funding, and forming a socio-cultural identity.

A Review of Toxoplasma gondii in Animals in Greece: A FoodBorne Pathogen of Public Health Importance.

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic protozoon with a complex life cycle and the second most important foodborne pathogen in Europe. Surveillance of toxoplasmosis is based on national considerations since there are no mandatory controls along the food chain in the European Union, and underreporting of meat is still a problem in many countries like Greece. The current review provides an overview of T. gondii prevalence, associated risk factors, and surveillance in animals in Greece, focusing on the transmission role of meat and highlighting the control measures that should be adopted by consumers. Sows, wild boars, hares, equines, and cats had lower, while sheep and goats generally had higher seroprevalence than their respective pooled European and global values. Seroprevalence in chickens was similar between Greece and Europe, while there was high variation in cattle studies, with no data regarding dairy products. Though a comprehensive meat safety assurance system is the most effective approach to control the principal biological hazards associated with meat, such as T. gondii, the prerequisite risk categorisation of farms and abattoirs based on EFSA's proposed harmonised epidemiological indicators has not materialised as yet in Greece. Therefore, comprehensive control strategies are still required to ensure food safety and safeguard public health.

The Relationship Between Rural-Urban Place of Residence and Subjective Well-Being is Nonlinear and its Substantive Significance is Questionable

Research on rural-urban differences in subjective well-being revealed inconsistent findings. I argue that the inconsistencies in the literature may be due to very small effect sizes and nonlinear associations. The aims of the present contribution were twofold: (1) to determine the effect size of the relationship between living in rural-urban areas and subjective well-being; (2) to investigate whether categories of rural-urban areas are nonlinearly related to subjective well-being. The present research used data from 507,452 participants from 115 countries provided by the European Values Study Trend File 1981–2017 and the World Values Survey time-series dataset (1981–2022). Self-reports of satisfaction with life and happiness were used to measure subjective well-being. Multilevel mixed-effects linear regression analysis revealed that, after adjusting for important sociodemographic variables such as gender, age, education, employment status, marital status, and income, the relationship between rural-urban place of residence and subjective well-being was statistically significant. However, the magnitude of these associations (i.e., effect size) was very small or even negligible. Moreover, pairwise comparisons of the estimated marginal means for life satisfaction and happiness revealed a pattern of nonlinear relationships. The results of the current research question the practical significance and usefulness of the relationship between rural-urban place of residence alone and subjective well-being.

Establishment of European Values on the Way of Ukraine’s European Integration and Their Protection in the Context of War: Constitutional and Axiological Aspect

The article provides a scientific analysis of those European values, the establishment of which is a prerequisite for Ukraine’s accession to the European community and Ukraine’s acquisition of the status of a full member of the EU. It is noted that modernity determines the definition of two main areas of research on constitutional axiology: first,the correlation of constitutional principles and European values, as well as their implementation and establishment in Ukraine on the path to its European integration; second, determining the role of the judiciary and constitutional justice in the mechanism of implementation and establishment of European values in Ukraine in the context of its European integration aspirations. The author emphasizes the primary importance of protecting, especially in times of war, such constitutional and European values as a person, his or her life, dignity, freedom, security, etc. The constitutional and legal analysis of the principles enshrined in the text of the Constitution of Ukraine has given grounds to conclude that they correspondin their axiological content to European principles, the implementation, affirmation and protection of which is a prerequisite for Ukraine’s entry into the European community and its acquisition of the status of a full member of the EU. In this process, the judiciary plays an important role, so the current stage of judicial reform in the context ofUkraine’s European integration is focused on the formation of a high-quality judiciary with a high level of legal awareness and the implementation of European standards in the administration of justice. The Constitutional Court of Ukraine is a powerful and influential body that plays an important role in the process of Ukraine’s European integration and, in particular,in the implementation and promotion of European values. In order to make its activities more efficient in the context of European integration processes in Ukraine, it is relevant to: reform the procedure for the formation and improvement of the functioning of this constitutional justice body; supplement its regulations with a provision containing a list of basic constitutional and European values, so as to determine in more detail and clearly the focus of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine’s practice on their establishment in Ukraine. Key words: axiology, rule of law, European integration, European values,Constitutional Court of Ukraine, constitutional principles, human rights, legal consciousness, justice

Searching for institutions: upgrading, private compliance, and due diligence in European apparel value chains

This article argues that key avenues to improve working conditions – value chain integration, on the one hand, and lead firms’ compliance processes, on the other – have not resulted in improvements in the European apparel industry. Evidence is drawn from economic and social up-/downgrading trajectories in major apparel producing countries as well as a case study on social audits and labour market enforcement in the United Kingdom. Both suggest that institutions to prevent labour exploitation in supply chains have largely been ineffective. Institutional experimentation, which has been hybrid in combining hard and soft law as well as public and private governance elements, underlined the role of lead firms but continued to exclude civil society actors. It is argued that human rights due diligence, at the heart of many institutional experiments, draws on a deficient private compliance model, rather than building in worker-driven elements that could lead towards a better alternative.

COVID-19 Pandemic and Technological Change: Analysis of Patent Applications

Purpose: This study is aimed to measure COVID-19's impact on innovation and monitor technical change during the Pandemic through patent applications.
 Methodology: Patent application annual total number of European Patent Office patent applications data on 35 different technological disciplines separated into five key categories from 2012 to 2021 were utilized in the analysis. The Prophet forecasting model to forecast patent applications for 2020 and 2021 has been developed. The technological advancements and Pandemic impact on innovation were then analyzed using the actual and forecasted values.
 Findings: The study's findings indicate no apparent difference between actual numbers and forecasted values. It was found that in 2020 and 2021, more patent applications than expected were made in 15 and 16 technological areas, respectively. The study also found that semiconductors, audio-visual, and nanotechnology advancements have been notable during the Pandemic.
 Originality: The originality of this study lies in the use of the Prophet forecasting model based on European Patent Office patent application values in the analysis of the effects of the pandemic on innovation and technological change for 35 different technological disciplines.

There is no Reality in this World until it comes down from Heaven

The following paper is the address that is communicated at the promotion of the collection of articles Bishop Nikolaj Velimirović: Old Controversies in Historical and Theological Context in Belgrade, on March 14, 2023. The paper focuses on two specific topics — two discourses in the prophetic opus of Bishop Nicholai as a counterpart to the Old Testament messianic places in relation to their New Testament fulfillment. Those lofty but controversial prophecies of Nicholai are: 1) criticism of Europe and deified and untouchable European values, and 2) the question of truth and its reification in the modern world.

НАДБАННЯ ТА ЦІННОСТІ ЄВРОПЕЙСЬКОГО (ЗАХІДНОГО) МУНІЦИПАЛІЗМУ ЯК КОНСТИТУЦІЙНІ ЦІННОСТІ ЛЮДСТВА І ДЕРЖАВИ ТА ЇХ СПРИЙНЯТТЯ НА ПОСТРАДЯНСЬКОМУ ПРАВОВОМУ ПРОСТОРІ

НАДБАННЯ ТА ЦІННОСТІ ЄВРОПЕЙСЬКОГО (ЗАХІДНОГО) МУНІЦИПАЛІЗМУ ЯК КОНСТИТУЦІЙНІ ЦІННОСТІ ЛЮДСТВА І ДЕРЖАВИ ТА ЇХ СПРИЙНЯТТЯ НА ПОСТРАДЯНСЬКОМУ ПРАВОВОМУ ПРОСТОРІ

Is there a pollution haven in European Union global value chain participation?

This paper aims to test the pollution haven hypothesis within the European Union (EU), especially among newcomer countries, through the participation in global value chains (GVCs). The study used a combination of multiregional input–output method and multilevel mixed econometric analysis to investigate the relationship between global value chain trade flows, foreign direct investment flows, energy consumption, and carbon emissions across countries, sectors, and time. The study tested both the “pollution haven” and “pollution halo” hypotheses and found a non-linear relationship between foreign capital flows and carbon emissions, which became less relevant after the economic integration process. The results suggest the existence of a pollution haven in Europe. Although Eastern economies still exhibit problematic issues in relation to pollution control, they have made significant progress in reducing their emissions intensity. The conclusions include some policy recommendations based on the main findings of the research.

Crafting Social Integration? Welfare State and Volunteering Across Social Groups and Policy Areas in 23 European Countries

The beneficial role of voluntary work for social integration makes it an important aspect of social cohesion. Thus, there is broad interest in understanding the individual and contextual foundations of volunteering. With regard to the latter, a particular focus is on the role of policies and institutions of the welfare state. They might set incentives for civic engagement and create new scope for voluntary work (crowding-in thesis), but they might also make it redundant (crowding-out thesis). We follow the argument that generous welfare states enable volunteering and assume that two mechanisms are at work. First, they establish a general culture of helping and caring for others in a society (cultural mechanism). Second, they provide those who benefit or potentially benefit from welfare state policies with resources and the abilities to engage in volunteering (resource mechanism). Thus, welfare benefits in specific areas of the welfare state are expected to increase volunteering among members of targeted groups (e.g., the elderly if pensions are high). To test these arguments, our empirical analysis combines country-level data of area-specific welfare benefits with survey data of around 29,000 respondents from 23 countries included in the most recent European Value Survey 2017/2018. We estimate hierarchical regression models with cross-level interactions to test whether particular groups of society are activated by general and area-specific welfare programs to become volunteers. Our findings show that volunteering is generally higher in more generous welfare states, lending support to the crowding-in thesis. Area- and group-specific analyses indicate that the resource mechanism works for some groups but not for all. Pension welfare strengthens volunteering among the retired and the elderly. Unemployment welfare reinforces volunteering among the less educated, but these results are slightly less robust, and we do not find support for higher levels of volunteering among the actually targeted group of unemployed persons.

THE FAMILY WITHIN THE VALUE SYSTEM AND FAMILY VALUES IN THE CONTEXT OF LATVIA TODAY: INSIGHTS FROM THE EUROPEAN VALUES SURVEY

The formation of a person's values and mindset shift is a process that takes place throughout a person's life, but views on basic values are instilled in the family from early childhood and their formation continues during the socialisation process at school and in society. The family plays a primary role in the transmission of values as important elements of an individual's character, the teaching of which largely determines the individual's life path. Just as family structures have changed over time and vary from culture to culture, so too have attitudes towards the family, its relationship to society and its relative value in the social order. This paper analyses the place of the family as a value in the overall value system of the individual and identifies the value beliefs that currently prevail within the family itself. The main research questions to be answered are: (1) are there differences in views – and what are these differences – on the value of the family among different groups in Latvian society; (2) what values are transferred in the family and passed down to children? The analysis of the problem is based on Latvian data from the fifth phase of the European Values Survey (EVS) in 2021 (n=1335).

ADAPTATION PECULIARITIES OF HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS IN CRISIS CONDITIONS

Dramatic events related to the Russian-Ukrainian war shook up not only Ukraine, but the entire civilized world. The war exacerbated not only economic, political, and demographic problems, but also defined as priority tasks the physical rescue of a person, the preservation of his life and health, comprehensive assistance in migration, arranging life and living in critical conditions, overcoming fear and hopelessness. Russia broke all the rules of life on the planet and distinguished itself by atrocities, murders of civilians, looting, and rape. Ukrainians, who are faced with the challenges of life and death today, are looking for ways to preserve not only their territories, above all, their language, culture, education, and authenticity. Our desire for global and European values requires not only the support of the Armed Forces, but each person in his place to work to the best of his ability to support public life in all its dimensions. Education also requires new approaches to content, values, psychological and pedagogical principles, organizational forms, and tools to overcome the challenges facing Ukraine today. In the center of attention of the higher school now is the student whose life, in addition to traditional challenges, has been complicated by war, uncertainty about the future, confusion, despair, a difficult economic situation, the lack of an opportunity to provide basic needs, distance learning, etc. All this, as evidenced by our survey of students of higher education, often leads to maladaptation, depressive states, disappointment, apathy, anxiety, etc. Therefore, the stated situation actualizes the problem of finding optimal ways of adaptation of higher education students in crisis conditions, which will be outlined in our research. In order to identify the peculiarities of students` adaptation to crisis conditions, we conducted a study related to various aspects of their life. It included the possibility to receive psychological support during a crisis period. It is associated with a pandemic and war; awareness and understanding of external and internal factors of crisis conditions that influence student life; the process of adaptation to distance learning in crisis conditions; elucidation of the reasons that negatively influence/influenced the distance learning process in crisis conditions; determining positive potential of distance learning in crisis conditions; evaluation by students of educational process effectiveness in crisis conditions.

Unpacking postcolonial and masculine anxieties: Hungary and Turkey’s responses to the EU’s handling of the 2015–2016 refugee “crisis”

ABSTRACT In this article, we examine the Hungarian and Turkish responses to the EU’s handling of the 2015 refugee “crisis” through a postcolonial feminist IR framework. Drawing on hypermasculinity, we argue that both countries utilise migration to overcome their postcolonial and masculine anxieties by confronting their positions within the international hierarchies. Our examination of policy statements and speeches by Viktor Orbán and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan between 2015 and 2016 reveals three masculinised responses. First, both leaders portray themselves as acting out of paternal authority, while painting the EU as weak or inhumane. Second, they depict the EU as incompetent and their countries as competent providers of security. Third, they present themselves as protectors of European values, and the EU as in need of protection. These rhetorics suggest that both leaders used the “crisis” to challenge the current international hierarchy. Despite this, we argue that they are only concerned with their countries’ rankings within the hierarchy, not the system itself. Our postcolonial feminist reading of the “crisis” reveals that these masculinised framings are in fact counterproductive and only serve to confirm both Hungary and Turkey’s positions at the bottom of the international hierarchies, and their subordination to the EU as the EU’s others.

Higher Education as a Space for Forming the Values of United Europe

The research is focused on the role of higher education in the development of European values among applicants for higher education, in particular the role of international projects that contribute to active European citizenship and spread the fundamental values of the European Union. The article uses the method of modeling and substantiation of the model of the development of European values among future PhDs during a Jean Monnet Module of the Erasmus+ program called “University autonomy in the development of democratic values in higher education: The experience of the EU Member states for Ukraine” at Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University. The model contains four structural blocks that specify the goal, tasks, methodological approaches, principles, content of structural components, forms, methods, means, stages, functions, pedagogical conditions, and expected results. The study is aimed at developing European values in graduate students as young scientists and teachers of higher education institutions – who will become agents of qualitative changes and help establish the principles of democracy in the academic community – and deepening European integration. The results of the study are presented in the broad public discourse of Ukraine, confirmed by the data of sociological studies on European integration in Ukrainian citizens’ value orientations, accelerated by the large-scale russian military invasion of Ukraine. Since sociological studies indicate a certain fragmentation of European values instead of an integral whole in the perception of the respondents, we believe that institutions of higher education themselves are an important element that builds the state and society on the basis of European values and that international projects implemented at universities contribute to the European integration of Ukraine and the formation of the values of a united Europe in young citizens.

Assessment of Ukrainians perceptions toward European Union values: empirical results

The paper aims to assess changes in the public perceptions of European Union values in Ukraine in the conditions of external aggression. It explores how conflict escalation affects the public views in different groups, and changes attitudes and beliefs regarding adopting European Union values in society. The paper analyses the concepts of value and demonstrates the devaluation of cultural and social values in some population groups. The methodology applies a survey based on online interviews and descriptive statistics methods. The Schwartz methodology in the World Values Survey 2020 is used to create a survey questionnaire. An online survey of Ukrainians’ worldviews of European Union values perceptions was conducted for Ukrainian citizens in all regions except for the territories, occupied in 2022. The survey results highlight the trend of commitment of a major part of Ukrainian citizens to European Union values. The research demonstrates the inconsistencies in the importance and satisfaction of social values and stereotypes, compliance with the law, personal freedom and human rights, level of economic freedom, and commitment to European integration. These contradictions will be resolved through the development of favorable conditions and of beliefs and convictions of people that support the adoption and dissemination of European values.

Perceptions of russians and europeans about gender roles in the context of the problem of gender inequality: a comparative analysis on the data of the European values study (EVS)

The article covers the study of ideas about gender roles in the context of the problem of gender inequality in European countries based on the data of the international sociological project European Values Study. Despite the changes that have taken place in the world over the past half century in the main areas of society, inequality between men and women is still part of global social inequality and remains an important problem of the modern world. Achieving gender equality in the modern world is recognised as a global priority. The purpose of the article was to compare the ideas of men and women about gender roles in Russia and Europe and to identify the factors influencing these ideas. The paper examines the relationship between respondents' perceptions of gender roles and gender inequality from the point of view of the gender-role approach, highlights the relationship between these perceptions and the level of gender inequality in various European countries, clarifies the factors influencing the level of patriarchy/egalitarianness of respondents' perceptions of gender roles. The results of the main international studies of gender inequality are also systematised, the results of the main modern sociological studies of ideas about gender roles are described. The author focuses on the sociological study of the problem, as well as on the quantitative analysis of data. The study shows that in most European countries the level of gender inequality coincides with the level of patriarchal ideas about gender roles. Women in general have more egalitarian ideas about gender roles than men. Higher education, paid work, high levels of qualifications and income increase the likelihood of egalitarian perceptions of gender roles. A high level of churchgoing, the presence of children and a registered marriage increase the likelihood of patriarchal ideas about gender roles.

Value factor of the countries uneven development

The authors consider reasons for the countries uneven development, provide sociological foundations for the study of this phenomenon, examine countries’ sociodynamics, reconstruct a map of countries development in the contemporary global world, and explore the trajectory of Belarus. The authors argue that the vector of sociodynamics is not predetermined, it depends on internal factors, and culture plays a key programming role. Value choice is an important factor determining the pace and direction of the contemporary society evolution. The article is based on the available data of international projects - European Values Study (EVS) and World Values Study (WVS). The period covered by these studies is forty years - from 1981 to 2021, and in Belarus surveys have been conducted since 1990. Authors’ generalizations are based on the Inglehart-Welzel model, and they confirm the hypothesis that the dynamics of value orientations in the Belarusian society follows the trajectory of changes that took place in Western Europe and North America in previous decades. The authors argue that social-demographic groups of the Belarusian society can be placed at different stages of the values transformation, i.e., urban and more educated population of Belarus (mainly the younger and middle-aged groups) are close to contemporary Czech Republic and Slovakia and slightly differ from Austria and Germany in terms of the value orientations.

Роль религии в консолидации мусульманских сообществ в странах ЕС: проблемы и перспективы

Population migration is a complex social process by its nature and diverse in forms and consequences. Migration in its essence is a multidimensional phenome- non, including demographic, ethno-religious, political, economic and other compo- nents. Ethno-religious migration processes are primarily ethnosocial and confessional factors leading to transformation in the territorial and social situation of individual representatives and groups of certain ethnic groups and confessions, which occur un- der the influence of socio-political and other factors. The experience of interethnic relations over the years clearly shows that misunderstandings and conflicts arise more often and manifest themselves more acutely in the multicultural world and polyethnic communities.The article examines the causes and consequences of the migration of Muslims to Europe, the prospects of increasing the number of Muslim population in the countries of the European Union. At the same time, the article pays special atten- tion to the reasons for the weak integration of Muslims, as well as the role of traditional values and religion in the consolidation of migrants and opposition to liberal European values. At the same time, the article reveals the reasons for the radicalization of Mus- lims in Europe and outlines the prospects for the development of integration processes in European Muslim communities. The author makes an attempt to show the role of religion in the process of preserving their identity by Muslims and in consolidation to solve social, economic and other problems.

Архетипи героя і злодія в контексті делінквентної поведінки

The article reveals the relevance of questions related to the archetypes of the hero and the villain. Ukrainian society is going through a critically difficult period associated with the full-scale aggression of Russia and the tasks of developing internal rules of life in the country (in the direction of European values and the revival of Ukrainian ones, in contrast to the remnants of Soviet stereotypes and rules imposed by oligarchic clans in recent years). An environment that can be compared to chaos is a potential prerequisite for the emergence of “order out of chaos”, including in the formation of views and the development of rules regarding the norm of behaviour and the formation of Ukrainian archetypes of the hero and the villain. The behaviour of the hero and the villain go beyond the norm, “background behaviour”. Therefore, considering the archetype of the hero and the villain in the context of delinquency is interesting. The author considers delinquent behaviour as a catalyst for social changes, social norms that are directed against existing moral, ethical, and legal norms, and rules. In the author’s opinion, deviations that bear the signs of the new (conscious or not) are new formations (recognised or unrecognised). In the context of the identified problem, behaviour that increasingly deviates from the remnants of Soviet stereotypes and the norms and rules imposed on Ukrainian society by oligarchic clans can be considered delinquent. At the same time, new formations are actions that correspond to the chosen general European guidelines and the revival of Ukrainian values and beliefs. The author assumes the following boundaries of delinquency: on the one hand – heroism. On the other – villainism. There are transitional forms between them. The author emphasises that a villain can be understood as a clear enemy, the struggle of intrapersonal multidirectional interests and motives (one’s enemy), and a reincarnated hero (antihero, villain). The author tries to summarise the characteristics of the hero accordingly. Heroes and villains are distinguished by their values in their activities, which they are carriers of. The author characterises the modern Ukrainian hero’s values (universal human values, European values, and values of a just, fair war). This work contributes to the consolidation of society around selected values. The author sees further work in the study of the characteristics of the archetypes of the hero and the villain in the post-war period.

Социокультурные особенности проблемы домашнего насилия в России

The severity of domestic violence in Russia is due to the attitude of the population and the government to the problem. Its emergence is due to the presence of a large number of socio-cultural features of the Russian peo-ple, determined by their worldview and way of thinking, based on the patriarchal way of family life, lack of re-spect for women, traditionally negative attitude towards divorce. The article outlines the influence on the devel-opment of the situation of such factors as the population’s multiculturalism, its rejection of European values, the absence of a law on domestic violence in Russia, the lack of trust in the authorities, and the fragmentation of statistics. It is emphasized that centuries-old traditions, as well as ingrained stereotypes to this day have a great influence on the perception of women and their role in the family and society. Violence against elderly citizens and children is also raised in the article. In addition, it is noted that the socio-cultural characteristics of the Rus-sian people can be considered as the main reason for the facts of violence in the domestic environment.