Living Abroad Research Articles

COVID-19 Pandemic and Mental Health Status of Saudi Citizens Living Abroad

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a global health crisis associated with unprecedented levels of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic has been suggested to contribute to a great burden on global mental health. We assumed that individuals in quarantine outside their home country would be more vulnerable to developing mental health disorders during the current pandemic and might face difficulties in accessing mental health services. Aim: To explore the degree of association between the COVID-19 pandemic and mental health status of Saudi citizens living abroad. Objectives: (1) To measure the prevalence and risk factors of mental health problems among Saudi citizens studying and living abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) to assess the correlation between the COVID-19 pandemic and mental health status of Saudi citizens living abroad; and (3) to explore the level of anxiety/depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from August 2020 to September 2020 using a self-administrated questionnaire composed of sociodemographic, (GAD-7) and (PHQ-9) scales. Results: A total of 64% of participants experienced psychiatric symptoms during the pandemic, and 34% and 30% met the diagnostic criteria for symptoms of depression and anxiety, respectively. The risk of psychological symptoms was more likely experienced by females, young, single, or divorced, or those who were living alone. In addition, those who lived in the UK and Ireland were more likely to develop depressive and anxiety symptoms. More than 80% appreciated the response of the Saudi government and embassy to meet the MH needs of students undergoing quarantine abroad and in Saudi Arabia. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic represents an unprecedented threat to global mental health. Two-thirds of study participants who were in foreign countries during the COVID-19 pandemic reported anxiety or depressive symptoms. Living away from family and friends was significantly associated with increased loneliness and psychological distress. These and other findings highlight the need to remove barriers preventing easily accessible online mental health services, social and family support, and timely provision of resources.

Protection of Russian Citizens Living and Working Abroad: Juridical Aspects

The article is devoted to the problem of protection of Russian citizens living and working in foreign countries, which is relevant in modern Russian jurisprudence. The deterioration of the international situation makes this topic even more relevant, since the rights of Russian citizens abroad are increasingly violated, and existing bilateral agreements are not being implemented. It is proposed to consider the problem of Russian citizens abroad in the complex of protection of group rights, which requires clarifying the concept of group rights, including categories of groups of citizens living in foreign countries, determining the legal status and characteristics of these groups. The creation of a single legal space for individual and group rights should create conditions for the activation of the state and the public’s activities for the legal protection of Russian citizens abroad, and support the cultural and economic ties of Russian diasporas with Russia.

Distance and Trust: An Examination of the Two Opposing Factors Impacting Adoption of Postal Voting Among Citizens Living Abroad

Postal voting intends to provide citizens residing abroad with a convenient voting technique to influence political representation in their country of origin. However, its adoption among individuals is dependent on two opposing factors. On the one hand, voting via post helps to overcome the increasing distance between a voter’s residency abroad and the nearest polling station organized by a diplomatic mission (mostly at an embassy or a consulate). On the other hand, this way of voting also requires enough trust that the postal service and designated state office will successfully deliver one’s vote to the ballot box because the result cannot be effectively verified without violation of the ballot secrecy. We examine the interaction of these two factors in an originally conducted survey among Finnish citizens residing abroad fielded shortly after the 2019 Parliamentary elections—the first occasion after Finland put postal voting into effect. Altogether, 664 respondents responded to all questions required for our specification of binomial logistic regression models controlling for various potential confounders. The results demonstrate that trust in postal voting moderates the impact of distance on one’s probability to adopt postal voting. While low-trusting emigrant voters remain largely indifferent regardless of the distance to the nearest polling station, medium-trusting non-resident citizens increasingly mail their ballots when the nearest polling station is more than 100 km away. High-trusting individuals begin to increasingly do so when they are ten to 30 km away.

Russian toolkit for settling international conflicts and peculiarities of its application

As the successor state of the former superpower USSR, the Russian Federation retains its high status of the “guarantor of peace” for the entire international community due to a range of political, military and economic means, currently being on of the few “police states”. The role of police states is important to such extent that no major conflict can be settled without their participation or approval. Such status of Russia is being maintained by its military power, as well as a number of political privileges. Alongside any police state, Russia has developed its own strategy for interfering or settling the international military conflicts using the existing toolkit. This defines the relevance of analysis of the current state of the Russian range of means and tools for suppression and settlement of the conflicts. The goal of this research consists in examination of the the means available to the Russian Federation for settling military conflicts, as well as in the analysis of the state and prospects of their use in peacekeeping campaigns of the Russian Federation. It is worth noting that the Russian Federation as the successor state of the Soviet Union, and one of the members of the nuclear club and permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, retains and extends the range of tools for handling and settling military conflicts, from the preventive tools of cultural-diplomatic influence such as Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation (commonly known as Rossotrudnichestvo) to high-tech military weapons, which have no analogues among the overwhelming majority of participants of international relations. The presence of such rich arsenal testifies to strong peacekeeping potential of the Russian Federation; however, the currently observed inclination towards the priority of coercive tools can severely undermine the ability of the Russian Federation to settle international military conflicts.

УКРАЇНОЗНАВЧІ ЗАЦІКАВЛЕННЯ ІВАНА ОГІЄНКА КРІЗЬ ПРИЗМУ ЙОГО НАУКОВОЇ ПОЗИЦІЇ В ЕМІГРАЦІЇ

The article raises the issue of the importance of Ukrainian studies by Ivan Ogienko, as a representative of the Ukrainian intellectual elite in emigration, because his works influenced the progress of cultural, educational and spiritual life of Ukrainians both in our country and abroad. It is known that he is one of the founders of Ukrainian science and education and an outstanding Ukrainian educator of the twentieth century. The role of preserving national identity, spiritual values, patriotism of the outstanding scientist, teacher, linguist, culturologist, public and church figure, Ivan Ogienko, through the prism of hard work, incredible diligence, stability and consistency in scientific research is emphasized. Attention is focused on the fact that the Ukrainian scientist was the bearer of national and cultural ideas and spiritual values of his people. The opinion is confirmed that the world recognition of I. Ogienko / Metropolitan Ilarion was brought by fundamental works on the history of Ukrainian culture, language, history of the church, which have not lost their scientific significance even today. The scientist-researcher made dictionaries, headed the Ministry of Education of the Ukrainian People's Republic, and being in emigration – headed the Ukrainian autocephalous Orthodox Church. It is worth mentioning the most common and used translation of the Bible into Ukrainian, on which Ivan Ogienko worked for more than 45 years. The article analyzes I. Ogienko's scientific achievements during the emigration, which significantly strengthened Ukrainian studies, and also considers the works "Pre-Christian Beliefs of the Ukrainian People", "Ukrainian Culture", "Serve the People - Serve God: Theological Studio" and others. The book "Our Life Abroad: Ideological and Historical Essays" by Ivan Ogienko, published in Winnipeg (Canada), where the author spoke about the difficult life of Ukrainian emigrants abroad, deserves attention and listening. I. Ogienko describes how important it is to preserve one's national identity, culture and native language in a foreign country. It is concluded that national culture has great potential for the establishment of Ukraine in the world cultural space, and the life and scientific and educational work of Ivan Ogienko became an example for many researchers in studying the socio-cultural heritage of the Ukrainian diaspora.

НОВОЕ СЛОВО В МЕЖДУНАРОДНОЙ ИСТОРИОГРАФИИ РОССИЙСКОГО ЗАРУБЕЖЬЯ. РЕЦ. НА КН.: PIVOVAR E. I. THE WORLD OF RUSSIAN EMIGRES IN THE LATE 20 TH – EARLY 21 ST CENTURY. ALETEIYA, SAINT PETERSBURG

The publication offers a critical review of The World of Russian Émi- grés in the late 20 th – early 21 st century , a Russian monograph in the English lan- guage. The reviewers point out that Efim Pivovar, the author of the monograph, is the founder of a scientific school that pioneered the study of Russian émigrés; furthermore, this is another study in a series of works devoted to the phenome- non. The authors state that Pivovar sees the modern Russian émigrés as part of an institutionally structured and dynamically developing system that aspires to build multilateral interaction with Russia, while boasting a significant potential for international influence in the informational, economic, cultural and scientific and intellectual areas. In particular, the reviewers focus on the methodology and conceptual structure of the study under review; they appraise the effectiveness of the civilisational approach used by the author of the monograph, as well as the author’s interpretation of such complex and ambiguous terms as “Russian Émigrés”, “Russian World”, “Man of the Russian World”, “Compatriot Living Abroad”, etc. The reviewers appreciate the author’s approach, which allows the above concepts to be seen as important elements of Russian public policy. The author is also to be commended for his attempt to use the history of interaction between Russia and the Russian émigrés (especially in the neighbouring states of the former USSR) as a lens through which he considers the issues of interna- tional relations in the Eurasian region. The reviewers conclude by stating that Pivovar’s research qualifies as a relevant interdisciplinary work of high interest to both the academic and the general non-specialist community.

ПОТЕНЦИАЛ И ОСОБЕННОСТИ РЕАЛИЗАЦИИ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОЙ ПРОГРАММЫ ПО ПЕРЕСЕЛЕНИЮ СООТЕЧЕСТВЕННИКОВ

Aim. Analysis of the State Program to Assist Voluntary Resettlement of Compatriots Living Abroad to the Russian Federation to determine the quantitative and qualitative indicators of its implementation. Methodology. The authors consider the program as one of the effective tools for implementation of the state migration policy that helps attract compatriots to the Russian Federation. The article presents the types and features of public management program and target tools in social and economic development of the country and its security. Arguments in favor of a clear link between the goals and tasks of the state body with the planned quantifiable results and the necessary financial resources are given. Methods of statistical analysis, analysis of scientific literature, analysis of materials provided by Federal Executive bodies are used. On the basis of a systematic and institutional approach the problems and prospects of the state resettlement policy towards compatriots are considered, and the ways to solve them are substantiated. Results. Proposals for the state bodies to improve the process of attracting compatriots to the country and normative regulating of this sphere are prepared. Research implications. The materials contained in this research can be used by Federal and Regional Executive bodies that formulate and realize the state policy and normative regulation in the field of migration, including issues of the organization of resettlement and settlement of compatriots.

Legal Means to Prevent Unjustified Payment of Pensions to Citizens Living Abroad

Introduction. The legislation of the Russian Federation provides for the possibility of paying most types of pensions to those citizens whose place of permanent residence is a foreign state. At the same time, permanent residence of a pensioner abroad increases the risk of unjustified payment of pensions and creates the need to use additional legal means aimed at preventing such consequences. Purpose. The purpose of the study is to describe the system of legal means that are aimed at preventing unjustified payment of Russian pensions to citizens living abroad, and to analyze the provisions of Russian and international legal acts that establish these legal means. Methodology. To achieve these goals, formal legal (dogmatic) method and comparative legal method were mainly used. Results. The system of legal means to prevent unjustified payments to those Russian citizens who permanently reside abroad includes legal means provided for by national legislation and the norms of international treaties concluded by the Russian Federation. The first group is represented mainly by additional obligations of the beneficiary to inform the pension agency about maintaining the grounds for payment of pensions (especially the duty to confirm being alive), failure to which, as a general rule, constitute grounds for the suspension of payment of pension. The legal means stipulated in international legal acts are based on the interaction of the competent institutions of the Contracting parties and are implemented, as a rule, without the participation of the pension recipient. Conclusion. The expansion of the list of States with which Russia has concluded international agreements on cooperation in the field of social security and the improvement of national legislation in this area should help reduce the number of cases of excessive payment of pensions to citizens living abroad.

A Study on the Short Term Retraining Program for the Nonnative Korean Language Teachers Living Abroad

A Study on the Short Term Retraining Program for the Nonnative Korean Language Teachers Living Abroad

Ageing Abroad. The Case of Swiss Nationals in Morocco and Spain

Abstract Cultural, social, and economic factors have led to an increase in late-life migration of citizens from richer countries to poorer ones. Although research interest in this phenomenon has risen as well, the case of people leaving Switzerland remains little studied. Yet, in 2017, 11 % of Swiss men and women aged 65 and over lived abroad. Drawing on two case studies of older Swiss migrants to Spain and Morocco, this article contributes to a better understanding of this phenomenon.

International Educational Justice: Educational Resources for Students Living Abroad

As a result of globalization, the number of people living outside of their countries of origin is on the rise. Among them are children of primary and secondary school age of varying socio-economic backgrounds. This article addresses the education-related challenges that children in such circumstances face. I first identify two principles – an educational adequacy principle and a presumption of responsibility on the part of a host country for meeting children’s educationalneeds – which are widely employed to guide national policy decisions on educational content and the distribution of educational resources. I then discuss a number of problems that students living abroad face which, I argue, policies devised on the basis of these principles either systematically overlook or, in some cases, exacerbate. Finally, I offer two alternative principles – a cosmopolitan revision of the first and a replacement for the second with a focus on collective responsibility – designed to promote education policies better suited to a globalized world which might help to alleviate the barriers to success commonly encountered by children learning abroad.

International educational migration as a “soft power resource” in the globalization era

The international educational migration as a resource of «soft power» of the state has been analyzed in the article. Based on comprehensive analysis of the existing definitions of educational migration the author’s interpretation of this concept have been proposed. Based on the data of UNESCO, the Institute of international education of the United States, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation the statistics of international educational migration has been presented and analyzed. The main emphasis has been made on such categories of international educational migrants as students (bachelors, masters), postgraduate students. The reasons for the popularity of foreign students in countries such as Canada and the United States have been described. Based on the study two groups of factors have been highlighted: external and internal (motivational) factors, influencing decision-making in choosing the country of study.Based on the data of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, the advantages of education in Russia have been analyzed. The issue of adaptation of foreign students in Russian universities has been considered: first-year curatorial programs, the Institute of student fellowships. It has been concluded hat Russian universities have a wealth of experience in teaching and adaptation of foreign students.The concepts and projects to attract foreign students to the Russian Federation also have been described in detail. Special attention to two projects “5–100” and “Export of Russian education” has been paid. The Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo) as one of the main institutions in the export of Russian education has been designated. The measures to attract foreign students to Russian universities have been proposed.

Russian-Speaking Jewry Communal and Congregational Life Abroad: the Role of Language

The authors explore the Russian Jews diaspora which represents the viable mechanisms of real functioning in a host society. The article marks three criteria that help to be navigated among the options how the Russian Jewish immigration in the UK pans out in terms of: a) preserving the mother tongue, b) sticking to the home culture and c) whether the Russian Jews choose to adopt the host culture, whether they partly integrate into it or they fully assimilate.

Yurt Dışında İkamet Eden Vatandaşların Türkiye’de Tatil Yapmalarında Etkili Olan Faktörler: Berlin Örneği

Yurt Dışında İkamet Eden Vatandaşların Türkiye’de Tatil Yapmalarında Etkili Olan Faktörler: Berlin Örneği

Государственная программа по оказанию содействия добровольному переселению в Российскую Федерацию соотечественников, проживающих за рубежом, в региональном информационном пространстве Алтайского и Красноярского краев

Государственная программа по оказанию содействия добровольному переселению в Российскую Федерацию соотечественников, проживающих за рубежом, в региональном информационном пространстве Алтайского и Красноярского краев

해외 거주 한국인 어머니들이 인식한 국제학교 유치원의 교육적 특성과 가치: 러시아의 A국제학교 유치원을 중심으로

해외 거주 한국인 어머니들이 인식한 국제학교 유치원의 교육적 특성과 가치: 러시아의 A국제학교 유치원을 중심으로

Understanding veterinary students' intrinsic, extrinsic, and lifestyle values

Introduction: Workplace values are a significant factor in facilitating successful transitions from the classroom to the workforce and in the career development process. Furthermore, employees whose value system aligns with that of their coworkers and leaders report higher rates of job satisfaction. This study sought to determine what current doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) students' value with respect to intrinsic, extrinsic, and lifestyle factors. Methods: A modified version of the work values checklist was administered to 100 3rd-year students at a large veterinary school located in the United States. Results: The three values rated most important among participants were “Have fun in your life and at work,” “Feel respected for your work,” and “Gain a sense of achievement.” The three values rated least important were “Be involved in politics,” “Compete with others,” and “Live abroad.” Conclusion: Overall, intrinsic and lifestyle values appear to play a larger role in DVM students' workplace preferences than extrinsic values. Researchers are encouraged to replicate this study at other institutions to determine the extent to which findings from this study are generalizable across the veterinary medical profession.

Women in noir style: the soviet version

The paper is devoted to a comparative analysis of the popular culture of the Cold War in the United States and in the USSR, namely, to the genres, which were stimulated by the public moods of the Cold War (noir, spy detective, etc.). It is argued that despite the refusal of Soviet critics to use Western terminology, the genres of noir and spy detective existed in the Soviet literature and cinema, but had their own national and cultural content. In particular, the images of “fatal women” and “female adventurers”, who were central in the noir poetics, were not typical in the Soviet popular culture, excluding works devoted to the life abroad (in particular, novels by A. Tolstoy “Emigrants”, “Hyperboloid of engineer Garin”, etc.), however, noir motifs have appeared in the Soviet literature and cinema since the mid-1950s, when the official optimism of the Soviet public culture has been replaced by emotions of disappointment and tragic past (after J. Stalin’s death and denunciation of his personality cult). The novels of the little-studied writers L. Ovalov (“The Copper Button”) and H.-M. Muguev (“Doll of Mrs. Bark”, “The Quiet City”, “Fire Paw”) were analyzed in the context of the biographies of their authors, gender politics of the novels and the Soviet concepts of “freedom” and the opposition of “friend” and “enemy”. It is proved that the images of “adventurers” and style in the spy novels by Ovalov and Muguev reproduce the poetics of “noir” in the Soviet literature, which looked as authentic view in depicting war, emigration, espionage, captivity, conspiracies, and other existential situations. It was argued that the noir motifs in the late Soviet cinema were used in depicting the bipolar and hostile world in the spy genre (“The Secret Agent’s Blunder”, “17 Moments of Spring”), and also in depicting the postwar period of Soviet culture, losses of ideals and destroying a large number of people’ destinies. It was argued that the “Soviet project” was not separated from the cultural mainstream of the 20th century, it experienced the influences of Western popular culture and its values.

The emigrant political participation in Morocco and Tunisia: diasporic civil society and the transnationalization of citizenship in the Arab Spring context

ABSTRACTThe Jasmine Revolution has expressed the urgency for political change in several Arab countries. For the first time in Tunisia’s history, Tunisians Living Abroad (TLA) were able to vote from their respective countries, under the control of an Independent Electoral Body. In Morocco, the king anticipated the revolution and reformed the constitution basing it upon some universal democratic values in collaboration with political parties. The debate regarding the vote and emigrant representation culminated in the inclusion of four articles on emigrant rights in the new constitution. This article reviews theories of transnationalism and emigrant political participation, which are the major topics of further discussions on legislative and administrative measures for emigrant votes; explores diasporic participation at the two elections in Arab Spring context; and makes a comparative synthesis between the Tunisian and Moroccan progression/regression of democratic quality regarding emigrant political participation. The article’s main contribution is that it questions what progress has been made in terms of political participation by the diaspora in both cases – whether there is a genuine desire to expand political opportunities leading to an implementation of real measures, or on the contrary it is all a zero-sum game instrumentalising Tunisia’s and Morocco’s widely-touted progress to put behind them that difficult stage of the Arab revolutions where civic struggles were transnationalised by the diaspora.

Use and Assessment of E-Voting Systems: Findings from an Online-Survey among Swiss Nationals Living Abroad

Digitalization has led to an increase in electronic government services and democratic developments. One crucial aspect in the context of e-government for democracies consists of e-voting systems, which enable citizens to vote electronically. The Swiss government recently decided on the nationwide introduction of e-voting systems. One target group, which could particularly benefit from the introduction of e-voting systems, are Swiss nationals living abroad. However, the introduction of e-voting systems entails costs, thus an estimation of the willingness of Swiss nationals abroad to make use of the possibility of voting electronically is central to the introduction of e-voting systems. In November 2017, 596 Swiss citizens living abroad completed a questionnaire addressing their experience with and assessment of e-voting systems. Results yield a very high willingness to use e-voting among the respondents. Swiss nationals living abroad seem to perceive e-voting as being very useful and efficient. In addition, the findings show that concerns about data security seem to be of high importance for potential users of e-voting systems.