Modern Forms Research Articles

A Conversation on Feminism, Ableism, and Medical Assistance in Dying

This article explores the recent expansion of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) in Canada and its negative implications for women with disabilities. In 2021, the government extended MAiD to people with disabilities who are not dying, which the authors contend is a modern form of eugenics. Structured as a conversation and deploying a systemic, equality-based feminist analysis, the article tracks the shifts in scope and justification for MAiD through judicial and legislative developments, the overwhelming opposition by organizations representing people with disabilities, and the failure of feminist organizations to support their disabled sisters. The authors articulate a feminist response to the expansion of MAiD to address this troubling silence. After Isabel Grant sets out the foundations of Track 2 MAiD, Janine Benedet develops a critique of the concepts of autonomy, choice, and privacy as used by MAiD expansionists to justify these premature deaths. Elizabeth Sheehy explores some of the structural issues that affect the impetus for MAiD: women’s poverty, the medical profession, the gendered nature of caregiving, and men’s violence. Isabel Grant demonstrates the particular dangers for women of the extension of MAiD on the basis of mental illness, as evidenced by data from other countries. Catherine Frazee describes what a truly intersectional feminist approach to MAiD demands of more privileged feminists and concludes the conversation with a call for feminist solidarity.

PROSPECTS OF APPLICATION OF THE EXPERIENCE OF INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF LOBBYING IN THE USA IN THE DOMESTIC SYSTEM OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Based on domestic and foreign sources, the article analyzes the experience of the USA regarding the institutionalization of lobbying activities and makes a generalization about the possibility of its use in the domestic system of public administration. It is shown that the goals of the institutionalization of lobbying activities are to ensure the rights of citizens to participate in the adoption and implementation of management decisions and the activities of government bodies in general. It is substantiated that the development of lobbying contributes to the effectiveness of public control in interactions between state structures and interest groups, which is a mechanism for minimizing corruption. It is noted that the USA is a kind of standard for the institutionalization of lobbying in the system of public administration, since it was here that it was started in its modern form and it is here that legislation on lobbying has the longest history and, accordingly, detailed regulation of the object of regulation. For domestic legislators, the systematic development of the conceptual apparatus in the field of lobbying activity regulation, which includes the definition of 16 terms, is primarily important in this law. The law regulates not only the relations between lobbyists and legislators, but lobbying activities in the sphere of executive power. US lobbying legislation also defines the characteristics of lobbying activity as professional, and also has a perfect procedure for registration and submission of quarterly reports of lobbyists and a system of penalties for violations of lobbying legislation. At the same time, it is shown that the American system of lobbying regulation was not very effective in combating political corruption in the US legislative system. It was concluded that the American legislation on the regulation of lobbying can be taken as a basis for the development of the most important component of domestic legislation related to the definition of the subject and lobbying activity, as well as the concept of this activity itself. And this is the main prerequisite for successful public-management regulation of the functioning of this institute in a standardized form, which is an urgent task for the development of the domestic public management system.

Omission as a modern form of bias against Native Peoples: Implications for policies and practices

AbstractThe omission of Native Peoples’ existence, experiences, and perspectives is systematic and widespread across numerous societal domains, referred to as Native omission. In mainstream media, for example, less than 0.5% of representations are of contemporary Native Peoples. We theorize that Native omission is a tool furthering settler colonial goals to oppress and eventually erase Native Peoples. To make this case, we will review both experimental and national survey studies that unpack how Native omission shapes psychological processes among non‐Native and Native individuals and contribute to discrimination, oppression, and disparities facing Native Peoples. We then discuss ways in which Native Peoples are actively resisting Native omission. Finally, we provide a series of policy recommendations to address Native omission and promote Native equity. By making visible the pernicious consequences of omission for Native Peoples, we chart a path for creating a more equitable future.

Mapping as Historiographic Practice: The Ballet Landscape in Interwar Greece

This article proposes mapping as a tool for dance historiography, and presents a case study of ballet in interwar Greece to show mapping’s distinct attributes. Mapping supports critical dance historiography in five interconnected ways: fostering anti-hegemonic dance histories that counter hierarchical and exclusionary classifications; diversifying dance history beyond West-centric and nation-centric frameworks; undoing linear narratives primarily based on kinetic information; admitting dance history’s performativity and constructed-ness; and amplifying relational, transindividual perspectives within dance histories. Ultimately, the article presents a dual focus: bringing attention to the characteristics of interwar Greek ballet as a genre-crossing, transnational, interdisciplinary modern form blurring distinctions between art and entertainment, and showing how mapping illuminates these distinct aspects.

Keeping the Liancourt Rocks Dispute Afloat

Originating in its modern form during the postwar period, the Lian-court Rocks dispute between South Korea and Japan has long exasperated observers who recognize the need for cooperation in an increasingly volatile regional political environment.1 While the existing literature centers on variables ranging from nationalism in the public sphere to resource acquisition, this study argues that a more powerful explanation lies in the interactions between the two governments and their respective publics. Specifically, each state has actively engaged in a major nation-building process to integrate the dispute into their national identities in order to rally the public around perceived territorial transgressions. Through these consolidated identities, the Korean and Japanese publics later compel their governments to sustain more hostile policies even during periods where the two governments may desire reconciliation or compromise, and punish them in instances of perceived defection. This dynamic between the two governments and their citizenry suggests that conventional explanations grounded in material variables—such as competition over resources—are insufficient in explaining the severity and longevity of the dispute, leaving room for identity to occupy a major role.

A Study of the Availability and Demand of Digital Services for the Manifestation of Social and Political Activity by Citizens

In recent decades, scientists have been discussing ways of involving the population in social and political processes. Terms such as “civic participation,” “civic control,” “participation in the government of the power-poor,” etc. are widely used in scholarly discourse on this subject. The research related to social and political activities is conducted within various thematic areas based on “political participation theory” and “participatory democracy theory,” as well as on “theories of economic and digital inequalities.” According to the vast majority of scientists, increasing digitalization is known to expand the forms of participation and transform the public administration at all levels concerning joint governance and a citizen-centric approach, taking into consideration the opinion and active participation of citizens in the production and execution of policy decisions. This article presents the results of a study that investigated whether modern digital services allow citizens to participate in and influence the social and political processes taking place at various levels of government. In addition, the study demonstrates how modern digital technologies promote the maximum participation of the most socially vulnerable categories of the population, as well as how such factors as the level of digital competence, the level of income of the population, and the level of digitalization of territories limit this participation. In order to assess the modern digital forms and the use of these forms in a citizen’s interaction with the authorities, a survey of 1,200 residents of villages and towns located in the south Tyumen Region was conducted. The ways in which the residents living in the towns and villages of the Tyumen Region were able to express their civic positions were determined and the proportion of citizens using digital technologies was noted. The study also assessed the availability and demand for digital technologies by citizens to express their social and political activities, as well as the primary factors that limit their social and political participation. Moreover, this research showed that age, education, and digital competence and awareness were the main factors influencing a citizen’s propensity to use modern digital technologies for social and political activity. The hypothesis that the demand for digital services by citizens living in remote districts should be higher than that of urban residents was not confirmed. On the contrary, for a wide range of services, the assessments of demand and accessibility are higher among the residents of cities than among the residents of rural municipal districts, with the highest assessments coming from the residents of the regional capital. This fact is associated with a higher level of digital competence among citizens, a higher level of digitalization of the regional capital, as well as a higher level of income, which allows them to more actively master and use all these services. Additionally, this article is addressed to researchers interested in various aspects of social and political participation, as well as to politicians who make decisions regarding the development and implementation of new forms of digital interaction between citizens and the authorities that enable citizens to demonstrate their civic position.

A hagyomány fogalma a huszadik századi filozófiában. Eliot, Scruton, Gadamer

In an effort to give an idea of the 20th century efforts to place the concept of tradition within philosophy, this essay reconstructs three different views on it. This is done in order to show that, although we tend to think of the century as a period of progressive advance, there was in fact a very conscious philosophical effort to consolidate and reinterpret tradition. In his literary criticism, and in particular in his essay entitled Tradition and the Individual Talent T. S. Eliot embodies a form of modernism, which does not negate the idea of a reliance on tradition. On the contrary, he tries to show that the idea of literary innovation and the genuine novelty of the genius is unimaginable without a constant reference to a canon, which is in need of reformation. The analytical philosopher, Roger Scruton connects the understanding of tradition as a guarantee of innovation as revealed by Eliot with his own thoughts of the adaptability of the tradition-based English common law, with its commonsense approach of problem-solving. Finally, the paper offers an interpretation of Gadamer’s account of prejudice, tradition, authority and application, in his own context of hermeneutics understood as a rehabilitation of tradition, as well as a very articulate choice of political and philosophical values and way of character-formation.

Modern Forms of Occupational Health and Safety Training as a Factor Influencing the Development of Safe and Health-Promoting Behavior Among Employees

Abstract In times of strong economic growth, one of the elements of a company's competitiveness is innovation. It determines a company's development and its success. Appropriate innovation management within a company is determined by specific activities in the areas of research, planning, implementation, diffusion and control. Innovation can relate to products, processes, organization and marketing. In the area of occupational health and safety, there are many innovations that improve the quality and productivity of work and have an impact on occupational health and safety. This paper presents the results of a study conducted using a survey of companies that use modern forms in the area of training to improve safety in their companies. The survey was conducted at the end of 2022 in 25 SME companies in the Silesian Voivodeship. The results of the survey were compared with trends in Poland and worldwide, based on publicly available reports and communications. The aim of the article is to highlight the level of training related to occupational health and safety and the demand for innovative forms of such training. Health and safety training is the cornerstone of creating safe work awareness in employees. Surveys of Polish companies indicate major problems in this area. According to Polish employees, training is boring, overloaded with theory and rarely deals with the practical side of work. This paper identifies modern forms of health and safety training and assesses the impact on safe employee behavior in the workplace. The results confirmed that there is a great need for modern training methods to improve the level of occupational safety in enterprises.

New Perspectives on State Formation

Governments in developed nations today collect high tax revenues and spend vast amounts on security, regulation, infrastructure, and social programs. Yet developed nations were in no way born with effective state institutions. What explains the emergence of the modern state? And, why did capable states first form historically in Western Europe? Proper answers to these questions are key to our understanding of modern forms of governance, including parliamentary democracy.

ANALYSIS OF REALIZED ACTIVITIES OF THE TOURIST COMMUNITY OF SARAJEVO CANTON AND THEIR PRESENTATION THROUGH THE WEBSITE AND SOCIAL NETWORKS FOR THE PROMOTION OF SPORTS TOURISM AND TOURISM

Abstract Tourist boards, through their social activities, can make a tourist destination, tourist attractions and tourist products attractive, unique, and special. Through relevant scientific knowledge, using the tools and techniques of destination management as well as modern forms of communication, tourist boards can make the entire area of a tourist destination very interesting and desirable for tourist visits throughout the year by promoting the specificity, authenticity and originality of the tourist offer and tourist products. Keywords: tourist board; tourism promotion through sports and sports recreation competitions; tourism promotion through social networks, tourism

Popular vote as a form of online dialogue between government and society

The authors consider the popular vote as a mechanism of convergent movement of power and society in the context of the formation and development of the digital public sphere. The theoretical and methodological basis of communication between government and society is analyzed. The search for modern forms of dialogue between government and society is made in the context of discussions on the use of remote electronic voting (DEG) in the electoral process. The role, opportunities, prospects and risks of online voting in Russian regional and municipal practice are assessed, in particular, in the implementation of the program "Formation of a comfortable urban environment", which is a positive experience of equal and effective interaction between government and society, offers one of the possible directions of public dialogue, the essence of which is the transition from an archaic subject-object models for intersubjective communication. The research is based on a dialectical understanding of socio-cultural processes and phenomena, on general scientific and logical methods of cognition. Statistical, institutional and comparative methods are used. The scientific novelty lies in the study of online voting as an effective form of achieving public consensus within the framework of a specific federal program. It is noted that online voting corresponds to the electoral culture of Russian society, its conventional features. The necessity of broad inclusion of citizens in the discussion and implementation of land improvement programs and other socially significant projects is substantiated. The motives that provide these programs with significant public support are revealed. The data characterizing the quality of the urban environment in the Central Federal District are summarized and analyzed. The conclusion is made about the relationship between the popular vote and the growth of the urban space quality index. The resources of the urban environment quality index and the popular vote are evaluated as conditions for the formation of a healthy competitive field, where the main engine is awareness of the responsibility of the administration and residents of the region for the prestige of their region. Recommendations are formulated on the institutionalization of online voting to solve problems that determine the current regional and municipal agenda.

Konstytucjonalizacja prawa do ochrony danych osobowych – proces trwający czy zakończony?

The article presents arguments for the need to further improve of the Polish constitutional provisions establishing guarantees in the area of personal data protection. To this end, the development and current framework of EU data protection law and the national guarantees of the individual’s informational autonomy introduced in the Polish Constitution are presented. Against this background, the author argues that the Polish Constitution, although it provides certain guarantees related to the protection of information concerning an individual, is not in fact a source of a coherent, consistent and independent public subjective right to the protection of personal data. The author considers whether the examined set of constitutional norms can constitute a control model for assessing the permissibility of using many modern (and intrusive) forms of interference with fundamental rights, including those used by public entities – in this regard, he discusses in detail the case of the ClearView AI system. Particular attention is paid to the impact of the recent reform of the sub-constitutional provisions on the protection of personal data on the legibility and effectiveness of constitutional guarantees of the informational autonomy of the individual.

Exploring the Implementation Path of Passive Heat-Protection Design Heritage in Lingnan Buildings

To achieve indoor thermal comfort via natural ventilation, traditional buildings in South China’s Lingnan region have evolved distinct features tailored to the hot and humid climate conditions, involving site planning, function layout, and construction techniques. This study delves into the influences of these features on aspects such as sun-shading, ventilation, and heat insulation. By analyzing over ten Lingnan buildings in both the traditional and modern forms, several representative standardized models have been developed. Through a hybrid approach of combining qualitative and quantitative methodologies, including simulations, quantifications, and comparisons, several passive heat-protection measures commonly employed in Lingnan buildings were examined and evaluated. The effectiveness of shading, ventilation, and heat insulation in both traditional and modern buildings was assessed, resulting in the compilation of design principles for passive heat protection in buildings located in similar climatic zones. Key findings include (1) Shading: traditional methods reduce sunlight by 54.55%, while modern buildings enhance shading by applying new materials; (2) ventilation: traditional design achieves an outdoor wind speed of 1.5 m/s, improving thermal comfort, while modern Lingnan buildings optimize these principles; (3) insulation: traditional techniques maintain indoor temperatures below 26.0 °C, and modern buildings introduce innovation solutions for improved thermal insulation. In summary, traditional Lingnan design effectively addresses the challenges of the hot and humid climate by employing passive strategies for thermal comfort. Modern Lingnan buildings, in turn, preserve these principles while introducing innovative approaches.

Opportunities and Risks of Developing a Green Economy

The relevance of the topic is due, firstly, to the importance of sustainable development as a priority task of the world community, and secondly, the green economy is an important tool for achieving it. The purpose of this research article is to identify the opportunities and risks of developing a green economy within the framework of sustainable development. Methods: the study was carried out using up-to-date data and sources, as well as a theoretical analysis of the basic principles and methodological approaches to the green economy. Scientific novelty: Summarizing the modern conceptual developments of the paradigm of the green economy, the author’s definition of this scientific category is proposed, which contributes to a more accurate understanding of the concept of the green economy. The main features and principles of the green economy are given. The results of the study: The article substantiates the directions of development of modern forms of green economy, taking into account which priority instruments of green financing are identified. The author analyzes the total volume of green financing in the world and provides a rating of countries according to the GGEI index. The article systematizes the opportunities and risks of developing a green economy. Practical significance: results and conclusions of the article can be useful both for the scientific community and for decision-makers at the level of States and international organizations that strive for sustainable development and environmental protection.

How does early-life famine experience influence household energy transition?

The transition of households towards cleaner energy is crucial for achieving sustainable development goals. However, the impacts and associated mechanisms of early-life experiences on household energy transition have not been considered. Based on data from the 2015 Chinese General Social Survey, this study aimed to investigate whether people experiencing China's Great Famine (1959–1961) in their early life promoted household energy transition in adulthood. The varying severity of the Great Famine in different provinces was characterised as a quasi-natural experiment and was used to perform difference-in-differences (DID) estimation analysis for birth cohorts. The results showed that the transitions from firewood, agricultural waste, and animal waste to liquefied petroleum gas and electricity were significant in households with the Great Famine experiences. Specifically, the long-term energy transition effect of the famine was exhibited mostly in those who experienced the famine during childhood (4–11 years old) and adolescence (12–17 years old). Besides, early-life famine experiences led to poor physical health, and more modern forms of energy, such as electricity, were consumed to avoid further deteriorating health. Early-life famine experience also brought psychological trauma to people at that time, which led them to increase Internet use to gain emotional support, and the increased Internet use provided better access to information about the energy transition. Moreover, the household energy transition influenced by early-life famine experience occurred more in female-headed, rural, more educated, and low-income households. Our results illustrated the role of early-life famine experience in household energy transition and provided new insights into developing effective energy policies.

Discussion on the Origin of Chinese Modernization from the Perspective of Classical Marxist Theory

Chinese modernization is socialist modernization with Chinese characteristics under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, and it is the contemporary form of Chinese socialist modernization under the grand historical vision, which has considerable research value. This paper mainly combines the theoretical vision with the historical vision, studies and discusses the origin of Chinese modernization, from China’s “Oriental society,” a modern prehistoric social form, to modern China stepping on the socialist road under the basic circumstances of world history, and takes the initiative to master the relevant logic of the historical trend. This paper also presents the research and discussion on why it is possible for modern China to realize Chinese modernization, and to solve the problem of the origin of Chinese modernization in theory and historical logic.

The Study of the Logistics Ontology by the Historical-Genetic Method

The objective of the study is to establish the origin and evolution of the term «logistics», understood as management of material flows and stocks. The historical-genetic method and content analysis were used in the study of available sourcesThe inconsistency of assumptions about the origin of the name «logistics» in the modern interpretation from ancient Greece and the Byzantine Empire is shown. There is also no connection between the mathematical logic developed by Leibniz and the content of logistics in economics and military affairs. The illegitimacy of explaining the evolution of the term «logistics» by random coincidences of words that are homonyms and related to different historical eras and countries has been established.The priority of G. V. Jomini in formulation of the principles of logistics in his works on the art of war, written after emigration to the Russian Empire, is confirmed. Due to the spread of Jomini’s works in the countries of the world, logistics began to develop in its modern form, initially in the military sphere, and then in economic activity.The reasons that led to intensive development of logistics during the Second World War and in the post­war period are systematized. Differences in priorities during these periods in the countries of the world are studied. Two main trends were identified, one of which was to use the competitive advantages of logistics in a market environment, and the other to ensure spatial connectivity and transport accessibility of territories.

What Is Minimalist Governance?*

“Informality” and “semiformality” are the primary characteristics of minimalist governance. The operation of minimalist governance assumes a boundary between state and society and some amount of autonomous space between them at the ground level. Whether in a traditional or modern form, minimalist governance stands in contrast to the formal, hierarchical bureaucracy of the state. Minimalism is a pragmatic approach to governance tailored to local conditions, a form of semiformal or informal government that emphasizes operational effectiveness over elaborate bureaucratic procedures. Since minimalist governance does not rely entirely on the hierarchical power of the state apparatus, this semiformal approach is simple and effective, hence its “minimalist” appearance. The key to solving the problem of formalism at the basic level of government lies in managing the relationship between “a thousand threads above” and “a single needle below.” Autonomy and self-governance must be granted to the basic level of the government so that party committees may fulfill their integrative political functions and their role in minimalist governance. Ultimately, this will allow the “needle” of grassroots organizations to connect with “a thousand threads above” while also penetrating deeply into local society. There is significant practical and theoretical importance in understanding the uniqueness of Chinese-style modernization, and the modernization of rural governance, from the perspective of “social foundations,” but to achieve this Chinese-style modernization we must learn from the West and from China’s own traditional and contemporary experiences.

Die Totenmaske als Medium der kleinen Form

Abstract The following article examines feuilletonistic texts and short prose in which death is treated as the incommensurable. These small pieces appeared in scattered places and explored symbolic behavior and thus the historical point of view taken towards the dead and the past. In these 1920s texts, my article discusses memorial functions shaped by nationalistic and masculinist codes. The cult surrounding the dead-mask plays a central role here. My readings show that it is precisely the small modernist form in its brevity, scarcity, and ephemerality, that takes on an archival function and, in the age of the masses, goes beyond commemorating the »individual spirit« (Hofmannsthal). In conclusion my article will contrast the 1920s pieces with 21st century essayistic short prose by Durs Grünbein und Mary Ruefle. When these contemporary authors address dead-masks or death cults, they critically question idealism, or, as in the case of Mary Ruefle, heighten it with an almost intimate gesture into the uncanny and grotesque.

A SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY ON THE CHANGING SOCIAL PROFILE OF THE BORDER SMUGGLER

In this article, the changing social profile of border smugglers is examined. Although informal flows (smuggling) create increasingly complex problems at origin, destination and intermediate points in the globalization process, the fact that smugglers, the main actors of this process, are not sufficiently recognized is the important reason for this review. This issue has not received the necessary attention in the field of science. This issue, which is problematized in the article, is described with a phenomenological study. For this purpose, information about the social profiles of old-style border smugglers was obtained from the border smuggling themed movies "The Law of the Borders" and "Mule Makers". Information about the social profiles of the new type of border smugglers was obtained by interviewing 30 people who were connected to the border smuggling phenomenon in Van province in 2022 and determined in accordance with the snowball sampling technique, using a semi-structured questionnaire tool. Data obtained from two sources were examined in accordance with the interactional discourse analysis technique. In this analysis, the social profile of old and new border smugglers is described within the framework of four features: Demographic features; Social roles, behaviour’s and attitudes; Social network and relationships; and Social status and power structures. The article is based on the social network theory perspective. According to the general finding reached as a result of the article review, in the province of Van, the border smuggler social profile has a traditional and modern form. Although the traditional essence of the border smuggler social profile is preserved, the socio-cultural network is fragmented.