European Post-socialist Countries Research Articles

Ecosystem services potential is declining across European capital metropolitan areas

Ecosystem services (ES) are essential to sustainable development at multiple spatial scales. Monitoring ES potential (ESP) at the metropolitan level is imperative to sustainable cities. We developed a procedure for long-term monitoring of metropolitan ESP dynamics, utilizing open-source land use land cover (LULC) data and the expert matrix method. We compared the ESP results of 38 European Capital Metropolitan Areas (ECMA) regarding biodiversity integrity, drinking water provision, flood protection, air quality, water purification, and recreation & tourism. Our results show significant declines in ESP across ECMA due to LULC alteration between 2006, 2012, and 2018. We found that ECMA in post-socialist European countries like Poland (Warszawa) have experienced high rates of land use transformation with a remarkable impact on ESP. Surprisingly, we found that Fennoscandinan ECMA, like Helsinki, Stockholm, and Oslo which lead the cumulative ESP ranking, faced the ESP reduction of the highest impact in recent years. The correlation analysis of ESP dynamics to urban expansion and population growth rates suggests that inattentive urbanization processes impact ESP more than population growth. We unveil the implications of our results to the EU and global level agendas like the European Nature Conservation Law and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Опыт зарубежных стран по ускоренному социально- экономическому росту и его возможное использование для России

Socio-economic development is a vital strategy for the Russian Federation. In the 33 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, its gross domestic product (GDP) has increased by approximately 20 %. The average GDP in EU countries has increased by halve for the same period. The US GDP has doubled while some post-socialist European countries have demonstrated a 2.5-time increase, not to mention developing countries (3-5 times) and China (12.7 times). Between 2013 and 2022, Russia’s GDP per capita stayed the same, probably because of the Crimea population. The gross fixed capital formations decreased slightly, and the volume of retail trade turnover and real income of the population went down more sharply. Compared to the Soviet period, Russia has been losing in all indicators of international ratings. Life expectancy, which is one of the main social indicators, keeps decreasing with every decade. In fact, it has been seven years since Russia’s population started to decline. Part one of this article examines the outstanding experience of China, Japan, and South Korea, which have transited from seemingly hopeless backwardness to stable economic and social growth in 30-40 years. However, these countries are so unique in their cultural and historical development that their experience cannot be applied to Russia directly. Part two examines the phenomena of Reaganomics in the USA and Thatcherism in the UK, which allowed each of these countries to overcome a decade of stagnation and crisis to resume socio-economic development based on science, technology, and innovations. Part three examines some cases of large countries that have demonstrated high growth rates over the past ten years despite complex situations in the global economy. The objective was to define the specific strategies these countries appealed to in order to combat the existing negative trends in economic development. The conclusion sums up the useful experience Russia can draw from the abovementioned cases. The author introduces a strategy for accelerated and sustainable socio-economic development of Russia though 2035.

Post-socijalistička (urbana) finansijalizacija u Srbiji - empirijski uvid

The paper explores Serbia's post-socialist financialization based on the galloping urban real estate trends after the global crisis in 2008. Financialization as a global process had a significant role in the socio-economic development and urban changes in different contextual frameworks, including the post-socialist European countries. However, there are not enough studies on financialization in these countries, while in Serbia they are completely absent. Focusing on post-socialist Serbia in the post-crisis period, the paper situates the narrative of urban financialization into the broader context by: illuminating the financialization dimensions; identifying the indicators for selected financialization dimensions; analyzing concrete data for selected financialization dimensions by specific indicators, and comparing available indicators of financialization with those in some post-socialist countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and South-Eastern Europe (SEE). The empirical analysis provides insight into the complex nature of urban financialization which is measured by specific indicators. The findings point to a connection between the intertwining of global financial and macroeconomic trends and the urban development processes. It is assumed that there is a certain correlation and interconnection between (urban) financialization and developmental, monetary and financial policies and foreign financial inflows in Serbia.

Latvia and Estonia: the soviet period of economic development

The article analyses the Soviet period of Latvia and Estonia, which turned out to be very productive for their socio-economic development. In the Baltic republics, there were nо resources necessary for the development of the national economy. Latvia and Estonia were almost completely dependent on supplies from outside the region. At the same time, they had the advantage over other republics in terms of geographic position, in particular a network of seaports. The transit potential of the Baltic States was one of the main factors of preferential investment. New industrial enterprises were created, power plants, seaports, airfields were built, transport highways were laid. The processes of modernization were supported by labour migration from other republics of the USSR and subsidised by the central government. At the same time a highly qualified and skilled personnel was formed, trained both in educational institutions of Latvia and Estonia, and in leading universities in Moscow, Leningrad and other cities of the Soviet Union. Today Latvia and Estonia, along with the Czech Republic and Slovenia, occupy leading positions among the post-socialist countries of Europe in terms of socio-economic development. Based on a broad factual material, it is demonstrated that a significant contribution to their development belongs to the Soviet heritage.

Long-term trends of infant mortality rates in post-socialist EU countries

Motives: Post-socialist European countries experienced significant political turmoil and economic and social changes in the late 1980s and the early 1990s due to regime change. These changes had a profound impact on their subsequent socioeconomic and demographic development. Since infant mortality rates (IMRs) are closely related to socio-economic changes, this study was undertaken to determine whether these changes affected IMRs in the transitional period.Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in IMRs in eleven post-socialist European countries that are currently European Union (EU) members, and to compare IMRs in these countries with the remaining EU Member States. The changes in the slope of the IMR trend line were determined by a joinpoint regression analysis. The influence of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita based on purchasing power parity (PPP) on IMRs in all EU countries was also examined.Results: It was found that the collapse of the socialist regime increased IMRs in post-socialist EU countries, and that contrary to other EU Member States, the changes in GDP per capita PPP continue to have a significant impact on IMRs in post-socialist EU countries.

The Role of Neighbourly Relations and Cooperation in Residents’ Willingness to Renovate Multi-Family Buildings in Croatia

The inadequate legislation on multi-family housing management in Central and Eastern European post-socialist countries calls for the exploration of additional determinants of building renovation on the level of the community of residents in a building. To this end, we present here an analytical framework called the mediated-Renovation Decision (m-RD) model for simultaneously testing the direct and indirect effects that neighbourly relations, cooperation of the co-owners’ representative with the co-owners, and acceptance of the building co-ownership concept have on co-owners’ willingness to invest in building renovation. The model is based on assessments made by 325 co-owners’ representatives from multi-family buildings in Croatia. The results show that the quality of neighbourly relations affects the co-owner’s willingness to renovate not directly, but indirectly through the level of their acceptance of the building co-ownership concept. The other indirect effect of neighbourly relations – through the level of the representative’s cooperation with co-owners – was not significant. The demonstrated analytical value of the m-RD model advocates for more complex studies of the role of neighbourly relations in collective decision-making and actions in the housing domain.

The financialization of “the urban” in the post-socialist Serbia: Evidence from the Belgrade Waterfront megaproject

ABSTRACT As a leading mechanism of the global neoliberal paradigm, financialization plays a significant role in the growth of economies and changes in urban development patterns. Though particularly significant for post-socialist European countries, research on urban financialization considering both economic (rental income, property sales, interest rates) and noneconomic aspects (social dynamics, social and legal norms, financialized discourses) is yet to emerge in Serbia. Observing the period after the 2008 global economic and financial crisis, and based on multiple analyses (statistical, documentary and discourse), this paper first provides an overview of different global and national financial indicators, then elucidates the impact of market financing on the built environment at the national level, and, finally, illustrates the financialization of urban planning policies and discourses exemplified in the Belgrade Waterfront urban megaproject. The empirical analysis provides not only an insight into a strong structural and dynamic conditionality between various dimensions of financialization, but also highlights the nuances in decision-making, planning and governance influenced by the financialized discourses.

Альтернатива гибридному капитализму, контролируемому государством

The paper critically analyzes various interpretations of the concept of state capitalism. The author differentiates the state as the owner of the means of production, state as a form of economic coordination, state as the dominant institution of political power, and state as an instrument for extracting and distributing surplus value. The failure of post-socialist European countries to transition to a sustainable market capitalist system, as well as the rise of state-managed hybrid market economies in China, have led to such economies becoming long-term economic formations. A hybrid economy, in which a market-capitalist sector coexists with a politically controlled and dominant public sector, is proposed as an alternative to neoliberal forms of coordination. It provides the foundation for the development of a rational political economy.

Альтернатива гибридному капитализму, контролируемому государством

The paper critically analyzes various interpretations of the concept of state capitalism. The author differentiates the state as the owner of the means of production, state as a form of economic coordination, state as the dominant institution of political power, and state as an instrument for extracting and distributing surplus value. The failure of post-socialist European countries to transition to a sustainable market capitalist system, as well as the rise of state-managed hybrid market economies in China, have led to such economies becoming long-term economic formations. A hybrid economy, in which a market-capitalist sector coexists with a politically controlled and dominant public sector, is proposed as an alternative to neoliberal forms of coordination. It provides the foundation for the development of a rational political economy.

Streamlining Informal Institutions for Local Strategic Planning and Development in a Post-Socialist Central-European Setting

Informal institutions are increasingly emphasized by local development thinkers as preconditions and factors supporting local development. In post-so cialist European countries (PSECs), the need to strengthen informal institutions has been postulat ed as imperative by some researchers, critically ad dressing previous decades of rather infrastructural development. In this paper, we argue that, in con trast to this discourse, the operationalization of in formal institutions for their use in strategic planning and local development remains unclear. This results in inconsistencies and conflicting natures between the planning process itself and its goals. Based on a review of the literature on the role of informal insti tutions in local strategic planning and development, we identify the two main shortcomings in the use of the concept. First, we point out the lack of their oper ationalization, which is underpinned by a poor under standing of the different levels of abstraction inher ent to informal institutions. Second, we assert that neglecting such different levels of abstraction often leads to a lack of consensus on appropriate ex-ante and ex-post evaluations of strategic planning out comes. To reduce the formalism while referring to informal institutions in existing local strategies, we propose a new conceptual approach that allows for their operationalization. The applicability of the pro posed concept is discussed specifically in the realm of post-socialist European planning.

Between Europe and Asia: Narrow Spaces for Strategic Hedging in New Europe

ABSTRACT Since the end of the Cold War, the former Soviet states of Europe, located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, have been the site of a political game between the great powers, gradually developing a left-right strategy. This paper constructs the explanatory theory of hedging strategy and argues that post-socialist European countries, collectively referred to as ‘New Europe’, have navigated a middle way between balance and followup strategies called compound hedging. Starting at the regional scale, this paper discusses three issues, i.e., whether the new Europe has adopted a hedging strategy, why they adopt a hedging strategy, and the policy performance and effectiveness of hedging in the security and economic fields. Specifically, New Europe has implemented diversified fuzzy strategies amidst the transatlantic alliances and Eurasian powers, avoided security risks from Russia through cooperation with NATO, and balanced interest risks caused by European Union pressure through contacts with the United States, Russia, China and other countries. Although New Europe has realized certain practical strategic effects, it still faces difficulties (e.g., structural pressure changes, divergences between old and New Europe, and a lack of hedging capacities and motivations), and its policy space remains narrow and uncertain.

The Sequentially Divergent-Convergent Development of Mortality

This article aims to explore the convergence and divergence of mortality in different world regions along with factors influencing these developments. It identifies the most important deviations from global trends, explains their causes, and distinguishes world regions at risk of unfavorable demographic development resulting, for example, from excess male mortality or the failure to combat cardiovascular diseases. Finally, the article analyzes the divergent trends of mortality in the European post-socialist countries. The divergent-convergent development of mortality is understood as a sequential development, in contrast to traditional approaches, which study overall convergence and divergence trends, not their sequential course. Using the example of the development of the life expectancy at birth, the article shows that the phases of divergence and convergence are repeated.

Introduction to the Special Issue on Class Dynamics from Socialism to Post-Socialism

Introduction to the Special Issue on Class Dynamics from Socialism to Post-Socialism

ПРОЦЕС КОНВЕРГЕНЦІЇ ГЛОБАЛЬНОГО ЕКОНОМІЧНОГО РОЗВИТКУ

The current stage of globalization creates a number of controversial problems, one of which is the growing disparities in economic development between developed and developing countries. Their solution places certain demands on the economic scientific community, which are related to finding adequate answers to the challenges of time. One of the main tasks in this direction is to implement a comprehensive approach to the study of the process of convergence of global economic development. Noting the intensification of scientific research by the European and domestic scientific community in various thematic areas of convergence of global economic development, it should be noted the lack of publications in which this scientific and practical problem was solved taking into account the specifics of different countries belonging to the modern world system. With this in mind, the purpose of the study is to determine the nature and content of the process of convergence of global economic development and identify problems that arise in overcoming the asymmetry between developed and developing countries. In the process of realization of this goal the influence of economic integration on the internationalization of economic life is revealed, the factors that accelerate the process of convergence of global economic development and its manifestations at the level of developed and developing countries are identified. The relationship between economic convergence, global synchronization and the global business cycle has been established. The scientific novelty of the study is to substantiate, based on the creative use of scientific publications of foreign and domestic scientists, ways and directions of achieving real convergence between countries belonging to the core of the world system, its semi-periphery and periphery For results of the study made some generalizations and conclusions that do not confirm the effect of "catching up" development for the vast majority of African and Asian countries, in contrast to post-socialist European countries. It is noted that solving the problem of convergence of global economic development is important for Ukraine. This is the one of the promising direction of further scientific development of the research problem.

A Populist Monster and the future of Constitutional Democracy

Abstract The central objective of the post-socialist European countries which are also Member States of the EU and Council of Europe, as proclaimed and enshrined in their constitutions before their official independence, is the establishment of a democracy based on the rule of law and effective legal protection of fundamental human rights and freedoms. In this article the author explains what, in his opinion, is the main problem and why these goals are still not sufficiently achieved: the ruthless simplification of the understanding of the social function and functioning of constitutional courts, which is narrow, rigid and holistically focused primarily or exclusively on the question of whether the judges of these courts are “left or right” in purely daily-political sense, and consequently, whether constitutional court decisions are taken (described, understood) as either “left or right” in purely and shallow daily-party-political sense/manner. With nothing else between and no other foundation. The author describes such rhetoric, this kind of superficial labeling/marking, such an approach towards constitutional law-making as a matter of unbearable and unthinking simplicity, and introduces the term A Populist Monster. The reasons that have led to the problem of this kind of populism and its devastating effects on the quality and development of constitutional democracy and the rule of law are analyzed clearly and critically.

Ar baigėsi posocializmas Lietuvoje? Antropologija ir posocializmo transformacijų etnografija

Has Post-Socialism Ended in Lithuania? The Anthropology and Ethnography of Post-Socialist Transformations The main aim of the paper is to overview ethnographic research on post-socialist transformations in Lithuania by contextualising it within the broader framework of the field of anthropology of post-socialism. The author refers to numerous discussions in the field on the validity of the use of the term post-socialism long after the collapse of the Soviet system (Sampson 1999; Humphrey 2002; Műller 2019, etc), and discusses whether and how selected ethnographies on social cultural transformations in Lithuania after the 1990s and later use the term postsocialism, and how the period is defined conceptually and chronologically. The first part of the paper introduces discussions in anthropology on challenges in defining the post-socialist region and the chronology of post-socialism (Humphrey 2002; Buyandelgeriyn 2008; Frederiksen, Knudsen 2015; Műller 2019; Нильсен 2004, etc), as well as reflections on issues of the representation and unequal relations between the West and the East in studies of post-socialist European countries (Thelen 2011; Buchowski 2012; Cervinkova 2012; Klumbytė, Sharafutdinova 2013b; Frederiksen, Knudsen 2015, etc). These critical studies indicate that ethnographies of socialist and post-socialist East Central Europe constructed it as the ‘other’, different to the western part of the region (Thelen 2011; Buchowski 2012; Cervinkova 2012; Klumbytė, Sharafutdinova 2013b; Frederiksen, Knudsen 2015; Műller 2019; etc), and that the term post-socialist/post-socialism refers to these unequal relations between the West and the East (Cervinkova 2012; Frederiksen, Knudsen 2015; Műller 2019; etc). However, disregarding certain conceptual challenges, it is agreed that the ethnographies of social cultural transformations in post-socialist European countries are unique and important, due to their methodological approach (long-term fieldwork), and focus on people’s everyday lives and the emphasis on the interrelations of cultural, social and economic processes (Burawoy, Verdery 1999; Hann 2002; Hőrschelmann, Stenning 2008, etc).

Post-socialist \u201cilliberal democracies\u201d: do de jure constitutional rights matter?

Are de jure constitutional rules significant for constitutional practice? We pose this question with regard to de jure and de facto protection of constitutional rights in post-socialist countries of Europe and Asia. While, after 1989, these countries enacted broad catalogues of rights and freedoms, they are by now often regarded as electoral, not liberal democracies, i.e. they generally allow for political competition and fair elections but witness considerable violations in civil and minority rights. We use various econometric techniques to determine whether, and under what conditions, de jure rights originating from texts of post-socialist constitutions matter for de facto protection of rights in these countries. Our results reveal no such significant unconditional effect, with the exception of freedom of assembly/association. We do, however, find a positive significant effect conditional on judicial independence, democratization level, and robustness of civil society. The conclusions allow to propose guidelines for post-socialist legislators and bring a contribution to the broader debate on the role of de jure constitutional rules for their de facto equivalents, which has so far been essentially inconclusive.

Diversity Development in Postsocialist Cities: The Example of East Germany

abstract When comparing integration patterns, policies, and attitudes towards migration, postsocialist European countries stand out from West European countries in having a less-developed integration infrastructure, fewer immigrants and less openness towards migration and diversity. Focusing on the case of East Germany, this article highlights the specifics of a migration and integration environment that was shaped by the post-socialist transformation experiences. Taking on a relational geography perspective, it shows a strong path dependence of diversity development in postsocialist societies. The analysis of public debates and opinions reveals a discursive framing of “migration” embedded into Western-Eastern power geometries, which also explains the positions towards integration and diversity. Hence, local manifestations of postsocialist transformation societies with their varying degrees of tolerance, openness, or rejection can only be understood if the hegemonic relationship between East and West is taken into account.

Utjecaj političke stabilnosti na produktivnost rada u postsocijalističkom dijelu Europske unije

Politička stabilnost u velikoj mjeri djeluje na ekonomske performanse određene zemlje. U ovom će se radu primjenom panel-modela sa slučajnim efektom pokazati da politička stabilnost ima znatan utjecaj na produktivnost rada mjerenu BDP-om po zaposlenom. Pritom će se politička stabilnost određene zemlje procjenjivati s pomoću indikatora političke stabilnosti i izostanka nasilja/terorizma, rizika državnog udara i indikatora državne legitimnosti. U uzorak je odabrano 11 postsocijalističkih zemlja Europske unije od 2000. do 2017. godine. Provedena analiza pokazuje da politička stabilnost ima bitan utjecaj na produktivnost rada u postsocijalističkim europskim zemljama te je robusnost rezultata dodatno potvrđena provođenjem analize pri alternativnim specifikacijama. S obzirom na to da se u postojećim radovima većinom nastojalo otkriti uzroke političke nestabilnosti i kako ih spriječiti, ovaj rad stavlja naglasak na posljedice političke nestabilnosti na produktivnost i gospodarstvo u cjelini.

Changes in the hierarchy of settlements and attitude of the local population: Evidence from a developing region

In post-socialist European countries, smaller cities were most vulnerable to economic restructuring during the transition years, as a result of which they suffered political and economic changes. These changes significantly influenced the hierarchy of these settlements in the settlement system. The phenomenon of urban hierarchy and changes in the hierarchy of settlements are rare research topics in Serbia. In this research, Kolubara District (in Western Serbia) is used as a case study because it has a good traffic position, as well as good potential for industrial development, but despite this, its inhabitants migrate to larger cities. This paper tests Schmook?s method for the centrality of settlements. A survey was used to examine the attitude of the local population in regard to the centrality and hierarchy of settlements. A closed type questionnaire was used. The results show that the local population has a positive attitude toward the functional development of the cities in the Kolubara District.