post-Soviet Research Articles

Checklist of hosts, illustrated geographical range, and ecology of tick species from the genus Ixodes (Acari, Ixodidae) in Russia and other post-Soviet countries

Checklist of hosts, illustrated geographical range, and ecology of tick species from the genus Ixodes (Acari, Ixodidae) in Russia and other post-Soviet countries

Central Bank Independence and Oil Prices Impact on Macroeconomic Indicators

The central bank's independence and oil prices can influence macroeconomic indicators. Many articles are devoted to studying their influence on individual macroeconomic indicators. As it turned out, the study's results depend on the sample of countries and the interval. They can lead to contradictory conclusions: from a negative or positive effect to its complete absence. However, these issues have not been sufficiently studied for post-Soviet countries with peculiarities in their past development. This study examines the impact of central bank independence (CBI) and oil prices on economic growth, inflation, and income inequality in post-Soviet and developed countries from 2001 to 2020. Based on the analysis of panel data, it was found that strengthening the independence of central banks does not significantly impact economic growth, inflation, and income inequality in developed countries but contributes to their reduction in post-Soviet countries. Higher oil prices reduce economic growth and increase income inequality in developed countries and reduce economic growth, but do not affect income inequality in post-Soviet countries. An increase in oil price increments increases inflation in both samples of countries. The results of this study may be useful for developing macroeconomic policies.

Architectural and artistic solutions of the OTC during the gentrification of soviet cinemas

In the professional environment of architects, there is concern about the formation of a trend of reconstruction and renovation of buildings and structures in large and major cities in order to develop urban infrastructure. The underestimation of the contribution of Soviet architecture to the cultural heritage of post-Soviet countries and countries of the socialist camp is noted. At the same time, the "new architecture" forms the urban environment under the stereotypes of homologation, which does not correspond to the socio-cultural demand of the glocalization of "digital nomads" seeking to live in eco-digital cities. The obsolescence of the "new architecture" is observed already at the project stage or in five years. In Moscow, the reconstruction program includes 39 Soviet cinemas in the peripheral zone of the city. Public and shopping complexes with underground levels are being built on the site of these cinemas. The article classifies the types of projects of Soviet cinemas and shopping centers, and also forms diagrams for their qualitative comparison. This eventually made it possible to evaluate the architectural and artistic contribution to the Moscow development of both Soviet cinemas and new shopping complexes, the continuity between them and differences in design principles.

Ethnocultural disparities in loneliness among women in Israel: A population-based study.

Loneliness was predicted for women in three ethnocultural groups in Israel: native Jews, Israeli Arabs, and Former Soviet Union (FSU) immigrants. The study was based on Lund et al.'s (2018) conceptualization of social determinant domains of mental health disorders, as in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Social determinants were demographic, economic, social-cultural, and neighborhood factors. We examined whether ethnocultural disparities in loneliness persist when controlling for social determinants in these four domains or whether ethnic disparities are related to other forms of inequality among the three study groups, as reflected in these four domains. Next, we explored associations between the co-occurrence of key social determinants with loneliness. We used cross-sectional representative data of working-age women from the Israeli Social Survey (N = 5,600). Hierarchical logistic regression analyses indicated a higher risk for loneliness among FSU immigrants and Israeli Arabs than among native Jews. Economic risk factors significantly increased the risk of loneliness. Social and cultural factors decreased the risk of loneliness, while discrimination increased it. Improved neighborhood conditions decreased the risk of loneliness. Ethnocultural disparities in loneliness diminished when economic determinants were controlled. Co-occurrence of risk factors greatly increased the risk for loneliness, demonstrating a stepped relationship. Developing supportive networks for women, mainly from minority groups, to increase trust and fight discrimination against any background is necessary. Moreover, significant efforts must be made to combat poverty and narrow socioeconomic inequalities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Transformation of Soviet State Policy in the Field of Motherhood and Childhood Protection at the Turn of 1980–1990s

The scientific relevance of the article is related to the importance of identifying the prerequisites for the transition from protecting motherhood and childhood to protecting the rights of women and children in the state policy in the 1990s. Such prerequisites were of a social nature and marked the beginning of the transformation of Soviet state policy at the turn of the 1980–1990s. Accordingly, the aim of the article is to highlight the social reasons for the transformation of Soviet state policy regarding the protection of motherhood and childhood at the turn of 1980–1990s. To achieve the aim, the article uses historical, logical and cause-and-effect methods. The scientific novelty of the research is defined by a number of documents that have not been previously introduced into scientific circulation. These include paperwork documents of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR and documents related to the implementation of a set of resolutions which are stored in the State Archive of the Russian Federation. The study also includes documents reflecting statistical data, such as report of the USSR on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and documents from the collection of modern political documents of the State Public Historical Library of Russia (GPIB of Russia). Data from periodicals of the indicated years were also used. The study shows that in the context of political changes in 1980–1990s the social issue, due to many political and economic reasons, required a new solution. This entailed, among other things, a change in ideas in society about the tasks of the state in the field of motherhood and childhood. As a result, there was a need to transform policy regarding the protection of motherhood and childhood, which was most fully expressed in the 1990s.

State Migration Policy: Determining Criteria of Effectiveness in the Recipient State

A significant increase of migration flows directed to the Russian Federation from the PostSoviet states makes it possible to consider the modern Russian Federation as one of the main centers of migration attraction in the world, namely, the recipient state of external migration. Migration policy of the recipient state has certain features, which is due to the need to differentiate external migration into demanded and undesirable, to ensure a balance between the interests of government and society, to combine aspects of national security of the state and the personality with an economic and demographic approach to migration. Currently, there are several methods for determining the effectiveness of state migration policy developed by various international organizations, but these methods are focused on developing countries, which, as a rule, are the donor states of migration, or consider the effectiveness of individual components. For example, socio-cultural adaptation and integration of migrants into the host society. In this regard, the need to create new approaches of evaluation the set of measures realized by the state in the field of external migration in the context of the recipient state itself is actualized. Effective migration policy of the recipient state combines approaches that ensure the protection of national interests, the security of the state, society and the personality. It closes addressable the temporary needs of the national labor market, which makes it possible to formulate a number of objective criteria for its evaluation.

Homing desires: Transnational queer migrants negotiating homes and homelands in Scotland

A vast literature on the home across sociology, human geography and cognate disciplines has mapped out home as a messy conceptual terrain. Critical perspectives have theorised home as simultaneously imaginative and material, and argued for the importance to pay attention to both dimensions. Following in this tradition, empirical research has explored how ‘home’ is understood, imagined and experienced in everyday life, and how imagery and experiences of home are inflected by class, race/ethnicity, migrancy, gender, sexuality, age and able-bodiness. In the literature on home, however, migrancy and sexuality are rarely brought together. This article advances existing debates on the home though an intersectional exploration of the home/migration/sexuality nexus, drawing on research with queer migrants from Central Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Former Soviet Union (FSU) living in Scotland. Methodologically, the article draws on photo diaries and photo elicitation interviews to explore queer migrants’ sense of home: an approach that allows us to untangle the spatial, material, imaginary, affective and temporal dimensions of home. Empirically, we show how both migrancy and sexuality inform our participants’ complex experiences and understandings of home. Conceptually, the article brings into conversation literatures on the migrant and the queer home, which have hitherto been largely separate, and proposes ways to advance the exploration of the home/migration/sexuality nexus.

Post-Soviet power hierarchies in the making: Postcolonialism in Tajikistan’s relations with Russia

Abstract This article explores post-Soviet power hierarchies which constitute a unique system of vertical stratification in world politics. It does so by analysing relations between two former Soviet states, Tajikistan and Russia, in the aftermath of the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991. The article investigates the underlying reasons for power asymmetries between the two countries, the ways hierarchies are sustained and enforced, as well as perceived and navigated at political and social levels. It is argued that Tajikistan’s relations with Russia are explicitly postcolonial without clear-cut colonial precedents in Soviet times. Postcolonialism did not automatically result from the Soviet breakdown. Rather, it has gradually emerged because of the two countries’ very different paths of integration into the global capitalist economy, which subordinated Tajikistan to Russia. In this way, new economic asymmetries exacerbated Soviet-era legacies and reinvented them in a new, hierarchical manner. Overall, the article contributes to the debate on the nature of post-Soviet legacies and what it means to be post-Soviet.

(e)Managing the uncertainty of tuberculosis in the post-Soviet limbo: Tracking prisoners' coerced mobility for treatment in Ukrainian prisons

The collapse of the Soviet Union triggered an escalation of the tuberculosis (TB) epidemic in many post-Soviet countries, including Ukraine. The main reasons for this situation include both the approach to TB care and the concentration of TB cases in prisons. The neoliberal approach to TB care system reform promises the optimization of treatment terms, "dehospitalization" and “despecialization” of the system of care, and a different type of control, established through digital technologies. One such technology is the “e-TB Manager”, which was designated as a national TB registry, including in the prison system in 2012.In prison, where everyone “is to be fixed” and isolated, the uncertainty of patients’ movements seems to be avoided by pre-existing conditions. In practice, however, the vertically aligned, centralized organizational structure of the post-Soviet prison implies a constant need to link its elements together through “coerced” mobility carried out in secrecy. Treatment in exile may not be the primary goal of such a practice, but it becomes the result when prisoners from numerous prison facilities are sent to a limited number of prison TB hospitals. The integration of the e-TB Manager as a tool to enable the tracking of patient movements and, consequently, improve the efficiency of diagnostic and treatment processes in prison, can be seen as both a purely technical measure and a “magic bullet”.In this article, we argue that, in the case of Ukrainian prisons, the neoliberal approach and the Soviet socialist approach to gaining control over TB indeed adapt and reinforce each other but fail to compete meaningfully. The fragmented implementation of one is absorbed by the fundamental and resilient nature of the other to produce and reproduce the state of “post-Soviet limbo”. We use the “post-Soviet limbo” as an overall framework aimed at conceptualizing the post-Soviet transformation as a combination of efforts to avoid and manage the uncertainty of TB treatment, especially in prison. We examine the empirical case of coerced mobility of prisoners who require TB treatment, seeking to trace how this process is reflected in the e-TB Manager. We provide a more in-depth picture of this journey with details gathered from qualitative research materials to situate numbers and variables in their contexts, deconstructing the way the data are recorded according to the logic of the system in which they are produced.

Drawing the line: public attitudes towards warranted and unwarranted government surveillance in European countries

AbstractThis article investigates public attitudes towards government surveillance for law enforcement and national security in different European countries, considering the broader context of citizens' security concerns. These concerns encompass crime within individual countries, potential terrorist attacks, activities of foreign agents, and even inter-state conflicts, such as the Russian Federation's military aggression against Ukraine. Using data from the International Social Survey Programme, we examine opinions about various types of government surveillance. Regression analysis is employed to determine which variables influence these opinions. Notably, there is a tangible hesitation among citizens regarding such surveillance, stemming from fears of privacy invasion and potential misuse of collected data. Our findings indicate greater support for government surveillance in Western and Nordic countries compared to post-Communist countries. Respondents with a comprehensive understanding of political issues and those advocating for government spending on security generally held a more positive view of government surveillance rights. On the other hand, perceptions of higher corruption were linked to negative views on surveillance.

EU Energy Policy: Difficulties in the Way of Implementation of Tasks

The article studies the problem of energy policy of the EU. Issues of creation of conditions necessary for realization of declared goals are considered. The features of implementation of the tasks are highlighted. It is concluded that the energy policy of the EU countries has both a number of advantages and a number of difficulties, which can become a significant obstacle to the implementation of all announced projects. The formation of European Union energy policy in recent years has been strongly influenced by external factors, such as: the emergence and development of new technologies, climate change, EU countries’ dependence on energy imports and new policy decisions. Considerable attention is being paid to renewable energy (RES) technologies, which, according to the official EU strategy, will be used for the construction of a closed energy system. Renewable energies include marine renewable energy, “green” public procurement, solar panels, alternative fuels. However, these projects pose a number of challenges for European countries, such as the need to build new infrastructure and reform the tax system. The fulfilment of all the objectives of the “European Green Deal” also involves certain risks, for example, the loss of a significant number of jobs by heavy industry workers and the loss of competitiveness of certain branches of the economy. European energy policy undoubtedly influences the policy of the Russian Federation. The global trend on renewable energy directly concerns Russia and the countries of the post-Soviet space, because this region has a high potential in this industry. This is particularly true for renewable energy sources such as wind power and hydropower. The development of renewable energy sources is undoubtedly a very important process for world politics, because energy is one of the most important resources that nations possess. It is very important to take this into account when considering the world’s political strategies. 

The Situation of Monastic Houses in Soviet Moldova

In 1944, after the withdrawal of the Romanian authorities from Bessarabia, some members of the monastic community, priests, deacons, cantors, especially those with higher education and high hierarchical positions, took refuge. The number of monasteries was considerably reduced. If in 1945 in the new Soviet republic - the Moldovan SSR - 25 monasteries and hermitages were registered (16 - monks and 9 - nuns), in 1956 - 15, of which 7 - monks and 8 - nuns. The only continuously functioning monastery was that of Japca. The cruel mechanism of liquidation of places of worship was part of the strategy of the Soviet authorities to eradicate all forms of spiritual expression and resistance. These radical actions of the Soviet state had a boomerang effect on religious sentiment. It is therefore no coincidence that the collapse of the Soviet Union was inextricably linked to the widespread religious movement in the present-day Republic of Moldova, followed by the reopening of the places of worship dismantled by the Soviets.

Геополитика как опасная патология политического сознания

The article is analytical and does not connected with questions of current politics. The radical difference between politics in genuine, Aristotelian meaning od word and political manipulations for solution of current political issues od day is emphasized. The historical, moral and sociological aspects of geopolitical paradigm in terms of imminent defectiveness of it and caused multiple negative consequences are considered. Among the topics of analysis are historical origin and evolution of geopolitical ideology from ancient China till European version of it – Machiavellianiism, and also a modern definition and understanding of geopolitics. The imminent pathologies of geopolitical consciousness are connected with mythology on national exclusiveness, ostensible uniqueness of different countries’ “special path”, etc. It was burdened in addition in several European states by post imperial political syndrome. Special sections of article are devoted to key crossroads in the history of Russia and also to condition of public political consciousness in the post Soviet period. It is characterized by deformations of value system, complex of social inferiority, fear of changes and deep socio psychological trauma. That usual for transit periods and finds a sort of compensation in vulgar pseudo patriotism. On the other side, the author is disagree and argues against of pessimistic, fatalistic judgements of Russian national political consciousness and culture and against of conclusion on supposed unpreparedness of us to democratic development.

Diminishing Justice and Third-Party Intervention: Explaining Russia’s Impartial Stance During the 2020 Karabakh War

ABSTRACT This article examines Russia’s impartiality during the second Karabakh war between Azerbaijan and Armenia in 2020, despite its close military-strategic alliance with the latter. Russia’s behavior represents a twofold deviation: a weakening of its security commitments to Armenia, and a more balanced policy in a frozen conflict in the post-Soviet space. Four factors are examined that could account for explaining this puzzle, namely increasing bandwagoning of Azerbaijan with Russia, rising opportunity costs of intervention due to Turkey’s support to Azerbaijan, Russia’s potential discontent with Armenia after the 2018 Velvet Revolution, and the role of a justice motive in Russian policy toward the conflict.

CEO Type and Firm Performance: Evidence from Nasdaq Baltic

Despite the well-established characteristics of shareholder-CEOs and professional-CEOs, previous research has yielded inconclusive findings on the actual impact of the separation of shareholding and management on firm financial performance. This study aimed to address this gap by going off the beaten path of research centered on the U.S.-listed firms and investigating 55 firms listed on the Nasdaq Baltic market in the post-Soviet countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania from 2017 to 2021. While professional-CEO-led firms displayed higher Tobin’s Q (M = 1.37) compared to shareholder-CEO-led firms (M = 1.17), and shareholder-CEO-led firms had a higher average ROE (M = 7.76%) compared to professional-CEO-led firms (M = -1.74%), independent samples t-test analysis revealed that these differences in either stock market performance (p = .250 > .05) or shareholder return (p = .193 > .05) were statistically insignificant. These findings challenge organizational life cycle theory and agency theory predictions, aligning instead with stewardship theory and upper echelons theory, suggesting that CEO characteristics, motivation, and actions, while clearly distinct for shareholder-CEOs and professional-CEOs, are not the sole determinant of financial performance in mature firms. Accordingly, shareholder-CEOs, other stockholders, and boards of directors should draw support from these findings in their considerations regarding firm leadership.

Disembedded politics: discourses on Neoliberal Labor Law reforms in Lithuania (2014–2016)

Since regaining its independence in 1991, Lithuania has undergone a process of chaotic privatization in which labor was systematically disempowered, above all, by the targeted erosion of labor rights formally endorsed in the pre-existing Soviet labor code. In the newly legitimized and aggressive pro-business environment of the post-Soviet era, organized labor's residual power was seen as an anachronistic impediment to the power of capital in reshaping society and the economy. This article investigates the political dynamics of disembedded labor law reform in Lithuania, which enabled neoliberal reformers to legislate while disregarding broader societal interests and imposing unilateral changes in labor relations. A content analysis of 852 news media reports on labor law reforms published in 2014–2016 was used to demonstrate how discursive and institutional exclusion and sequencing were employed by the neoliberal government to circumvent the interests of major social and economic groups, resulting in the passage of pro-business legislation. The implications of resorting to disembedded politics in the labor reform process are discussed.

Features of the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals in the Regional Integration Systems of the EAEU Countries

Aim. To study the features of strategic planning and practical implementation of the concept of sustainable development of the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union, taking into account the Sustainable Development Goals in the context of the formation of a new architecture of the world structure and a change in the current world order.Tasks. Consider the essence and principles of the SDG implementation; identify the specifics of the integration of the SDGs into the national strategies of individual states of the post-Soviet space; analyze the features of the localization of SDGs at the regional level using the example of Eurasian integration; determine the role of the EAEU in the context of the formation of a multipolar world system and strengthening the its position as a macro-regional center of the power; justify the priorities for achieving the SDGs in the context of sustainable development of the EAEU.Methods. To achieve the set goals the following methodological approaches were used in the article. The constructivist approach makes it possible to determine the essence of sustainable development, its significance for society and the economy, as well as to analyze the regulatory and legal framework of the EAEU countries in this area. Comparative analysis made it possible to determine the relationship of SDGs with changed world architectures in retrospect and the current conditions. Empirical analysis makes it possible to assess the practical steps and efforts of the EAEU countries to achieve the SDGs, including the implementation of innovative projects and the rational use of the resource base.Results. Understanding and regulation of sustainable development in the EAEU is justified. The study made it possible to establish that the countries of the Union attach importance to sustainable development, but at the legislative level there remains a problem of insufficient consistency of regulatory legal acts on this topic. This highlights the need for a clearer and more concrete regulatory framework for sustainable development. The study allowed to analyze the impact of globalization on the world and regional structure. It is argued, that the EAEU, as a regional association, has a unique opportunity to gain a foothold as one of the macro-regions in the multipolar world system. This provides strategic advantages in the context of a change in the world order on the way to multipolarity.Conclusions. The study identified a number of priority tasks contributing to the achievement of the SDGs in the context of the sustainable development of the EAEU. The most important factors in this context are: food independence, energy sustainability, strengthening economic integration, infrastructure development, focus on hard innovation and digitalization.

Дискриминация русскоязычного этноса в Латвии по признаку гражданства: политико-правовые аспекты

Abstract 
 Throughout the entire post-Soviet period in Latvia, there has been a problem of finding the Russian-speaking population in the status of non-citizens with limited rights, including political ones. Currently, restrictions have also extended to Russian citizens with a residence permit in Latvia. The study is based on the case study method. Statistical data on the ethnic composition of the country's population are analyzed. Regulatory acts indicating restrictive mechanisms against non-citizens, as amended in 2022 and 2023, are being considered. Using the method of comparative studies, national legislation and legal regulations of the European Union (international standards) in the field of protection of human and civil rights and freedoms are compared. The results of the study show that the entire Russian–speaking population of Latvia is discriminated against, especially the most vulnerable - pensioners, for whom the new rules for obtaining a residence permit are a problem. This may threaten them with the loss of social security, up to and including forced expulsion from the country. The Russian-speaking population in Latvia cannot influence their own position in the country due to the lack of political rights. Throughout the entire period of independence, the Latvian government has been using this group of the population in its own political agenda, ensuring the legitimacy of its own power and decisions. Such internal political processes contribute to the division of society along ethnic lines and the development of discriminatory attitudes. The theoretical significance of the study lies in the systematization of the mechanism of discrimination against a certain group of the population. In turn, the practical significance lies, on the one hand, in drawing the attention of human rights organizations to the problem of discrimination, and on the other hand, it clearly shows the essence of the mechanism of discrimination and ways to improve it in states in the post-Soviet space. Consequently, the results of the study can be applied to the development of mechanisms for the protection of compatriots in other states where discrimination trends are at an early stage.

Dynamics of Friendliness of Communication Regimes in the South Caucasus Countries

The article presents a Rating of the friendliness of the communication regimes of post-Soviet countries for 2023. The author focuses on the countries of the South Caucasus, shows the trends in the development of communication regimes, the degree of their friendliness towards Russia. The communication regime is defined as a system of rules, norms, conditions and opportunities for communication between state and non-state actors. To determine friendliness, the legal, political, and socio-cultural conditions for the development of 12 types of cross-country communications are analyzed. The strengthening of the formation of a common communication space with Russia in South Ossetia and Abkhazia is argued. In Azerbaijan and Georgia, the strengthening of a pragmatic approach to the development of communications with Russia and the strengthening of the role of the economic factor are being recorded. The example of Armenia shows how the political elite strengthen the movement towards unfriendliness in conditions when there is no deep anti-Russian position in the consciousness of the Armenian society. The author has compiled profiles of the friendliness of communication regimes for each country and reveals their features. The article uses the materials of the annual monitoring of the communication regimes of post-Soviet countries. Monitoring is provided by the National Research Institute for the Communications Development (Moscow) under the guidance of the author of this article.

Communication Regime in Georgia: Dialogue in the Context of Severed Diplomatic Relations

This article presents the results of a research on the information and communication situation in Georgia, the role and importance of national and foreign communication resources, conducted by the annual monitoring of the friendliness of communication regimes of the National Research Institute of Communication Development (NRICD). The authors examined the main challenges and threats in the communication regime of the two countries. The article reveals the latent problems of the communication regime, including the concentration of media in the hands of a narrow circle of individuals and political forces, as well as the increasing politicization of information. The article examines the peculiarities of presentation of news materials that shape anti-Russian rhetoric and agenda. The communication regime between the two countries is largely determined by the continuing tension around the Tskhinvali region and Abkhazia, as well as the instability of the internal political situation. The increasing fragmentation of Georgian society, the extreme polarization of various political forces, and the growing role of non-regional actors have a great impact on Georgian political discourse and official rhetoric and serve as a facilitator for the complication of bilateral relations.The article uses the materials of the annual monitoring of the communication regimes of post-Soviet countries. Monitoring is provided by the National Research Institute for the Communications Development (Moscow).