Post-socialist Countries Research Articles

Urban Planning Impact on Mobility and Residential Satisfaction of Older People in Novi Sad

Social, political and economic changes have generated processes of revitalization of the built environment in post-socialist countries since the beginning of the 1990s; these changes are related to the physical structure of the city, its facilities and its functions, as well as the city landscape. Urban planning affects people’s quality of and way of life, as well as residential satisfaction with the built environment, especially that of older people, who make up a significant part of sustainable communities. This paper examines the residential satisfaction of older adults in terms of mobility—that is, their ability to move using facilities offered by public transportation and public places—in two neighborhoods of Novi Sad which have undergone the most extensive urban regeneration. This approach is different from the existing urban studies dealing with residential satisfaction, which makes it a contribution to the literature. Unlike previous studies—which have explored residential satisfaction at the level of accessibility to local facilities, safety in the urban environment and support from the environment—this paper also investigates the impact of movement in public space on the residential satisfaction of older people. The results show that the residential satisfaction of older people is low with regard to public transport, the arrangement of public spaces and traffic infrastructure.

Influence of National Culture in Companies with Different Ownership on Employees’ CSR Perception in a Developing Country: The Case of Serbia

Starting from the fact that perceptions of employees might be related to national culture and our previous finding that CSR perception by employees depends on company ownership, in the present research, we aim at the investigation of relations between CSR and national culture perception by employees’ dependence on company ownership in the specific context of Serbia as a developing post-socialist country. Questionnaire-based research was conducted among employees in public and private companies in Serbia with domestic and foreign ownership. The results pointed out that both CSR and national culture perceptions are highly dependent on company ownership with the dependence of CSR perception on national culture perception by employees in public but not private companies. The obtained results point out that in private companies, excessive adoption of managerial practices not aligned with national culture resulted in shifts in perception of national culture, as well as in divergence between national culture and perceptions of CSR activities.

Queer kinship, queer ageing – perspectives from Poland

Although there is a substantial increase of literature on LGBT elders in Anglo-American academia, studies from Central and Eastern Europe are in paucity. This article draws on the narratives of older gay and lesbian people living in same-sex relationships gathered during focus groups interviews in Poland. Their narratives on defining and negotiating kinship reveal and reflect complex shifts and processes in post-socialist countries in the last few decades. The identities and experiences of this group are embedded both in the past regime denying the existence of homosexuality and current social context, still characterised by state-supported homophobia, yet bringing the development of LGBT organisations.

Contextual analysis of European integration sentiments in post-communist countries: Trends, changing rhetoric, and sequence of practical steps (1991-2021)

The relevance of the study is conditioned by the fact that since the end of the 1980s, as a result of the “Velvet Revolution”, the expansion of the European Union to the East has become an urgent task for the entire European continent. It has been a long time since the European Union entered a new stage of development, which is considered the most difficult in the history of European integration. Countries that got rid of the totalitarian regime expressed a desire to build a democratic society. However, states that had just gotten rid of communist sentiment did not meet any criteria that would allow them to be European Union members. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the transformation processes in such states of Central and Eastern Europe as the Republic of Bulgaria, the Republic of Poland, The Republic of Hungary, the Slovak and Czech Republics, and Ukraine. To determine how the process of European integration took place in the above-mentioned countries, to analyse the correlation between reforms and integration processes in these countries, and to consider the consequences of the introduction of European norms on socio-economic development. The following scientific methods were used when preparing the paper: structural and functional, dialectical, logical analysis, synthesis, comparative analysis, analysis of scientific literature, and generalisation. The main result is theoretical and practical changes in the Central and Eastern Europe countries during transformations and European integration processes, analysis of the political theory of European integration and its main provisions, which are still being discussed in scientific communities. The study also aims to investigate problematic issues of integration processes that require a comprehensive analysis. This study is of particular importance from the standpoint of practice, since a comprehensive analysis of the problems that arise during European integration processes in the future would allow avoiding them, which is positive for both European Union members and candidate countries. In the course of the study, statistical data, scientific investigations, political and scientific sources were analysed, and practice in these republics was considered. At this stage, the topic of transformation processes in post-socialist countries during the process of European integration requires special attention and more detailed analysis

Emerging Synergies in Innovation Systems: Creative Industries in Central Europe

The window of opportunity has opened for the creative industries in Central Europe in the decades following the fall of the communist regime and the transition to a decentralised market economy. Creative industries with symbolic knowledge base are crucial for regional resilience, and regional synergies established by these economic activities highly influence the long-term ability of innovation systems to develop. The question is whether creative industries have started to grow and can contribute to the development of post-socialist knowledge-based economies in Central Europe, if so, at what territorial level. By distinguishing three dimensions (geography, technology, organisation) that operate in innovation systems and by measuring their interactions using entropy statistics in two post-socialist countries, Slovakia and Hungary, the paper reveals that the most significant part of the synergy in creative industries emerges at the local level of innovation systems. However, benefits are realised not only locally but also globally due to the deterritorialised nature of the end-products and their integration into other industrial products on the global market.

Entanglements of art and memory activism in Hungary’s illiberal democracy

This paper explores how art contributes to the articulation of memories that counter the official historical narrative of Hungary’s self-proclaimed political and ideological system, illiberal democracy. Amid deepening polarization between Europe’s post-colonialist and post-socialist countries, the Hungarian government promotes a Christian conservative national identity against the “liberal” values of Western Europe. Systematic appropriation of historical traumas is at the core of such efforts, which largely manifests in removing, erecting and reinstating memorials, as well as in the re-signification of trauma sites. Insufficient civic involvement in rewriting histories generates new ways of resistance, which I demonstrate through the case study of a protest-performance organized by the Living Memorial activist group as a response to the government’s decision to displace the memorial of Imre Nagy in 2018. I seek to understand the dynamics between top-down memory politics, civil resistance and art within the conceptual apparatus of the “memory activism nexus” (Rigney 2018, 2020) and “multidirectional memories” (Rothberg 2009). I argue that artistic memory activism has limited potential to transform the dynamics of memory in a context where a national conservative political force has gradually taken control over historical narratives, triggering inevitably polarizing responses in the society. Although profoundly embedded in local histories, the case-study may offer new ways of negotiating traumatic heritages through the entanglement of art and memory activism.

An embeddedness perspective on family farm development in the Carpathian Mountains

ABSTRACT Romanian farming is characterized by fragmented land, high age of operating farmers and low productivity that raises the question of barriers and necessities for consolidation, development and succession. This study explores the development trajectories of smallholder farming in the Romanian counties of Cluj and Maramureș using the concepts of embeddedness (as outlined in the framework of global production networks) and the resource-based view. It aims to understand the interplay of framework conditions with the way how smallholders mobilize different types of resources. Conceptually, the study shows that the resource-based view should be applied within wider contexts: Aspects of societal and network embeddedness (including prevalent mistrust, informality in governing land and misaligned regulative incentives) favour high reliance on family for resource mobilization and hinder consolidation, succession and innovation. While commonalities with post-socialist countries exist, several structural factors are unique to Romania.

МЕЖІ ПОЛІТИЧНОЇ ВЛАДИ В УМОВАХ ЕКОНОМІЧНОЇ ТРАНСФОРМАЦІЇ ПОСТСОЦІАЛІСТИЧНИХ СИСТЕМ

Attention is focused on the limits of political power in the context of the economic transformation in post-socialist countries. It is indicated that the question of political power's limits remains relevant and should be studied by scientists even today. The content political power's boundaries in Ukraine, as well as other post-socialist countries, has been studied. The research of political power's limits was carried out using the historical and comparative methods. The essence and content in such categories as "political power" and "transformation" are considered, as well as the emergence of political power's limits in connection with the transformational processes that took place in post-socialist systems. The interaction, relationship and interdependence between the economic transformation and limits of political power are determined. The results of the study testify the presence of negative effects that arose during the reforms at the first stages of the post-socialist transformation and affected limits of political power and search for an effective policy that would limit its role in economic processes. It was emphasized that the influence of political power had a significant impact on the development of transformational processes in Ukraine. Based on functions of political power and parameters of its limits in the system, the main characteristics of its influence on economic transformation, as well as differences between Ukraine and other post-socialist countries, are considered. Contradictions that arose as a result of changes in priorities and functions of political power are indicated, as well as how it is affected on development of the process of post-socialist transformation. The role and significance of political power's limits in conditions of post- socialist transformation are determined. Target priorities for development of political power are formulated, which should include social optimization, smoothing consequences of reforms, public and self-control. Conclusions are made regarding the need to change functions of power, based on the current state of the Ukraine's economic system and the continuation of post-socialist transformation process.

Razlike u kohortnom fertilitetu prema migracijskom obilježju: slučaj Grada Zagreba

Razlike u kohortnom fertilitetu prema migracijskom obilježju: slučaj Grada Zagreba

ГОСУДАРСТВЕННАЯ ПОЛИТИКА НА РЫНКЕ ТРУДА В СТРАНАХ ЕС: ОСНОВНЫЕ ТЕНДЕНЦИИ И НАПРАВЛЕНИЯ ТРАНСФОРМАЦИИ

The aim of this paper is to determine the prospects for the development of employment programmes in the labour market and the directions for their transformation in the EU countries. The author uses general scientific methods, methods of statistical processing of information, graphical methods, and comparative analysis. The information base of the study includes statistical data and materials of international organizations (UN, ILO, Eurostat, European Commission). The research results: the article presents an analysis of labour market policy measures in the EU countries during periods of sustainable development and economic crises; considers the structure and dynamics of expenditures on various programmes and the number of their participants; identifies the government labour market policy trends and the features of its implementation in countries with developed market economies and in post-socialist countries; presents assessments of the prospects for labour market policies in the EU countries in the face of new challenges. The author concludes about the prospects for labour market policy in the EU countries in the face of new challenges and about the possibilities of using the EU experience in developing active labour market policy measures in Russia. The scope of application: the research results can be used by Russian federal and regional executive authorities in the development of active labour market policy measures.

Influence of structural distribution of FDI inflows on labour productivity of Visegrad countries

Although FDI flows into most post-socialist countries are based on their market transformation development, the largest volume is directed to the Visegrad countries that are generally perceived as above-average successful in attracting foreign investors. The paper analyses how does the inflow of FDI into Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia contribute to the growth potential of labor productivity during period of 2010-2016. The shift-share analysis of OECD data within 11 key sectors decomposes the determinants of labour productivity and determines contribution to the potential of labour productivity growth. The results are interpreted on the basis of the sectoral, competitive and residual effect. Findings proved no significant differences in productivity between economics however the localization of foreign capital to technology-intensive industries does not put pressure on progressive productivity growth. Decreased inflows of foreign capital, averaged by 8% from all sectors within the region, are driven in each country by a different industry. Results also demonstrated more attractive structure of the sectors of the Czech and Hungarian economics for stimulation the inflow of foreign capital into a country. The presented approach contributes to the issue of complexity of the FDI localisation and the countries´ ability to assume the presence of foreign capital. The stated recommendations are considering the economic regulations related to pandemic situation in 2020.

СОЦІАЛЬНО-ЕКОНОМІЧНИЙ РОЗВИТОК ПОСТСОЦІАЛІСТИЧНИХ КРАЇН: СУПЕРЕЧЛИВІ ТЕНДЕНЦІЇ ТА ВИКЛИКИ СУЧАСНОСТІ

The article analyses the social and economic development of 14 post-socialist countries from 2001 to 2020. By assessing their clustering, a conclusion was made about the contradictory combination of two evolution tendencies of these countries: simultaneous deployment of processes of divergence, asymmetry of their social and economic development and deployment of convergence processes, and formation of separate clusters of the specified countries. In particular, the European Union member states, such as Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, formed a separate cluster in 2020, characterized by the highest GDP per capita in the group, the share of expenditure on education and the highest level of the spending on health care in GDP. A separate cluster was formed by Ukraine and Moldova, potential EU candidate countries. The place of Ukraine among the considered countries in the period 2001-2020 and in modern conditions was analyzed. It was concluded that the indicators of socio-economic development of Ukraine demonstrate cyclical dynamics under the influence of global factors and shocks, taking into account the turning point events for the whole world in 2022. It was noted that new world order is currently developing. There are new initiatives and concepts within the EU, which provide great opportunities for Ukraine for European integration. In this context, the institutional factors of convergent and divergent development of post-socialist countries, which will be aimed at resolving the existing military and political conflicts, settlement of global imbalances, stabilization of world economic development, have an essential role.

Urban shrinkage in post-socialist countries

The article has two main tasks. On the one hand, it attempts to perform a comparative analysis of the shrinkage process of post-socialist cities in an international perspective and to formulate generalisations and recommendations. On the other hand, it presents the specificity of this process in various national, regional and local contexts. The analysis covers selected countries located in post-socialist Europe (with emphasis on East-Central and Southeast Europe), Russia and China and is focused on three issues: 1) geography of the shrinkage process of post-socialist cities; 2) common and country-specific factors responsible for urban shrinkage; 3) comparative analysis and conclusions in the context of managing urban shrinkage. The article points to the fact that urban shrinkage (especially in terms of demography) is one of the world challenges (with its scale being particularly large in post-socialist Europe), and the COVID-19 pandemic has started to affect its course and spatial distribution. The following key problems associated with the shrinkage of post-socialist cities are identified: 1) overcoming the demographic crisis; 2) demographic compensation for the migration outflow of the population; 3) overcoming the negative consequences of deindustrialization; 4) the problem of “wild” uncontrolled suburbanization, etc.

De jure and de facto democracy in post-socialist countries

De jure and de facto democracy in post-socialist countries

ЗАРУБІЖНИЙ ДОСВІД СТРУКТУРУВАННЯ ПУБЛІЧНОЇ СЛУЖБИ

The article deals with the structuring of the system of public administration in the context of scientific debate about the relationship between political and administrative process of public administration. In terms of this discussion the points of fundamental importance for theory and practice of management, particularly in developed democracies, are as follows: structure of public administration, composition of its elements and their role in management; public service, its scope, interrelation with other categories of employees; the role of administrative staff in the political process; the importance of interaction between public officials and politicians. It is justified that studying the experience of public administration in developed democracies acquires relevance in connection with the spread of European integration and the reform of public administration in accordance with European standards. Implementation of control functions in continental and Anglo-Saxon models of democracy has been considered. It is shown that the most important element of public administration is also coordination of all elements of the management system. Definition of the term "a public servant" used in different countries has been analyzed. It is stated that at the beginning of XXI century the role of public service in these countries has increased with the emergence of new areas of regulation that required the participation of public sector in control actions and in most activities directly. In the presence of numerous "special" characteristics inherent in post-socialist countries or post-colonial systems, as well as "individual" traits peculiar to each state separately, "in general" it is substantial to create a public service that would meet the needs of a particular political and administrative system in the modern conditions of world globalization.

How many worlds of welfare state attitudes are there? European experiences in a comparative perspective of cross-national survey research

The shape and scope of the welfare state in individual countries have been under consideration since the late 1970s. However, since the publication of The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism (1990), discussions have been framed by the Esping-Andersen proposal, which has had an enormous impact on research regarding welfare regimes. This article aims to determine how many worlds of the welfare state can be distinguished in the European context. The empirical analysis is based on the newest data about welfare attitudes, taken from the European Social Survey Round 8. An extended typology by Gøsta Esping-Andersen was used to formulate our research hypotheses, which include Mediterranean and post-socialist countries as separate models. The conclusions obtained as a result of a cross-country multilevel analysis confirm the existence of (a) five worlds of welfare state attitudes and (b) significant differences in particular areas when assessing states’ involvement in social policy in the adopted extended typology.

Housing Estates’ Trajectories in Post-Socialist Countries: Similarities and Differences of Estonian and Czech Cities

Housing Estates’ Trajectories in Post-Socialist Countries: Similarities and Differences of Estonian and Czech Cities

Феномен прямых инвестиций, не связанных с “классическими” ТНК

The article is devoted to the review of current scientific research on foreign direct investment (FDI), which is not related to “classical” TNCs. It is shown that a separate study of “born global” firms from TNCs is required mainly because of the need to adjust the theoretical concepts that explain the phenomenon of TNCs. The separate study of FDI of sovereign investment funds and investors in foreign real estate is useful mainly due to the applied tasks of state regulation of such investments. Non-standard FDI can also include investments by pseudo-TNCs, with round-tripping FDI through offshore and similar jurisdictions, as well as FDI by private equity funds. At the same time, pseudo-TNCs and private equity funds can be studied within the framework of the established paradigm of TNCs analysis. Therefore, relatively small amount of publications are devoted to such topics. The majority of publications on non-typical FDI appeared only in the 2000s, which illustrates the blurring of the usual boundaries of FDI. Russian scientists are still focused on studying TNCs. This is partly due to the fact that a new direction has also emerged in such analysis – the study of TNCs from developing and post-socialist countries, which are often difficult to attribute to “classic” Western multinational investors. In this aspect, Russian and generally post-Soviet TNCs turned out to be interesting material for analysis at least in the first 10–15 years of the 21st century. However, the analysis of new FDI players is important for Russia for a number of reasons: 1) creating comfortable conditions for the import of capital to Russia while respecting national interests (FDI of sovereign funds, especially Chinese and Arab); 2) encouraging forms of capital export that contribute to improving the position of Russia in the international division of labor (primarily FDI in modern industries of small “born global” firms); 3) limiting excessive capital exports (FDI of pseudo-TNCs and individuals).

Small shrinking towns in the post-socialist context of development

The process of urban shrinkage is affecting many cities around the world. It is evident in small towns as well, but unlike larger cities, it has not received much attention. Accordingly, this paper analyses small towns? shrinking focusing on post-socialist context of development, which led to new patterns of urban shrinkage in countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). After discussing the specific characteristics of the shrinkage of small towns, their paths of development in different CEE countries are analyzed, in order to highlight the characteristics of urban shrinkage and the influence of post-socialist transition on this process. Thereafter, the shrinkage of small towns in Serbia is analyzed in order to determine whether the identified characteristics are recognized in them and to single out the specifics of that process in relation to other post-socialist countries. Based on the general characteristics of the development and shrinkage of small towns in the CEE countries, it can be concluded that shrinking small towns are not equally represented in all countries, and there are certain differences in terms of dynamics and intensity of shrinkage. The results of the analysis indicate that the previous path of development had a strong influence on their shrinkage after the post-socialist transformation. Three general trajectories of socialist development have been singled out, which influenced different patterns of urban shrinkage. In Serbia, it has also been observed that the shrinkage of small towns is directly related to the unfavourable direction of the urbanization process during socialist development.

ПАНДЕМІЯ COVID-19 У БІЗНЕС-ЦИКЛАХ СВІТОВОЇ ЕКОНОМІКИ

Despite the significant amount of papers on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the development of the global economy, its place in business cycles remains unstated, that limits the ability to predict its impact on the global economy within cycle development theory. That is why this study focuses on the analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economic dynamics and its place in the business cycles of the world economy. The study conducted a brief review and identified the main features of the pandemic impact on various sectors of the economy. The most probable directions of further development of the world economy are determined. The results of the study show that the pandemic has caused the great damage to some industries. However, significant progress has been made in the other fields that could be a major driver of economic growth in the 21th century. In the paper econometric models developed for analysis and forecasting of pandemic impact on economic development of different countries are considered. The article investigates the role of the modern pandemic in small, medium and long cycles. Based on statistics of some post-socialist countries, the place of the pandemic in the Kitchin and Juglar cycles has been demonstrated. Particular attention is paid to the periodization of K-cycles, as one of the most controversial issues in the theory of business cycles, and the authors’ vision of the place of the current stage of development of the world economy in long cycles is stated. The study of the place of the COVID-19 pandemic in Kondratiev's large cycles gives the authors reason to claim that it occurred at the end of the 5th K-cycle and significantly deepened the existing problems of world development, although it should be noted that some scientists believe that 6 The K-cycle has already begun. Although the scale of the decline in development is significant, studies of so-called "mini-cycles" pushed by the tightening of epidemiological constraints show that easing constraints is accompanied with a rapid economic recovery. The analysis show how soon we can expect a significant revival of business activity.