Umbrella Organization Research Articles

A Cross-Sectional Study Identifying Medication Adherence Technologies (MATech) in Sweden Using Behavior Change Techniques.

Poor medication adherence is a well-recognized problem, and behavior change techniques (BCTs) have shown promise in improving patient adherence to prescribed drug treatment. Through the utilization of medication adherence technologies (MATech), these BCT interventions could be delivered effectively in a person-centered way. MATech can be defined as systems, services or physical devices (hardware), with a digital component, used to support patients in their drug utilization. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding their availability and to what extent they apply evidence-based BCTs. This study aimed to identify and describe MATech with BCT interventions available in the Swedish language. A cross-sectional survey study was conducted in 2023. After identifying potential MATech developers by contacting umbrella organizations in the private sector, public agencies and regions, and conducting an app search, a survey was distributed to 381 potential MATech developers. Included MATech were in Swedish, used by patients, incorporated a BCT intervention, and had survey response from the developer. The survey was based on the BCT taxonomy and the framework of attributes from the COST ENABLE project, and included questions regarding BCT features. Following correspondence with 189 potential developers, 32 with products of interest responded to the survey, and 21 MATech were identified (12 standalone software and nine hardware solutions). Among the 21 MATech identified, nine were hardware and ten were specifically designed for a particular disease or medication. The majority of technologies incorporated BCTs of reminding the patient to take the medication (81%), information about the treatment (71%) and providing feedback on the monitoring of medication adherence or clinical outcomes (76%). Swedish-language MATech employing BCTs are available, encompassing both hardware and software solutions. There is a need to enhance the visibility of these technologies, enabling patients to discover and utilize the support they provide.

Co-creating stigma-prevention strategies for mental health interventions with migrant populations

Abstract Background The ADVANCE project aims to address mental health disparities among people in a situation of vulnerability in Europe. Through a co-creation approach, workshops were conducted to devise stigma prevention strategies during the implementation of mental health promotion interventions for migrant populations in Italy and Denmark. Methods The methodology involved two rounds of scenario-based workshops, a participatory method that elicit expert opinions to solve local problems and anticipate future ones. Round 1 included two separate workshops with (1) end-users and umbrella organizations, and (2) healthcare practitioners and decision-makers, to ensure diverse perspectives and minimize the impact of power imbalances. Participants brainstormed strategies to minimize stigma and optimize the intervention scenario. In Round 2, a mixed-group workshop was held to refine the strategies. Workshops occurred in Copenhagen and Verona in March 2024. Content analysis of the data was carried out. Results In Denmark, discussions emphasized tailored presentation of the intervention promoting shared experiences and normalizing mental health challenges, language sensitivity, participation through self-identification, and attention to relational aspects in intervention delivery to combat stigma effectively and enhance acceptability and engagement with the intervention. In Italy, proposed strategies included group exercises to raise awareness and promote open dialogue about cultural differences, language barriers, and discrimination. Discussions also considered the intersectionality of stigma, including factors like gender, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation. Common themes included language sensitivity, facilitator training, and inclusive and safe spaces. Conclusions Scenario-based workshops can be a valuable tool to facilitate the co-creation of stigma-prevention strategies while involving all stakeholders in promoting effective mental health interventions. Key messages • Co-creation approach fostered stakeholder collaboration, yielding tailored strategies that promote inclusivity, acceptability and engagement with mental health interventions for migrant populations. • Context-specific approaches that emphasize trust, confidentiality and cultural sensitivity were prioritised to tackle stigma when implementing interventions and promoting mental health equity.

Revealing the influence of food industry actors in relation to nutritional policies in Belgium

Abstract Unhealthy food is one of the prevailing risk factors of NCDs and cancers, making the food industry a key player in their prevention. However, evidence-based public health policies aimed at reducing consumption of unhealthy food, may threaten industry sales. In response, food industry actors try to influence the development and implementation of these nutritional policies by engaging in corporate political activities (CPA). As part of the Joint Action PreventNCD, the CPA of relevant food industry actors in relation to public health nutritional policies will be assessed. In Belgium, strategies of Fevia, the umbrella organization of the food industry, are examined. This study analyses publicly available information collected from Fevia’s website, social media accounts (i.e. X and LinkedIn), newsletters and newspapers. A thematic qualitative analysis is conducted using established frameworks to categorize both framing and action strategies used by the industry. The categorization of framing strategies reveals how the food industry presents the actors, problems, and solutions. The framework of action strategies categorizes the CPA of the food industry under the following six strategies: information and messaging; financial incentives; constituency building; legal action; policy substitution; opposition fragmentation and destabilization. Preliminary results indicate that the industry often frames itself as ‘the good actor’ and primarily uses strategies such as ‘information and messaging’, ‘constituency building’ and ‘policy substitution’ to influence policies in Belgium in their favor. In the next phase, interviews with stakeholders (e.g. policymakers, politicians,...) will be performed to collect undocumented information. Overall, this research sheds light on the ongoing CPA of the food industry and will increase transparency in their influence on the development and implementation of effective nutritional policies aimed at reducing the burden of NCDs and cancers. Key messages • This study reveals how the umbrella organization of the food industry in Belgium influences public health nutritional policies through various corporate political action and framing strategies. • Identifying these CPA increases awareness of the industry’s influence, but also promotes their transparency and accountability, which is crucial for reliable and effective nutritional policy.

Sustainability-national and international initiatives in intensive care and emergency medicine

Climate change with global warming, natural disasters, species extinction and soil erosion is doubly relevant for medicine: On the one hand, heat waves, floods and other natural disasters lead to new disease patterns to which healthcare systems must adapt. On the other hand, the global healthcare system itself contributes to these effects, as it is estimated that the CO2 footprint of all healthcare facilities accounts for around 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. National and international initiatives to promote sustainability concepts in intensive care and emergency medicine. Research on homepages of national and international (specialist) societies dealing with intensive and emergency care medicine and corresponding PubMed search (sustainability and climate change and emergency or intensive care medicine). Six of the 12national specialist societies surveyed have taken initiatives on sustainability, notable among them the initiative of Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Wissenschaftlichen Medizinischen Fachgesellschaften (AWMF) for anew registration of the S1guideline "Sustainability in intensive care and emergency medicine". On the international scene, the activities of the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS) with numerous publications on the topic of sustainability in intensive care medicine and the practical guide "Abeginners guide to sustainability in intensive care medicine" as well as the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC) with aconsensus paper on sustainability should be highlighted. At the national level, initiatives on sustainability (guidelines, working groups, forums) are emerging and are attracting increasing attention and activity. The umbrella organization of German Intensive Care Medicine, the Deutsche Interdisziplinäre Vereinigung für Intensiv- und Notfallmedizin (DIVI), has so far shown no (discernible) activity; there is an urgent need for action here, and health policy and the German Medical Association should also become (even) more involved in reducing the CO2 footprint in the healthcare sector. Internationally, there are anumber of societies and institutions that are promoting the topic of "sustainability", although astronger focus on the area of intensive care and emergency medicine would also be desirable here.

Socialism, Democracy, Bureaucracy, and Umbrella Organizations

Abstract Among the dilemmas faced by labor, socialist, and other movements of the subaltern classes striving to change society over the past two centuries, three are discussed here: forms of ownership, bureaucracy and “big tent” formulas for both unity of the working class broadly defined, and alliances with movements of independent owners or undefined class status. Examples are drawn from various countries (France, Italy, Britain, the USA, Brazil, Korea) and from international programmatic discussions. Socialists, notably Marxists, shared the radical republican goal of a true democracy of equals, but differed on the extent of collective ownership (state, local, cooperative) needed in the economy, and the definition of privately owned personal goods that insured an individual’s dignity and independence. The rise and contraction of capitalist states with social services (“welfare states”) complicated the issue. Such movements also accumulated experiences with the growth of experts and/or bureaucrats, and the means to limit their privileges and transformation into a caste-type elite. Three environments which generate such phenomena are identified: social-democratic and big labor, post-capitalist states and, more recently, nongovernmental organizations. Finally, the author discusses alliances with broader social forces which include working-class and non-working-class interests, and the management of cross-class ideologies such as certain varieties of nationalism, feminism, environmentalism, and anti-tax movements.

Acceptability of innovative department community-based health insurance in central Mali: A mixed methods study.

As the Universal Health Insurance Plan (RAMU) is gradually being implemented in Mali, community-based health insurance (CBHI) -considered one of the pillars of this programme- must innovate to meet the challenge of universal health coverage. An experimental CBHI was tested in central Mali between 2017 and 2021. This innovative CBHI professionalizes and organizes risk sharing on a larger scale than before, moving from municipalities to circles (departments). A mixed-method study was carried out in the Mopti region to assess the acceptability of this innovation among CBHI elected representatives. In April 2021, 118 questionnaires were administered to CBHI elected representatives, followed by 43 qualitative interviews from the same sample in October 2021. Sekhon etal. (2017) developed an approach outlining seven dimensions of acceptability (attitude, burden, values, coherence, opportunity costs, perceived efficiency, and personal effectiveness), which was used as a conceptual model for data analysis. The results obtained by factor analysis indicate that more than half of individuals (58%) reported above-average acceptability. Elected representatives feel well supported in their activities by the Technical Union of Malian Mutuality (TUM), the umbrella organisation of CBHI. They show some confidence in their ability to perform their duties effectively despite varying levels of commitment that often fall short of expectations and needs, which they justify by their volunteer status. Elected representatives note that the system is very effective despite the nonoptimal conditions linked to the prevailing insecurity. The new CBHI is highly advantageous for the population in terms of content, financial, and geographical access. Professionalisation is an unavoidable condition for the performance of the innovation, as well as the new community assembly. However, elected representatives are concerned about the sustainability of this CBHI and rely on the State and its partners to assume responsibility. The TUM will play an essential role in continuing its support and fulfiling its functions as a delegated management organisation within the framework of the RAMU.

Type III Environmental Product Declarations – The perils and pitfalls of digitalization

Abstract Recent research highlights buildings as significant contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, entailing the implementation of legally binding CO2 limits for several countries and a widespread adoption of environmental product declarations (EPDs). While PDF remains the common EPD format, the emergence of the digital ILCD+EPD format introduces start to play a more significant role. The format introduces complexities, posing uncertainties and challenges in effectively managing product data and integrating them into LCA software applications. Despite this, persistent challenges in transparency and comparability underscore the need for robust methodologies to ensure reliable material assessments. Limited literature exists on the applicability and comprehension of the ILCD+EPD format, prompting this study’s exploration, using the Web API from the European umbrella organization, the ECO Platform Portal. By compiling digital EPD files into a standard schema, the study aims to scrutinize the format for enhanced reliability and usability. The study assesses a total of 12,962 datasets from the ECO Platform Portal, revealing discrepancies in compliance and documentation, with adjustments made to ensure accuracy. Notably, 17 datasets were removed due to unknown compliance with EN15804, 2097 datasets were expired, 330 datasets were lacking important information of expiration and functional unit, and 66 datasets were removed due to invalid units unsuitable for building-LCAs This resulted in a total of 10,452 datasets, with 29% allocated to EN15804+A1 and 71% to EN15804+A2. Embracing the ILCD+EPD format enhances EPD effectiveness and improves sustainability practices but requires efforts to address data extraction challenges and inconsistencies.

Influence of Strategic Human Capital Development on the Performance of Tourism Organizations in Tanzania

Purpose: The study aimed to determine the influence of strategic human capital development on the performance of tourism organizations in Tanzania. Methodology: The study employed cross-sectional survey design to achieve the objective. The target population of this study included private and public tourism-related organizations with their umbrella organizations such as Government boards, Authorities, and Associations. A total number of registered and licensed tourism organizations that had more than 10 years was 1005. The researcher sampled 280 respondents from 140 organizations that included all categories established in this study. Data was collected using both primary and secondary procedures which were analyzed by statistical tools aided by the SPSS program. Reliability of the questions was done by use of Cronbach’s alpha where the adequate threshold was considered. A normality test was done for dependent variable to aid subsequent analysis. Factor analysis was also done to reduce the qualitative data to a meaningful size. Logit model analysis was used to understand the relationship between the independent variables and dependent variables. Results: Logistic regression model was statistically significant, χ2(1) = .747, p < .05. Results revealed that strategic human capital plays a sensitive role in influencing the tourism performance in organizations. Conclusion: The study concluded that human capital plays a contributory role in the performance of tourism in the country. It was expected that strategic human capital will play a unique role in growth of revenue in the organization hence return on investment is realized. Therefore, the results marked a strong relationship that exists between strategic human capital and the performance of tourism in Tanzania.

Democracy through association councils? Associations’ involvement in local councils in culture and recreation

It is widely assumed that associations can play a democratic role as a link between citizens and the political system, but associations do not always fulfill this role on their own. There are several local association councils, especially in culture and recreation, i.e., umbrella organizations for associations in the respective areas, and they can play a mediating role between associations and municipalities. However, to realize this potential, associations must engage in the councils, but this is not always the case. Based on a survey among cultural and leisure associations in four Danish municipalities, this article examines variation in the associations’ engagement in local association councils. Results show that more human resources in the associations and a higher degree of local orientation positively affect engagement, and that sports associations are more likely to engage than other types of associations.

Originalarbeiten / Original Articles. Prävention sexualisierter Gewalt an Kindern und Jugendlichen: Präventionsmaßnahmen und Schutzkonzepte in den Bereichen Sport, Musik und Kirche

Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse: Prevention Programs and Safeguarding Concepts in the Context of Sports, Musical Education, and Religious Organizations Prevalence rates of child sexual abuse by caregivers in private and non-public institutions underscore the need for implementing safeguarding concepts. However, factors driving the implementation of prevention and safeguarding in the field are not well understood. What supportive and inhibiting factors can be identified in the implementation of safeguarding concepts and prevention programs? Content analysis of semi-structured interviews with professional and volunteer staff in clubs and institutions (n = 10, 69 % female) as well as with individuals who experienced child sexual abuse during their childhood (n = 3, 66 % female). Safeguarding concepts in clubs or religious institutions were primarily initiated by umbrella organizations. Current incidents of child maltreatment, public pressure, and media attention substantially increased the need for preventive actions. The provision of training, resources, and networking structures by umbrella organizations further facilitated their implementation. Main implementation challenges included limited personnel and time resources, lack of expertise, insufficient training opportunities, and absence of guidelines and support from umbrella organizations. Due to club leaders' limited knowledge and resources an independent implementation of safeguarding concepts is largely lacking without concrete guidelines and support from umbrella organizations. To upscale safeguarding, public policies or incentive systems such as state-funded child protection certifications are thus paramount.

The Black Lives Matter Movement, Jewish Allies, and the Long Legacy of Black Anti-Zionism

Abstract: From the emergence of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, massive numbers of Jews, committed to resuming the Black-Jewish coalition of the civil rights era, became its avid allies. They failed to recognize that this alliance, which foundered and was sundered by the late 1970s, had increasingly been replaced by Blacks' identification with "their Brown Palestinian siblings," which rendered the conflict with Israel in stark racial terms. After the Six Day War, Black militants promoted a narrative that replaced Jews as a fellow oppressed group with Jews as iniquitous Zionists, who had established an illegitimate settler-colonial state that ethnically cleansed and victimized indigenous people of color—a narrative upon which their successors in the BLM movement drew heavily. With the rise of the BLM movement, the Black-Palestinian alliance was solidified—their wide divide on issues of race, gender, and homosexuality overridden by their shared anti-Zionism. In 2016, when the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL), a constituent partner of the BLM umbrella organization, issued a policy platform identifying Israel as "an apartheid state," committing "genocide against the Palestinian people," leading Jewish organizations appeared confounded and dismissed these views as a minority position. Spokespersons of secular and religious Jewish associations condemned what they labeled BLM's "anti-Israel rhetoric," which they insisted was "totally unrelated" to the movement's "social justice work." They appeared to be unaware that far from mere "rhetoric," the denigration and delegitimization of the Jewish state had long been at or near the core of the anti-racist ideology propounded by the Black militants revered by BLM leaders and activists. Thus, in 2020, organizations allegedly "representing over half of Jewish people in America" published a statement that endorsed the BLM movement "unequivocally," while several of the signatories released additional statements condemning those Jews who had rejected the movement once it posted the policy platform. The Jewish community fractured over the issue of Black antisemitism, but unlike in earlier periods, far more Jews, identifying as "progressives," continued to support a movement whose leaders and activists espoused or tolerated antisemitism, albeit lightly cloaked in anti-Zionist garb.

The Europeanization of Honour: Wehrmacht Veterans and European Integration in the 1950s

This article analyses the Europeanization of West German associations of Wehrmacht veterans in the 1950s. Using archival sources concerning the foundation of a European veterans’ umbrella organisation, the article argues that the veterans’ attempts at political reassertion in the post-war decades cannot be understood without accounting for their European dimension. Indeed, the veterans considered their European outreach to be a core pillar of their ‘politics of honour’, which manifested itself mainly in the agitation for the war criminals in Allied custody. Thus, aiming to establish themselves as effective and legitimate interest representatives, the veterans Europeanized. This process was consciously modelled after the ongoing process of integration while simultaneously exhibiting distinct characteristics stemming from the veterans themselves. The article tracks the veterans’ transnational interactions, their competitive dynamics in West German associational politics and the veterans’ associational interests to explain their specific form of an alternative Europeanization.

Ethnicity and Representation

AbstractThose Germans who remained in Hungary after the Second World War faced complex political, economic, and social difficulties. In cultural terms, the diverse self-definitions of the Germans living in Hungary at that time precluded national cohesion, despite the use by the authorities of the unifying definition “German.” This national minority was bound together primarily by shared trauma. Individuals and communities alike were searching for their place amidst the changed circumstances, and it was the umbrella organization known as the Democratic Association of Germans in Hungary (Magyarországi Németek Demokratikus Szövetsége) that sought to bring them together. It was not until the 1970s that the association began to professionalize its activities and to conduct ethnographic research in cooperation with qualified specialists. During this process, the village of Harta, which was already famous for its folk art, came to their attention. It was specifically the economic potential of this settlement in Bács-Kiskun County, and its character as an ethnic and confessional enclave, that laid the foundations for the uniform objects and motifs of this local center of furniture painting. After the Second World War, the county administration's cultural policy was relatively accepting of the furniture-making tradition here, and the local intelligentsia showed a supportive attitude towards the settlement's German heritage. In the 1970s, there was still a furniture painter living in Harta, who won the most prestigious folk-art award, regularly participated in exhibitions and gala events, and even produced painted furniture in the cooperative's subsidiary branch at the initiative of the local council president. This ensured that painted furniture from Harta came to represent not only the traditionalist aspirations of the German Association, but also national cultural policy. Harta furniture emerged as the most iconic style of minority painted furniture and as the shared heritage of the German community in Hungary.

Slovenske knjižnice v Argentini

Purpose: To present the history of Slovenian libraries in Argentina: outline the work and organization of the libraries (whether they have a catalogue, how lending is done, what the opening hours are, etc.), characteristics of the users, borrowing, visits of the libraries, opinions what they would change in their library, and to present the impor­tance of the libraries for the Slovenian community in the past and today. Methodology/approach: Literature review and fieldwork. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with respondents from 18 Slovenian libraries in Argentina, the data was content analysed. Results: The Slovenian community in Argentina is organized in associations, most of which have libraries, as do the umbrella organization of Slovenians in Argentina, Zedinjena Slovenija, and the Slovene language lectorates in Buenos Aires and Cordoba (eighteen libraries in total). Most libraries are in Buenos Aires, but they are also present in Mendoza, Bariloche, Rosario, Cordoba, and Paraná. Most libraries are community and school libraries. The librarians are mostly volunteers without librarian education. The libraries obtain their materials from Slovenia or through donations and inherit­ances. Most do not have a catalogue, do not keep records of borrowed books, their opening hours are usually during society events. They rarely or never organize events. The only service they offer is book lending, mostly to children, Slovenian school teach­ers and older members. Only the library in Bariloche is included in the COBISS system. The most vital libraries are those of the third-wave emigration associations, most of which were founded in the first decade after the Second World War. They are important for the preservation of Slovenian culture and language, but also have historical, archi­val and symbolic value for the community. Originality/practical implications: The first research on Slovenian libraries in Argentina. In addition to an overview of the history and situation of libraries, it also gives some guidelines for the future development of Slovenian emigrant libraries.

Two decades of patient advocacy.

The European Federation of Neurological Associations (EFNA) brings together European umbrella organizations of pan-European neurological patient advocacy groups (www.efna.net) and strives to improve the quality of life of people living with neurological conditions and to work towards relieving the immense social and economic burden on patients, carers and society in general. This article provides an overview of EFNA's activities and achievements over the past two decades, the evolution of patient advocacy during those years, and the increased role and impact of the European patient voice in the neurological arena.

Diaspora and Conflict: The Case of Tamils in Germany

While most research on the Tamil diaspora and the conflict in Sri Lanka studies the Tamil diaspora in the United Kingdom and Canada, this article focuses on the role of organized Tamils in Germany. Based on an extensive three years of qualitative field study in Germany and Sri Lanka, and using the theoretical framework of Bercovitch's (2007) conflict cycle, I analyzed the engagement of the Tamil diaspora in Sri Lanka in three phases of the conflict: conflict emergence before the war (until 1983), conflict escalation and the war (1983–2009), and post-conflict reconstruction after the war (from 2009). In each of these phases, they took different positions toward the conflict. Before the war, German Tamil organizations were reluctant to get involved in the conflict. During the war, some Tamil diaspora organizations in Germany were involved in the war to a minor degree by their active membership and political participation in larger umbrella organizations initiated by the Tamil militant organization called Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The larger part of the diaspora focused on self-initiated and independent social development projects in Sri Lanka. After the LTTE lost the war, the second generation of Tamils took over leadership positions in the diaspora in Germany and focused on new social and health projects in Sri Lanka.

Phycian assisted suicide: A Swiss perspective - a liberal view

Abstract Switzerland is a country in which the liberal tradition is cultivated and every citizen’s free decision is honoured. Associations such as EXIT or Dignitas, which advocate the right to self-determined death, were formed here early on. They see themselves as completing the Age of Enlightenment, where the end result is an individually self-determined death. The Swiss federal government is therefore reluctant to define criminal offences. However, it is regulated that active euthanasia is prohibited. The organisations mentioned are also not allowed to act for their own benefit.Meanwhile, the number of assisted suicides is higher than the number of suicides. The extent to which the one phenomenon is related to the other is open to debate.The topic is controversial among the general public and the medical profession. Nevertheless, the Swiss Academy of Medical Science has published guidelines on dealing with dying and death, which also deal with physician-assisted suicide.Various associations, including the umbrella organisation for suicide prevention in Switzerland, Ipsilon, are in favour of special protection for vulnerable groups. Some of them also recommend that civil law provisions be made for the process of assisted suicide.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Secondary fracture prevention/Update osteoporosis guidelines 2023 of the Umbrella Organization Osteology

The S3guidelines on the prophylaxis, diagnostics and treatment of osteoporosis 2023 were completely revised and updated between 2021 and 2023 in accordance with the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies of Germany (AWMF) regulations. The guideline committee consisted of delegates from the 20specialist societies of the Umbrella Organization Osteology (Dachverband Osteologie, DVO) as well as delegates from the German Society of General Medicine and Family Medicine (DEGAM), the German Society for Nephrology (DGfN) and the Federal Self-help Association for Osteoporosis (BfO).The guidelines focus on preventive measures, diagnostic procedures and treatment approaches for osteoporosis in men aged50 years and over and postmenopausal women. The main aim is the optimization of care processes, reduction of fracture incidences and maintenance or improvement of the quality of life and functional capacity of patients affected by fractures. Amajor update to the guidelines includes the introduction of anew risk calculator that can take more risk factors (n = 33) into account and that can estimate the risk of vertebral body and proximal femoral fractures for a3-year period (previously 10years). This results in new thresholds for diagnostics and treatment. The programmed app is currently not yet certified as a medical product and apaper version is therefore currently available for patient care with the planned integration of aweb-based version of the risk calculator. From the perspective of trauma surgery, the recommendations and innovations for manifest osteoporosis are of particular clinical importance. The focus of the DVO guidelines update is therefore on the implementation of secondary fracture prevention in trauma surgery, orthopedic and geriatric traumatology in the clinical and practical daily routine.

Suzanne Labin: socialist, anti-communist and ‘Globalist’

This article follows the transnational career of Suzanne Labin, a French socialist and anti-communist professional, in order to analyse the roles and agencies of individuals while the global connectivity of anti-communist actors was growing during the ‘long 1960s’ (approximately 1955–1980). Retrospective analysis, as well as accounts from contemporaries, describes this period as a time of multi-polarisation and globalisation. I will chart Labin’s path from anti-Stalinist circles in France to conservative circles in the US, to finally becoming the first and only female permanent member of the global anti-communist umbrella organisation, the World Anti-Communist League (WACL), chairing its French chapter in 1972. An analysis of Labin’s seemingly ambiguous alliances as a socialist with anti-communist and right-wing organisations will shed light on the particularities of international anti-communism during the ‘long 1960s’ on three levels. First, it will show the dynamics between anti-communist networks and actors on national, transatlantic and global levels, especially their contact points. Second, it will underline the diversity of anti-communism and its capacity to integrate several (even contradictory) ideologemes. Third, by following Labin’s global anti-communist engagement within the WACL and her cosmopolitan lifestyle, this article will argue that anti-communist actors were actively involved in the process of globalisation during the ‘long 1960s’.

New Kids on the Democracy Block: Europeanisation of Interest Groups in Central and Eastern Europe

The 2004 EU enlargement and related Europeanisation processes supported the development of stagnated interest group systems in many ways, including with respect to the professionalisation of mainly voluntary-based organisations in Central and Eastern Europe. In the pre-membership period and initial years after joining the EU, national interest groups from Central and Eastern Europe chiefly relied on EU-level interest groups for important information, knowledge, and know-how concerning EU policymaking, whereas 20 years of membership has today established them as equal partners and co-decision-makers. The article elaborates on the Europeanisation of interest groups in the Central and Eastern Europe region from the start of the process of accession to the EU, with three case studies in focus: Lithuania, Poland, and Slovenia. The main research question is: In which different ways has the Europeanisation process influenced interest groups in the region? To address it, the article builds on Johansson and Jacobsson’s (2016) typology of the Europeanisation of interest groups. Six exploratory factors were examined in this regard: (a) contacts with EU policymakers and institutions, (b) interest in EU policymaking, (c) funding received from EU projects and programmes, (d) networking with EU umbrella organisations, (e) participation in open consultations, and (f) the relationship of the group with members. To study the effects of Europeanisation processes in selected countries, web survey data gathered from national interest groups as part of the Comparative Interest Groups Survey project were used. Our results show that interest groups from Central and Eastern Europe have become “European” in a range of ways. Regulatory and discursive Europeanisation is most typical for Polish interest groups, identity Europeanisation for Lithuanian interest groups, and financial and participatory Europeanisation for Lithuanian and Polish interest groups, while organisational Europeanisation has the strongest effect on interest groups in Slovenia.