Three social science disciplines in Central and Eastern Europe: handbook on economics, political science and sociology (1989-2001)

Content: Ulrike Becker, Max Kaase, Gabor Klaniczay, and Vera Sparschuh: Social Sciences in Central and Eastern Europe on the Verge of EU Enlargement (7-10); Andrei Plesu: Financing Difference. Fostering the Social Sciences in the Field of Tension Between Homogenization and Differentiation (12-16); Elemer Henkiss: Brilliant Ideas or Brilliant Errors? (17-24); Janos Matyas Kovacs: Business as (Un)usual (26-33); Mitko Dimitrov: Bulgaria (34-49); Frantisek Turnovec: Czech Republic (50-64); Tiia Püss: Estonia (65-82); Laszlo Csaba: Hungary (83-101); Raita Karnite: Latvia (102-120); Linas Cekanavicius: Lithuania (121-134); Tadeusz Kowalik: Poland (135-151); Paul Dragos Aligica: Romania (152-167); Julius Horvath: Slovakia (168-186); Joze Mencinger: Slovenia (187-194); Hans-Jürgen Wagener: Demand and Supply of Economic Knowledge in Transition Countries (195-203); Hans-Dieter Klingemann: Political Science in Central and Eastern Europe: National Development and International Integration (206-212); Georgi Karasimeonov: Bulgaria (213-225); Jan Holzer and Pavel Pseja: Czech Republic (226-245); Raivo Vetik: Estonia (246-257); Mate Szabo: Hungary (258-274); Andris Runcis: Latvia (275-285); Algis Krupavicius: Lithuania (286-305); Stanislaw Gebethner and Radoslaw Markowski: Poland (306-321); Daniel Barbu: Romania (322-342); Darina Malova and Silvia Mihalikova: Slovakia (343-357); Danica Fink-Hafner: Slovenia (358-374); Pal Tamas: Followers or Activists? Social Scientists in the Reality Shows of Transformation (376-385); Nikolai Genov: Bulgaria (386-404); Michal Illner: Czech Republic (405-424); Mikk Titma: Estonia (425-436); Denes Nemedi and Peter Robert: Hungary (437-451); Aivars Tabuns: Latvia (452-466); Anele Vosyliute: Lithuania (467-483); Janusz Mucha and Pawel Zalecki: Poland (484-501); Maria Larionescu: Romania (502-517); Zuzana Kusa, Bohumil Buzik, Ludovit Turcan and Robert Klobucky: Slovakia (518-535); Frane Adam and Matej Makarovic: Slovenia (536-547); Piotr Sztompka: The Condition of Sociology in East-Central Europe (548-556); Mihaly Sarkany: Cultural and Social Anthropology in Central and Eastern Europe (558-566); Thomas Kucera and Olga Kucerova: Population science in Central and Eastern Europe: Implications for Research and Practice (567-577); Marie-Claude Maurel: Central European Geography and the Post-Socialist Transformation. A Western Point of View (578-587); Grazyna Skapska: Law and Society in a Natural Laboratory: the Case of Poland in the Broader Context of East-Central Europe (588-603)

The changing medium of instruction policies of state-schools in recently formed states: a comparative analysis

In this thesis I analyse changes to the medium of instruction (MOI) policies of primary and secondary schools of new states which gained independence after the end of the Second World War up to 2015. In it I view MOI policies as drivers of linguistic state building, with decisions to use additional languages for teaching and learning being evaluated in terms of the threat that they may pose to the status of official languages and established patterns of social opportunity and status associated with knowledge of them. I develop and use an expanded version of Bourdieu’s theory of the national linguistic market as a conceptual framework to capture the interaction of factors both inside and outside of the state which may influence MOI policy decisions. The existing comparative literature consists mainly of descriptive studies of individual states or geographical regions. My study is distinctive because it focuses on new states and uses a large, longitudinal, sample to provide a global perspective on the choices that new states have made about MOI policies in primary and secondary schools and how these policies have changed. My methodological approach is distinct, using qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), an approach which is currently underutilized in comparative education research, particularly in studies with a temporal component. I develop a novel MOI typology, identifying four distinctive models: Purist (only the state language(s) are used); Pragmatic (community languages are used in primary schooling); Accommodating (high status community languages are used in secondary school); and Opportunistic (new, high status, languages are introduced as MOI). I argue that, whilst Bourdieu’s concept of linguistic markets provides a powerful basis for understanding MOI policy decisions, the interaction of national (internal) linguistic markets with the international (external) linguistic market needs to be considered to fully understand patterns of MOI policy change over time

Internationalization of Higher Education in Russia: Collapse or Perpetuation of the Soviet System? A Historical and Conceptual Study

Thesis advisor: Philip G. AltbachThis study traces the policy and implementation of internationalization in the Russian higher education system from 1917 to the present. The analysis suggests that international academic policy has been applied by the Russian state continuously, though with radically differing emphasis and mechanisms, through the last hundred years. Chapter One presents the research questions, design and methodology of the study. Chapter Two reviews scholarly literature related to academic internationalization and situates this definition within the context of Russian higher education. Chapters 3-5 explore the role of international activities in Russian higher education during the seventy years of the Soviet era. Trends in Soviet academic international policy related to three major historical periods are discussed in this section: a) the initial Bolshevik program for global academic reform; b) Sovietization of higher education in the countries of Communist Bloc; and c) East-West international academic competition during the Cold War period. Chapters 6-7 address the role of internationalization in the reformation of Russian higher education during the last two decades of Post-Soviet period. This section examines the extent and likely outcomes of these changes. This research demonstrates that Russian higher education has had a continuous international aspect, though organized differently than Western structures. The analysis also suggests that key organizational components of the Soviet administrative system still exist in the current Russian higher education structure. The current implementation of internationalization presents Russian academics with an opportunity to enforce academic professionalism and promote their status as global academics. At the same time, however, state organization and governing administration principles of Russian higher education continue to reduce academics to functional executors of state directives and deliverers of vocational training. In this way, internationalization serves as a critical nexus for the collision of traditional administrative structures with the new aspirations of Russian academics.Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2014.Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education.Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education

The higher education systems of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China : a comparative study.

This study explores the tension between the preservation of cultural and\ud political identity and economic modernization in the higher education systems\ud in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC)\ud between 1949 and 1993.\ud Chapter One introduces the research problem, theoretical orientation,\ud main argument, and organization of this thesis.\ud Chapter Two examines the historical context of the higher education\ud systems of the PRC and the ROC, and identifies the similarities between the\ud pre-1949 higher education system and the two contemporary Chinese higher\ud education systems.\ud Chapter Three analyzes the contemporary (domestic and international)\ud contexts of higher education in the PRC and the ROC. The chapter highlights\ud the monolithic, state-supported, official value systems of both countries; the\ud domestic relations between the ruling party, the state, the economy and the\ud people; and the international relations of the two countries, as these affect the\ud higher education systems. Chapter Four investigates the cultural tasks of both higher education\ud systems, and reviews the ways in which they have institutionalized different\ud forms of cultural and political identity.\ud Chapters Five and Six analyze the economic tasks of both higher\ud education systems. Chapter Five examines the importation of science and\ud technology, and the social values of science and technology in both countries.\ud Chapter Six examines the processes of institutionalizing, in higher education,\ud different foreign models of science and technology.\ud Chapter Seven reviews the patterns of similarities and differences\ud between both higher education systems, and explores the specific and the\ud broader implications of the thesis

A tale of two states: a comparative study of higher education reform and its effects on economic growth in East and West Germany 1945 - 1989

The hypothesis at the heart of this thesis is that long-term economic growth depends on the discovery and development of new ideas and technologies which enable innovation resulting in increased productivity. As technological innovation generally results from research processes instigated and performed by those with higher levels of education, it becomes important to analyse higher education as an economic actor as well as a symbolic institution of cultural and elite reproduction. The thesis compares the development of higher levels of human capital in East and West Germany over the period 1945 – 1990: states with two very different and competing myths of democratic legitimacy and radically opposed social, political and economic systems but both convinced that human capital development held the key to reconstruction and economic growth. In highlighting the imperatives for reform and outlining the main changes which took place in higher education within the strictures imposed by competing ideologies, the thesis assesses the effectiveness of human capital investment in terms of the success of the economic objectives identified by both countries. The thesis finds that the initial hypothesis is proven, albeit that its effectiveness was mitigated by a number of external economic shocks and internal social and political factors which, in the end, led to the demise of the East German regime

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN ROMANIA

The purpose of this paper is to identify the main opportunities and limitations of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The survey was defined with the aim to involve the highest possible number of relevant CSR topics and give the issue a more wholesome perspective. It provides a basis for further comprehension and deeper analyses of specific CSR areas. The conditions determining the success of CSR in Romania have been defined in the paper on the basis of the previously cumulative knowledge as well as the results of various researches. This paper provides knowledge which may be useful in the programs promoting CSR.Corporate social responsibility, Supportive policies, Romania

Zbornik radova s konferencije "65th Anniversary Conference of the Institute of Economics, Zagreb"

U okviru obilježavanja 65. obljetnice djelovanja Ekonomskog instituta, Zagreb od 18. do 19. studenog 2004. održana je međunarodna znanstvena konferencija 65th Anniversary Conference of the Institute of Economics, Zagreb. Radovi prihvaćeni za konferenciju objavljeni su u srpnju 2005. godine u zborniku 65th Anniversary Conference of the Institute of Economics, Zagreb - Proceedings

The drivers of Corporate Social Responsibility in the supply chain. A case study.

Purpose: The paper studies the way in which a SME integrates CSR into its corporate strategy, the practices it puts in place and how its CSR strategies reflect on its suppliers and customers relations. Methodology/Research limitations: A qualitative case study methodology is used. The use of a single case study limits the generalizing capacity of these findings. Findings: The entrepreneur’s ethical beliefs and value system play a fundamental role in shaping sustainable corporate strategy. Furthermore, the type of competitive strategy selected based on innovation, quality and responsibility clearly emerges both in terms of well defined management procedures and supply chain relations as a whole aimed at involving partners in the process of sustainable innovation. Originality/value: The paper presents a SME that has devised an original innovative business model. The study pivots on the issues of innovation and eco-sustainability in a context of drivers for CRS and business ethics. These values are considered fundamental at International level; the United Nations has declared 2011 the “International Year of Forestry”

Kurt Birrenbach and the Evolution of German Atlanticism

This dissertation explores the multifaceted life of Kurt Birrenbach as a window into the historical evolution of a Liberal German Atlanticism during the post-World War II era. While tracing the development of this Atlanticism into a "mature," establishment phenomenon, themes addressed include the founding and financing of an elaborate infrastructure, the creation of extensive political networks also stretching abroad, the execution of ambitious public relations actions, and distinct tendencies towards geographic and thematic expansion. Those challenges confronting Atlanticism in the Federal Republic, among them the persistence of Conservative Abendland perspectives and, later, the rise on the Left of interrelated pacifist, anti-nuclear and environmental movements, are touched upon as well. The broader historiographical issues examined encompass postwar continuity and discontinuity in the Federal Republic, processes of Americanization, the functioning of transnational networks, the impact of generational change, and the political engagement of West German business