Typology of Municipalities to Monitor Their Socio-Economic Development

One of the urgent tasks of the state policy of spatial development is the introduction of a permanent system for monitoring the socio-economic development of municipalities (at least at the level of municipal and districts), for which, as stated in the article, it is necessary to develop typologies of municipalities. It is advisable to generalize and analyze statistical information on municipalities on the basis of its automatic processing for different types of territories. The article analyzes the existing experience of the EU and the OECD in the typology of regions comparable to Russian municipal districts, and also summarizes the experience accumulated in Russia in the typologization of territories – municipalities in general, cities. It is shown that the basic typology can and should be based on an assessment of the settlement system – the ratio of urban and rural population, population density, the presence of a large urban center or proximity to it. Additionally, it is also important to take into account natural and climatic conditions, geographical location, sustainable economic specialization, and administrative status.

Settlement system in the Angara coastal area in the 17th21st centuries in terms of strategic planning

One of the fundamental urban planning tasks is currently a study of the settlement system properties. In Russian and foreign historical and urban planning science, settlement is studied according to the hierarchical location of settlements. Small and medium-sized settlements are considered as elementary lower units of large cities, their structure and formation processes are not studied. Accordingly, they are rarely considered in elaborating strategic programs of the regional development. The paper proposes the urban retrospective method, which provides a deep and large-scale analysis of the settlement system in the coastal area of the Angara River.Research is based on the cartographic sources developed by governmental institutions whose the activity depends on statistical data. Here belong Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Railways. The comparative analysis of the sources provides modeling and identification of the settlement system with respect to small settlements in the coastal area of the Angara River in different periods. Significant results include the quantitative data on small settlements, since they are not interesting to urban planners of today.

New Data on Plant Use in the Eastern Sahara: The Macro-Remain Assemblage from Sheikh el-Obeiyid Villages and Bir el-Obeiyid Playa, Farafra Oasis, Egyptian Western Desert

This article discusses archaeobotanical evidence from two Sheikh el-Obeiyid villages and the Bir el-Obeiyid playa, which are located along the course of the Wadi el-Obeiyid and on the top and escarpment of the Northern Plateau, at the northern edge of the Farafra Oasis, Egypt. The villages and playa are both part of a settlement system which developed from the top of the plateau, through its various erosion surfaces, down to the bottom of the wadi. The villages in particular can be considered as seasonal base camps, populated by semi-sedentary groups who engaged in intensive exploitation of the resources available in the surrounding environment during the early and mid-Holocene. These sites can be compared to the better-known Hidden Valley village site located only 20 km to the east, the remains from which were analysed during the early 2000s by Ahmed G. Fahmy. At all the sites investigated to date in Farafra there is clear evidence for gathering and use of sorghum and other species of small-seeded wild grasses, fitting the emerging patterns of intense wild grass exploitation in attractive ecological zones for the eastern Sahara during the 9th–6th millennia BP.

THE GECHEPSIN FORTIFIED SETTLEMENT: EXPERIENCE OF COMPREHENSIVE EXCAVATIONS

Несмотря на очевидный прогресс в наших представлениях о системе расселения восточной периферии азиатского Боспора, круг известных памятников совсем невелик, а об их хронологии можно судить только на основании подъемного материала. Комплексные исследования на городище Гечепсин позволили выявить два строительных горизонта, датируемых керамическими материалами в пределах II в. до н. э. - II в. н. э. и охарактеризовать особенности топографии (фортификацию, коммуникации и т. п.). Исследованная кладка сооружения фортификационной системы крепости была сооружена на культурном слое эпохи позднего эллинизма и просуществовала не более века. Выявленные на площадке городища постройки возведены, судя по всему, в античных традициях сырцово-каменной архитектуры. В конце I тыс. до н. э. - нач. I тыс. н. э. в районе городища, согласно спорово-пыльцевому анализу, были широко распространены степные злаково-разнотравные растительные сообщества. Присутствие пыльцы водных растений в верхней части профиля отражает, вероятнее всего, использование речной глины для возведения сырцовых конструкций. Despite obvious progress in developing our concepts on the settlement system in the eastern periphery of Asian Bosporus, the group of the known sites is not that large, while their chronology can be determined only with the use of surface finds. Comprehensive excavations at the Gechepsin fortified settlement made it possible to identify two construction horizons dated by ceramic finds to 2 century BC -2 century AD and characterize specifics of topography (fortification, communications, etc.). The examined masonry of the fortress fortification construction was built in the occupation layer of the Late Hellenic period and did not function more than half a century. Constructions identified at the fortified settlement were, most likely, built in Ancient Greek traditions of adobe-stone architecture. At the end of I mill. BC - early I mill. AD steppe gramineous-mixed grass plant associations were widespread in the area around the settlement as evidenced by pollen analysis. Presence of water plant pollen in the upper part of the profile, most likely, reflects use of river clay for building adobe constructions.

Natural resources, settlement system and the role of single-industry towns in the spatial organization development of the Arctic Karelia regional economy

The article examines the Karelian Arctic region, formed due to the inclusion of a number of territories into the Russian Arctic. It provides a description of its geographical position and analyzes the dynamics of spatial development, the settlement system and mineral resource base, tourist, biological resource and fishery potential. The authors outline significant differentiation of the economic space of the region. They note that the natural resource and socio-economic potential is used extremely unevenly within the Arctic Karelia region. The authors reveal the decisive role of single-industry towns in the formation of trends in the spatial development of the region under study. Under existing conditions, they act as poles of economic growth and maintaining the population of the northern territories, with general trends of degradation of the settlement system and the aggravation of the sparseness of the economic space. The researchers analyze spatial localization of ongoing and planned investment projects in the region, determine and explain its regularities. The paper identifies the prerequisites for enhancing the economic development of the Belomorsk part of the Karelian Arctic, represented by two vectors: internal (from the existing economic centers within the region of the Karelian Arctic) and external (from the Murmansk and Arkhangelsk regions). The existing economic ties between the enterprises of the Belomorsk part of the Karelian Arctic, the Arkhangelsk and Murmansk regions, as well as a number of projects in the mining, fishery, tourism and logistics spheres represent a significant potential for the interdependent development of the Arctic regions. For a more complete use of the existing development potential in these conditions, it is necessary to transform the role of single-industry towns in the formation of the regional economic space by improving the special economic regime and introducing institutional innovations. Improving the special economic regime of the Russian Arctic is one of the priority mechanisms for diversifying mono-profile economies, transitioning to innovative growth models and involving depressed territories in economic development processes.

No Provision Left Behind – Law of the Sea Convention’s Dispute Settlement System and Obligations Erga Omnes

The article argues that the Law of the Sea Convention’s (LOSC) dispute settlement system (DSS) is attuned only to certain types of disputes (bilateral) and does not allow for the effective enforcement of obligations erga omnes reflected in the Convention. Mechanisms established to address enforcement of communitarian norms specifically are scarce in international law and the traditional bilateral structure of adjudicatory dispute settlement circumscribes the ability of states to act as advocates of the international community to which obligations erga omnes are owed. The article identifies the obligations erga omnes reflected in the LOSC and assesses the extent to which its dispute settlement framework is suited to address their breach. It is submitted that some of the community interest obligations of the LOSC are “left behind” by the function of the system itself.

Non-Compliance in WTO Dispute Settlement: Assessing the Effectiveness of WTO Retaliation from Its Purpose(s)

<p>The issue of non-compliance with the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) recommendations and rulings emerges when the violator state fails to bring its inconsistent measures into conformity with its WTO obligations within a reasonable period of time. Compensation and suspension of concessions or other obligations (retaliation) are the only remedies provided under WTO law for cases of non-compliance. Many academic writings, as well as statements from WTO Members, have demonstrated pessimism concerning the effectiveness of these remedies, particularly retaliation. The central point of this thesis concerns three main issues: the problems of WTO retaliation, the question of the effectiveness of retaliation, and the purposes of retaliation. This thesis aims to provide another perspective, besides the common “harm-resulted” perspective, for assessing the effectiveness of WTO retaliation. Accordingly, it provides several approaches: (1) identification of the purpose of retaliation in order to assess its effectiveness; (2) analysis of the enquiry whether there are in fact several purposes of WTO retaliation; (3) examination of the question whether the presence of retaliation purposes other than that inducing compliance is within the ambit of WTO law; (4) consideration of retaliation as a way of inducing a mutually agreeable solution; and (5) consideration of the question whether any deviation from strict compliance would undermine the WTO dispute settlement system. On the basis of extensive research on the purposes of WTO retaliation, namely through interpreting Article 22 of the DSU, examining the design of WTO treaty, assessing the academic writings/debates as well as the statements of arbitrators; several conclusions are made, of which the main one is that inducing compliance is not the sole purpose that WTO retaliation can pursue. Therefore compliance is not the only benchmark by which the effectiveness of WTO retaliation should be measured.</p>