scholarly journals The end of China’s romance with Central and Eastern Europe

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-99
Author(s):  
Emilian Kavalski
Keyword(s):  
Popular Culture ◽  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Central And Eastern Europe ◽  
The State ◽  
The Other ◽  
International Identity

The 2016 Mandopop hit ‘Prague square’ ushered in a new romance for Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) in China. Such infatuation has resonated not only in popular culture, but was mirrored in China’s newfound boldness on the international stage. Drawing on CEE media accounts, the article demonstrates that China’s romance with the CEE countries was never reciprocated. In fact, the CEE region might present a significant outlier in that media accounts of China have been consistently negative in the decade preceding the Covid-19 pandemic. In other words, the pandemic merely accelerated trends that were already set in motion prior to 2020. In this respect, CEE media accounts of both China and the Covid-19 pandemic reveal an interesting ‘localization of the other’. As such, China has been used to validate specific domestic positions of different political formations. Perceptions of China (what it is assumed to stands for) have been deployed domestically in the CEE region to justify particular visions of the state and its international identity.

Explaining Peaceful Change in Central and Eastern Europe

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Tabachnik ◽  
Benjamin Miller
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Central And Eastern Europe ◽  
State Capacity ◽  
The State ◽  
National Identities ◽  
Great Power ◽  
Soviet System ◽  
The Balkans ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Two Independent Variables

This chapter explains the process of peaceful change in Central and Eastern Europe following the demise of the Soviet system. It also explains the failure of peaceful change in the Balkans and some post-Soviet countries, such as the Ukrainian conflict in 2014. The chapter accounts for the conditions for peaceful change and for the variation between peaceful and violent change by the state-to-nation theory. The two independent variables suggested by the theory are the level of state capacity and congruence—namely the compatibility between state borders and the national identities of the countries at stake. Moreover, according to the theory, great-power engagement serves as an intervening variable and in some conditions, as explained in the chapter, may help with peaceful change.

The Community Trap: Liberal Norms, Rhetorical Action, and the Eastern Enlargement of the European Union

2001 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Schimmelfennig
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Eastern Europe ◽  
European Integration ◽  
Bargaining Power ◽  
Central And Eastern Europe ◽  
The State ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Eastern Enlargement ◽  
Bargaining Process ◽  
Rhetorical Action

The decision of the European Union to expand to Central and Eastern Europe is a puzzle for rationalist intergovernmentalism. This approach to the study of European integration accounts for most of the preferences of the state actors and many characteristics of the intergovernmental bargaining process but fails to explain why it resulted in the opening of accession negotiations. I introduce the mechanism of rhetorical action in order to show how the supporters of enlargement succeeded in overcoming the superior material bargaining power of their opponents. Through the strategic use of arguments based on the liberal norms of the European international community, the “drivers” caught the “brakemen” in the community trap and, step by step, shamed them into acquiescing in Eastern enlargement.

Social Quality in a Transitive Society

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valeriy Heyets
Keyword(s):  
Welfare State ◽  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Central And Eastern Europe ◽  
The Other ◽  
Social Quality ◽  
The Social ◽  
The One ◽  
Quality Approach ◽  
The Welfare State

Nearly 30 years of transformation of the sociopolitical and legal, socioeconomical and financial, sociocultural and welfare, and socioenvironmental dimensions in both Central and Eastern Europe, including Ukraine, has led to a change of the social quality of daily circumstances. On the one hand, the interconnection and reciprocity of these four relevant dimensions of societal life is the underlying cause of such changes, and on the other, the state as main actor of the sociopolitical and legal dimension is the initiator of those changes. Applying the social quality approach, I will reflect in this article on the consequences of these changes, especially in Ukraine. In comparison, the dominant Western interpretation of the “welfare state” will also be discussed.

An Ectromelus: An Atavistic Relapse

1918 ◽  
Vol 64 (266) ◽  
pp. 267-272
Author(s):  
S. B. Pal
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Central And Eastern Europe ◽  
The Other ◽  
Multiple Births ◽  
Rare Occurrence ◽  
Lower Vertebrates ◽  
Very High ◽  
Animal World

Darwin, after a most comprehensive and searching investigation of the phenomena of life and variation, came to the conclusion that “man is the co-descendant with the other mammals of a common progenitor,” and still “bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin.” With the immense and varied ancestry man has had, and the infinitude of his connections with the rest of the animal world, “atavism,” i.e., inheritance of characteristics from remote, not from the more immediate ancestors, is a very interesting subject of study. The presence of supernumerary nipples in man may be cited as an example of atavism. This abnormality has been noticed by me in four patients during five years' observations in the hospitals in this country. In some parts of Central and Eastern Europe a very high percentage of men is said to possess this abnormality. This characteristic is absent in apes, baboons, and monkeys, who are men's immediate successors, but is found in lemurs, an order of mammals lower in order. The rare occurrence of multiple births in women is a characteristic which is reversion, or atavistic towards the condition normal in lower vertebrates.

EFFECT OF THE ECONOMIC CRISIS 2007-2008 ON STRATEGIES OF MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-89
Author(s):  
Vitaliy Bondarchuk ◽  
Alina Raboshuk ◽  
Svitlana Shypina
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Central And Eastern Europe ◽  
The State ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Economic Downturn ◽  
Top Managers ◽  
Eastern European Countries

The paper is aimed at the study of the effects of world financial crisis of 2007-2008 on the strategies of the multinational corporations operating in Central and Eastern Europe. The economic downturn has abruptly halted the successful economic growth of the Central and Eastern European countries in the years preceding the crisis. In this connection, the question arises whether these structural changes in the economy will lead to reevaluation of expansion strategy by the foreign multinational corporations in Central and Eastern Europe. t has been established that in the post-crisis period the middle and top managers have a tendency towards paying more attention to the state competitiveness, the quality of the state institutions, and its political leadership. Moreover, movement of production facilities and logistics systems from Western Europe to the Eastern and Central European countries will be continued, due to cheaper resources and loyal conditions of access to them.

“Are you Hungarian or Romanian?” On the Study of National and Ethnic Identity in Central and Eastern Europe

2007 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 411-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alina Curticapean
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Identity ◽  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Central And Eastern Europe ◽  
The Other ◽  
Eastern European ◽  
Collective Identities ◽  
Topical Issue ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Official Languages ◽  
The University

A personal note frames this essay. In recent years I have travelled with my Finnish colleagues from the University of Tampere to a number of international seminars and conferences organized in various European locations. While socializing with the other participants, my self-identification as Romanian has, on several occasions, prompted the question “are you Hungarian or Romanian …?“ No other options were ever offered, even though Romania has a quite sizeable Roma minority and a number of Saxons, though ever declining, still live in the country. At the same time, the ethnicity of my Finnish colleagues has never been questioned. True, Finns describe their country as a homogeneous place, yet Finland is a country with two official languages—Finnish and Swedish—ever praised for the treatment of its Swedish-speaking minority. And some other ethnicities—for instance, Roma and Sami—also live in Finland. Nobody interested? Or maybe there is more to it than simply a question of curiosity (or a lack of it). That the ethnicity of the Finnish participants was deemed irrelevant, whereas my ethnic identity seemed a topical issue for informal discussions during coffee breaks or conference lunches elicited my interest in the issue of national and ethnic identity. I have started to ask how collective identities, and especially national and ethnic identities, have been conceptualized and how those theoretical concepts have been deployed in the study of Central and Eastern European identities. Are there any differences in how Central and Eastern European identities are studied compared with Western identities?

scholarly journals Who are the officials in the central administration of the Czech Republic and what activities do they perform?

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
František Ochrana ◽  
Michal Plaček ◽  
Milan Křápek
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Central And Eastern Europe ◽  
The Other ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Central Administration ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Education Levels

AbstractThe article examines the section of officials in the central administration who belong to the ministerial staff of the Czech Republic. It examines those persons engaged in the creation of analyses, strategies, and management activities. The study is based on original research conducted by the ministries of the Czech Republic in 2013 (N = 1351). The article seeks to discover what the make-up of this group is in terms of gender, age, and education levels at the chosen ministries, as well as to report on the types of experiences the group has had. The analysis shows that ministerial officials are in fact a gender-balanced group of employees, predominately university-educated. The overall median age of employees in all ministries is 42 years. On the other hand, there are certain inter-ministerial differences, as explained in detail in this paper. Based on results of the empirical research, conclusions have been drawn that may also serve as an inspiration for similar investigations in other countries of Central and Eastern Europe that address similar issues as found in the Czech Republic.

scholarly journals Stosunki rosyjsko-francuskie w przededniu podpisania paktu o nieagresji w 1932 roku w świetle polskich czynników wojskowych

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-144
Author(s):  
Tomasz Gajownik
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Central And Eastern Europe ◽  
Negotiation Process ◽  
The Other ◽  
Actual State ◽  
Bilateral Relations ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
The One ◽  
Inter State

The non-aggression pact concluded in November 1932 between France and the Soviet Union was on the one hand the peak achievement of French diplomacy in implementing the plan of strengthening influence in Central and Eastern Europe, and on the other the growing position of Moscow in the international arena. The signed document was the first inter-state agreement concluded by France and the USSR. From the perspective of the Second Polish Republic, the Franco-Soviet rapprochement could have had certain unfavorable consequences. That is why both civilian and military factors closely watched the negotiation process between both parties and tried to determine the actual state of bilateral relations.

scholarly journals Nation Branding as an Economic Challenge for the Countries of the Middle and Eeast Europe on the Example of Estonia

Equilibrium ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 49-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Raftowicz-Filipkiewicz
Keyword(s):  
Economic Policy ◽  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Central And Eastern Europe ◽  
International Competitiveness ◽  
Nation Branding ◽  
The Other ◽  
Foreign Direct Investments ◽  
National Brand ◽  
Complementary Factor

This paper presents the topic of nation branding, which is considered as a complementary factor of the traditional economic policy implemented in a given country. The concept of branding aims at creating a strong national brand for improving the brands of national products, as well as the image of the country which influences the attraction of foreign direct investments and increase the export. The example of Estonia attempts to prove that the actions for national brand changed positively the image in this country, as well as the competitiveness of the economy. For this purpose the author used the ranking of national brand and international competitiveness. The author also set as a goal to recognize if the concept of nation branding can be useful for the other countries of Central and Eastern Europe, especially Poland. The conclusion of this paper is that nation branding is an economic challenge for these countries and should be implemented as soon as possible in their strategies of country’s development.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document