scholarly journals Spanish Economy under COVID-19: Anamnesis and Prospects for Recovery

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-49
Author(s):  
K. Nikulin
Keyword(s):  
Interest Rates ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
World Order ◽  
Spanish Economy ◽  
Competition And Cooperation ◽  
External Demand ◽  
Personal Consumption ◽  
General Elections ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Supranational Institutions

In 2019, Spanish economy maintained the post-crisis growth rates of the 2010s’ second half, although they were slightly lower than the average for the last period due to both, political and economic factors. The political uncertainty fueled by the necessity in holding four general elections in 2018–2019 has slowed down the search for consensus on reforming the country’s financial system. The decline in domestic demand reflected the evolution of personal consumption and investment, while the contribution of external demand was attributable to a slowdown in imports and slightly stronger exports. Low inflation and almost zero interest rates in banks also provided a favorable situation. By the end of the first quarter of 2020, the generally positive economic outlook was largely undermined by the global economic crisis caused by the COVID 19 pandemic which affected humanity in all socio-economic aspects. In the short term, the decline in Spain’s GDP and overall business activity is unprecedented since the country’s democratic transition that started on 20 November 1975. Even the vibrant Spanish foreign economic sector was tied: both external and internal demand for almost any economy in the world was in an equal crisis state with the start of the pandemic. Many factors analyzed point to a more precarious position in Spain compared to other countries. The Bank of Spain expects the Spanish GDP to fall by double digits in 2020 and it looks like the most realistic scenario. The article analyzes the economic situation in Spain by the beginning of the COVID 19 pandemic, examines the reaction of the national economy to the coronavirus, the individual measures of the Spanish government and the supranational institutions of the EU to combat the pandemic are analyzed, as well as a forecast regarding the post-crisis future of the country’s economy is given. Acknowledgements. The article was prepared within the project “Post-crisis world order: challenges and technologies, competition and cooperation” supported by the grant from Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation program for research projects in priority areas of scientific and technological development (Agreement № 075-15-2020-783).

COVID-19 Pandemic as a Challenge to Franco-German Leadership in the EU

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (8) ◽  
pp. 72-80
Author(s):  
P. Timofeev ◽  
M. Khorolskaya
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
World Order ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The South ◽  
East European ◽  
Competition And Cooperation ◽  
Development Agreement ◽  
Crisis Plan ◽  
The Eu

The study is focused on the COVID 19 pandemic as a challenge for Franco-German leadership in the European Union. The authors investigate whether joint actions by Berlin and Paris can strengthen the EU’s resilience to crises. As it is shown, the first isolationist reaction of the EU states to pandemic was followed by their attempts to find a common decision. The negotiations on an anti-crisis plan were complicated by the division of the European Union states into opposing camps. Two projects proposed by them – the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) and the “coronabonds” – reflected the narrow interests of rich, frugal “Northern” and economically modest “Southern” groups, and failed. In contrast, the Franco-German cooperation became a breakthrough. In March-April 2020, Germany and France opposed each other, supporting ESM and coronabonds, respectfully. In May-June 2020, A. Merkel and E. Macron agreed to a compromise and came up with a unified position. While Germany left “frugal” group by agreeing to allocate money to support the “South” without insisting on mandatory reforms, and endorsed the idea of joint debt obligations, France refused to support the “Southern” coronabond project and agreed to the mediation of the EU Commission. That gave new breath to negotiations where a new regrouping of countries took place: the “South” states failing to defend coronabonds supported the Franco-German plan based on subsidies, while the “frugals” put forward an alternative based on loans. The EU Commission’s project which included both proposals was discussed in July 2020: at that moment, the Franco-German tandem backed by the “South” states had to persuade both the “frugal” and the East- European states. Finally, the EU Commission’s plan promoted by Merkel and Macron was adopted, though with serious adjustments. The authors conclude that the Franco-German alliance has confirmed its capability to strengthen the European Union resilience, but its leadership is no longer unconditional, and in the future, they should take into account the interests of the EU regional groups. Acknowledgments. The article was prepared within the project “Post-Crisis World Order: Challenges and Technologies, Competition and Cooperation” supported by the grant from Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation program for research projects in priority areas of scientific and technological development (Agreement № 075-15-2020-783).

scholarly journals The European Missile Defense Factor in Russia–USA/NATO Relations

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (10) ◽  
pp. 103-111
Author(s):  
V. Klimov
Keyword(s):  
Data Exchange ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
World Order ◽  
Nuclear Forces ◽  
Defense System ◽  
Missile Defense ◽  
White House ◽  
Competition And Cooperation ◽  
The Usa ◽  
History Of

The article analyses the issue of the NATO missile defense development and the evolution of views in the Russian political, military and expert circles. In 2009, the U. S. President Baraсk Obama declared a start of the NATO missile defense system construction with a goal to be able to intercept a limited nuclear strike from Iran. Russia is in doubt about the stated purpose of the European missile defense and considers it to be a threat to its own strategic nuclear forces. The European missile defense construction has been experiencing technical obstacles and political difficulties: the cancellation of deployment of interceptor SM‑3 IIB and delays in establishing operational capability of the Aegis Ashore land-based missile defense system in Poland. The current architecture of the NATO missile defense, which allows only to intercept a limited number of incoming warheads, has no significant impact on Russian retaliatory strike capability. Nevertheless, the missile defense in Europe remains an irritating factor in relations between Russia and the USA. Apparently, Biden’s arrival in the White House creates an opportunity for parties to address the issue during negotiations on the New START follow-on Treaty. The research addresses the history of Russia–USA–NATO cooperation on theatre missile defense and the reasons for the failure of the joint missile defense in Europe. The author justifies the reanimation of the Joint Data Exchange Center project and outlines the idea of its transformation to the Multilateral Data Exchange Center. Acknowledgments. The article was prepared within the project “Post-crisis world order: challenges and technologies, competition and cooperation” supported by the grant from Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation program for research projects in priority areas of scientific and technological development (Agreement № 075-15-2020-783).

scholarly journals The Main German Parties Ahead of the 2021 Bundestag Elections

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (9) ◽  
pp. 25-33
Author(s):  
M. Khorolskaya
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
World Order ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Competition And Cooperation ◽  
Electoral Support ◽  
Angela Merkel ◽  
Development Agreement ◽  
The Right ◽  
Alternative For Germany

The article is devoted to changes in the party-political system of Germany. Elections to the Bundestag are to be held in Germany on September 26. After 16 years of the leadership, Angela Merkel will not run for chancellor. Currently, the main German political parties face challenges. Major parties lose electoral support. The emergence of a new party, the “Alternative for Germany”, split votes, and makes it difficult to form a coalition. Parties should also overcome internal split and find their identity in a changing world. An analysis of the electoral programmes revealed that German political parties seek to return to traditional identity. CDU/CSU moves to the right, seeking to win back the AfG supporters. SPD and FDP in their electoral documents also appeal to their traditional electorate. The AfG’s nomination of lead candidates supported by the right wing of the party also indicates that the “Alternative for Germany” will move towards radical right-wing positions. The Left Party comes out with radical leftist demands, which limits the possibility of its entry into the coalition. The most successful is the Green Party’s electoral strategy. Party leaders abandoned radical demands of their predecessors. Greens advocate a citizen-supported climate program, but pay attention to the economic viability of reforms. According to polls, the black-green coalition (CDU/CSU and Union 90/Greens) seems the most likely. However, in the course of coalition negotiations, the parties may face difficulties in finding a compromise on tax policy and environmental reforms. At the same time, the parties have no significant contradictions on the foreign policy agenda (with the exception of a number of specific issues). Acknowledgments. The article was prepared within the project “Post-Crisis World Order: Challenges and Technologies, Competition and Cooperation” supported by the grant from Ministry of science and higher education of the Russian Federation program for research projects in priority areas of scientific and technological development (Agreement № 075-15-2020-783).

scholarly journals Adolescent Eco-Activism in Crisis

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
pp. 107-118
Author(s):  
A. Korotkova
Keyword(s):  
Information Technologies ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
World Order ◽  
Competition And Cooperation ◽  
Internet Resources ◽  
New Information ◽  
Generational Identity ◽  
The Media ◽  
Development Agreement ◽  
Coronavirus Infection

Received 09.12.2020. The article analyzes the activities of the adolescent environmental community “Fridays For Future” in the context of the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The school climate activist movement was initiated in 2018 in Sweden by 15-year-old Greta Thunberg. It has actively been gaining momentum during the two years of its existence. Thanks to the attention of the media and leading international organizations, it has acquired worldwide fame. But in 2020, due to the spread of coronavirus infection, the FFF was forced to pass the first serious test of strength. In the context of quarantine, it has lost two of its most important components. First, the increased interest of the media, which focused on covering a new burning topic, has dried up. Secondly, street demonstrations, which were the main method of the activists’ struggle, were banned. The author of the article explores actions and new ways of activity that the members of the “Fridays For Future” have adapted to their goals. As a source base for this research, the Internet resources of the movement are investigated which have been developed quite well during its existence. In addition to this network of information, the materials of the mass media that continued to monitor the activities of young climate fighters were also reviewed. In addition, the works of other researchers studying the FFF movement are involved, unfortunately, not many, since the topic is relatively new. The article concludes about the ability of such type of associations as the “Fridays For Future” to maintain stability in crisis situations. This is facilitated by the features of their network device, as well as the generational identity of their participants. The main core of the movement is young students, whose representatives have mastered the new information technologies perfectly. Thanks to this fact, they are able to quickly adjust their methods and software settings, while generally maintaining a common commitment to their goals. Acknowledgements. The article was prepared within the project “Post-Crisis World Order: Challenges and Technologies, Competition and Cooperation” supported by the grant from Ministry of science and higher education of The Russian Federation program for research projects in priority areas of scientific and technological development (Agreement № 075-15-2020-783).

“Sound Finances”: Strategy or Soundbite

2017 ◽  
Vol 241 ◽  
pp. R13-R32
Author(s):  
Michael McMahon
Keyword(s):  
Interest Rates ◽  
Government Debt ◽  
Economic Situation ◽  
Public Finances ◽  
General Elections ◽  
Political Choices ◽  
Balanced Budget ◽  
The Government

A defining feature of (at least) the last three general elections has been the emphasis placed on each political party's fiscal credibility and their ability to deliver “sound public finances”. Applying the logic of household book-keeping, balancing the fiscal budget is said to capture such soundness. There is, however, little evidence that a balanced budget is necessarily sound. Instead, the evolution of public finances depends on (1) both the fiscal choices made on the level of spending and taxation, (2) the underlying growth of the economy which depends on far more than the fiscal decisions, and (3) interest rates on government debt and the financing needs of the government. As the economic situation changes, so too does the likely path of debt to GDP and hence the possible fiscal options open to a country. Sticking to the soundbite of “sound finances” has often distracted from the underlying menu of political choices and as such is a disruptive narrative in UK economics today.

scholarly journals Social Media, Peer Surveillance, Spiritual Formation, and Mission: Practising Christian Faith in a Surveilled Public Space

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 517-532
Author(s):  
Bex Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Public Space ◽  
Spiritual Formation ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Digital Culture ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Online Spaces ◽  
The Individual

Social media has become a part of everyday life, including the faith lives of many. It is a space that assumes an observing gaze. Engaging with Foucauldian notions of surveillance, self-regulation, and normalisation, this paper considers what it is about social and digital culture that shapes expectations of what users can or want to do in online spaces. Drawing upon a wide range of surveillance research, it reflects upon what “surveillance” looks like within social media, especially when users understand themselves to be observed in the space. Recognising moral panics around technological development, the paper considers the development of social norms and questions how self-regulation by users presents itself within a global population. Focusing upon the spiritual formation of Christian users (disciples) in an online environment as a case study of a community of practice, the paper draws particularly upon the author’s experiences online since 1997 and material from The Big Bible Project (CODEC 2010–2015). The research demonstrates how the lived experience of the individual establishes the interconnectedness of the online and offline environments. The surveillant affordances and context collapse are liberating for some users but restricting for others in both their faith formation and the subsequent imperative to mission.

scholarly journals Social Challenges of the Digital Economy: Russia in a Global Context

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (9) ◽  
pp. 14-24
Author(s):  
E. Sadovaya
Keyword(s):  
Global Economy ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
High Growth ◽  
World Order ◽  
Digital Economy ◽  
Digital Transformation ◽  
Growth Potential ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Soviet Period ◽  
Labor Resources

The subject of the research is the challenges of the digital economy for the employment sector in Russia. The need to reduce costs in the face of a deteriorating situation in the global economy is a factor in accelerating the digital transformation of employment in the country. The transformation is carried out through the automation of the main business processes, as well as through the development of platform employment formats. Specific features of the process of digital transformation of employment form the shape of the development of the Russian labor market in the post- Soviet period. Its main factor was the country’s entry into the global system of division of labor, which led to the formation of the modern structure of employment. The economy of Russia, recognized as raw material, turned out to be “commercial” in terms of employment, since it was this industry that created the bulk of jobs during that period. The commerce sector, which had high growth potential in the early 1990s in Russia, provided jobs for all those labor resources that were released from the industry. However, at the moment this source has been exhausted. Digitalization threatens the most labor-intensive sectors of the Russian economy. Commerce turns out to be the first industry to undergo automation and digitalization of jobs. At the same time, the most massive professions (accountants, bank employees, HR specialists, salesmen, cashiers, couriers, security guards, secretaries, packers, call center workers, drivers) are under the threat of “disappearance”, while new ones in demand by the market are more likely “unique” and they are mostly associated with robotization, digitalization and biotechnology. The unmet demand for these professions is a reflection of the complexities of training highly qualified interdisciplinary specialists and not a physical shortage of labor resources, and this is a serious challenge for the vocational education system. The study aims to gain a deeper understanding of the processes taking place in the social and labor sphere in Russia, to create a conceptual basis for the development of a socio-economic policy of the state that adequately responds to the challenges of the digitalization of the economy. Acknowledgements. The article was prepared within the project “Post-crisis world order: challenges and technologies, competition and cooperation” supported by the grant from Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation program for research projects in priority areas of scientific and technological development (Agreement № 075-15-2020-783).

scholarly journals Scientific and technological basis of the new world order

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimir Victorovich Ivanov
Keyword(s):  
New World ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
World Order ◽  
New World Order ◽  
Technological Basis ◽  
Post Industrial ◽  
Scientific And Technological Development

The problems of transition to a new world order are investigated. The post-industrial and post-capitalist scenarios of development are considered. It is shown that scientific and technological development is the basis of global transformations. The laws of scientific and technological development are outlined

scholarly journals THE PROBLEM OF MODERN TV-HERO'S MORAL QUALITIES

2020 ◽  
pp. 50-54
Author(s):  
M. I. Korobko
Keyword(s):  
Mass Culture ◽  
World Order ◽  
Young Generation ◽  
Social Functions ◽  
World Crisis ◽  
Moral Boundaries ◽  
Tv Shows ◽  
Teaching Function ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Global World

The article is an effort to analyze the image of the modern television hero. Who is he? A hero or a villain? The analysis of modern protagonists is given through ethical and film theories. The problem of clarity of moral boundaries is very important in the light of the trend, which popularizes villains as normal people in modern storytelling, moral boundaries are blurring because of attraction of such heroes. According to Chapman scholars, the functions of modern "bad boy" as an architype are: a) bad boys have the strength to give us freedom at the personal and societal levels; b) a bad boy with a critical view of society can emancipate us on both personal and societal levels; c) bad boy's criticism can lead him to become isolated or withdrawn on a personal level or become a leader of resistance and rebellion on a societal level; d) the comedic bad boy parallels the evils of society and can shed a critical light on what is happening, which in turn can express the need for resistance as well as encourage the individual to retreat from social functions and live in an isolated manner. The complexity of people implies the bad boy limitless in determination because the bad boy appears in many shapes. Many modern heroes in movies and tv-shows are morally ambivalent, they combine features of Hero and Trickster archetypes and become bad boys and girls who question the very essence of our world order. Today there are so many characters like this in mass-culture (tv-series, movies and cartoons) because we live in time of the global world crisis and our culture reflects this, our heroes demonstrate us our problems and try to find a solution. And sometimes the classic understanding of morality can't help us and we are trying to solve the problems through immoral actions. Villains are attractive through their rebellion. Today we can't find clarity of moral boundaries in tv-shows. But it's very important. The influence of series and movies on the young generation is enormous. Cinematography in all forms (cinema and television) is very powerful ethical instrument. And it is not just the mirror of human morality but it has a teaching function too.

scholarly journals FDI in Multi-brand Retailing in India: Comparative study with China

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dr. Anuradha Jain
Keyword(s):  
Growth Potential ◽  
Retail Sector ◽  
Individual Consumer ◽  
Whole Process ◽  
Chinese Model ◽  
Personal Consumption ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
The Government ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Individual

Retailing is the interface between the producer and the individual consumer buying for personal consumption. As such, retailing is the last link that connects the individual consumer with the manufacturing and distribution chain. Indian retail industry is one of the sunrise sectors with huge growth potential. However, in spite of the recent developments in retailing and its immense contribution to the economy, retailing continues to be the least evolved industries and the growth of organised retailing in India has been much slower as compared to rest of the world. This paper captures the existing retail scenario in India with regard to organized and un-organized retail and presents the limitations of the current set-up along with the experiences of domestic players. The paper discusses about opening up of the multibrand retail sector to foreign direct investment by the government. The rationale for retail reforms and challenges to be addressed by the retail sector are discussed. FDI in Retail is like an allopathic medicine It would deliver quick results & would not work as hit & trial like Homeopath. Government must go for Policy Mix to avoid its side effects. It will require various changes in internal policies also. The whole process must be made socially & economically useful.It will be better to follow the Chinese model of caution and hurrying slowly. China took over 12years to liberalise its FDI regime and in stages with reversals as well. The Chinese retail environment is 20years ahead of us. Looking at their market today can give us a rough idea of how FDI in multi brand retail in India might pan out in the medium term and long term period.

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