scholarly journals Structural Trends of Defence Expenditure in the Baltic Countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (1) ◽  
pp. 257-261
Author(s):  
Gitana DUDZEVIČIŪTĖ
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6916
Author(s):  
Gitana Dudzevičiūtė ◽  
Svajone Bekesiene ◽  
Ieva Meidute-Kavaliauskiene ◽  
Galina Ševčenko-Kozlovska

As geopolitical instability increases and new threats emerge, a number of countries are increasing their respective allocations for defence expenditure in order to take greater responsibility for their citizens in terms of defending and protecting their values and way of life. Small states such as Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia must evaluate certain economic, political, and strategic factors when increasing their respective defence expenditure. While they do tend to increase expenditure on national defence matters, budgetary constraints often force them to cut funding in some civilian domains or to increase their borrowing on international markets. Therefore, the security and defence of small states must be addressed in an integrated way, taking into account economic, social, and environmental factors. The aim of this article is to assess the relationships between defence expenditure and sustainable development indicators during the period between 2000 and 2018 in the Baltic states. The authors of this article aimed to determine which sustainable development indicators have a significant impact upon a country’s expenditure when it comes to defence matters. The study was conducted using econometric methods, including Spearman’s correlation analysis and Automatic Linear Modelling (ALM). The research results revealed some differences amongst the Baltic countries. In Lithuania, the employment rate and R&D personnel as a share of the active population demonstrated a significant impact upon defence expenditure. In Latvia, defence expenditure was found to be affected by disposable household income per capita and environmental taxes as a share of total tax revenue. In Estonia, defence expenditure was mainly influenced by disposable household income per capita and energy import dependency. The study’s findings may be used to ensure both the security of the country and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.


2020 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. S541
Author(s):  
L. Iakovlieva ◽  
O. Tkachova ◽  
N. Bezditko ◽  
O. Gerasymova ◽  
T. Bahlai ◽  
...  

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1009
Author(s):  
Kirill Tkachenko ◽  
Irina Kosareva ◽  
Marina Frontasyeva

Manganese, as one of the xenobionts, belongs to the group of heavy metals, which, in high concentrations, can negatively affect the development of plants. In small concentrations, it is necessary for plants for normal growth and development. It is present in soils and is available to plants to varying degrees. In acidic soils, it often acts as a toxic element, and plants do not develop well and can even die. Screening major crops for manganese tolerance is essential. Based on the analysis of the collection of barley (Hordeum L., Poaceae), the N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR) presented data that manganese-tolerant varieties and samples are concentrated in western and northern countries with a wide distribution of soils with low pH levels and high contents of mobile manganese. It follows from the diagnostic results that the maximum number of barley genotypes resistant to manganese is concentrated in Sweden, Finland, the northwestern and northern regions of the CIS countries, and the Russian Federation. In most cases, the samples tolerant to Al showed resistance to Mn as well, which is of great interest for further study of the mechanisms of plant resistance to these stressors. As a rule, samples from the northern territories—zones of distribution of acidic soils—were highly resistant. In this case, the role of the species belonging to the sample was leveled out. The highlighted areas (Scandinavia (Finland, Sweden), northern and northwestern regions of Russia, Belarus, and the Baltic countries) are sources of germplasm valuable for selection for acid resistance of barley.


2021 ◽  
pp. 89-94
Author(s):  
A.L. Arefiev ◽  
◽  

In recent years, higher educational institutions of the Baltic countries have become more and more popular among Russian youth wishing to get higher education (or take a certain course of professional training) abroad. The article, covering the period before the onset of the coronavirus epidemic, highlights the education of Russian students in universities in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. It is noted that a significant part of the students from the Russian Federation come from the Russian regions bordering on the Baltic states. The appendix presents the opinions of Russian students about the learning process and the quality of education received in Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian universities.


2021 ◽  
pp. 586-600
Author(s):  
Sebastian Rimestad

The three Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) have a varied religious history. In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, they were the last region of Europe to be Christianized. Today, they—and especially Estonia—are among the most secularized societies in the world. This is not only due to the Soviet past but also to Baltic German dominance at key moments in their history. While Lutheranism has dominated in the north (in Estonia and Latvia), the Roman Catholic Church is still the main religious player in the south (in Lithuania and parts of Latvia). Primarily due to Russian migration, the Orthodox Church also plays a significant role in Baltic affairs. There is, finally, a small but vibrant cluster of new religious movements, notably neo-pagan groups.


Author(s):  
Gunārs Lācis ◽  
Irita Kota-Dombrovska ◽  
Sarmīte Strautiņa

Abstract The structure of raspberry cultivars and genetic resources in the Baltic countries have been influenced by the historical political situation in the 20th century and climatic conditions, especially winterhardiness. The genetic resources consist of some old European and American cultivars, but mostly of cultivars and hybrids bred in Russia. Currently, targeted breeding programmes are active only in Estonia and Latvia, which aim to develop winterhardy, disease-resistant cultivars, well adapted to the local climate. Therefore, parent material for hybridisation has been chosen from local advanced hybrids and introduced cultivars suitable to the regional climatic conditions. The aim of the study was to estimate the level of genetic diversity of Rubus germplasm and assess inter-specific and intra-specific relationships using phenotypical characterisation and molecular markers. Forty one Rubus genotypes were evaluated by 41 phenotypical traits and 15 previously described SSR markers. Both characterisation approaches discovered high correspondence with pedigree and a low level of diversity. A limited amount of the diversity of raspberry genetic material has been used in various breeding programmes, despite their broad geographical origin. The obtained results indicate the need for including local wild R. idaeus plant material into breeding programmes.


2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 1017-1041
Author(s):  
Alexander Tarvid

Purpose In the context of falling demand for higher education and, in particular, doctoral studies, it is important to understand how to attract new students. The purpose of this paper is to present an analysis of the decision-making process the PhD students of Baltic universities followed when choosing whether to continue their education at doctoral level and in which institution to do it. Design/methodology/approach It uses the data gathered in 2014 from all major Baltic universities providing access to higher education at doctoral level. Findings At macro-level, the three Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) are rather different in the supply of doctoral programmes and the level and dynamics of the popularity of doctoral-level studies in the population. Besides, strong country-specific effects on the goals students pursued when they enrolled in a doctoral programme and the information about the university or the programme they found useful are observed at micro-level. The main result is related to systematic differences in the perceptions students have about the benefits they will get from a doctoral degree across the current (at doctoral level) and previous (at Bachelor’s and Master’s levels) fields of study, as well as depending on labour-market experience and family and social circle. Practical implications These findings suggest that Baltic higher education institutions should employ different marketing communication strategies when attracting new doctoral students, depending on the field of study and the country they operate in. Originality/value This is the first comprehensive study on the motivation of enrolment at doctoral level in the Baltic countries. It gives the management of Baltic universities a general picture of the motivation to get a PhD degree and factors affecting the choice of university, which can be readily incorporated into universities’ strategy.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document