Public Control of Radiation Hazardous Facilities: Experience and Results

Independent public control of nuclear facilities is aimed at raising awareness of the general public about the effectiveness of measures to protect the environment from the radiation effects. The experience and the result of interaction between specialists of the Academy of Sciences and a higher school in organizing and conducting public control by instrumental methods of the territories for the location of radiation-hazardous facilities: uranium mining sites by underground leaching, the area of the Belarusian nuclear power plant in the pre-operational period, the area of the floating nuclear power plant "Akademik Lomonosov" and the publicly accessible territory of control area of the Mayak Production Association. Such a pooling of efforts allows for the formation of new ways of obtaining reliable information for any interested public. The results of special studies characterizing the radioecological situation in the surveyed territories are presented.

Conflictological Model of Institutionalization of Economic Processes in the Agriculture

The institutional essence, structure and typology of conflicts in a market economy are determined. The components of typical conflicts have been studied, as well as analysis of the type of economic conflicts "power – business entities" in the agricultural sector. It is established that any disproportions of the socio-economic system lead, due to the relevant incidents, to the aggravation of conflict situations. It was found that the conflict situations are objectively based on the contradictions of the interests of the main groups of agents and, accordingly, the institutions of the system. The results of our research give grounds to assert that the institutional modernization of the agricultural sector is possible only if new types are prevented and the consequences of existing conflicts are reduced, which is a kind of scheme of evasion within public control. It is proved that one of the universal tools of the unobserved economy in the light of the conflict paradigm are certain types of institutional agreements, and this is a fundamentally new methodology for reflecting real processes.

Zur sozialen Logik der Tugendprobe

In a broad overview, this article examines the virtue test scenarios (›Tugendproben‹) in Arthurian romances and short narratives of the 13th and 14th centuries as well as in late medieval chivalric romance and Shrovetide plays. While literary research has mainly focused on didactic and comic moments of only two texts so far, the article aims at an underlying social structure formed by public control, rank representation, and concern for the cohesion of Arthurian society. This constellation, I argue, reflects the problem of reconciling two contradictory principles of courtly socialization: agonal competition and an assertion of virtual equality.

Investigative Journalism in Lithuania 2015–2020

The article analyzes investigative journalism in Lithuania in 2015–2020 to determine the particularity of changes in investigative journalism. Until then, only one research on investigative journalism was conducted in Lithuania, indicating that in 2015 there was no investigative journalism as a type of media in Lithuania. Although, investigative journalism is a public control tool aimed at exposing corruption and possible criminal activity. And in 2015, the first research department was established in Lithuania as part of the structure of the media. The work aims to find out how investigative journalism has changed in Lithuania during the last years 2015-2020 and to single out the essential factors that would allow to evaluate the development of investigative journalism. The article presents the author‘s model of investigative journalism and the peculiarities of the change of investigative journalism in Lithuania. It has been established that the situation of investigative journalism in Lithuania is improving, however, compared to the media systems of Western countries, it remains underdeveloped. The perception of experts on investigative journalism is revealed, the reasons for the formation of structural structures of investigative journalism, Lithuania‘s role in international investigative journalism organizations, representatives of investigative journalism are singled out and their research is carried out, research topics, areas, applied research methods

Of Sovereignty and Saints

The chapter considers what kinds of goods and services a democratic polity should furnish via donation. Donations are a well-known solution to the problem of “public goods,” goods with characteristics that prevent efficient market provision. But are all such goods equally appropriate objects of philanthropy? Common arguments fail to appreciate that part of democracy’s value lies in reserving certain decisions for collective control. Democracy, the chapter argues, makes citizens sovereign over the legislation and administration of matters of basic justice. Citizens’ interests in democratic sovereignty supply a strong reason to maintain public control over public goods that are intimately linked to fundamental rights, duties, and opportunities. The argument helps to justify and explain discomfort that many share about privately sponsored social assistance and private funding of public schools. It also indicates that philanthropy for goods more distant from basic justice—such as the arts, research, sport, and religion—may be easier to justify in democratic terms.

THE CURRENT STATE OF ENSURING HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE SUPERVISION OF THE LEGALITY OF THE EXECUTION OF CRIMINAL PENALTIES

В статье рассматривается современное состояние обеспечения прав человека при осуществлении надзора за законностью исполнения уголовных наказаний. Анализируется структура органов, реализующих обеспечение прав заключенных под стражу и осужденных, особенности ее функционирования в современных условиях. Описывается содержание реализации контроля уполномоченного по правам человека, ведомственного контроля, а также прокурорского надзора за законностью исполнения уголовных наказаний, судебного, общественного и международного контроля за местами принудительного содержания. Проводится сравнение систем обеспечения прав заключенных под стражу и осужденных в России и зарубежных государствах. Рассматриваются особенности осуществления надзора за законностью исполнения наказаний на современном этапе, взаимодействия органов прокуратуры с общественными наблюдательными комиссиями. The article examines the current state of ensuring human rights in the supervision of the legality of the execution of criminal penalties. The article analyzes the structure of the bodies that implement the rights of prisoners in custody and convicts, the features of its functioning in modern conditions. The article describes the content of the implementation of the control of the Commissioner for Human Rights, departmental control, as well as prosecutor's supervision over the legality of the execution of criminal penalties, judicial and public control over places of forced detention. The author compares the systems of ensuring the rights of prisoners in custody and convicted persons in Russia and foreign countries. The article considers the features of supervision over the legality of the execution of sentences at the present stage, the interaction of the prosecutor's office with public monitoring commissions.