The Roving Other: Shepherds, Ungovernable Spaces, and Imperial Authority in First-Millennium Mesopotamia

Much of the literature on pastoralists and empire concerns mobile tribes and often focuses on imperial schemes of resettlement, or tribal thwarting of state initiatives. This submission argues that in mid-first-millennium BCE Babylonia, large bureaucratic temples stood between the imperial state and Babylonia’s mobile class of shepherds. This article then explores this dynamic further, focusing on the use of administrative information as a point of imperial contestation, examining issues of local control and clashing hierarchies as the shepherds served an imperial obligation in the Mesopotamian hinterland, and finally argues that the pastoral dynamic presented here is of a piece with the larger political role of the temple in Babylonian life—both urban, familiar, and central and at the same time distant, other-like, and enigmatic.

Role of State Feminism in Reducing Gender Lag: A Study of Pakistan

State is considered to be the custodian of rights of vulnerable segments like women. Neo liberal ideology advocates women's participation in the economic arena, yet it resists state role in the economic sphere for protection of the "second" gender. State role for protection of women is equally intolerable for the custodians of tradition. Ideology of state feminism believes that interest articulation for the protection of women must be done on the system/state level. The paper aims to reflect on the state's role in eliminating the prevalent gender lag in the context of cultural and economic lag between regions and classes? The qualitative methodology of "gap analysis" is employed. The study is based on data analysis of Pakistan's performance on Sustainable Development Goals and Global Gender Gap index2021. The core finding of the study is that though the equality/equity between genders is still an imagined reality yet state initiatives are the first steps from baseline.

National Innovation System: Construction in Progress

The article examines the evolution of the innovation system in Russia over the past years, based on international data. A comparative analysis of the strengths is carried out and development problems are shown, among which the main attention is paid to the low degree of connectedness of the main actors: science, education, the business sector and the state. In recent years, numerous state initiatives have been undertaken with the purpose to place Russia among the countries - world leaders in the field of science, technology and innovation. The strengths of Russia have been and remain the quality of human capital (secondary and tertiary education) and the knowledge creation (number of researchers, number of patents).Opportunities for transforming generated knowledge into innovative goods and services are limited by the low quality of regulatory and political institutions and weak interaction of individual elements of the innovation system

Conceptual and model support for the development of an innovative-active university

The monograph is devoted to the development of theoretical-methodical and model- information basis for the construction of innovative- active HEI on the basis of autonomy of its activities, quality of education, anti-corruption. Trends in the modernization of the world system of higher education have been identified, a study of the phenomenon of "autonomous, innovative- active university" has been conducted, and a list of factors influencing the increase in the competitiveness of individual HEIs has been formed. Based on the analysis of the legislative basis and state initiatives, the opportunities for the development of an innovative-active university (IAU) have been identified. The stratification of HEI of Ukraine according to the level of their educational, scientific and technical, innovative and international activities was carried out. Conceptual and methodological bases of IAU construction are developed, the mechanism of its functioning is formed and conceptual bases of formation of system of corporate management of rendering of HEI educational services on the principles of counteraction of corruption are offered. Recommended for researchers, professionals in education, economics, information management and protection, teachers, graduate students and students of higher education institutions.

A Privileged Minority at their Desks

The Catholic Church and the State supported each other in their pursuit of their respective interests in schooling in Ireland. That was particularly so in relation to the secondary school curriculum. The interest of the Church was in maintaining an all-pervasive religious atmosphere justified by reference to its overt aim of using the schools as an instrument for enhancing ‘the salvation of souls’. Concurrently, it supported successive governments in the pronounced emphasis they placed on promoting the Irish language and Gaelic culture, including through the secondary schools. Further, on occasions when it perceived State initiatives in that domain over-zealous failure to have them implemented was due primarily to the Church having the upper hand in the partnership. At the same time, tension never spilled over into displays of public acrimony. A desire on the part of both institutions not to jeopardize the promotion of the intellectual and emotional development of students only in a very narrow sense served to maintain harmony, as it facilitated the deeper interest of both institutions in maintaining their power among the majority of the population.

Trends of Academic Mobility in Russia: Statistical Analysis and Forecasting

Introduction. Currently, the competitiveness of universities is determined by their level of internationalization, which cannot be imagined without academic mobility. This is reflected in world university rankings. Russian universities do not occupy leading positions in these ratings; they are losing their role in the global educational space. Today, it is necessary to make prompt, constructive decisions that contribute to the growth of academic mobility, however, the development of measures in this area is not possible without prospective estimates of indicators characterizing both the development of the internationalization of higher education and growth quality of education. In this regard, the purpose of the presented article is to build predictive scenarios for academic mobility in Russia. Materials and Methods. The research employs statistical methods of time series analysis and forecasting. Prospective values of the number of foreign citizens from various countries studying at Russian universities were obtained on the basis of exponential functions and adaptive forecasting methods. The choice of the model with the best forecast values is based on a formal-logical analysis coupled with a comparison of the main characteristics of accuracy and quality. Results. The article presents predictive scenarios of academic mobility in Russia: regressive, conservative, moderately optimistic. The obtained forecast results determine the possibilities of increasing the competitiveness of Russian education and improving the position of Russian universities in the world rankings only if highquality digital education is formed and developed on the basis of an infrastructure that ensures high technical reliability. Discussion and Conclusion. The proposed methodology and assessments of the prospective values of the targets for the growth of university academic mobility not only substantiate the expansion of the possibilities of using adaptive forecasting methods, which determines the scientific contribution of the study conducted by the authors, but can also be taken into account when adjusting/updating the planned values of indicators introduced into state initiatives to stimulate internationalization of Russian higher education, which points to the high practical importance of this article.

MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION MODELS IN ELECTRICAL CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE (EXAMPLE OF KEY COUNTRIES: USA AND CHINA)

Несмотря на существующие государственные инициативы, одним из факторов, сдерживающих развитие электротранспорта в России, является низкий уровень развития электрозарядной инфраструктуры. В данном контексте актуально изучить успешный опыт построения и внедрения моделей функционирования электрозарядной инфраструктуры и управления ею на примере наиболее развитых по данному направлению стран. Целью статьи является исследование моделей функционирования инфраструктуры для электромобилей и управления ею, применяемых в США и Китае, выявление характерных особенностей, преимуществ и недостатков с целью формирования наиболее оптимальных условий для построения российской модели электрозарядной инфраструктуры. Элементы научной новизны заключаются в обобщении и систематизация практического опыта применения моделей функционирования электрозарядной инфраструктуры и управления ею. Despite existing state initiatives, one of the factors limiting the development of electric transport in Russia is the low level of development of electric charging infrastructure. In this context, it is relevant to study the successful experience of building and implementing models for the management and operation of electric charging infrastructure on the example of the most developed countries in this area. The purpose of the article is to study models of infrastructure management and functioning for electric vehicles used in the USA and China, to identify characteristic features, advantages and disadvantages in order to form the most optimal conditions for building a Russian model of electric charging infrastructure. Elements of scientific novelty are the synthesis and systematization of practical experience in the application of models of control and operation of electric charging infrastructure.

Energy Solutions, Neo-Liberalism, and Social Diversity in Toronto, Canada

In response to the dominance of green capitalist discourses in Canada’s environmental movement, in this paper, we argue that strategies to improve energy policy must also provide mechanisms to address social conflicts and social disparities. Environmental justice is proposed as an alternative to mainstream environmentalism, one that seeks to address systemic social and spatial exclusion encountered by many racialized immigrants in Toronto as a result of neo-liberal and green capitalist municipal policy and that seeks to position marginalized communities as valued contributors to energy solutions. We examine Toronto-based municipal state initiatives aimed at reducing energy use while concurrently stimulating growth (specifically, green economy/green jobs and ‘smart growth’). By treating these as instruments of green capitalism, we illustrate the utility of environmental justice applied to energy-related problems and as a means to analyze stakeholders’ positions in the context of neo-liberalism and green capitalism, and as opening possibilities for resistance.

Energy Solutions, Neo-Liberalism, and Social Diversity in Toronto, Canada

In response to the dominance of green capitalist discourses in Canada’s environmental movement, in this paper, we argue that strategies to improve energy policy must also provide mechanisms to address social conflicts and social disparities. Environmental justice is proposed as an alternative to mainstream environmentalism, one that seeks to address systemic social and spatial exclusion encountered by many racialized immigrants in Toronto as a result of neo-liberal and green capitalist municipal policy and that seeks to position marginalized communities as valued contributors to energy solutions. We examine Toronto-based municipal state initiatives aimed at reducing energy use while concurrently stimulating growth (specifically, green economy/green jobs and ‘smart growth’). By treating these as instruments of green capitalism, we illustrate the utility of environmental justice applied to energy-related problems and as a means to analyze stakeholders’ positions in the context of neo-liberalism and green capitalism, and as opening possibilities for resistance.

Echolocating the Social: Silence, Voice, and Affect in China's Hundred Flowers and Anti-Rightist Campaigns, 1956–58

What is the catalytic element that brings about widespread participation in a mass campaign? Is it ideology? Self-interest? Emotional states of fear, hatred, or love? Taking into account the recent proliferation of sound studies approaches to the history of the People's Republic of China, this article explores this question through the sonic experience of the campaign. Previous studies of the soundscapes of the Mao era have focused upon state initiatives of sound-borne propaganda and their role in the transmission of revolutionary ideas. Using a case study of the Hundred Flowers and Anti-Rightist campaigns of 1956–58, I examine the reception of such propaganda with a focus on silence, sound, and voice and their affective qualities. Through the use of diaries, memoirs, contemporary newspapers, and interviews, I explore the extra-linguistic aspects of the campaign to ask what, outside of revolutionary words and emotions, brought the subjects of a campaign from silence to vocal participation.