Is there a demand for autocracies in Europe? Comparing the attitudes of Hungarian and Italian university students toward liberal democratic values inspired by János Kornai

In the European Union right-wing and left-wing populist parties are increasingly becoming stronger. Meanwhile in Central and Eastern Europe autocracies are emerging and becoming stabilized. Italy and Hungary are two notable examples of these processes. Italy is the only country in Western Europe where a coalition of purely populist parties won an election, while Hungary has the most mature autocracy in the European Union. By using survey methodology, we examined the preferences of Hungarian and Italian students regarding the values of liberal democracy. We seek answers to the questions whether there are any significant differences between the proportion of Hungarian students and Italian students who identify themselves with the values of liberal democracy and which of these values of liberal democracy they consider to be protected values. Based on our results, we claim that students from both countries are more likely to support liberal democratic values than to support either right-wing or left-wing populist values, even if the distributions of the two groups differ significantly. We found that Italian students adhere more strongly to liberal democratic values, while Hungarians are more open to left-wing and right-wing populism. Our results confirm that in Hungary, because of the values that many people hold, conditions are conducive for establishing a sustainable autocracy, while in Italy, the demand for such a system is much weaker.

Model of a risk-based approach in the organization of control (supervision) in the field of education

The risk-based approach to the organization of state control (supervision) in Russia has been implemented for about six years. At the first stage, this model of control (supervision) was implemented by 25 different supervisory agencies. With the adoption of new legislation regulating control and supervisory activities, the risk-based model has become relevant in the field of education. There is very little experience in implementing a risk-based control (supervision) model. The supervisory agency tried to formulate the principles of such a model in a recommendatory manner to regional supervisory agencies. At the moment, in accordance with the decisions of the authorities, a model of a riskoriented approach to control and supervisory activities has been formed. However, research, incl. foreign experience shows that it can and should be improved. The authors offer their own model of a risk-oriented approach when organizing control (supervision) in the field of education, based on a more differentiated consideration by the criterion of the risk of causing harm to legally protected values.

Are the legally protected values protected?

In 2020, the concept, status, and list of legally protected values were legislatively enshrined (the values that are directly significant for all people: the life and health of people, their property in all its manifestations, personal data, animals and plants, the environment, etc.). State bodies were tasked to minimize the risk of harm to these values; therefore, state (municipal) control and supervision measures should be aimed directly at protecting these values from state-controlled risks. Undoubtedly, Russian citizens are interested both in maintaining the already existing level of protection of values that are significant to them as well as in improving this protection. Sociological surveys conducted by the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration among citizens and business representatives show that the protection of values also depends on the activities of state control and supervisory bodies. In the article, the author gives the dynamics of citizens’ assessment of the protection of these values and considers what exactly affects their security. Also, the article assesses the role of the control and supervisory activities of the state within the framework of ensuring the security of these values, shows the prospects for enhancing security, and proposes a program for increasing protection. The author believes that if we continue to conduct these surveys, then we will be able to assess the effectiveness of the current reform of control and supervisory activities from the citizens’ point of view, including the “regulatory guillotine” and its impact on the protection of the values protected by law that are significant for citizens.

A new methodology to assess landscape reserves in Lithuania

The first state reserve in Lithuania was established in 1960; however, no detailed assessments of changes in the state of the protected values therein have been performed ever since. Landscape reserves are the most complex ones and they pursue the twofold goal – to conserve the values and to use them sustainably. In order to be resilient themselves, thus contributing to broader objectives of social-ecological resilience, the reserves should be able to adapt to ever-changing social and ecological conditions in a way that supports the long-term persistence of population, communities, and ecosystems of conservation concern. Therefore, it is necessary to update information on the status of values protected in the reserves. The article addresses this need by offering a concise and user-friendly methodology for assessing the status of landscape reserves. The methodology focuses on three main components: (1) general features of the landscape structure, (2) the effectiveness of protection of values and (3) the pressures and threats they experience. Two state landscape reserves were selected for testing the applicability of the methodology: one in Vilnius city, the other 50 km to the west, in the countryside. Application of the common methodology will allow to assess the condition of landscape reserves in the country. Further development of the methodology could include evaluation of external pressures (e.g. urbanization) as well as addition of remote sensing techniques.

PREVENTION OF RISKS OF HARM TO LEGALLY PROTECTED VALUES IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF FEDERAL STATE SUPERVISION IN THE FIELD OF ROAD SAFETY AS A DIRECTION OF SUPERVISORY ACTIVITY

В статье приведены сведения о видах профилактических мероприятий и рассматриваются вопросы применения контрольно-надзорными органами в области безопасности дорожного движения Российской Федерации комплексной системы про- филактики рисковпричинения вреда охраняемым законом ценностям.

The Regulatory Guillotine as a Mechanism for Deregulation and Anti-Corruption

The article examines the implementation of the “regulatory guillotine” reform as a method of state deregulation, reduction of administrative barriers to economic activity, elimination of excessive and outdated mandatory requirements that can cause corruption risks in the interaction of regulatory authorities and business. The main aim of the study is to assess the system of state deregulation measures implemented in certain areas within the framework of the regulatory guillotine, including the development of new structures of state regulation in certain areas and types of state control (supervision), the development of new mandatory requirements in terms of ensuring the connection of mandatory requirements with potential risks of harm, damage, protected values and sources of risk. The article also aims to identify the main risks of implementing the reform. The source of empirical data was Federal Laws No. 247-FZ and 248-FZ adopted on July 31, 2020, drafts of normative legal acts containing mandatory requirements, drafts of new regulatory structures in certain areas developed by regulatory agencies and control and supervisory bodies, methodological materials, positions of scholars and economists on the prospects for the reform, foreign experience of deregulation and implementation of the regulatory guillotine in particular. The article presents the countries’ experience of implementing the regulatory guillotine (South Korea, Croatia, Kenya, and some deregulation initiatives in the USA) in order to analyze the possibility of its application in domestic practice. Based on the research, a number of conclusions are made about the implementation of the reform in terms of deregulation, institutional measures to combat corruption, the “bottlenecks” of the implementation of the reform, the risks of not achieving the goals, and possible ways to minimize them.

On the issue of an interdisciplinary approach as a way to improve the legal regulation of state veterinary supervision

The article examines the problems of legal regulation of state veterinary supervision. Based on the analysis of the legislation of the Russian Federation, the provisions of the legal doctrine and the existing experience of the Departments of the Federal service for veterinary and phyto-sanitary surveillance of the Russian Federation, it is revealed that the reduction in the level of damage to legally protected values is not yet achieved, since the number of detected offenses does not decrease, but increases. Methods for calculating the values of indicators used to assess the severity of potential negative consequences of possible noncompliance with mandatory requirements and the probability of non-compliance have not yet been approved for veterinary supervision. The article outlines a possible way to solve the identified problems associated with in interdisciplinary approach, in particular, using the achievements of such Sciences as computer science and mathematics to improve the legal regulation of state veterinary supervision.