What has happened and what has not happened due to the coronavirus disease pandemic: a systemic perspective on policy change

The societal and policy transformations associated with the coronavirus disease pandemic are currently subject of intense academic debate. In this paper, we contribute to this debate by adopting a systemic perspective on policy change, shedding light on the hidden and indirect crisis effects. Based on a comprehensive analysis of policy agenda developments in Germany, we find that the pandemic led to profound shifts in political attention across policy areas. We demonstrate that these agenda gains and losses per policy area vary by the extent to which the respective areas can be presented as relevant in managing the coronavirus disease crisis and its repercussions. Moreover, relying on the analysis of past four economic crises, we also find that there is limited potential for catching up dynamics after the crisis is over. Policy areas that lost agenda share during crisis are unlikely to make up for these losses by strong attention gains once the crisis is over. Crises have hence substantial, long-term and so far, neglected effects on policymaking in modern democracies.

Technology solutions for interpreters: the VIP system

Interpreting technologies have abruptly entered the profession in recent years. However, technology still remains a relatively marginal topic of academic debate, although interest in developing tailor-made solutions for interpreters has risen sharply. This paper presents the VIP system, one of the research outputs of the homonymous project VIP - Voice-text Integrated system for interPreters, and its continuation (VIP II). More specifically, a technology-based terminology workflow for simultaneous interpretation is presented.

From a Protectorate to a Member State of the European Union

The European Union was present in Kosovo even before the declaration of its independence. However, it was after 2008 and at the request of the Kosovar authorities to EU that Kosovo inaugurated a period of close ties with the organization, through the rule of law mission it launched for the country and through various programs of the European Commission, including the European Partnership Action Plan (EPAP) for Kosovo, Mechanism of the Stabilization and Association Process, and the Instrument of Pre-Accession (IPA). This chapter seeks to examine the evolution of European presence on Kosovo by analysing EULEX mission and other European instruments and the achievements by newly former states in achieving the Copenhagen criteria, contributing to the academic debate on the role of European Union aid in the new Western Balkans states for their emancipation and possible access to the organization. It also evaluates the mutualisation of responsibilities and maintenance of the European status quo in Kosovo, fostering a protectorate in an independent state.

Armutsforschung

The perception of growing social insecurities and divisions, not least due to the Covid-19 pandemic, has brought questions of social inequality and poverty back into focus. The interdisciplinary handbook addresses these new and old challenges and at the same time critically classifies and interprets current developments and manifestations of poverty. In addition to the academic debate, the handbook shows perspectives for the socio-political treatment of poverty. It serves as a comprehensive and concise reference work for practitioners, students and academics at the interface of various social science sub-disciplines. With contributions by Jan Bertram, Peter Bescherer, Petra Böhnke, Jeanette Bohr, Rita Braches-Chyrek, Antonio Brettschneider, Karl August Chassé, Michael David, Sonja Fehr, Marion Fischer-Neumann, Yvonne Franke, Natalie Grimm, Viktoria Häußermann, Maren Hilke, Dennis Homann, Ernst-Ulrich Huster, Andrea Janßen, Nora Jehles, Petra Kaps, Michael Klassen, Tanja Kleibl, Bettina Kohlrausch, Daniel Kumitz, Lutz Leisering, Sigrid Leitner, Gaby Lenz, Stephan Lessenich, Ortrud Leßmann, Stephan Lorenz, Ronald Lutz, Kai Marquardsen, Michael May, Lars Meier, Maria Pernegger, Roswitha Pioch, Ayça Polat, Martin Schenk, Karin Scherschel, Daniela Schiek, Johannes Schütte, Frank Sowa, Anne Tittor, Athanasios Tsirikiotis, Carsten G. Ullrich, Carolina Alves Vestena, Florian Vietze, Marliese Weißmann, Holger Wittig-Koppe and Janina Zölch.

Armenia, Caucaso e Asia Centrale. Ricerche 2021

Consistently with a consolidated tradition within the series «Eurasiatica», the volume aims to intercept and represent the main research trends in the academic debate about the region across the Caucasus and Central Asia unfolding in the Italian academic environment and involving both national and international scholars. In this perspective, the volume presents a series of essays that draw inspiration from papers presented in the context of the main annual conferences and conventions focused on Caucasian and Central Asian studies. Accordingly, the volume hosts contributions shaped by different disciplinary matrices, ranging from historical and philological to linguistic, literary and political studies.

Trust as a Determinant of Success in Public Diplomacy

The article investigates the concept of trust as a factor for success in public diplomacy initiatives. It explores the field through the theoretical frame of persuasive communication. First, the evolution and connotations of the term trust are examined through a broad theoretical review. Subsequently, the applications and the meaning of the phenomenon in the field of public diplomacy are analyzed. The article probes into an academic debate which has been mostly neglected by the Bulgarian scientific community. It relates to increasing the effectiveness of diplomatic actions in the public sphere by strengthening the trust in the legitimate communicator. The presented theoretical perspectives can be relevant to researchers and practitioners alike.

The Process of Recruitment of Managers: Formal Management Education or Management Experience?

In this paper we have analyzed 228 job announcements for the recruitment of managers within two online recruitment platforms most often used in Romania, named Ejobs and Indeed, regarding two important aspects: 1) recruitment of managers depending on management experience or formal management education and 2) recruitment of management graduates. The main objective is to describe the degree the practice of recruitment of managers takes into consideration the scientific advances in the management field and the formal management education. Through the mean of an archival data analysis research strategy, we found that for the recruitment of managers the companies asked almost exclusively for experience (91.2%). The companies in our sample almost did not require the management education. Only in ten announcements the recruiters asked for a formal management educational degree. Moreover, only half of companies asked for management experience (56.1%). Technical (39.4%), industry (25.2%) and working experience (7.7%) are the other types of experience valued by the recruiters. Most companies asked for management abilities, in addition to experience, however (e.g influence), but they did not require that these abilities to be formed during a formal educational program. The future manager only should possess these abilities acquired from somewhere. The paper aims to contribute to the academic debate regarding the criteria used by companies to hire managers. In addition, the paper has a strong practical orientation aiming at improving the recruitment practice of managers and equipping the companies and organizations with management teams with adequate managerial knowledge, abilities, and competences.

„Pieśń o cnych lisowskich kozakach”

[“Pieśń o cnych lisowskich kozakach” (“The Song of Noble Lisowczyks”)] The paper remembers the song “Pieśń o cnych lisowskich kozakach”, whose authorship is disputable. The song was written as part of propaganda directed at the nobility opinion opposed to the actions of the Lisowczyks. Compared with previously published editions, the present one brings out a full message of the song, collects information on the fates of the copies of the first edition and explains misunderstandings resulting from the academic debate going on since the 19th c.

Reach for the sky: analysis of behavioral competencies linked to project success

PurposeThe issue of project managers’ competencies has gained much traction in practice and more recently in academic debate. However, they have become analogous to extensive wish lists where a project manager is expected to have an exhaustive list of aptitudes and capabilities. Therefore, identifying and defining the most critical competencies for project success is urgently needed. Moreover, although the vast number of studies emphasize the significance of behavioral competencies, there is a dearth of empirical research and studies within the context of information systems (IS) are scarce. Consequently, the present study aims to investigate the influence of project manager's behavioral competencies for the successful delivery of IS projects.Design/methodology/approachThis research conducted a systematic literature review (2009–2019) of 27 relevant studies incorporating 179 competencies. The authors also collected data from 121 professional IS project managers and used regression analysis and dominance analysis to test the hypotheses proposed.FindingsThe results confirm that behavioral competencies (including leadership, communication, result orientation, emotional intelligence, ethics, creativity and motivation) are significantly and positively related to IS project success. Furthermore, the findings show that emotional intelligence (resilience, stress management and self-control), creativity (resourcefulness, creativity thinking and imagination) and ethics (transparency, honesty and integrity) are the most influential behavioral competencies for IS project success.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is among the first to use a quantitative analysis to empirically investigate project manager's behavioral competencies for project success in the IS discipline. It brings much-needed empirical evidence for the most important competencies for IS project managers.

Collective access to national courts for labour law and social policy disputes: Austria

With this paper we aimed to give an insight into Austria's labour and social security jurisdiction, notably into different forms of collective redress within this system. As the Austrian Labour and Social Courts Act provides for certain instruments of collective redress, the primary focus will be on those. The main drawback of those existing forms of collective action for labour law matters, however, is the lacking possibility for the single employee to enforce the respective judgement. Hence it can only serve as a legal test case. In that respect, instruments of Austria's general civil procedural law could present a practical alternative to the problem and thus the legal framework and ongoing academic debate about the application of those procedures is also a key part of the paper.