Plot Clic s of Novels about “New People” in the Context of the Magazine Polemic of the 1860s and 1870s

The article considers papers and reviews by Saltykov-Shchedrin, criticizing novels about “new people”. The main focus is on the period 1868–1871 when Saltykov-Shchedrin was the main critic of the magazine “Notes of The Fatherland” (“Otechestvennye Zapiski”). The polemic between magazines “Notes of The Fatherland” and “Delo” continued the debate started by the predecessor magazines – Nekrasov’s “Sovremennik” and Blagvetlov’s “Russian word”.The purpose of the article is to identify the main plot clichés in novels about “new people” presented in reviews.Results. The main criticism expressed through the parody indicates the position of the critic towards the author. Parody is a crucial part of most reviews. The article describes the main techniques of parody: selection of plot elements that are repeated in novels about “new people”, schematization of their combinations. All this brings the plot to a common denominator with many similar plots. It also demonstrates an important point of the critic: the lack of artistry cannot be compensated for by any actual social ideas.Conclusions. By the end of the 1860s, the repetition of plot patterns and hero types in novels about “new people” was a basic feature of any plot. In the reviews, Saltykov-Shchedrin drew a fairly complete picture of the plot clichés used both in democratic literature and in the anti-nihilist novel. Parody as a reflexive response to the processes taking place in literature can be considered as a symptom of a completed phenomenon. In this case, the parody marks the end of the intense but short life of the “new people” of the 1860s.

Fast Fallback Watermark Detection Using Perceptual Hashes

Forensic watermarking is often used to enable the tracing of digital pirates that leak copyright-protected videos. However, existing watermarking methods have a limited robustness and may be vulnerable to targeted attacks. Our previous work proposed a fallback detection method that uses secondary watermarks rather than the primary watermarks embedded by existing methods. However, the previously proposed fallback method is slow and requires access to all watermarked videos. This paper proposes to make the fallback watermark detection method faster using perceptual hashes instead of uncompressed secondary watermark signals. These perceptual hashes can be calculated prior to detection, such that the actual detection process is sped up with a factor of approximately 26,000 to 92,000. In this way, the proposed method tackles the main criticism about practical usability of the slow fallback method. The fast detection comes at the cost of a modest decrease in robustness, although the fast fallback detection method can still outperform the existing primary watermark method. In conclusion, the proposed method enables fast and more robust detection of watermarks that were embedded by existing watermarking methods.

Amicus Curiae Intervention in China-ASEAN Investment Disputes: Rationale, Dilemmas and Reform Path

One main criticism levelled against the investor-state dispute settlement system (ISDS) is the existence of limited opportunities for amicus intervention. Against this backdrop, this article firstly studies what reforms regarding amicus intervention in ISDS proceedings have been put forward by China and ASEAN countries and the relevant dilemmas. Subsequently, to ensure that maximum benefits can be realised from amicus participation in ISDS proceedings in China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA), this article proposes procedures for when and how an amicus may participate in arbitral proceedings under the upcoming investment agreements, particularly the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Additionally, given the fact that the level of amicus participation in ISDS proceedings is still limited, the article suggests that China and ASEAN need to establish safeguards to provide amici with access to key arbitral documents and oral hearings. However, achieving the above objectives should not come at the expense of undermining the confidential and protected information of both disputing parties.

Una crítica a la teoría de los fallos del mercado desde la perspectiva de la Escuela Austriaca

In this paper, we present a critical analysis of the standard market failure theory, one of the most important pillars of economic interventionism. This theory justifies state interference when markets do not produce so-called optimal outcomes; being based on two fundamental concepts of neoclassical welfare economics, namely, Pareto efficiency and perfect competition. The main criticism is directed at the theoretical framework in which is based on, through the contributions of the Austrian School of Economics. To accomplish that, after revising the basics of the market failure theory, we will put forward an alternative concept of efficiency, as well as questioning the suitability of the perfect competitive model. Next, we will reconsider theoretically the traditional market failures, that is, monopolies, public goods and externalities’ problems. This analysis is accompanied by historical cases that illustrate our criticism. Key words: Market failure, welfare economics, efficiency, imperfect competition, public goods, externalities. JEL codes: B53, D60, H00. Resumen: En este trabajo se realiza un análisis crítico de la teoría tradicional de los fallos del mercado, uno de los pilares más importantes del intervencionismo económico. Esta teoría vendría a justificar la interferencia estatal en los casos en que el mercado no produce resultados óptimos; estando apoyada en dos conceptos fundamentales en la economía del bienestar neoclásica: la eficiencia paretiana y el modelo de competencia perfecta. La principal crítica se realizará al marco teórico en el que se inserta, a partir de las aportaciones de la Escuela Austriaca de Economía. Para ello, tras describir a grandes rasgos la teoría de los fallos del mercado, expondremos un concepto alternativo de eficiencia, y nos cuestionaremos la validez teórica del modelo perfectamente competitivo. A continuación, reconsideraremos desde un punto de vista teórico los fallos del mercado tradicionales, esto es: monopolios, bienes públicos y externalidades. Este análisis se acompañará de casos históricos que ilustren y apoyen nuestra crítica. Palabras clave: Fallos del mercado, economía del bienestar, eficiencia, competencia imperfecta, bienes públicos, externalidades. Códigos JEL: B53, D60, H00.

Concept of Competitive Authoritarianism and Its Criticism in Scientific Literature

The concept of competitive authoritarianism by Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way has become one of the compelling responses to the decline of the transition paradigm that used to hold optimistic expectations about democratization of political regimes that combined elements of democracy and authoritarianism. According to Levitsky and Way’s logic, the presence of an authoritarian component does not allow one to characterize such mixed regimes as democratic, and in this sense, competitive authoritarianism is still authoritarianism. At the same time, it differs from other forms of authoritarian regimes due to the non-illusory ability of the opposition to compete for the executive power. The concept of competitive authoritarianism has been widely used in the study of political regimes, but the resulting important need for a deeper understanding of its assumptions has given rise to a number of critical evaluations among the researchers. The main criticism of the opponents regards the operationalization of the concept of “competitive authoritarianism”, the historical limitations of its usage, as well as Levitsky and Way’s idea that competitive authoritarian regimes are predetermined to democratize if they maintain broad and close ties with the West that are regarded as some kind of frozen objective reality. The article attempts to bring together the critical arguments that have been expressed in the research literature against the concept of competitive authoritarianism, and thereby contribute to a more balanced reception of this concept in the domestic scientific discourse. According to the author’s conclusion, the main flaws of the concept are related to the interpretation of the reasons for the vulnerability/stability of competitive authoritarian regimes. The focus on the role of the West and the regime’s ability to control the political process ignores a number of other significant factors, including the ability of the opposition to counter the current government with some real alternative, which is especially important in the Russian context, where the absence of such an alternative is one of the key reasons for the exceptional stability of the authoritarian regime.

Consent or public reason? Legitimacy of norms applied in ASPD and COVID-19 situations

This paper extends Alan John Simmons?s conceptual distinction between Lockean (or consent) and Kantian (or justificatory) conceptions of legitimacy that he applied to the question of the legitimacy of states, to the issue of legitimacy of public decisions. I criticise the consent conception of legitimacy defended by Simmons, and I defend the Rawlsian version of the justificatory conception of legitimacy from his objection. The approach of this paper is distinctive because the two conceptions are assessed by investigating, using the method of reflective equilibrium, their respective prescriptions concerning the treatment of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and epidemiologic measures. I argue that the method of reflective equilibrium does not support the consent conception. Considering the issues of treatment of APD and of epidemiologic measures, I argue that the consent conception of legitimacy is not well-equipped for the evaluation of norms that are not strictly self-regarding. This causes a deficit of prescriptions for relevant social responses. Further, by considering the case of responses to epidemics, I argue that such a conception can avoid harmful consequences only by recurring to additional, and independent, premises. This does not cause incoherence but reduces the coherence of a normative system. Finally, the consent conception is not equipped to support social cooperation in an optimal way, which has proved to be necessary in critical conditions, like a pandemic. On the other hand, I argue that the method of reflective equilibrium supports the Rawlsian version of justificatory conception of legitimacy, because of its advantages in handling the indicated issues. In addition, I maintain that this justificatory conception is respectful of freedom and equality of agents as moral self-legislators, and, thus, it is not vulnerable to Simmons?s main criticism.

How polarized is sub-Saharan Africa? A look at the regional distribution of consumption expenditure in the 2000s

The resurgence of economic growth over the last two decades in sub-Saharan Africa has recently come under scrutiny by scholars, the main criticism being the lack of inclusiveness. While studies on inequality in sub-Saharan Africa are becoming numerous, less attention has been devoted so far to the growing polarization the region is undergoing. Polarization, as distinct from inequality, refers to the tendency of shifting away from the centre of a distribution to its tails, creating a hollowed-out middle. This paper, using a set of sub-Saharan African national household surveys, provides a first estimate of the regional expenditures’ polarization. This latter steadily increased throughout the 2000s and its growth was mainly driven by increasing polarization between countries, meaning sub-Saharan Africa tended to polarize spatially, with the Southern cone countries and some Western African countries performing above the average, and the rest of the region lagging behind.

Crisis of Socialism and Effects of Capitalist Restoration

The main criticism leveled at the socialist economies was that a planned economy was inherently less efficient than a market one, due to the sheer scale of the bureaucratic task involved with planning a major economy. But the collapse of the Soviet and later the Russian economy under Mikhail Gorbachev and then Boris Yeltsin was an economic disaster that was otherwise unprecedented during times of peace. The world's second superpower was reduced to the status of a minor bankrupt economy with a huge decline in industrial production and in living standards.

KAJIAN CSR MELALUI SUDUT PANDANG PERENCANAAN TRANSAKTIF: STUDI KASUS PERENCANAAN CSR DI INDONESIA

CSR gain local community development. However, its practice is contradictive, partially not only beneficial but also it does not bring significant benefits. CSR planning as an integration tool for the interest between corporate and local community is the main driving factor for its effectivity implementation. The article presents a communicative approach in CSR planning by combining both the concept of CSR and transactive planning. The general view that Corporate dominating CSR planning is the main criticism which causes its policy has not a significant impact. How is the conceptualization of CSR planning approach, which communicates with the beneficiary community, this article aims to reveal its understanding. The study evaluates the transactive process on CSR planning, through descriptive qualitative analysis of literature. The result proposes a CSR planning model based on transactive planning approach. The article also initiates that CSR planning is a transactive process which raised through knowledge transaction between planner and community toward towards legitimacy in increasing community support for company operations.

KAJIAN CSR MELALUI SUDUT PANDANG PERENCANAAN TRANSAKTIF: STUDI KASUS PERENCANAAN CSR DI INDONESIA

CSR gain local community development. However, its practice is contradictive, partially not only beneficial but also it does not bring significant benefits. CSR planning as an integration tool for the interest between corporate and local community is the main driving factor for its effectivity implementation. The article presents a communicative approach in CSR planning by combining both the concept of CSR and transactive planning. The general view that Corporate dominating CSR planning is the main criticism which causes its policy has not a significant impact. How is the conceptualization of CSR planning approach, which communicates with the beneficiary community, this article aims to reveal its understanding. The study evaluates the transactive process on CSR planning, through descriptive qualitative analysis of literature. The result proposes a CSR planning model based on transactive planning approach. The article also initiates that CSR planning is a transactive process which raised through knowledge transaction between planner and community toward towards legitimacy in increasing community support for company operations.