The Global Economic Impact of Terrorism

In general, when analyzing the costs of armed conflict, the literature most often relates to civil wars or interstate conflicts. The moment of September 11, 2001 marked the beginning of a new concern in the economy, namely the economic cost of terrorism. Terrorism is a form of conflict in which acts of violence are directed at non-combatants or civilians who are usually unrelated to the political target of the group that committed it. This article analyzes existing data on the costs of terrorist acts that are committed by non-state parties or subnational groups. In this article, we will also look at the impact that terrorism has on the world economy (including both developed and underdeveloped states). We will find that although it has a significant impact on the global economy, the most devastating effects of violence are felt by underdeveloped economies whose poverty and inequality do not allow for a rapid and sustained response to terrorism.

The Influence of Musically Gifted on the Development of Language Competences

Cognitive processes related to children involved in music are directly related to other cognitive processes in the brain because music is known to directly or indirectly affect many mental processes, but we still don't have evidence of how and in which way this process takes place. Since the paper deals with influence of musically gifted students on the development of language competencies, in the theoretical elaboration of the paper we will try to analyze and compare musical intelligence in relation to linguistic intelligence. The empirical part of the paper will present the results of research on the process of mastering language competencies among students going to gymnasium who are musically gifted and attend music education in relation to other students.

An Analysis of Some of the Factors that Affect the Role of Party Leaders in Election Campaigns in Albania

In recent election campaigns in Albania, whether general or local, party leaders have become increasingly important. There is a dominance of party leaders in political communication in an electoral campaign. Increasingly the media focus is on leading individuals, neglecting parties and collective identities. Political leaders now serve as a shortcut to informing the electorate. But why does this happen? Is this a feature of the Albanian electoral reality or a trend and influence from developed democracies? What are some of the specific circumstances in the country that enabled this change? Is it a demand from the electorate or an imposition on it? What role does media play in this regard? These and other matters related to it such as: how the party leaders are elected, internal party democracy issues, the methods and tactics of campaign organization, the role of electoral rules and the type of electoral system, etc. shall be briefly addressed in this paper, which is based on observations and analysis of three election campaigns, two general elections (2017 - 2021) and one local (2015).

Acceptance of Violence and Its Concomitants Among Students from Three Types of Schools in Pakistan

The aim of the study was to investigate associations between acceptance of violence and victimisation from physical punishment by teachers, self-esteem, and psychological concomitants among students from three school systems in Pakistan. A questionnaire was completed by 550 girls, and 550 boys. The mean age for girls was 13.3 years, and for boys 14.1. Boys accepted violence significantly more than girls. Students in Urdu Medium schools accepted violence significantly more than students in the Madrassa, and students in English Medium schools accepted it significantly least of all. In English Medium schools, girls accepted violence significantly more than boys, in Urdu Medium schools there was no sex difference, and in the Madrassa, boys accepted it significantly more than girls. Respondents who scored higher than average on acceptance of violence scored significantly higher on victimisation from physical punishment by teachers, anxiety, depression, and hostility, and had significantly lower self-esteem.

Spiritual Resilience and Transactional Analysis Model – Holistic Paradigm for Facing a Global Crisis

Faced with the challenge of Covid pandemic, the world will change its existence forever. In such circumstances of the common global crisis, humanity will form new narratives between suffering and survival. From the positioning to this experience, it will depend on whether it will remain a trauma or the deepest inner resources will be activated by building “new personal relationships” on a transpersonal level, and by forming a new alliance, versus the current alienation from nature and the planet. Spiritual resilience is the dimension of the overall mental framework, besides the cognitive, emotional and neurobiological one. This paper postulates the preventive, co-creative, and salutogenic capacity of this essential potential of one’s spiritual self even in the most painful and stressful life events. It offers the models based on Christian psychotherapy and Transactional analysis in re-emerging one’s inner power in forming adaptive coping mechanism and well-being. Within the TA we operate with the classical approach and two dimensions: intrapersonal and interpersonal and in the domain of spiritual TA- transcedental level regarding the cor self. Christian psychotherapy offers the union of the Holy Eucharist as a pastoral dimension of unity and the individual ascetic discipline through the FCP Method. Expanding the frame of reference – from the narrow anthropocentric to the wider and unlimited theocentric model – such a holistic approach can be successfully applied to all organized forms: family, organizations, and global community, thus creating a strong, aware, and compassionate society.

Decentralization of Government Functions, a European Principle of the Albanian Modernization Process: A libertarian approach to territorial issues

Albania, for 30 years, has entered the phase of transition from a society organized into a one-party central governing regime to a democratic society of a free market economy. But the pace of moving in this direction and modernizing the country is not the expected one, because the centralized proclamations of the political elite and expertise have not allowed liberal approaches to enter Albanian legislation and governing practices. This has been the case in particular in the sector of territorial planning, where central governments have aimed and managed to not allow the actual decentralization of the governing function of drafting and adopting local territorial planning instruments. This has resulted in a shortage of local instruments, in general, but even when managed to ensure they are presented far beyond the needs, problems and objective local imbalances. This is because their distance mapping from the actual municipality for which they were designed failed to recognize the specifics and characteristics of each of them. The result has been evident; in both cases, planning has been inexistent to drive sustainable, smart and inclusive urban development processes. In this paper we aim to build another approach for future development in Albania, a country which aims at integration into the European Union. This path should be development based on previously adopted territorial planning instruments, drawn up in democratic and parliamentary processes as a local political activity. Central government must understand and accept the new and different role than the one it played 30 years ago in territorial development issues, and that the process of drafting and adopting local territorial planning instruments should be a function of local government itself.

Examining the Deliquescence of Lithium Salts and Those of Other Alkali Metals Through a Range of Humidity

It is well known that lithium chloride is able to extract moisture from the ambient air. Our research in this area has examined a variety of lithium salts for their ability to do so, as well as their counterparts containing sodium and potassium. Additionally, we have made and utilized chambers that allow us to examine deliquescence of these salts in conditions of various humidity. We will present the results, and how these experiments can be adapted to the teaching of laboratory courses.

Applied Research in the Production of a Genre Film: Production Design and Realization of a School Movie

The production of a film for research purposes (film based research) is a growing qualitative scientific research method, applied in many scientific fields. The researcher of the film based research is an active part of the process, aiming at formulating questions and disputes rather than seeking answers. The object of the research is located in the cinematic production of a fiction film belonging to the genre of School Movies, in combination with the application of the auteur theory. The results of the present study highlight the importance of the personality of the researcher, who should balance between scientific principles and the needs and requirements of film production.

Political Borders Are Not Natural Orders – The COVID-19 Pandemic in Frankfurt on the Main and Its Refugees

The overall aim of this paper will be to stick to the previous researchers to get valid and impartial data from the most international city of Germany: Frankfurt on the Main. However, this research paper will try to provide answers by comparing war situations (object) where curfews are at daily basis impact on lives of people, who become gradually refugees (subject). In the recent years many refugees found their way to the global city of Frankfurt and its region of Rhine-Main. In these days if talking about the situation of the visible shutdown, lockdown and the strictly forbidden laws for an overall betterment of life, refugees have a tendency to explain to the native people about their crisis-laden past: “Resilience for Survival”. Their recent past in the war-torn countries of Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq in West-Asia, Libya in Africa or the many wars in the Balkans in the 1990s in Europe, are a case in point. Given that as a matter of fact, when individuals are leading conversations about the outbreak to the recent lockdown, especially, fugitives try to explain to the ordinary dweller of Frankfurt through what life-threatening circumstances they experienced. This described social encounter despite the imposed social distancing is the proof how our glocalized planet (global and local) effects the everyday life and every human being lives in each and every corner of the confined nation-states.

Legitimizing Workforce Reduction: A Review on Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak to the Economy

COVID-19 outbreak continues to impact business organizations around the world financially. One major concern is the common practice of business organizations to reduce their workforce. Issues might arise from such management decisions. The purpose of this conceptual paper is to analyze the legitimacy of managerial decisions relating to workforce reduction. The methodology of legal analysis was used by referring to and reviewing literature in Malaysia, Singapore and the United Kingdom. Major findings show that management decisions on workforce reduction especially during the COVID-19 outbreak must accord with employment law and existing government measures. Apart from that, an employer's failure to resolve issues of workforce reduction according to the law and government measures would result in trade disputes and eventual court action. The findings of this study can assist employers to make sound management decisions with valid reasons in situations, not within their control.