Societal security in the Baltic Sea Region: the Russian perspective
This study discusses whether the concept of societal security is embedded in the Russian formal and informal discourses as well as in the Russian strategic documents on national security and the Baltic Sea region. Particularly, the paper describes four paradigms of international relations (neorealism, neoliberalism, globalism and postpositivism) and theoretical approaches to the concept of societal security formulated ...
The Swedish institute’s scholarship policy as a soft power instrument
This paper examines how soft power, nation branding and academic cooperation came together in the scholarship policy pursued by the Swedish Institute (SI) from 1995 to 2023. An investigation of the organisation’s materials, scholarship statistics and feedback interviews with SI programme ...
The economy of Russian Baltic regions: development level and dynamics, structure and international trade partners
... Russian regions located on the Baltic Sea (St. Petersburg, Leningrad and Kaliningrad regions) and analyse the intensity of their trade relations with countries of the macro-region. Russian Baltic regions have higher development rates compared to the national average. However, they experience difficulties in their economic development resulting from negative external factors. The article describes possible ways of overcoming these difficulties by improving the sectoral structure of the economy and ...
Priorities for the development of manufacturing industries in the Kaliningrad region
... standstill in the 1990s, prompting the search for specialisations the region could embrace in the changed environment. Not only was the idea of creating an amber processing cluster widely discussed in Kaliningrad but also a correspondent goal appeared in the national programme for industrial and business development in the region.
1
A range of studies provided a rationale for cooperation in the Baltic area, a course of action viewed as mutually beneficial in the geopolitical environment that evolved after ...
Geography of the mobile internet in the border and interior regions of Russia
... in border areas) and reduce the digital divide in both domestic and international contexts.
Theoretical basis of the study
The widespread adoption of portable communication devices like smartphones and mobile phones, both in developed and developing nations, combined with telecom operators’ efforts to extend mobile internet coverage to remote areas [12], has significantly improved mobile service accessibility. In many countries, these devices have now taken the lead as the primary means of accessing ...
Spatial differentiation of rural territories in the Kaliningrad region: implications for socio-economic policies
... research draws upon comparative-geographical, economic-statistical, and cartographic analyses utilizing official statistical data. The study reveals that since the early 2000s, agricultural production in the Kaliningrad region has been outpacing the national average growth rate. This is primarily attributed to the advancement of larger organisations, while the growth rates of household and small-scale farms remain comparatively low. This development trend is underpinned by a surge in labour productivity ...
Modern trends in paradiplomacy: a case of Russian-Finnish regional cooperation
... Joenniemi and Sergunin identify two types of paradiplomatic methods. The first one is a direct method that implies the development of distinct foreign ties between cities and regions. The second one is an indirect method in which cities and regions impact national foreign policy [5, p. 23].
The presence of direct channels of communication is a central feature of paradiplomacy [1], [2], [3]. Emphasizing this aspect, Kuznetsov defines paradiplomacy as “a form of political communication for reaching economic,...
The Visegrad Group and the Baltic Assembly: coalitions within the EU as seen through Russian foreign policy
... institutional cooperation in the development and implementation of European Union policy”.<5>
The structural policy of the European Union has already resulted in the formation of three relatively independent levels of governance — supranational, national and subnational, within which and between which there is a continuous dialogue and interaction [11]. But are the governance levels limited to those enumerated above? If we consider only the EU as a supranational body, then it is necessary to ...
International heritage in the memorial landscape of the Kaliningrad region
... historiographic methods were employed along with general scientific methods. At the core of the region’s international memorial landscape structure are sites commemorating the German past of the area or linked to Lithuanian and, less frequently, Polish national cultures. The structure of the memorial heritage is largely a product of the selective preservation of pre-war monuments and constructions in the Soviet period and post-Soviet commemorative activities in the Kaliningrad region, ‘a region of ...
Migration and the Transformation of Multiethnic Population Structure in the Kaliningrad Region of the Post-Soviet Era
... multiethnic population structure transformation in the Kaliningrad region in the post-Soviet period. The author views migration as a serious test for both the migrants and the receiving society. On the one hand, migrants have to adapt to a different national, cultural, and linguistic environment and look for the ways of successful integration into the receiving society. On the other hand, the receiving society also faces a serious transformation as a result of the changing population size and structure,...
Legal regulation of extradition in Russia: the interplay between international and national provisions
This article analyses the theoretical provisions of international acts and domestic legislation regulating extradition and explores the interplay between international and national legal frameworks for extradition, focusing on a mechanism for safeguarding national interests within international treaties on extradition. The study follows the general research principle of objectivity, using, in particular, the formal legal ...
Evangelical Lutheran church of Denmark: socio-economic and territorial-organisational aspects
The study exemplifies the use of an institutional-territorial approach for a comprehensive description of a national denominational landscape. The article aims to provide such an account by analysing relevant official data and performing statistical processing using computational tools. The focus is on the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark and its administrative-territorial ...
Models for countering the segregation of ethnoreligious immigrant areas in Denmark and Sweden
... its multiculturalism remains relevant. Thus, Sweden is formulating its own anti-segregation programme, taking into account both the successes and shortcomings of Danish immigration and integration policies. Another important conclusion is that these nations have started to pay special attention to ethnic and religious criteria when identifying ‘parallel societies’.
Introduction
The Scandinavian ‘welfare states’<1> of Denmark and Sweden have the common problem of the segregation ...
Confiscation Estonian style: legal and political aspects of potential seizure of Russian assets in EU countries
... initiatives to confiscate Russian property with the norms of modern international law and pinpointed the potential consequences of such actions. It is concluded that possible options for seizing sovereign assets contradict the norms of international and national law. Therefore, all these methods are unfeasible within the current legal framework. Yet, the main obstacle to implementing the plans to seize Russian sovereign assets lies not within the legal realm, but in the political sphere since such actions ...
Population change and the settlement system transformation in Poland, as revealed by the 2021 census
This article aims to analyse current geodemographic changes in Poland, based on the data of the 2021 National Population and Housing Census. Methods, traditional for socioeconomic geography, such as zoning, were employed. Poland’s population decreased during the inter-census period (2011—2021), with the urban population declining faster than its ...
The spread of the COVID-19 infection in Russia’s Baltic macro-region: internal differences
... town.
Russian economic geographers responded to the challenge of the pandemic with copious research publications. Some works explore the course of the pandemic in selected territories; others look at how the virus spread across Russian regions on a national scale. Stepan Zemtsov and Vyacheslav Baburin conclude that, at early stages, i. e. during the first two waves, the pandemic spread across Russia according to the diffusion of innovations principle [1], [2]. Natalya Zubarevich and Sergey Safronov ...
Small towns of Latvia: disparities in regional and urban development
... regional and intraregional perspective. The socio-economic situation in the country, which became more uncertain following the 2019—2021 territorial consolidation, does not ensure either equal growth of territories or sustainable and harmonised national development. In the course of the reform, the number of municipalities was reduced by a factor of 3.5, from 119 to 42; from two to nine municipalities were brought under one local government. The questionable consequences of the reform have been ...
Embedding imagology in Translation Studies
Imagology, the study of national and cultural images as represented in textual discourse, is a fruitful approach for disciplines dealing with textual change, such as translation studies. Both imagology and translation studies have gradually extended their area of research, which ...
The US ballistic missile defence policy in the Baltic and Nordic regions
... race in the region. The efficacy of BMD in Europe is evaluated from the perspective of military technology. The system’s potential threats to Russia’s military security and its armed forces are assessed. The article considers measures to enhance national security that could be taken by Russia provided the US plans to deploy BMD in Europe are fully implemented.
1. Arbatov, А. 2014, Protivoraketnye debaty: v poiskah soglasijaа [Missile debate: in search of consensus], Voenno-promyshlennyj ...
Key Directions of Sectoral and Spatial Changes in the Russian Industry
This article considers major trends in the spatial and sectoral structure of national production and analyses the patterns of transformation of industrial systems into integrated industrial complexes, which show higher efficiency in transit condiétions. The author presents a new approach to studying the structural transformation ...
The two-party tendency in Poland’s political system: manifestations, causes and prospects
... the use of different voting systems: proportional and majoritarian, respectively. As for the European Parliament elections, since 2009 deputies from PiS and PO have traditionally won from 75 to 80 % of the Polish quota.
The results of PiS and PO1 in national elections since 2005, %
Year
% of seats
% of votes in the first round
of presidential elections
Sejm
Senate
2005
63
83
66
2007
82
99
—
2010
—
—
78
2011
79
94
—
2015
81
95
69
2019
80
91
—
2020
—
—
74
Note: the m-dash means that no ...
The effect of Covid-19 on labour migration in the CIS
This study responds to the need for measures to mitigate the effects of national actions to slow the spread of Covid-19. National responses are dynamic processes and thus an elusive, albeit important, object of study. The governments of most CIS countries acted promptly and decisively in countering the pandemic. The comprehensive ...
Development stages of ethnic contact zones in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania since the end of the 19th century
... contact zone growth and dissolution with a rise in the proportion of the titular ethnic group. The proposed methodology can be extended to the analysis of ethnic contact zone development in other territories as well.
Introduction
Changes in the national composition of the population are among the most pressing topics in the study of the modern development of the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania). At the same time, there is interest in studying ethno-demographic processes on ...
Territorial structure of inbound and domestic tourism in the Baltic States
... activities. Central regions are dominant in terms of attracting tourist flows. This is characteristic of a highly polarized tourism structure. However, many semi-peripheral and peripheral regions have lately improved their position, being integrated into national and cross-border tourism routes and increasing outreach in the tourism market.
Introduction
The Baltic States — Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia — entered the global tourist market quite recently, after gaining independence in 1991. Today,...
Cross-border tourist mobility as seen by residents of the Karelian borderlands: COVID-19 restrictions
... destinations formed by domestic and transboundary tourist flows is rather new to Russian research. Investigating transboundary tourist mobility through the lens of interdisciplinary border studies is warranted by the changing function of Russia’s national borders under the influence of national transformations, changes in the perception of tourism and recreation by the authorities, business and society, and the emergence of a system for tourism management and strategic planning.
Theoretically,...
Demographic development processes in the history of the Kaliningrad region: national trends and regional specifics
This article aims to identify the main demographic development trends and features observed in the Kaliningrad region from a historical perspective and assess the extent to which the region’s demographic development corresponds to the national model accepted in contemporary historiography. The empirical sources used in this study include demographic statistics from published and archival materials; theoretically, it draws on the concepts of demographic and epidemiological transitions....
National urban policy in Russia and the European experience
This article analyses the features, shortcomings, prospects, and limitations of Russia’s national urban policy (NUP) and similar initiatives abroad to formulate proposals for further development of the Russian NUP. To this end, the study examines international (particularly German) documents and publications on NUP and the Russian regulatory ...
Geopolitical regionalisation of the Baltic area: the essence and historical dynamics
... The Baltic region, which is the focus of this study, instantiates a ‘testing ground’ of such typology, which will be considered below.
Two types of regions are distinguished based on the status of political actors and borders: supranational and national regions. The latter rarely have a geopolitical dimension. However, a large transboundary region may serve as a site for the development of small national subregions of socioeconomic or geocultural nature. Prominent examples are the depressed ...
The adaptation of Russian regions’ economies to the rupture of relations with Europe: the case of Baltic Sea ports
... period from 2015 to 2021 their share was 35—40 % [3].
In addition, in these years, Russia placed its bets on the large-scale attraction of direct and portfolio investments, as well as high technologies from European countries, hoping to modernize its national economy with their help. Foreign investors, mainly European, received significant preferences and benefits that helped them to take good positions in Russian markets. As a result, companies from European countries have opened a large number of ...
Immigration policy and integration of migrants in the Kingdom of Denmark at the beginning of the XXI century
Denmark upholds high standards of human rights as long as the interests of its citizens are concerned but erects barriers for migrants of a different cultural background who might threaten the security of the national community. The Danish tradition of liberalism, humanism and the welfare state coexists with one of Europe’s most restrictive policies towards third-country immigrants. The article traces the evolution of management approaches to developing ...
The population of the Kaliningrad region and the digital economy: a sociological analysis
Since 2019, the Kaliningrad region has been running a regional digital transformation programme as part of the national initiative The Digital Economy of the Russian Federation. The programme seeks to improve the quality of life by creating information infrastructure and streamlining public administration. The regional Ministry of Digital Development has already ...
The “European identity” of today: a category of political practice or discourse?
... обращения: 10.03.2012).
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13. Petithomme M. Is there a European Identity?...
The methodological bases of comparative evaluation of sci¬entific and technological potential of Russia and the EU: regional and international aspects
... S. I., Kladchenko, I. S. 2003, Issledovanie suwnosti innovacionnogo potenciala [Innovation potential of research entities]. In: Nauchnye trudy Doneckogo nacional'nogo tehnicheskogo universiteta. Serija: ekonomicheskaja [Scientific papers of Donetsk National Technical University. Series: Economic.], Vol. 68, Donetsk, Doneckij nacional'nyj tehnicheskij universitet, pp. 88—96.
14. Lisin, B., Fridlyanov, V. 2002, Innovacionnyj potencial kak faktor razvitija [Innovative potential as a factor of development],...
Innovative economy in the Baltic Sea region
... economy in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland at each of the three levels, as well as descripes the spatial differentiation of innovative activity within the Baltic region. The analysis is done on the basis of national and international research, as well as statistical data on the intensity of research and development, structure of research expenditure, human capital in the field of advanced technologies, and the methods of institutional support for innovative ...
Three Russian Baltic regions in the context of confrontation between Russia and the West
..., these indicators experienced substantial growth. The combined share of the three regions in GDP production increased from 6.1 % in 2014 to 7.4 % in 2020. Per capita GDP grew even faster. In St. Petersburg, it rose from 128 to 152 % relative to the national average from 2014 to 2021, in the Leningrad region, from 100 to 103 %, and in the Kaliningrad region, from 79 to 83 %. The per capita foreign trade turnover significantly exceeds the average Russian level, especially in St. Petersburg and the ...
Functions of words-realities in S. Rushdie’s novel “midnight’s Children”
... understood by a non-native reader only within a specific context. Lexico-semantic groups of realia words are highlighted, contributing to the creation of national-cultural color and referentially related to local objects and popular dishes of Indian national cuisine. The artistic pragmatics of realia words in the novel "Midnight’s Children" is characterized. The role of toponyms is characterized by their involvement in structuring the local coordinates of the textual continuum. It has ...
The impact of the food embargo on consumer preferences and cross-border practices in the Kaliningrad region
... research. A survey of 1,019 respondents was conducted in September 2021. Additionally, a comparative analysis of average food prices in the region and neighbouring countries from 2012 to 2019 was carried out based on data from Kaliningradstat and the national statistics services in Poland and Lithuania. The ways to obtain embargoed food were systematised using content analysis of social media, advertising and joint purchase services, travel agency websites, regional news portals and blogs. The study ...
Reputation core of Russian authorities: the case of the regional level of executive power
... the conceptual characteristics of the near periphery and greater dynamism of the outer conceptual boundaries, especially in specific regions.
Introduction
Citizens’ disengagement from the actions of authorities is a prevalent feature of the national socio-political landscape [1, p. 552]. This highlights the pressing need to improve domestic political confidence, especially in light of the current foreign policy challenges. Doing so can serve as a foundation for fostering greater unity ...
Estonian ‘Balticness’ as a social construct: meanings and contextual specifics
... in the international arena and particularly within the EU, forging interregional ties, etc. [1], [2], [3], [4]. The second, negative interpretation focuses on the period the countries spent as Soviet republics, which is perceived by the majority of national elites, the countries’ nationals and external observers as a heavy historical legacy [5], [6], [7], [8]. Here, the common past eclipses the meaningful differences between the three states and precludes alternative identities from taking root....
Dismantling monuments as the core of the post-2014 ‘decommunisation’ in Ukraine and Poland
... associated with the demolition of Soviet and Russian monuments in the two countries. The ‘decommunisation’ of public space is an element of Ukraine’s and Poland’s politics of memory, enshrined in legal acts. Its driving force is the Institutes of National Remembrance, whose priorities include dismantling Soviet and pre-revolutionary Russian monuments, which came into full swing after the beginning of Russia’s special military operation to denazify and demilitarise Ukraine. The official narratives ...
Work-life balance during the Covid-19 outbreak: the case of Latvia
... describes labour migration to and from Latvia before the COVID-19 outbreak. It provides geographical features of the distribution of confirmed Covid-19 cases. The extent of the Covid-19 threat at different levels is assessed focusing on the global, national, regional and intra-family level. Finally, work forms and work-life balance are analysed according to geography and age groups.
1. Dowd J. B., Andriano L., Brazel D. M. et al. Demographic science aids in understanding the spread and fatality ...
The concept “people” in A. S. Shishkov’s manifestoes in the discourse of the Patriotic War of 1812
The Patriotic War of 1812 is an event that influenced the formation of the Russian national consciousness. At that time, imperial and class identities coexisted. With the de facto ban on discussing the idea of a civil nation, Russian intellectuals focused on the cultural and linguistic components of nationalism. The aim of this study was to identify the content of the concept of ‘people’ in the manifestoes by Shishkov. These texts expressed the official position ...
The ‘hybrid model’ of Norway’s ethnic policy in its northern counties: a key to stable interethnic relations
... the political and legal model currently used by Norway in its Northern counties. This work is a part of comprehensive research supported by the Russian Science Foundation. Our study aims to provide a historical perspective to the model of Norway’s national ethnic policy in the Northern counties by identifying the operational capabilities and assessing the efficiency of these models amid increasing migration flows and changes in the country’s socio-economic environment. The methods we use in ...
Security in the Baltic region as a Projection of Global Confrontation between Russia and the USA
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Legal aspects of the EU policy on irregular immigration
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Russian Population Ethnic Structure: Trends and Transformations
... 2002 and 2010, the article analyzes the evolution of the ethnic structure of the population of the post-Soviet Russia from the territorial perspective. The stability of the ethnic structure of the “Russian mega nucleus” and indigenization of the national regions are considered in view of the differences in migration trends during the two inter-census periods and the socioeconomic situation in the regions. The urbanization rate of major ethnic groups is an indirect indicator of the prospects of ...
The Role of Political Elites in the Development of Politics of Memory in the Baltic States
... European Studies History], no. 1 (3), p. 124—133.
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4. Bogaturov, A. D. 2002, «Strategija peremalyvanija» vo vneshnej politike SShA ["The strategy of grinding" in US ...