Mapping Shifts in Russian and European Welfare Polities: Explaining Policy Responses to Shared New Social Risks

Since 2000, literature on West (EU15) and East-Central European (EU8) welfare states has focused on a set of 'new social risks' including insecure employment and income, population ageing, unsustainable social security systems, and large-scale international immigration. Our State-of-the-Art (SOTA) article brings Russia into the dialogue on 'new social risks'. We show that broadly similar structural changes in industrial economies, labour markets and demographic patterns ended the post-World-War-Two (WWII) 'Golden Age' of welfare expansion in both the EU15 and communist states. Shared new social risks rose to the top of policy agendas. Governments responded mainly, though not exclusively, with liberalising, privatising and exclusionary policies. The SOTA compares their policy responses, specifically pension system reforms, demographic (pro-natalist and family) policies, and integration of immigrants. We find both convergence and divergence based on states' differing welfare legacies. The conclusion considers path-departing 'emergency Keynesian' responses to the COVID-19 crisis, and renewed attention to Beveridge welfare models.

Can Green Economy stocks hedge natural gas market risk? Evidence during Russia-Ukraine conflict and other crisis periods

One of the ultimate goals of the Green Economy is to move away from dependence on fossil energy, thereby achieving a sustainable development of a resource-saving and environment-friendly society. Thus, whether Green Economy stocks can hedge the risks of fossil energy markets, especially for natural gas market during recent crisis periods, is of great importance for both policy makers and portfolio managers. This paper identifies the time-varying connectedness and hedging effects of twelve NASDAQ OMX Green Economy sector stocks on NYMEX natural gas futures during three major turmoil events, i.e., European debt crisis, COVID-19 pandemic, and recent Russia-Ukraine conflict. The empirical results show that various Green Economy sector stocks can provide gratifying hedge effectiveness on the market risk of natural gas futures, and some of them can even perform similarly to gold and USD. Moreover, NASDAQ OMX Green Economy sector stocks offer better hedge effectiveness during recent Russia-Ukraine conflict than those of them in the periods of European debt crisis and COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, the Sharpe ratio results further show the important but time-varying roles of Green Economy sector stocks in hedging risks of natural gas market. © 2023 Elsevier Inc.

Urban Farming: The Reluctant Utopia

The old conceptual dichotomy between the city and the countryside has often been a historical stumbling block for architects and urban planners. Whilst there have been many attempts to bring the city closer to the natural environment, some on grand scales, more modest experiments have often gleaned better results. Daniele Belleri is a partner at design and innovation office CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati, where he is in charge of all editorial and curatorial projects. He and the practice's founder, architect and engineer Carlo Ratti – who is director of the Senseable City Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) – together explore our contemporary options. Copyright © 2023 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Features of Gastrointestinal Disorders in Children with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome Associated with Covid-19

Gastrointestinal tract damage is a part of the course of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MVS-D) associated with the new COVID-19 coronavirus infection. According to the results of a retrospective study, gastrointestinal tract damage was detected in 77% of patients with MVS-D and is represented by signs such as abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea and peritoneal symptoms. In children with gastrointestinal tract lesions, significant differences were noted in the frequency of occurrence of the following signs: hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, hypotension/shock, as well as conjunctivitis and facial swelling. Among laboratory abnormalities, hypoalbuminemia is more characteristic, but the level of CRP and troponin is higher. The article shows that gastrointestinal tract damage is an important early predictor of the severity of MVS-D.

Global law, policy, and governance for effective prevention and control of COVID-19: A comparative analysis of the law and policy of Pakistan, China, and Russia.

Global health governance is a developing system in this complex institutional regime. The local and regional health policies sometimes challenge global health governance due to diverse discourse in various countries. In the wake of COVID-19, global health governance was reaffirmed as indifferent modules to control and eliminate the pandemic; however, the global agencies later dissected their own opinion and said that "countries must learn to live with a pandemic." Given the controversial statement, this research focuses on the strong and effective policies of the Russian Federation, Pakistan, and China. The research uses the law and governance results and newly developed policies of the three countries formed under the global health policies. The conclusion is based on the statement that in order to live with the pandemic, strong health measures are required at each level.

Perceived Motives of Public Diplomacy Influence Foreign Public Opinion.

Although many countries engage in public diplomacy, we know relatively little about the conditions under which their efforts create foreign support for their desired policy outcomes. Drawing on the psychological theory of "insincerity aversion," we argue that the positive effects of public diplomacy on foreign public opinion are attenuated and potentially even eliminated when foreign citizens become suspicious about possible hidden motives. To test this theory, we fielded a survey experiment involving divergent media frames of a real Russian medical donation to the U.S. early in the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that an adapted news article excerpt describing Russia's donation as genuine can decrease American citizens' support for sanctions on Russia. However, exposing respondents to information suggesting that Russia had political motivations for their donation is enough to cancel out the positive effect. Our findings suggest theoretical implications for the literature on foreign public opinion in international relations, particularly about the circumstances under which countries can manipulate the attitudes of other countries' citizens. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11109-022-09849-4.

Internal Corporate Policy: CSR and Employee Satisfaction

During the COVID-19 pandemic, society has undergone significant changes with implications for employee values and job satisfaction. As a reflection of social needs, corporate social practice is also changing compared to before the pandemic. This paper examines the perception of corporate social practices by personnel and their impact on staff satisfaction. The empirical study carried out in the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan allowed the authors to identify social practices that influence the level of personnel satisfaction with professional activity before and after the pandemic. The research determined general tendencies and differences in the perception of social practices with the most significant personnel satisfaction in the period before and after the pandemic. The authors also developed recommendations that should be taken into account when forming corporate social practices. The study's novelty is the investigation of an empirical relationship between the levels of satisfaction with professional activity and implemented social practices in the period before and after the pandemic. The research found that the tendencies in Russia and Kazakhstan are similar to the global trends. Employees before the pandemic were highly satisfied with their activities and corporate social responsibility practices. After the pandemic, when society is disconnected and individualized, employees are focused on material security, and social practices have no significant influence on staff satisfaction. The paper offers recommendations for companies to implement appropriate social practices for the common interests of employers and staff.

How do economic activities spur the COVID-19 pandemic in Russia? A dynamic panel data analysis

Russia is one of the few countries in the world that has opted for almost no policy measures involving the strong suppression of economic activity in the face of the epidemic disaster brought about by the new coronavirus (COVID-19). This makes Russia a valuable subject of social experiments through which the association between economic activity and the spread of the virus can be explored. This paper presents a dynamic panel data analysis to examine the extent to which different types of economic activity contribute to the spread of COVID-19 infection using monthly and quarterly panel data of Russian regions between March 2020 and April 2021. The results strongly supported our expectation that economic activities have a greater impact on the levels of COVID-19 transmission when they involve a larger number of inhabitants or stimulate greater consumption or social activities among citizens. It was also revealed that Russian regions vary greatly in terms of the routes that link economic activity to the spread of COVID-19. These results have important policy implications for current and future epidemic control.

Sailing through the storm – performance of Russian manufacturing subsidiaries of multinational corporations in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic

The aim of this study is to depict the performance of Russian manufacturing subsidiaries of multinational corporations during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a unique handcrafted database of financial reports from 259 subsidiaries for 2019 and 2020, we retraced three indicators of business robustness: the dynamics of revenues, positive profitability, and the level of financial solvency. Most of the studied subsidiaries (85%) were able to withstand the crisis and maintain satisfactory financial solvency. Revenues decreased in 2020 to 40% of the studied subsidiaries, and the share of loss-making subsidiaries reached 31%. However, more than 40% of the studied subsidiaries achieved both an increase in revenues and positive profitability of sales in 2020. In this respect we may assess the level of ‘ownership advantage' of multinational corporations regarding assisting their subsidiaries to achieve different elements of business robustness during the pandemic.

Multiscale Correlation Analysis of Sino-US Corn Futures Markets and the Impact of International Crude Oil Price: A New Perspective from the Multifractal Method

Based on the multifractal method, this paper studies the dynamic characteristics of the cross-correlation between Sino-US corn futures markets after 2020 in the context of a series of exogenous shocks, and the impact of international crude oil prices on this relationship. We find that the cross-correlation significantly strengthened after 2020 at multi-time scales, but its uncertainty and complexity reduced. Besides, shocks of the crude oil market increase the cross-correlation at multi-time scales, which notably weakened after 2020. This suggests the Chinese government's interventions and regulations on the domestic grain market were effective.

Preparation of LiFePO4/C cathode material by extracting Fe2O3 from laterite nickel ore by ammonium jarosite method

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war between Russia and Ukraine, domestic oil prices have skyrocketed. Saving resources and develop lithium ion batteries with excellent performance are particularly important. In view of unreasonable utilization of non-target elements in laterite nickel ore and high energy consumption of traditional sulfate roasting laterite nickel ore, a pioneering idea was adopted to combine laterite nickel ore with LiFePO 4 , which not only meets the resource saving but also prepares lithium ion batteries with excellent performance, in this study. Using ammonium sulfate roasting laterite nickel ore-ammonium jarosite iron precipitation and hydrolysis preparation of Fe 2 O 3 -carbon thermal reduction preparation of LiFePO 4 /C process means, to achieve the ultimate goal of preparing LiFePO 4 from laterite nickel ore. Determining the optimum conditions of each part of experiment by single factor experiment and orthogonal experiment. It was concluded that under the optimal preparation conditions, the discharge specific capacity of lithium ion battery was 164.56 mAh/g at the rate of 0.5 C, and it was 94% of the theoretical capacity. After 100 cycles, we could find that the discharge specific capacity could be maintained at 162.78 mAh/g, and the capacity retention rate still reached 98%. • Preparation of LiFePO 4 /C cathode material from laterite nickel ore for rational utilization of resources. • Ammonium sulfate roasting laterite nickel ore can greatly improve the recovery rate of nickel and iron resources • The ammonium jarosite method has high iron precipitation rate, simple operation and less pollution. • The preparation of LiFePO 4 /C cathode material by carbothermal reduction method is conducive to practical applications. [ FROM AUTHOR]

Identification and physical disconnect in Russian foreign policy: Georgia as a Western proxy once again?

Evolving official Russian identifications of Georgia amount to a dangerous securitisation of this small neighbour – achieved through a focus not on Georgia itself but on Western engagement in the region. With the long absence of face-to-face diplomatic encounters and contact, the Russian idea of Georgia as a ‘Western proxy' has become entrenched. This article advances a social explanation of Russian foreign policy that speaks to geopolitical explanations in foregrounding great power interaction and security by drawing on insights from a discourse-theoretical reading of securitisation theory. It adds value to social explanations by showing how the identification of another political entity can be changed into that of a ‘proxy' through its integration into a larger ‘radically different other', and how this expansion occurs in interplay with interpretations of physical manifestations of the larger ‘radically different other' in the ‘proxy'. Finally, it draws attention to the impact of physical encounters on foreign policy in these times of COVID-19, war, and growing isolationism in world affairs.

Skeptical Communities: The Participatory Dynamics of Political Fandom

Depuis le début de la pandemie de COVID-19, nous avons observé la maniere dont les microcélébrités politiques de la sphere informationnelle québécoise font circuler et répondent â la désinformation afin de creer et de maintenir une communauté. Les possibilités offertes par les plateformes encourageant le développement et le maintien de relations multidirectionnelles qui compliquent les modeles uni directi önnel s ďinfluence ou de manipulation. Nous abordons ces processus épistémologiques a travers le prisme de la propagande participative (Wanless & Berk, 2017, 2019) et du fandom politique (Reinhard et al., 2021). En analysant le contenu et des commentaires de videos affichées sur YouTube par des influenceurs québécois contre le masque, la vaccination et les mesures sanitaires, nous étudions une construction identitaire en opposition aux sources officielles : les membres de la communauté sont des éveillés (éveillés â la vérité), par opposition aux endormis (ceux qui sont endormis ou manipules). Grâce â des analyses qualitatives, cette étude met en lumiére la maniere dont le travail des micro-influenceurs cree des opportunités pour la formation ďune identite communautaire basée sur un affect negatif et une posture épistémologique de scepticisme.

Behavior of Russian Premium Fashion Consumers and Designers after the COVID-19 Pandemic and International Sanctions

The purpose of this paper was to investigate the emerging changes in Russian premium fashion brand consumers' behavior on the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic and international economic sanctions, the impact on foreign fashion brands' decisions to leave the market, and the willingness of some Russian fashion designers to scale their businesses and occupy vacated market niches. This problem had arisen for the first time;the situation is unexpected and unique. Therefore, the researchers combined multiple methods of data collection: (1) Observation;(2) Netnography to identify emerging changes in Russian consumers' behavior, which increases the objectivity of the data obtained since personal contact was excluded;and (3) Expert in-depth interviews to assess the situation by Russian fashion designers. QDA and qualitative content analysis were used. Fashion designers in Russia percept the situation as an opportunity for business development, similar to the situation that occurred in Iran, but entrepreneurs understand the market risks and expect more serious measures of state support for business. The results may inform state policymakers and stakeholders about the stated changes in consumer behavior and the capabilities of Russian entrepreneurs to scale the business, which will help identify possible growth vectors for domestic fashion designers in the premium sector. © 2023 Russian Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Weaponisation of finance: the role of European central banks and financial sanctions against Russia

In response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Group of Seven (G7) countries and the European Union (EU) adopted a variety of financial sanctions, including the freezing of foreign reserve assets of the Central Bank of Russia held by other central banks. Drawing on a Principal-Agent framework and on speeches, newspaper articles and interviews with policy-makers, this study examines what it means for the ECB and the central banks of the Eurosystem to be involved in these sanctions. As a consequence of these actions, these central banks have been enlisted in monetary and financial warfare. Moreover, the three-fold objective of the ECB has de facto effectively been reweighted somewhat, as the focus on 'price stability' (primary objective) has become seemingly temporarily less prominent. Instead, the secondary and tertiary objectives have moved centre-stage, favouring geopolitical considerations.

Europe's Fragile Unity

The EU is unlikely to develop the kinds of efficient collective responses to the Russia–Ukraine war that it produced in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic. The conditions of strategic interdependence generated by the Ukraine crisis are more demanding than those triggered by the pandemic because its consequences are asymmetrically distributed across member states. Germany will find it difficult to play the role of regional stabiliser, anti-Europe parties could become stronger, new intra-European cleavages may arise over collective goals, and the expansion of the crisis's time horizon could weaken prospects for effective collective action.

Early career researchers and predatory journals during the Covid-19 pandemic. An international analysis

Around 170 early career researchers (ECRs) from 8 countries were interviewed about the whole range of their scholarly communication attitudes/behaviours during pandemic times and this paper analyses what they said about predatory journals in a wide range of scholarly communication contexts. Because of the delicacy of the topic there was just one question exclusively directed at predatory journals, which asked about policies rather than actions, which yielded nevertheless wide-ranging comments on the topic. ECRs also volunteered information on predatory journals in another half dozen questions, most notably including one on questionable research practices. The source of data was mainly the final interview of three undertaken, with some comparisons made to rounds one and two. Findings disclose the existence of a whole raft of formal and informal assessment policies/codes that direct ECRs to legitimate journals and away from predatory ones. Despite being junior, ECRs are very accultured to the criteria of what is considered as prestige and quality and believe predatory publishing is not even conceivable. They are far more concerned about low-quality research, preprints and borderline ‘grey' journals. The pandemic has increased the level of questionable practices and low-quality research, but predatory journals were only singled out by a relatively small number of ECRs. © 2023, El Profesional de la Informacion. All rights reserved.