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After 1989, with the end of communist rule in Central and Eastern Europe, narratives about rupture and change during a turbulent twentieth century have been told in many different forms, genres, and media alongside narratives of basic social and political continuities. Rupture and continuity emerged as two different narrative strategies that have sought to create coherence in these larger histories. Published histories and private narratives about the twentieth century in Central Europe share this characteristic: they both create cohesion between a multiplicity of processes and events by combining the two narrative strategies of emplotment. That is what this dissertation is about. Based on an extensive source material of narrative life interviews from the border regions of Romania (Northern Transylvania), Northern Serbia (Vojvodina), and Southern Hungary, I investigate how ordinary women in Central Europe, see the turbulent century which they have lived through. I analyze the different ways that they speak of historical transformation and how they place themselves into a sequence of change while maintaining their sense of integrity: how they talk at the end of their life about childhood in the Interwar era, their maturing during the Second World War, starting married life and work in socialism, and their retirement years after 1989. Throughout the analysis I address the forms that tropes of rupture and continuity take through the words of women who lived through several regime changes in the course of the twentieth century. The dissertation examines the relationship of personal life narratives to public narratives of history: how interviewees incorporate and appropriate public narratives and where they diverge from them in order to create their versions of historical narrative.

This dissertation examines how the international idea of same-sex partnership recognition (SSPR) becomes enacted into domestic policy in Argentina and Brazil. It begins by looking at how the leading LGBT social movements in each country understand and prioritize the battle for same-sex unions. These understandings ultimately determine how far reaching an enacted law may go. Next, it explains what the current constitutional and statutory law is in each nation today and through which avenues it potentially could be changed. The second half of the work systematically compares how the LGBT social movement organizations have engaged with the three branches of government to advance their goals. What it finds is that Brazilian LGBT groups have long had elite allies within all three branches of government, but these leaders have not had the institutional capacity to affect change. In Argentina, on the other hand, all three branches have significant institutional powers to change the law, but lesbians and gays have had a harder time securing friends in these positions. The result is that movements in both countries have not yet achieved success. However, some recent changes in both of these southern cone nations have made SSPR a real possibility: the Brazilian Supreme Federal Court, with new and expanded powers, may soon decide in favor of stable unions for same-sex couples. Moreover, allies in the Argentine Senate are expected to soon approve a bill granting full same-sex marriage rights. The final chapter concludes with a brief look at how the variables identified in these cases function in three other Latin American countries.

Abstract. Forecasting the possibility of flow-type failures within a slow-moving landslide mass is rarely taken into account in quantitative hazard assessments. Therefore, this paper focuses on the potential transition of sliding blocks (slumps) into flow-like processes due to the generation of excess pore water pressure in undrained conditions. The generation of excess pore water pressure may be the consequence of deformation of the landslide body during motion. Two model concepts are proposed and discussed. The first concept is the so called strain concept model where emphasis is laid on strain changes due to differential movement within the moving mass. This may create zones of compression and dilation and consequently excess pore water pressures. The second concept is the so called topographical concept model which focuses on changes in the stress field of the landslide caused by geometric changes in topography of the moving body. Both models were tested on two slumps which developed in secondary scarps of the Super-Sauze mudslide in the Barcelonnette Basin (South French Alps). The slump which developed in 1999 showed complete fluidization; all the material was removed from the source area and transformed into a mudflow. The second slump, dated from 2006, did not show fluidization; it has a relative short displacement and all the material remained in the source area. It appeared that the strain concept model predicted flow-type failure for both slumps, after relative short displacements, while the topographical concept model predicted only flow-type failure for the 1999 slump and not for the 2006 slump. The strain concept model seems too conservative in forecasting the fluidization potential of slumping blocks.

During 1999-2000, the illegal and unregulated logging of Indonesia's forests became the focus of critical attention. It has been estimated that logging outside the State legal regime produces approximately half of the total timber production from Indonesia's forests. In 2000, as Indonesia's forests continued to rapidly recede, the problem had become so critical that, without serious changes, the World Bank and other foreign donors considered withdrawing entirely from forestry sector projects in Indonesia. While on a national scale the extent of the problem is now understood, insufficient attention has been paid to how this 'informal sector' operates at the district level. The paper is based on research carried out in the district of South Aceh during 1996-1999, before and during the crisis that marked the end of the Suharto era. By considering the emergence of logging networks in this district, this paper examines the institutional arrangements associated with this phenomenon, explores how logging networks emerge, how they operate, and how they respond to economic and political changes as well as interventions by outside conservation agencies. Webs of political, economic and social exchanges have emerged around illegal logging, constituting institutionalised sets of relationships that operate in ways antithetical to State legal norms. Extra-legal logging generates revenue for local clientele networks and the district budget and offers impoverished villagers viable survival strategies, but threatens the ecological future of Indonesia's once vast forests. By considering the changes that most affected logging networks over this period, the paper concludes by discussing the conditions necessary for successful project interventions.

Calls for the decolonisation of higher education in the world and South Africa in particular, has gained momentum since the student protests in 2015 and 2016. This takes place after some efforts have been made to transform and democratise the higher education landscape. Efforts made include: National Commission on Higher Education, White Paper 3 1997, The Higher Education Act of 1997 and the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) Act of 1995 which led to the creation of National Qualification Framework (NQF). The policies had promises on issues of access, equity, equality, inclusivity and social justice. After 20 years of democracy, students started to question the progress or lack thereof in the transformation of higher education in South Africa. They started to make demands for access, free education, decolonisation of the curriculum, changes in the pedagogy and epistemic practices. They also demanded the removal of certain statues on some of the campuses. The protests jolted some academics to start debating and writing about the decolonisation of higher education in South Africa. This was done by picking up different aspects that were made points of focus in terms of decolonisation. Consequently, some academics focused on the decolonisation of the curriculum, some on the higher education system whilst others focussed on teacher education. In this article, we intend to contribute to the debate by focusing on Continuing Teacher Professional Development (CTPD) that is an aspect within teacher education. The focus on CTPD was prompted by the fact that not much has been done on the decolonisation of CTPD in South Africa. Furthermore, this is a critical area, because unless teachers are empowered and reskilled to drive the decolonisation process, they may resist and ultimately render the whole process unworkable. It is based on the study that was conducted, focusing on CTPD in the teaching of physical sciences in some of the rural schools in Limpopo Province. The choice of physical sciences was because physical sciences is a gateway subject and most physics sciences teachers in Limpopo Province are based in rural areas. Generally, these schools do not have the appropriate facilities and equipment to teach physical science. Physical sciences teachers also face many challenges such as negative perception about the subject, lack of resources, limited room for professional development, poor teacher training, and inadequate support from within the school and the Provincial Department of Education.This study focussed on creativity and teacher empowerment by enabling physical sciences teachers to reflect on their implementation of science inquiry. Physical sciences teachers were empowered to be creative in handling scientific inquiry especially in the absence of the necessary scientific equipment. The study was conduct at a Higher Education Institution (HEI) in Limpopo Province where teachers, from rural schools, are specifically invited to the university for the National Science Week, which included a component of ongoing Continuing Teacher Profession Development (CPTD). During the National Science Week physical sciences teachers attend an in-service workshop on Improvisation in Science. Ninety (90) physical sciences teachers participated in this study. Data were generated by using a questionnaire and unstructured interviews. The findings of the study revealed that the success of CTPD is not so much in spending more funds in CTPD programmes, but it is in the approach that is used to prepare teachers to respond appropriately to the needs and the demands of the classroom environment. The article argues that the decolonisation process should prioritise the CTPD programmes at universities. This is due to the fact that teachers as agents of change need to be empowered and reskilled, so that they can be in the forefront of the decolonisation process. This can be achieved by adopting a transformative approach that encourages improvisation in science teaching. This approach to CPTD demands that teachers' professional development should shift from the traditional approach to an approach that empowers teachers to be able to make a meaningful contribution to the classes that they teach.

This research analyzes the relationship between foreign policy and immigration policy in South Africa in the post-apartheid period. An approach is made to issues such as human mobility, foreign policy, immigration policy, apartheid; as well as in the South African context and their migratory foreign policy is discussed, concluding with analysis of its coherence. A comparative analysis of the realities of migration in Latin America and South Africa in the nineteenth and twentieth century, studied how migration realities and interests under the table to achieve the institutionalization of an immigration law that allows the maintenance of stato quo, do not differ considerably despite the physical distance of the countries, which leads us to decipher the system of social injustice it is no coincidence, but rather the result of a pattern reproduced socially. On the other hand we find that foreign policy remains the explanation in the external environment of the internal politics of countries, this has been used to justify internal inequities; this really is an open secret in our region, and that would be different in other parts of the planet. In any case a realistic approach to immigration and foreign policy in South Africa is done, as well as various works of matter are also discussed in order to reach clear definitions and conceptual foreign policy and immigration policy and especially demonstrate the inconsistency between South Africa's foreign and immigration policy; without neglecting an important approach to foreign and immigration policy after apartheid with the arrival of Nelson Mandela to power, just as the significant changes in the system are analyzed, and one of them was undoubtedly the triumph of the African National Congress (ANC), but just as clearly it concludes that despite the victory of the ANC has not been sufficient to achieve the momentous changes this country needs. ; La presente investigación analiza la relación entre la política exterior y la política migratoria de Sudáfrica en la etapa post-apartheid. Se realiza un abordaje a temas como movilidad humana, política exterior, política migratoria, apartheid; así como también en el ámbito sudafricano se analiza su política migratoria y exterior, concluyendo con análisis de su coherencia. Con un análisis comparativo de las realidades migratorias en América Latina y Sudáfrica en el siglo XIX y XX, estudiamos como las realidades migratorias y los intereses bajo de la mesa para lograr la institucionalización de una normativa migratoria que permita el mantenimiento del statu quo, no difieren considerablemente a pesar de la distancia física de los países, lo que nos lleva a descifrar que el sistema de injusticia social no es coincidencia, sino más bien producto de un patrón que se reproduce socialmente. Por otro lado encontramos que siendo la política exterior la expresión en el ámbito externo de la política interna de los países, esta ha sido utilizada para justificar las inequidades internas; esta realidad es un secreto a voces en nuestra región, y por qué sería diferente en las otras latitudes del planeta. En todo caso se realiza un abordaje realista de la política migratoria y exterior en Sudáfrica, así como también se examinan diversas obras de la materia con el fin de llegar a definiciones claras y conceptuales de política migratoria y política exterior y sobre todo demostrar la incoherencia entre la política exterior y migratoria sudafricana; sin dejar de lado un abordaje importante a la política exterior y migratoria después del apartheid con la llegada de Nelson Mandela al poder, de la misma manera se analizan los importantes cambios de ese sistema, y uno de ellos indudablemente fue el triunfo del Congreso Nacional Africano (ANC), pero de la misma manera se concluye claramente que a pesar del triunfo del ANC no ha sido suficiente para alcanzar los cambios trascendentales que este país necesita.

During many centuries the Northern Black Sea and the Crimea were in the center of Intercontinental trade relations between Europe and Asia. In XIII – XV centuries the main role in these processes played Italian Maritime Republic – Genoa and Venice. Due to the trading activities of Italian merchants, trading in the Black Sea region has become a brand new one: from regionally locked it started correlating with the global trade communications.In the formation of the Crimean trading factories Italians were guided by a certain, however well-thought-out doctrine: take hold of important points in two ways.– first: those who are surrounded with comfortable havens,– second: closing or intercept local trade routes, which further combined with global trade arteries.An important place in a harmony of the connections within Black sea region and the world-wide (those which are beyond the Bosphorus), occupied Genoese Kaffa (Feodosia) and the Venice Tana (Azov). In these ports began and ended regular navigation of Genoa and Venice.In implementing its international trade Genoese relied on a network of colonies, trading stations, harbors, which served as a warehouse and transshipment points.The above mentioned geographical characteristics of the trade relations of the Black Sea region suggests that Kafa being the center of the Genoese outposts in the region, controlled not only the market of international but the regional trade.Kafa embodies the essential characteristics of the global economic development, held an exclusive position, maintaining their trade in the direction West-East and North-South.The first provided the distribution Levantine and European goods, in the second – the local, the black sea market.Due to its profitable geographical location (almost exactly close to all the coasts of the Black sea), Kafa had some advantages in the organization of trade.It became the main point for Venetian galleys, carried out centralized taxation of ships which sailed in all directions, including the Venetian, which sailed to Thani. The influence of the city grew in the periods when the Tana closed by frequent Italian-Horde and disputes between Venice and Genoa.At these times the government of Kafa, backed by its fleet and garrison, had the exclusive opportunity to monitor sailing in the sea of Azov.From the second half of the XIV century with an overall deterioration in the economic conjuncture and crisis leading countries of the Black Sea basin, including the Golden Horde and the state Ilhan, there is a decline in the development of world trade. Direct ties with Italian cities are multistage and developed mainly with transshipment on the Bosphorus. Kafa spreads up with its eastern and western coast of the Black Sea. For Venice citizens the crisis in the middle of the XIV century also led to a change in the orientation of Gales' routes. Increasingly, the vessels are directed to Tanya but not to Trebizond, and this trend continues until the middle of XV century. Even during the closure of Tanya Venice wished to stay in the northern Black Sea and Crimea.Thus, in the XIV century regionalization of trade took place. In the XV century this process deepens and it is associated with the collapse of the Golden Horde, which provide connectivity to the East, the formation of national states in the Black Sea basin (eg, Moldova), the growing role of Turkey as a major political and economic force in the region.In studies of the foreign historians trading activity in Kafa is considered in terms of its accumulative functions on Kafa's markets followed by a centralized exports to Western and Eastern Mediterranean.While Kaffa, according to O. G. Yemanova, played a significant role in the supply of raw materials, its own crafts, food, security of the population of the city itself and dependent factors, metabolism within the Black Sea region and finally to export not only the southern, Mediterranean area but also in the North. ; Проанализирована роль ведущих центров итальянской торговли в черноморском регионе – генуэзской Каффы и венецианской Таны – в системе итальянской международной торговли XIII – XV вв. ; Проаналізовано роль провідних центрів італійської торгівлі у чорноморському регіоні – генуезької Кафи та венеційської Тани – в системі італійської міжнародної торгівлі XIII – XV ст.

The occurrence of high concentrations of anthropogenic contaminants in the Arctic environment has been a concern for many years. The present overview of the current threats of pollutants from atmospheric, oceanic, river, and local pathways uses results from recent national, pan-Arctic, and international reports to emphasize the need to address issues arising from climate change, particularly the effect of changing weather patterns on contaminant transportation via both waterways and the atmosphere. Regional and international actions over the past two decades attempting to manage pollutants in the Arctic environment from landbased sources have produced recommendations that focus primarily on increasing cooperation in research and monitoring activities, not only among the Arctic governments themselves, but also including the interests and resources of non-polar countries. Our Canadian perspective on the domestic and circumpolar context of the issue, with regard to mechanisms exerting immediate control on the spread of contaminants, describes national programs and policies that are important to the Canadian North and to the Arctic community as a whole. All levels of Canadian government, as well as foreign governments, have joined in working towards safeguarding the Arctic and other marine environments. Prioritization of concerns is an important approach to tackling the numerous current issues related to the spread of contaminants in the Arctic environment. The government needs to give increased priority to the North, and that action needs to be taken in partnership with local communities and pursued at the regional, national, and international levels. ; La présence de fortes concentrations de contaminants anthropogéniques dans l'environnement arctique est une source d'inquiétude depuis des années. Le présent aperçu des menaces actuelles découlant des polluants provenant de l'atmosphère, des océans, des fleuves et rivières ainsi que de la région s'appuie sur les résultats de récents rapports d'envergure nationale, panarctique et internationale pour faire ressortir la nécessité de résoudre les enjeux résultant du changement climatique, plus particulièrement l'effet de la situation météorologique changeante sur le transport des contaminants, tant par les cours d'eau que par l'atmosphère. Ces vingt dernières années, les mesures prises à l'échelle régionale et internationale pour tenter de gérer les polluants de sources terrestres dans l'environnement arctique ont donné lieu à des recommandations qui visent principalement une coopération accrue sur le plan des activités de recherche et de surveillance, non seulement au sein des gouvernements arctiques mêmes, mais aussi en faisant appel aux intérêts et aux ressources des pays non polaires. Notre perspective canadienne sur le contexte intérieur et circumpolaire à propos de cette question, en ce qui a trait aux mécanismes qui exercent un contrôle immédiat sur la propagation des contaminants, décrit des politiques et des programmes nationaux qui sont importants aux yeux des collectivités du Nord canadien et de l'Arctique dans l'ensemble. Tous les échelons de gouvernement canadien, de même que de gouvernements étrangers, travaillent de concert pour protéger l'environnement de l'Arctique et d'autres environnements marins. La priorisation des préoccupations constitue une manière importante de s'attaquer aux nombreux enjeux actuels relatifs à la propagation des contaminants dans l'environnement arctique. Le gouvernement doit accorder une priorité accrue au Nord, et cela doit se faire en collaboration avec les collectivités de la région, en plus de s'étendre aux échelons régionaux, nationaux et internationaux.

Globalised neoliberalism does not unify urbanisation processes but rather varies according to local contexts. This article explores the unique neoliberalisation process in large urban developments that have contributed to Seoul becoming a global city. Not only has the formal process of privatisation been important but also the vernacular practice of the ordinary people has informally grown during the process. By establishing a matured market of the mass production and consumption of high-rise apartments since the 1970s, more than half of the housing stock is now composed of high-rise apartments in South Korea. Gangnam represents the wealthiest district shifting from rural sites to highly dense urban areas due to their large-scale high-rise developments. Not only have societal changes made way for super-high-density apartment complexes as a rational response to population and economic growth, high-rise developments have also allowed Seoul to grow its population and expand its spatial footprint. Because of the dominance of universal western knowledge, this phenomenon has not been fully understood. While neoliberalism has been broadly adopted, the actual development process in Korea is distinctive not only from the West but also the East. The article argues that 'vernacular neoliberalism' has evolved not just by the formality of the ideological market system but also by the informality of survival practices of Korean lives largely under the colonial period and the aftermath of the Korean War. It particularly shows how large urban developments have been widespread by integrating a vernacular private rental system called chonsei into the formal structure.

Foreword / Tan Chorh Chuan -- 1. Family and friends. A tribute to my mother. Memories of my father. A toast to President and Mrs Wee Kim Wee. Toasts to President S. R. Nathan on his 80th and 85th birthdays. Eulogy for S. Rajaratnam. Eulogy for David Marshall. Goh Keng Swee: ten lessons from his life. George Yeo: a man for all seasons. In defence of Lim Chong Yah. A tribute to Wazir Singh. Wang Gungwu: friend, mentor and role model -- 2. Milestones of life and career. What RI taught me. A letter from Dean Griswold. A constitution for the oceans. Commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the opening for Signature of the 1982 UNCLOS. Making peace between Russia and the Baltics. My Cambodian story. The ASEF story: the first three years. Reflections on the Institute of Policy Studies. Integrating the business community in the APEC process: genesis of the Pacific Business Forum. Building a better world -- 3. Singapore. Lee Kuan Yew's foreign policy legacy. Goh Chok Tong's foreign policy legacy. The Singapore of my dreams. Don't knock minimum wage yet. Disagreeing with some hard truths. Demystifying the Presidential office in praise of older workers. Opening eyes to guide dogs for the blind. Should Petain Road be renamed? What Singapore can learn from Europe. Reflections on immigration. Are Singaporeans a kind or unkind people? How to be happy. Singapore's foreign policy: unique features. 7 Habits of a happy Singaporean -- 4. Diplomacy. The situation in Grenada. De Tocqueville revisited: American politics viewed from a foreign perspective. Why the US will still be No. 1 in 2039. Can any country afford a moral foreign policy? Size is not destiny. Eight lessons on negotiations. The art of chairing conferences: lessons learnt. Two financial crises: five truths from Asia. Australia must respect Asean's role. In defence of Europe. China and the world. Japan's prospects and challenges: a view from Southeast Asia. China and Japan: frenemies? My faith in India. China and India: Chini Hindi Bhai Bhai? The ICRC at 150: reflections of an Asian admirer -- 5. Law. Reflections on the negotiating process of UNCLOS. The quest for a world order. Will there be a clash of cultures between the US and East Asia? My adventure with international law. The negotiating process of the ASEAN charter. Advice to law freshmen. WTO dispute settlement system: some reflections is there a role for law in a world ruled by power? Mapping out rival claims to the South China Sea. A tribute to Lee A. Sheridan. A tribute to Punch Coomaraswamy. A heartfelt tribute to a remarkable man: Chan Sek Keong. A tribute to Satya Nandan -- 6. Art, culture and heritage. 10 stops along a Singapore historical trail. Karel van Kleef: the man who loved Singapore. Tributes to Jose Rizal and Emilio Aguinaldo. Honouring Deng Xiaoping. The artist, the state and the market. The joy of collecting. A tribute to Ong Kim Seng. A tribute to Lee Hock Moh. A tribute to Kuo Pao Kun. A tribute to Tan Swie Hian. A tribute to Earl Lu. A tribute to Anthony Poon. A tribute to Goh Choo San. A tribute to Pak Neka. A tribute to Iskandar Jalil. A tribute to Joanna Wong -- 7. Nature and the environment. The Earth Summit's negotiating process: some reflections on the art and science of negotiation. The trees of Singapore. Biodiversity and cities. Green thoughts inspired by Stockholm and Rio. The future of water today.

"In a compelling and accessible, grounded and theoretically informed style, this book opens up new lines of research into the micro politics of institutional change efforts, both resistant and transformative. Students of social change will be building upon, debating and extending this book for many years."--Professor John Forester, Department of City and Regional Planning, Cornell University, USA. "Jan Olsson's focus on subversive action - the hidden political activity that operates against institutional rules, norms, and practices - highlights an important but neglected mechanism in new institutionalist theorizing. Both the authority and clarity of the argument developed will make this valuable contribution to the new institutionalist literature, appealing to both scholars and students alike."--Professor Ian Bache, Department of Politics, University of Sheffield, UK. "In this Pivot, Jan Olsson studies 'institutional subversion, ' i.e. actions which break institutional rules and norms. Institutions will only shape political and social behavior as long as its rules are followed. Subversion helps us better understand institutional stability and change. The Pivot will be of interest to students of institutions."--Professor Jon Pierre, Department of Political Science, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. This book theorizes subversive action, a neglected mechanism in the new institutionalism literature. Subversive action is political in nature, secretly undermining some institutions to open up alternative ideas or to secure existing institutions by secretly undermining adversaries. An example is a politician who promises change in public, but does something else behind the scenes to preserve the status quo. The book addresses the nature and meaning of subversive action and the contexts that give rise to it, as well as how it can work as an important mechanism behind institutional change and continuity. The book will interest students and scholars of public policy, public administration and political science. Jan Olsson is Professor of Political Science at Örebro University, Sweden. His research focus is on policy analysis, public administration, and planning. He has published articles on policy-making, implementation, multi-level governance and inside activism in journals such as the Journal of European Public Policy, Planning Theory and Practice, and Environmental Politics.

Визначено проблеми прогнозування динаміки розвитку металургійного ринку, попиту та пропозиції на підставі загальноекономічних тенденцій. Висока експортна залежність металургійної галузі України зумовила необхідність вивчення тенденцій, діючих на світовому ринку, і визначення потенційних джерел конкуренції в майбутньому. Проведено аналіз існуючих динамік, характерних металургійному ринку регіонів світу, оцінено тенденції розвитку, динаміку обсягів виробництва. Для проведення аналізу світовий ринок розділений на 8 регіонів: Азія, ЄС, Європа, СНД, Близький Схід, Африка, Північна і Південна Америка. Застосовано модифіковану методику прогнозування ринку на основі даних ВВП міжнародного валютного фонду в країнах світу та обсягів виробництва сталі в країнах світу згідно даних міжнародної асоціації виробників сталі з 2002 по 2015 рік. Результати проведеного дослідження дозволили виділити тісну кореляцію між ВВП та обсягом виплавки сталі в світі, країнах Азії, Близького Сходу та Європи. Проведено аналіз споживання продукції металургійної галузі, на основі якого виділено регіони лідери споживання і аутсайдери. Споживання на душу населення в розвинених країнах Європейського Союзу дозволило визначити граничний попит на продукцію галузі для розвиненої економіки. На основі даних досліджень побудовано прогноз виробництва в світі і в країнах Близького Сходу, Азії, Європи.Определены проблемы прогнозирования динамики развития металлургического рынка, спроса и предложения на основании общеэкономических тенденций. Высокая экспортная зависимость металлургической отрасли Украины обусловила необходимость изучения тенденций, действующих на мировом рынке, и определения потенциальных источников конкуренции в будущем. Проведен анализ существующих динамик, характерных металлургическому рынку регионов мира, оценены тенденции развития, динамика объемов производства. Для проведения анализа мировой рынок разделен на 8 регионов: Азия, ЕС, Европа, СНГ, Ближний Восток, Африка, Северная и Южная Америка. Применена модифицированная методика прогнозирования рынка на основе данных ВВП международного валютного фонда в странах мира и объемов производства стали в странах мира согласно данных международной ассоциации производителей стали с 2002 по 2015 год. Результаты проведенного исследования позволили выделить тесную корреляцию ВВП объем выплавки стали в мире, странах Азии, Ближнего Востока и Европы. Проведен анализ потребления продукции металлургической отрасли, на основе которого выделены регионы лидеры потребления и аутсайдеры. Потребление на душу населения в развитых странах Европейского Союза позволило определить граничный спрос на продукцию отрасли для развитой экономики. На основе данных исследований построен прогноз производства в мире и в странах Ближнего Востока, Азии, Европы.The problem of predicting the dynamics of the steel market, demand and supply on the basis of general economic trends is defined. High export dependence metallurgical industry in Ukraine led to the need to examine current trends in the world market, and identify potential sources of competition in the future. The analysis of existing speaker characteristic steel markets in different regions of the world is held. For analysis of the world market is divided into 8 regions: Asia, EU, Europe, CIS, Middle East, Africa, North and South America. The productions dynamics trends are evaluated. The modified method of forecasting the market is applied, based on data from the International Monetary Fund, GDP in the world and in steel production according to data from the International Steel Association from 2002 to 2015. The research results identified a close correlation of GDP and steel production volume in the world, Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The regions leaders and outsiders are distinguished after metallurgical production consumption analysis in the world. The demand level of the advanced economy was defined by the consumption per capita in developed countries of European Union. Based on these research, the production forecast is built in the world and in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe.

The analysis of income distribution in the regional perspective is an important issue in the context of the cohesion policy implemented in the EU countries, one of the postulates of which is smoothing differences in the standard of living and liquidation of poverty The aim of the study presented in the paper is to determine changes in the distribution of equivalent household incomes, and in particular the changes in the degree of inequality and the level of poverty and richness in Łódzkie Voivodship. This voivodship is an interesting object for research, as in the period of the political transformation it underwent many changes which influenced the economic situation of households. The main variable of interest was household equivalent income which was determined using three power equivalence scales. To estimate the inequalities, the study applied measures sensitive to income disparities in different parts of the distribution, namely the Gini coefficient in the central part of the distribution, the index of disparity in the extreme parts of the distribution, and the Zenga index, sensitive to inequalities at each point of the distribution. The levels of poverty and richness, i.e. phenomena related to income inequality, were analysed in the same way. Income distribution in Łódzkie Voivodship was next compared with the same indicator for the whole Poland. All the calculations were based on data for the years 2016–2020 drawn from the Household Budget Survey conducted annually by Statistics Poland.
The obtained results indicate increasing income inequality in the period under consideration, with the visible discrepancy between the extremal decile groups. In 2020, the inequlities became wider; moreover, the share of households experiencing poverty increased, while the share of relatively affluent households decreased. Overally, the poverty level was higher, and the richness level was lower in the studied period in Łódzkie Voivodship than in the whole country. The analysis of the sensitivity of the indices of inequality, poverty and richness to the change in the equivalence scale demonstrates that the choice of the scale flexibility parameter affects the level of the analysed measures, but does not significantly affect the assessment of the changes in these parameters over time.

Hydropower is considered a renewable form of energy production, but generating electricity from rivers is not always environmentally benign. The global demand for renewables is increasing rapidly as fossil fuels are gradually phased out, so rivers will continue to be subjected to the pressures imposed by hydropower for decades to come. Finding ways of operating hydropower plants that limit impacts on downstream river ecosystems is therefore a pressing global concern. Usually, these plants cause marked and rapid fluctuations in flow in downstream river reaches, termed 'hydropeaking'. Hydropeaks result in a variety of ecological changes in the dynamic mountain rivers they typically affect; declines in fish and insect populations are evident, especially in reaches immediately downstream from the plant. While these changes are often acute and readily apparent, the underlying causal mechanisms remain unclear. We argue here that riverbed sediments are a critical but neglected causal link between hydropeaking flow regimes and ecological changes. We outline how a variety of tools from different branches of river science can now be brought together to understand precisely why hydropeaking alters sediment dynamics; these tools provide a mechanistic explanation for changes in bed sedimentary conditions and channel form across multiple scales and, consequently, a better understanding of ecological changes. By allowing us to simulate the effects of flow fluctuations on sediment dynamics and channel form, these tools also allow us to develop ways of releasing water from hydropeaking dams that limit impacts on aquatic habitat and species. ; This work was undertaken and benefited from results and discussions provided in the background of the MorphPeak (Grant No. CGL2016-78874-R) and the MorphHab (Grant No. PID2019-104979RB-I00) projects funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competiveness, Science and Innovation, and the European Regional Development Fund Scheme. Authors acknowledge the support of the Economy and Knowledge Department of the Catalan Government through the Consolidated Research Group 'Fluvial Dynamics Research Group'—RIUS (Grant No. 2017SGR-0459) and the CERCA Program. Damià Vericat is funded through the Serra Húnter Programme (Catalan Government).

Integrating food web indicators into ecological status assessments is central to developing effective management measures that can improve degraded ecosystems. This is because they can reveal how ecosystems respond to environmental change that cannot be inferred from studying habitat, species or assemblages alone. However, the substantial investment required to monitor food webs (e.g. via stomach contents analysis) and the lack of internationally agreed approaches to assessing them has hampered their development. Inventories of trophic interactions have been collated world-wide and across biomes, and can be applied to infer food web structure and energy flow. Here, we compile a new marine dataset containing 8,092 unique predator–prey interactions from 415,294 fish stomachs. We demonstrate how feeding guilds (i.e. groupings based on diet and life stage) could be defined systematically and in a way that is conducive to their application internationally across ecosystems; and apply them to the North Sea fish assemblage to demonstrate their responsiveness to anthropogenic pressures. We found evidence for seven distinct feeding guilds. Differences between guilds were related to predator size, which positively correlated with piscivory, phylogeny, with multiple size classes of a species often in the same guild, and habitat, as pelagic, benthic and shallow-coastal foraging was apparent. Guild biomasses were largely consistent through time at the North Sea-level and spatially aggregated at the regional level with change relating to changes in resource availability, temperature, fishing and the biomass of other guilds. This suggests that fish biomass was partitioned across broad feeding and environmental niches, and changes over time were governed partly by guild carrying capacities, but also by a combination of covariates with contrasting patterns of change. Management of the North Sea ecosystem could therefore be adaptive and focused towards specific guilds and pressures in a given area. Synthesis and applications. We propose a food web indicator which has been explicitly called for to inform policy via food web status assessment as part of the European Union's Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the indicator toolkit supporting The Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (the 'OSPAR Convention').