Search results for " International Relations"

Investigating the Links Between Cultural Values and Belief in Conspiracy Theories: The Key Roles of Collectivism and Masculinity

2021

Research suggests that belief in conspiracy theories (CT) stems from basic psychological mechanisms and is linked to other belief systems (e.g. religious beliefs). While previous research has extensively examined individual and contextual variables associated with CT beliefs, it has not yet investigated the role of culture. In the current research, we tested, based on a situated cultural cognition perspective, the extent to which culture predicts CT beliefs. Using Hofstede’s model of cultural values, three nation-level analyses of data from 25, 19 and 18 countries using different measures of CT beliefs (Study 1, N = 5,323; Study 2a, N = 12,255; Study 2b, N = 30,994) revealed positive associ…

Scattering community

2001

In discussing the cultural history of the 19th century, Walter Benjamin diagnosed the emergence of the modern novel and its form of narration as the sign of a fracturing experience. The split in experience is related to the scattering of a homogeneous idea of space and time, constituted especially during the Enlightenment and in the German historicism. Benjamin's claim reflected the fracturing temporality of modern communities as well as the transformations in the understanding of the meaning of tradition. Here, I begin by discussing Benjamin's conceptions of experience and memory in detail. Secondly, I consider his ideas on history in the framework of challenging the new forms of narratio…

Cultural nationalism of the interwar period: Latvian visual art and folklore

2020

Maoism and Postmodernism

2015

In this essay I discuss the emergence of the Mao cult during the Cultural Revolution in China and its appropriation in cultural revolutions in Europe and the United States to show how this image resonated with similar cults of popular icons in the West and lent itself to the formulation of theories and practices of postmodernism. The image quality of these cults facilitated the rise of the Mao-craze in the late 1980s and 1990s when political pop productions of Mao by Chinese artists emerged in New York and were then transplanted to China where they met with transfigurations of Mao’s legacy in the People’s Republic. The final stage of postmodern variations of Mao is reached with the presiden…

Observations on the Progress of Welfare-State Construction in Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic

2003

Three specialists in social services present an assessment of Hungary's performance during the economic transition from the perspective of social policy and the general welfare of the population. Using figures drawn from a variety of European sources, they offer a review of social expenditure, labor market tendencies, and the social security, health and education systems, comparing throughout with data from the Czech Republic, Poland and the European Union.

PIRACY REVISITED: EXPLORING MUSIC USERS IN THE AGE OF TECHNOLOGY DEPENDENCY

2019

This paper empirically investigates and characterizes users of recorded music, both downloaders and purchasers. To this end we analyse the role of the variables defining the different segments of music users. In doing so, we have considered two main traits influencing the use of music. First, objective variables such as demographics, music consumption habits, music genres and technology. Second, subjective variables such as motives and attitudes towards piracy. Using data from a personal survey, subsequent latent class and fuzzy analyses show that while the former characteristics are relevant in those getting music for free from the Internet, the latter don´t pay any special part, contrary …

Mode of Delivery and the Effectiveness of Foreign Aid: The Example of Missionary Work

2010

Conventional development aid, typically a service from government to government, has been a relatively poor determinant of economic growth or human development in developing countries. In this paper we test whether a distinctly grass-roots delivery mode, as is the case with missionary work, leads to a more effective dispersion of foreign aid. In addition to its mode of delivery, missionary work is also of interest as there is a known positive correlation between the growth rate of Christianity and economic development. We estimate the economic growth impacts of development aid versus missionary work variables by using empirical data from 119 countries and discuss several explanations for ou…

Associations of nutrition and body composition with cardiovascular disease risk factors in soldiers during a 6-month deployment

2020

Objectives This observational follow-up study investigated the associations of nutrition and body composition with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, including pro-inflammatory biomarkers, in soldiers during a 6-month deployment. Material and Methods Thirty-five male soldiers were assessed at months 0, 3 and 6, and their parameters, i.e., M±SD, were as follows: age 30.0±8.7 years, height 179±6 cm, and BMI 24.2±2.5 kg/m 2 . Three-day food diaries were used for monitoring macronutrient intake. Body composition was estimated using bioimpedance. Fasting blood samples for lipids and pro-inflammatory biomarkers were collected, and blood pressure measurements were performed. Results Carboh…

From 2009 to 1929

2010

The current and still unfolding crisis of our economic system shows disturbing resemblances to the Great Depression in terms of magnitude, triggering mechanisms, and curative public interventions. This paper compares the experience, mechanisms, and consequences of these two crises in light of the analysis of Fisher, Keynes, and Minsky. This analysis proves very useful for understanding the triggering mechanisms of the current crisis, as well as its propagation mechanisms. It also addresses two dilemmas within the debate about the curative as well as preventive measures for getting out of the crisis and avoiding a new disaster: the dilemma of monetary activism and that of liquidity.

Split-ticket voting in German Federal elections, 1953–90: an example of sophisticated balloting?

1999

Abstract Though the German electoral system has provided the opportunity of split-ticket voting since 1953, until now there has only been mere speculation concerning the rationality of ticket-splitting. In this paper we examine the rationality thesis empirically, using data provided by the official representative electoral statistics of the Federal Republic. Modifying the Downsian notion of rational voting, rational ticket-splitting is defined in terms of coalition building and of voters' expectations of the electoral success of candidates and parties. Applying this conceptual framework, it will be shown that the combinations of first and second votes actually chosen by a majority of the Ge…