Search results for "Region"

The Southern African Development Community (SADC): An Analytical Overview of Its History, Policies and Institutional Framework

2017

This chapter gives fundamental background information about the history and development of regionalism in Southern Africa and about the current state of the SADC as a modern regional integration organisation. In terms of an analytical overview, Muntschick reflects briefly on the formation, character and objectives of the region’s old regionalisms such as the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), the Frontline States (FLS) and particularly the Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference (SADCC) as predecessors of the SADC. Also, this chapter turns to the new regionalism and provides detailed information on the SADC as an organisation, its member states, key agenda and central poli…

The territories of tourism: a reflection about the experience of the Tourist Districts (Local Tourism Systems) in Sicily

2013

The tourist district is an important tool for territorial governance of regional tourism. The district is a type of Local System which is characterized by its multidimensionality, as well as the spatial contiguity of traders who belong to it. The territory is a space transformed by social interactions and relations of production: it is therefore the indispensable reference for measuring the impact of tourism. A bottom up approach in the process of identification of the districts is therefore vital. A Balance Score Card-approach is desirable to correctly manage this process. This study is a preliminary analysis derived from direct experience of the Sicilian tourist districts, recently formed…

Mitochondrial DNA Portrait of Latvians: Towards the Understanding of the Genetic Structure of Baltic-Speaking Populations

2005

Summary Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation was investigated in a sample of 299 Latvians, a Baltic-speaking population from Eastern Europe. Sequencing of the first hypervariable segment (HVS-I) in combination with analysis of informative coding region markers revealed that the vast majority of observed mtDNAs belong to haplogroups (hgs) common to most European populations. Analysis of the spatial distribution of mtDNA haplotypes found in Latvians, as well as in Baltic-speaking populations in general, revealed that they share haplotypes with all neighbouring populations irrespective of their linguistic affiliation. Hence, the results of our mtDNA analysis show that the previously described s…

Theoretical Old-Age Pension Benefits and Replacement Rates in the Baltic States: A Retrospective Simulation

2016

Abstract The author presents a comparative analysis of old-age pension systems in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania using a method of retrospective simulation run on a self-developed model. The model baseline case is a person retiring in December 2014 after 40 years of service with nationwide average salary. Other cases include low and high-earners, funded schemes participants and simulations for modified notional capital valorisation formulae. Three study countries return very dissimilar results, which is caused by differences in their pension systems’ designs. Lack of non-contributory element (basic pension) in Latvia leads to a low degree of progressivity, with inexcusably low pensions to lo…

Iekšējā tūrisma attīstība Kaļiņingradas reģionā

2015

Kaļiņingradas apgabals ir unikāla Krievijas Federācijas teritorija ar īpašu ģeogrāfisko atrašanās vietu, kurai ir liels dabas un vēsturiskais potenciāls tūrisma attīstībai. Maģistra darba mērķis ir novērtēt situāciju tūrisma jomā šajā reģionā, tā turpmākas attīstības priekšnoteikumus, kā arī sagatavot priekšlikumus, lai sekmētu iekšzemes un starpvalstu tūrisma attīstību.

Proceedings of the International Conference Riga Readings in Social Sciences

2020

Conference Proceedings of the International Conference Riga Readings in Social Sciences (RRSS). The Advanced Social and Political Research Institute, Faculty of Social sciences, University of Latvia annually organizes the international scientific conference Riga Readings in Social Sciences. The 1st RRSS conference (November 23, 2017) explored different transformations of civic society and various dimensions of inequality in contemporary Europe. Key-note speeches were devoted to the different aspects of social inequality. The 2nd RRSS conference (November 22-23, 2018) Baltic Sea Region: Hundred Years On. Contributions from interdisciplinary areas of studies (regional development, human devel…

Barcelone capitale du Sud?

1987

Dasymetric distribution of votes in a dense city

2017

[EN] A large proportion of electoral analyses using geography are performed on a small area basis, such as polling units. Unfortunately, polling units are frequently redrawn, provoking breaks in their data series. Previous electoral results play a key role in many analyses. They are used by political party workers and journalists to present quick assessments of outcomes, by political scientists and electoral geographers to perform detailed scrutinizes and by pollsters and forecasters to anticipate electoral results. In this paper, we study to what extent more complex geographical approaches (based on a proper location of electors on the territory using dasymetric techniques) are of value in…

Mitochondrial DNA Regionalism and Historical Demography in the Extant Populations of Chirocephalus kerkyrensis (Branchiopoda: Anostraca)

2012

BackgroundMediterranean temporary water bodies are important reservoirs of biodiversity and host a unique assemblage of diapausing aquatic invertebrates. These environments are currently vanishing because of increasing human pressure. Chirocephalus kerkyrensis is a fairy shrimp typical of temporary water bodies in Mediterranean plain forests and has undergone a substantial decline in number of populations in recent years due to habitat loss. We assessed patterns of genetic connectivity and phylogeographic history in the seven extant populations of the species from Albania, Corfu Is. (Greece), Southern and Central Italy.Methodology/principal findingsWe analyzed sequence variation at two mito…

Robots, labor markets, and universal basic income

2020

Automation is a big concern in modern societies in view of its widespread impact on many socioeconomic issues including income, jobs, and productivity. While previous studies have concentrated on determining the effects on jobs and salaries, our aim is to understand how automation affects productivity, and how some policies, such as taxes on robots or universal basic income, moderate or aggravate those effects. To this end, we have designed an experiment where workers make productive effort decisions, and managers can choose between workers and robots to do these tasks. In our baseline treatment, we measure the effort made by workers who may be replaced by robots, and also elicit firm repla…