SocioEconomic Challenges

This study analyzed the coverage of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) news by three prominent Bangladeshi dailies named The Daily Star, The Daily Kalerkantho, and The Daily Ittefaq. The research aimed to explore the attention cycle of the selected newspapers about this ongoing outbreak. It also identified the significant differences in framing and used sources in the news stories by respective daily newspapers. The study period was 10 weeks from February 1 to April 10, 2020, considering the Global Health Emergency declaration by the World Health Organization on January 30, 2020, and the announcement of the pandemic on March 11, 2020. This research applied the content analysis method on 761 news articles. The study shows that these three newspapers gave more attention after the pandemic announcement. This study also revealed that The Daily Star emphasized on attributing responsibility to the government and statistical data frames. On the other hand, The Daily Kalerkantho highlighted the individual’s responsibility frame. The Daily Ittefaq concentrated on the economic consequence frame. Regarding the news sources, The Daily Star significantly used more sources from government officials. In contrast, The Daily Kalerkantho relied more on experts, and The Daily Ittefaq frequently used international sources. Due to time limitations, this study only covered the early stage of COVID-19 in Bangladesh. So more samples with a more extended period might clearly illustrate the focus of print media regarding this pandemic. Journalism and media studies students, academicians, and journalists will be most beneficiaries of this study. As appropriate framing helps to build awareness and in-depth knowledge of the community as well as policymakers, print media should pay more attention to proper framing. Keywords: Bangladesh, COVID-19, newspaper coverage, news framing, news source, pandemic, print media.

This article summarizes the arguments and counterarguments in the framework of the scientific discussion on the problem of identifying, using the Granger test, the components of macroeconomic stability of Ukraine most sensitive to the destructive impact of Covid-19. The study’s primary goal is to select from among many macroeconomic indicators precisely those that cause epidemiological surges in morbidity and mortality of the population using the example of the Covid-19 pandemic. The systematization of literary sources and approaches to solving the problem of finding determinants that affect the course of the pandemic shows many views among the scientists of the world. Still, they do not establish a single opinion. The study of the topic of identifying the influence of indicators of macroeconomic stability on the destructive impact of the pandemic in work is carried out in the following logical sequence: 1) systematization of literary sources according to the topic of the study; 2) creation of a statistical database that meets the requirements of the chosen methods; 3) bringing the obtained time series to a comparative form and achieving their stationarity; 4) conducting a two-sided test to identify causality. The methodological tools of the research methods were the Dickey-Fuller test for detecting a unit root and stationarity of a series, ways to achieve stationarity of a series using different methods, and a two-sided Granger test for detecting the causality of indicators. The object of the study is Ukraine; the term of the study is the beginning of the pandemic from February 2020 to December 2021. The article presents the results of an empirical analysis of the identification of the components of macroeconomic stability of Ukraine most sensitive to the destructive impact of Covid-19, which showed that such indicators exist and the causal relationship exists in both directions. The study empirically confirms and theoretically proves that the most influential factors are the consumer price index and inflation, which cause the variability of the number of infected and deaths in Ukraine. The study results can help create regional and national patterns of resistance to the destructive impact of the pandemic on macroeconomic stability.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of inflation, foreign exchange rates, interest rates and trade balance on economic growth through an increase in the balance of payments. The research method used in this study is a quantitative descriptive research method using path analysis using AMOS 18. Variables of inflation, interest rates and the balance of trade affect economic growth through an increase in the balance of payments, where these three macroeconomic variables are capable of boosting economic growth, while the moderator variable for an increase in the balance of payments is the link and driver for the three variables such as inflation, interest rates and the trade balance did not contract against the increase in economic growth. The conclusion of this study is that partially inflation, interest rates and the trade balance have a significant effect on the economic growth variable and the moderator variable for increasing the balance of payments, while simultaneously the inflation variables, foreign exchange rates, interest rates and the trade balance has a significant effect on the variable of economic growth through the variable of increasing the balance of payments. Through the results of research that has been stated that the inflation variable, interest rates and trade balance affect economic growth through an increase in the balance of payments, where these three macroeconomic variables are things that are able to boost economic growth, while the moderator variable for an increase in the balance of payments is a link and a driving force for the three variables such as inflation, interest rates and the trade balance did not contract to the increase in economic growth.

The document seeks to follow up on companies, entrepreneurs and States, on the issue of strategy and entrepreneurship. For this, two parts are taken, “Companies and take-off strategies typical of central and southeast Asia, before the pandemic”, there are unicorn companies, ventures, new versions of organizations before COVID, period from 2012 to 2019. The cases to be studied come from companies, States, organizations, which are located in the center, such as in Southeast Asia: the Republic of India and the People’s Republic of China. It also takes the leading countries of Southeast Asia, led by Japan, first-generation of the Asian Tigers, Singapore, South Korea, Republic of China Taiwan (ROC); second generation, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, among others. Then, strategic cases are described, analyzed, and sought, in the period 2021-2022, the same countries of Central Asia, plus Japan, the first-generation Tigers, all those previously analyzed, plus Hong Kong and the Second generation, all the analyzed in the previous period, plus Malaysia and Cambodia (OJEDA F. A., 2014). Sectors associated public policies, business strategies, exact cases of companies are observed, for each country, before and after the pandemic until today, 2022. With this research scheme, the reader establishes a “road map” of the companies, which has been generated from a highly volatile international environment, but with great opportunities. It is also an attempt to show a business “catalogue of practices” from these countries, which can be an example for Western organizations, in times of global crisis and international price volatility, especially affecting the value chains of food commodities, energy and basic electronic supplies.

Today, the coronavirus infection COVID-2019 deals a devastating blow to the economies of most countries due to disruption of production chains, the bankruptcy of small and medium-sized businesses, increasing the number of unemployed, and more. Under these conditions, the coverage of digitalization of all sectors of the economy and basic spheres of life of citizens becomes especially important. The article is devoted to the analysis of the possibilities of the latest blockchain technologies, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things in view of their impact on the transformation of the business process management system. The study used methods of bibliographic analysis of scientific publications and analytical reports of international organizations related to the concept of “Industry 4.0” and diseases of coronavirus infection, analyzing from the audit point of view, how to reinforce the principles of transparency, responsibility, and participation. It has been proven that blockchain technology is able to service online payments without intermediaries, receipt, and transfer of digital assets, as well as political elections and voting. Artificial intelligence models can help map, manage, predict, and model complex processes, reducing uncertainty, and supporting professionals in decision-making. The Internet of Things allows you to transfer information, improve control and automation, and provide opportunities to optimize the company’s operating costs. The result of the study can be practically valuable for many stakeholders: auditors – conducting audits by artificial intelligence; public administration – developing measures to address the economic, social and political crisis triggered by the pandemic, by building trust between government and citizens through communication, and by ensuring transparency and accountability. Keywords: blockchain, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, COVID-19, health care crisis, economic crisis, political crisis, control, public administration, financial management.

This document aims to investigate the potential influence of climate on the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the direct and indirect effects of climate are felt all over the planet, although their magnitude and manifestations vary. According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), climate change could be the cause of nearly 250,000 additional deaths per year worldwide between 2030 and 2050 (Word Health Organization, 2021). This study focused on examining the relationship between climate (Temperature, humidity, and wind speed) and hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in a well-selected sample of wilayas in Algeria. In this brief, we want to shed light on the likely course and geographic spread of the epidemic. The purpose of this article is to answer the main question of the study: We do this by examining the effect of climate (temperature, humidity, and wind speed) on hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in the wilayas of Algiers, Blida, Oran, Adrar, Setif and Tamanrasset. The choice of wilayas is based on the availability, quality, and consistency of the data required. Our analysis suggests that high temperature and humidity or high relative wind speed tend to hamper the spread of the virus and that a high population density tends to facilitate its transmission. This does not mean that higher temperatures are enough to contain the disease. The climate potentially plays a role in the spread of many respiratory viruses. It appeared important to know if this could also be the case for the new coronavirus, COVID-19. While the role of climate in the transmission is still difficult to quantify, it is clear that other factors are taken into account in the transmission of COVID-19, namely mainly compliance with the rules of physical distancing and barrier gestures. This study focused more particularly on the effects of absolute climate (Temperature, humidity, and wind speed). 90% of infections would have occurred in areas where the temperature is between 3 and 17 degrees and the absolute humidity is between 4 and 9 g / m3, 35 to 85% relative humidity (Bukhari Q., Jameel Y., 2020). We address the issue of the impact of climate on the spread of COVID-19, we use the SUR (Seemingly Unrelated Regression) model to estimate the relationship between climate and COVID-19 cases in Algeria during the period between April 18th, 2020, and April 17th, 2021 inclusive. The results of the SUR model estimate, also showed that there is no real climate that can damage the pandemic situation in Algeria during the period studied.

Jan Tinbergen was the first Nobel prize winner in economics. He shared that honor with Ragnar Frisch. The focus of their research that earned the Nobel prize, was “pioneering work in the field of econometric, the field at the intersection of statistics, mathematics, and economic theory” (p. 125). Erwin Dekker, a cultural economist provides this very comprehensive book about Jan Tinbergen. Dekker is on the faculty of Erasmus University, in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

This paper uses a quantitative analysis to examine the interdependence and impact of resource rents on socio-economic development from 2002 to 2017. Nigeria and Norway have been chosen as reference countries due to their abundance of natural resources by similar economic performance, while the ranking in the Human Development Index differs dramatically. As the Human Development Index provides insight into a country’s cultural and socio-economic characteristics and development in addition to economic indicators, it allows a comparison of the two countries. The hypothesis presented and discussed in this paper was researched before. A qualitative research approach was used in the author’s master’s thesis “The Human Development Index (HDI) as a Reflection of Resource Abundance (using Nigeria and Norway as a case study)” in 2018. The management of scarce resources is an important aspect in the development of modern countries and those on the threshold of becoming industrialised nations. The effects of a mistaken resource management are not only of a purely economic nature but also of a social and socio-economic nature. In order to present a partial aspect of these dependencies and influences this paper uses a quantitative analysis to examine the interdependence and impact of resource rents on socio-economic development from 2002 to 2017. Nigeria and Norway have been chosen as reference countries due to their abundance of natural resources by similar economic performance, while the ranking in the Human Development Index differs significantly. As the Human Development Index provides insight into a country’s cultural and socio-economic characteristics and development in addition to economic indicators, it allows a comparison of the two countries. This paper found out in a holistic perspective that (not or poorly managed) resource wealth in itself has a negative impact on socio-economic development and significantly reduces the productivity of the citizens of a state. This is expressed in particular for the years 2002 till 2017 in a negative correlation of GDP per capita and HDI value with the share respectively the size of resources in the GDP of a country. Keywords: Human Development Index, sustainability, resource abundance, socio-economic welfare.

In this study, we examine how the 2008-2009 Global Crisis has affected the informal payments/gifts paid by retailers in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. We look at the overall incidence of bribes, the incidence of bribes in customs/imports, the incidence of bribes in courts, and the incidence of bribes in tax payments. We compare the crisis period to the post-crisis period and found that these firms believed that the incidence of bribes went down significantly after the crisis ended. When we differentiate the retailers with respect to size, structure, legal form, gender of the owners, gender of the top manager, and whether or not they held an international quality certification, we found that, the results hold for all classifications of retailers. When we go into more detail and examine the incidence of bribes in customs/imports, courts, and taxes/tax collection, we found that the respondents saw a significant drop in the incidence of bribes in all areas after the crisis ended. However, our results show that, for bribes in customs/imports, the results do not hold for some of the classifications (i.e. medium-sized and the largest small firms, the firms that are part of a larger firm, the shareholding firms trading in the market, the partnerships, and the firms with an internationally recognized quality certification). For bribes in courts, the results do not hold for the largest small firms and the partnerships. For bribes in taxes/tax collection, the results do not hold for the partnerships and the firms with a quality certification. Our findings are consistent with the low rankings of these countries in Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perception Index data. Our findings are also consistent with previous studies’ findings that document high-levels of corruption in developing (or less developed) nations.

This paper summarizes the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion on the issue of changes in financing conditions due to a global financial or economic crisis. The main purpose of the research is to examine how the loan collateral requirement for manufacturers in Eastern Europe and Central Asia had changed after the 2008-2009 Global Crisis. Systematization of the literary sources and approaches for solving the problem of changes in collateral requirement after the 2008-2009 Global Crisis indicates that there were some significant changes in terms of the collateral requirement and the type of collateral used post-crisis. The study is important because its findings will guide manufacturing firms, as well as lenders and government agencies in the region in case of an upcoming financial or economic crisis. Investigation of the topic of collateral requirement in the paper is carried out in the following logical sequence: First, the percentage of manufacturers that were required to show a collateral for obtaining a new loan is examined pre- and post-crisis. Then, the type of collateral that was used pre- and post-crisis is examined. The study uses six years of research data: the 2007 survey responses were used as the pre-crisis data and the 2010-2014 data were used as the post-crisis data. We focus on manufacturing firms in Eastern Europe and Central Asia because we have detailed data from the BEEPS IV and BEEPS V surveys of EBRD-World Bank. The paper presents the results of an empirical analysis of collateral requirement and type of collateral used, which shows that fewer manufacturers reported a collateral requirement for new loans post-crisis. When we examine the different types of assets that were used as collateral, we find that there were some significant changes from the pre-crisis period to the post-crisis period. We find that, post-crisis, fewer manufacturers used lands and buildings, machinery and equipment, or other items as collateral for new loans. There was no significant change in the percentage of manufacturers that used accounts receivable and inventories as collateral. On the other hand, our results show that, post-crisis, more manufacturers used personal assets of the owner as collateral. Overall, although fewer firms reported a collateral requirement for new loans post-crisis and fewer firms needed to show lands and buildings, machinery and equipment, or other items as collateral, more firms had to show their owner’s personal assets. The research empirically confirms and theoretically proves that governments and lenders reduced the collateral requirement in this region and that in these times of deteriorating financial conditions, as a last resort, manufacturers had to use the owner’s personal assets as collateral. The results of this research can be useful for manufacturing firms, as well as for lenders and government agencies in the region.

This research aims to study the change in poverty rates in Jordan and the governorates during the period 2010-2017. In estimating poverty rates, the method used by the government in the report on the state of poverty in Jordan for the year 2012 was adopted. This method is similar to the method of the World Bank in estimating global poverty rates. In assessing poverty lines for the year 2017, poverty lines for the year 2010 were re-estimated based on the change in inflation rates and the change in the standard household size at the national and governorate levels during the period 2010-2017. The research relied on national and international secondary sources to collect data related to income, economic growth, and unemployment. Mainly, in this research, reference was made to the Household Income and Expenditure Survey for the year 2010 and 2017 that was conducted by the Jordanian Department of General Statistics. The results of the research showed a significant increase in poverty rates at the national level. It increased from (14.4%) in 2010 to (22.2%) in 2017. With the exception of Ma’an Governorate, all governorates showed a significant increase in their poverty rates. The results also showed the great variation in poverty rates between governorates. These results indicate that the goals contained in the government’s poverty reduction strategies have not been achieved. The reason is not only due to the content and implementation of these plans, but also to the slowdown in economic growth rates and the high unemployment rates since 2010. It is also expected that the rise in the state of poverty will continue due to the deterioration of the economic conditions and will continue with the Corona pandemic, the end of which cannot be foreseen. This situation constitutes more pressure on the government to provide appropriate solutions to alleviate the state of poverty, especially in the difficult fiscal conditions it has faced recently. Keywords: poverty, welfare economic, income distribution, economic growth, unemployment.

The main objective of this article is to highlight Cybersecurity, as a support for innovation in the 21st century company. It analyzes the two dominant structures under company cases, both from the United States and from PR China. The work is part of the research project developed by the researcher from the Pilot University of Colombia, called “The sustainable reference of the company in Colombia: support of the innovation of the XXI Century.” With this, “The Diamond of Innovation” is used, a product of the studies that the author of this document has carried out in the last decade on business models, public policy, culture and education, from Southeast Asia, the RP China and India. Thanks to this work, nine books have been made from the collection of the ‘Asian Firms’ and about thirty related articles. In the last two years, this study made it possible to create a tool that assesses the situation in which a country, city, or particular company finds itself, in terms of innovation, the ‘Innovation Diamond’, uses eight indicators, which allows ranking and propose immediate, short, medium and long term strategies, one of these eight points is: Cybersecurity. To achieve the proper context of the subject, initially the historical subject is addressed, of the evolution of the modalities, object and digital expressions of cybercrime, throughout history, based on the Project “Colossus” by John Mauchly and John Eckert in 1943, which takes up the episodes described in Table 1. On the other hand, it offers the possibility of knowing the indicators that, in terms of cybersecurity, have greater credibility and coverage in the world today, and that allow us to know the advances-setbacks in matter, across the five continents. The document continues, after this context, seeking to explain: What relationship is there between innovation and cybersecurity in the 21st century company? With this purpose, it delves into the subject of Cybersecurity, its continuous relationship with innovation, under its own expression from companies such as Facebook, Netflix, Apple, Samsung, Amazon, etc. The complement is to analyze in this scheme, what is happening in PR China, as the maximum expression of this relationship and a center of criticism and recognition, for its continuous disruption under the slogan ‘made first in China’. Finally, the conclusions take up what has been achieved in its entirety, to propose scenarios and spaces for action that are present, left as legacies of COVID and in the future, where this key cybersecurity-innovation is indivisible as a determining factor not only in economic-social life, but also in relationships. international, West-East, of the next decades.

The purpose of this study was to offer a new approach to evaluate the index of ISO 9001 standard, as so far countries are listed for the ISO 9001 standard based only on the number of ISO 9001 certificates issued for each country, and this perception does not correspond to reality, because some countries that are listed per alphabetic order on top, doesn’t enjoy the property of having a better ranking when it comes to rank countries per number of ISO 9001 certificates issues, or when it comes to rank countries about their weight on the issue. On the other side, listing countries simply by the number of ISO 9001 certificates issued, doesn’t reflect the real weight of countries on the issue, because this rank should be adjusted with the number of businesses of countries taken into consideration, better understanding of ranking models used. A new approach to ranking countries about this issue is needed, reflecting the issue of taking into consideration the number of ISO 9001 certificates issued in a country per number of businesses in that country, as a better way of evaluating the index of ISO 9001 standard. The methodology/method used to conduct this study were (1) the data collection on the number of ISO 9001 certificates issued per country, (2) the data collection on the number of businesses in each country, (3) the division of the number of ISO 9001 certificates issued with the number of businesses, (4) construction of a new ranking list of countries based on the ISO 9001 standard index, (5) inversing the list to give the right value/rank of countries, and graphics draw of the new approach for better visualization and understanding the issue. The main conclusion of this study is that a new approach is needed to evaluate the index of ISO 9001 standard as a more appropriate indicator for listing/ranking countries and this serves all those interested in the academic field, public administration, and the reports and studies of the national and international level of organizations, to create a better perception of doing business in general and on the aspects of quality management in particular, especially when it comes to making the most appropriate comparisons between countries on these issues, weighting them numerically and graphically, as well as helps on understanding, and for a better approaching of socio and economic issues related to ISO standards and continuous improvement of people and organizations.

The article is devoted to the main preconditions for the emergence of poverty and inequality in the distribution of housing among the population in Mexico City. The article analyzes this issue under the influence of the evolutionary development of neoliberalism: deindustrialization, depopulation, and poverty. The study proposes a definition of the poverty index induced by housing shortages, which is calculated as the difference between the average annual income in a given locality and the average annual level of rent, loan and housing loan, which is related to the cost of food and non-food products. The study was based on statistics on income and housing of 16 districts, grouped into three functional areas of Mexico City for the period from 2008 to 2015, and the source of the study – analytical reports of the National Institute of Statistics and Geography of Mexico. The results of the empirical study show that deindustrialization is determined by an increase in the share of the tertiary sector of the economy and at the same time a reduction in material production. These trends in the sectoral development of the economy have led to a concentration of services in the city and uneven regional development, which has been accompanied by increasing speculation in the real estate market and the lack of an effective state housing policy. It has been established that over the last decade, conditions have been created in central Mexico for the expulsion of local low-income groups and the involvement of people with greater financial means. At the same time, locals in the southern district of Mexico City find themselves in a situation of deep inequality compared to residents of other parts of the city, as its residents have enough income to meet basic needs, so they are on the brink of poverty and socially vulnerable. The results of the study can be useful for scientists and government officials to take a set of measures aimed at stimulating housing construction for the poor. Keywords: poverty, inequality, housing, neoliberalism, Mexico.

This article examines the special case of cocoa in different parts of Mesoamerica, as it was used for an additional purpose, besides providing for nutritional needs of people, as well as for religious and other ceremonies. When confidence in a system of currency with coins is present, this more conventional form of money takes precedence. A respected economic form of currency which may include paper and coins or accounts thereof, has all three elements of money: a medium of exchange, a store of value and as a unit of account. In this article, the concept of value includes subjective value, what people have in terms of pleasure and displeasure in regard to owning and seeing a particular object. This article shows that cocoa satisfied the three requirements for serving as a form of money, during some time periods and in some areas of Mesoamerica. It has been found that cocoa met the three criteria necessary for them to be a type of money, in history in different countries. Some examples include certain past time periods in parts of Mesoamerica (part of present-day Latin America). However, cocoa was later found to not work as well, compared to some other specific forms of money. Understanding how different forms of money appear and then are replaced by other forms of money is important in the quest to understand what exactly money is. Monetary theory concepts concerning Gresham’s Law and the Quantity Theory of Money are discussed regarding using cocoa as money.

Corporate governance has become a subject of heightened importance and attention in government policy circles, academia, and the popular press throughout all over the world. The purpose of the study is to examine the actual status of corporate governance principles in Palestinian private universities at Gaza Strip Governorates, in order to propose a framework of governance for these universities, in light of quality, accreditation and classification requirements for Palestinian universities issued by Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education. In Gaza Strip Governorates there are four private universities, the study covers all these four universities. To achieve the study objectives, the descriptive analytical approach was implemented. The study population includes all the 458, stockholders, academic and administrative fixed contract employees at the four private universities in Gaza Strip. the sample was a random sample of 200 employees (44% of the population). A special questionnaire was prepared and distributed for the sample, 182 completed and correct questionnaire copies were collected (91% of total sample). Data was collected using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences SPSS program. The main finding of the study demonstrates that there is a significant relationship between private universities performance and the application of corporate governance principles, quality and accreditation requirements and classification requirements of Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), and applied corporate governance framework, and there is a middle level of adequacy of corporate governance principles adequacy at private universities in Gaza Governorates. These findings reflect the actual situation of all Palestinian private universities. Based on the study results, the researchers recommend to build national standards for university governance, aiming to accelerate the issuance of a guide to the governance of private universities. Also, promoting cultural and knowledge awareness regarding the governance of private universities. These recommendations will help Palestinian private universities to achieve higher performance quality in both academic and managerial aspects, this will improve the outcomes of these universities and will be reflected in the capabilities of their graduate students.

The study aimed to identify the impact of human resources empowerment in achieving the strategic goals of business companies in the Gaza Strip. The researcher chose three dimensions of empowerment, and after reviewing the scientific references and previous scientific studies that dealt with the subject to measure their role in achieving the strategic goals of business companies. The study reached a few results, the most important of which are: The study showed that the level of importance of (information sharing, freedom and independence, work teams) in business companies in the Gaza Strip was high, and this can be explained by the importance of each of the dimensions of employee empowerment, and thus is reflected in the achievement of strategic goals. The study showed that the freedom and independence of workers in business companies in the Gaza Strip was moderate, and this is because the management of these companies gives freedom and independence to the employee to act in situations that confront them during their work, but it is not absolutely free, due to the sensitivity and importance of private work. The study came out with several recommendations, the most prominent of which were: Increasing the principle of freedom and independence and making more spaces available for employees, especially those on the front lines. Attention must be paid when forming work teams that their role should be to achieve the general goals of the company in general, and to reach the strategic goals in particular. Intensifying and deepening the effective and efficient sharing of information between the various administrative levels, and urging workers and employees to the principle of innovation at work in line with the nature and mission of the company.

Since the founding of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in 2004, this institution has been actively involved in large-scale international cultural relations. The purpose of creating this fund was to preserve and popularize the legacy of the national leader of the Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev, to convey the truth about Azerbaijan to the world community, and to familiarize with its history, culture, and spiritual values. The purpose of this article is to determine the stages of formation and development of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, to analyze the directions of its multi-vector activity and to justify the role of the Foundation in forming a positive image of independent Azerbaijan. Along with general logical methods, the methods of political monitoring, content analysis, historical and comparative analysis are used, which make it possible to highlight the complex of activities carried out by the Fund and to forecast the trends of its further activity. Since the foundation of the Foundation, important projects have been developed and successfully implemented to protect the welfare of the Azerbaijani people, protect their national heritage and moral values. The Heydar Aliyev Foundation, paying special attention to the expansion of cooperation with Islamic countries in the field of science and culture, ensured the achievement of the highest level of development of relations between Azerbaijan and the Islamic Organization for Education, Science and Culture. The Heydar Aliyev Foundation paid serious attention to the expansion of cooperation within the framework of the UN, which resulted in the adoption of the Program on creating conditions for the use of information and communication technologies by people with visual impairments. According to the results of the research, it was established that the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, in cooperation with the government, parliament and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, plays the role of one of the effective means of implementing the foreign policy, social, humanitarian, political, economic and cultural strategy of Azerbaijan. The Foundation was able to form a positive image of Azerbaijan on an international scale, establishing constructive cooperation in all spheres, both with individual states and with influential international and regional organizations.

Entrepreneurship is one of the most important input in the economic development of a country by which it creates new jobs and brings innovation. Economic development of a country is the outcome of determined social activity and in particular human. Thus, it is a fact that entrepreneurship plays a significant role in shaping the economy of a country. Nowadays, one of the key objectives of modern economics is to determine factors that influence the economic development and entrepreneurship could easily be considered as one of the factors that influence the economy, either directly or indirectly. Despite the global downturn entrepreneurs are enjoying because governments provide facilities to entrepreneurs in various ways because any country can be productive within the boundary of entrepreneurial activities. More and more entrepreneurial activity is shifted toward productive entrepreneurship since the government of money countries. Governments are trying to support the economic development of a country for economic development. In this report, the main objective was to identify the critical literature about international entrepreneurship and economic development in order to assess the effectiveness of entrepreneurial activities for economic development. Using different kinds of literatures from research papers, articles, books this paper highlights and examines the importance of entrepreneur activities and how these actions contribute towards innovation and job generation. Through the literature, the author has also tried to bring the facts into attention why many countries in the past and the recent global economic world providing many facilities to the entrepreneurs and as a followthrough what outcomes are being recorded. The following paper aims to create awareness among the academicians, government officials, politicians the effectiveness of entrepreneurial activities for economic development. To know the impact of international entrepreneurship for economic development critical literature about the topic has given below.

While it is common practice to interrupt various programs – even movies – on our television sets for advertisement breaks, the same could be inconceivable for the average person in a movie theatre setting, or in a home movie watching scenario where the interruption would come in the middle of a previously purchased (or one provided through a subscription based streaming service) movie. The relevance of this scientific problem is that movies and the interest they generate in either mass or niche segments of consumers represent an excellent opportunity for any company to use in the development of their promotional campaign. The reason for this opportunity is that movies themselves are already equipped with many unique features (examples being the genre or the talent involved on either side of the camera) that aid tremendously in the practical implementation of targeted marketing, as in many cases they too are aiming to attract certain consumer segments. The main purpose of the literature study is to sort the various seemingly ordinary advertisement methods by the types of movie mediums they are attached to, to showcase their main features, possibilities and restrictions which was conducted by summarizing the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion on the topic. The systematization of literary sources and approaches indicate that we are witnessing the effects of the changing movie consumption mechanisms – which mostly occur due to technological changes – on the advertisements that are bounded to them. Last, but not least, through the reassessment of previous studies, we aim to measure the effects of advertisements coming from various mediums and newer solutions have had on consumers, what is the consensus on them in the current scientific discussion and how these might have changed over the past years. The results of the study can be useful for content creators and marketers to have a better grasp on how they could and should approach various kinds of consumer markets. All the while it will serve as one of the main pillars in a future empirical research on consumer behavior regarding movie consumption. Keywords: consumer behavior, cultural marketing, movie consumption, advertising.

This article examines the professional career of Governor Albert P. Brewer and the development of his vision for a public affairs research group, that exists to give objective facts about state and local governments. The research question of this article is if Albert Brewer’s goal was fulfilled. The careful planning and the quality reputation of the published research of Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama (PARCA) has fulfilled the goal that Brewer had in mind. A methodology in arriving at this conclusion can be found in investigating the published output and broad, favorable reception of that output. This article examines the major events in the career of Governor Albert Brewer. He was a state legislator, speaker of the house, lieutenant governor and governor of Alabama. Brewer had many accomplishments, including the creation of the Alabama Development Office (ADO), the Alabama Commission of Higher Education (ACHE), substantial increased funding for public schools, and an effort to produce a new state constitution. A goal of Brewer was to create the PARCA, as a source of objective data and other facts that all people could use. PARCA is a non-profit and non-partisan group. The goals of Brewer for PARCA have been met and the organization continues to flourish. Brewer is one of the most decent professionals to ever occupy the Alabama governor’s office. Brewer was governor and decided to pursue another term with the 1970 election. In his political campaigns he projected the goal of being inclusive as opposed to the strong desire of George Wallace to cause division between African American citizens and some other citizens. That is, Wallace pursued a campaign tactic of creating a racist environment, to get votes. That election is considered by historians to be one of the most racially charged elections. The result was that Brewer and Wallace were in a run-off, and Wallace won by less than 34,000 votes. Later, in 1972 Wallace survived an assassination attempt. Some people think that event changed him, as he did stop pursuing a racist ideology for the rest of his political career. In contrast, Brewer consistently pursued a more inclusive message in appealing to citizens to work together for progress. PARCA, a group championed by Brewer furthers that goal. To help policy makers, PARCA provides objective data, which people of all political views can refer to. Brewer’s goals of an organization that provides accurate information has been achieved.

This paper presents the results of an empirical analysis on the issue of wage differentials occurring within education levels. The main purpose of the research is to investigate the extent to which job profiles, classified as routine and non-routine tasks can explain wage differentials within educational levels in Germany. Systematization of the literary sources and approaches for solving the problem of wage differentials indicates that in line with technological advancement witnessed over the past decades, earnings are largely determined by the nature of tasks carried out within the workplace. The relevance of this scientific problem decision is that educational systems have to keep up with advancing digitization and the rapidly changing labour market requirements. Investigation of the impact job profiles have on earnings, in the paper is carried out in the following logical sequence: firstly, a brief overview on previous research in the field is given, followed by an outline of the dataset analysed, proposed hypotheses, applied methodology and results concluding with a discussion. Methodological tools of the research methods were descriptive statistics along with OLS regression techniques. Based on German cross-sectional employee survey data from 2018 two hypotheses are tested by classifying 23 selected work activities into routine and non-routine tasks linked to the highest education level attained. In accordance with the German education system four educational levels are specified: no occupational degree, in-company or school-based vocational training, advanced vocational training degree and university degree. The results indicate that non-routine activities are on average remunerated at a higher rate compared to routine activities and non-routine analytical work is paid at a higher rate than non-routine craftmanship. Additionally, higher wages for computer assisted work activities is found. The OLS regression model results confirm both hypotheses implying increasing returns to educational attainments resulting in larger hourly pay and higher pay for those performing non-routine tasks. Pursuant to the traditional Mincer human capital approach on returns to schooling the research empirically confirms higher wages for employees completing advanced vocational training and those holding a university degree. The results of the research can be useful for policymakers in the education sector, fostering and improving analytical, data literacy and organizational skills.

This paper summarizes the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion on the issue of how technology use in entrepreneurial process relates to firm performance and business owner’s optimism in U.S. states. We specifically focus on each U.S. state’s success in employing internet as a tool during the startup process, the tax payment process, and the licensing process. We try to answer the following question: “Do the small firms that operate in an internet-friendly state perform better than the small firms that operate in a less internet-friendly state?” We also examine how internet usage affects owners’ outlook for the future. Our results show that the prevalence of internet use for tax payments or for licensing in a state is not related to companies’ performance or their owners’ outlook. The prevalence of internet use during the startup process also does not affect firms’ performance. However, our findings indicate that the prevalence of internet use during the startup process affects owners’ outlook for the future. If a state is more business friendly in terms of the internet startup process, the small business owners in that state tend to be more optimistic in terms of future hiring plans and in terms of encouraging others to start a business in their state. The relevance of these findings is that, to improve the environment for small businesses, states should focus on starting an internet startup process or on improving their existing process. Investigation of the impact of technology use on growth and on owner’s optimism in the paper is carried out in the following logical sequence: First, each state is assigned into one of two groups based on their “Internet start score”. The states that have a score higher than the mean state were assigned into the “High-Internet Start Score” group and the others were assigned into the “Low-Internet Start Score” group. Then, the two groups were compared in terms of firm growth and owner’s optimism. Then, the same procedure is followed for “Internet Tax Score”. The states that have a score higher than the mean state were assigned into the “High-Internet Tax Score” group and the others were assigned into the “Low-Internet Tax Score” group. The two groups were compared in terms of firm growth and owner’s optimism. Finally, the same procedure is followed for “Internet Licensing Score”. The states that have a score higher than the mean state were assigned into the “High-Internet Licensing Score” group and the others were assigned into the “Low-Internet Licensing Score” group. Then, the two groups were compared in terms of firm growth and owner’s optimism. We used nonparametric tests to compare high and low score states in each category. Only 41 states had sufficient data to run the analyses. The paper presents the results of these nonparametric tests which showed that internet start score, internet tax score, or internet licensing score does not explain firm growth. However, the prevalence of internet use during the startup process affects owners’ outlook for the future. The results of the research can be useful for state or local governments that want to support their small businesses by improving the technology use in these areas.

Authors: Abolfazl Akhondzadeh, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8160-3425 Master of Science, PhD Candidate, Researcher, Yazd University of Science and Art, Iran Pages: 86-96 DOI: http://doi.org/10.21272/sec.3(4).86-96.2019 Download: Views: Downloads: 43 6 Abstract The final goal of this study is to provide a model with structural modeling approach of virtual R & D implementation in Iranian ceramic tile companies and small and medium-sized industries and services are one of the broadest fields of activity of manufacturing and economic enterprises that are of great importance. Accordingly, the establishment and expansion of research and development systems in order to infuse new sciences and technologies into this industry is of great importance. Over the past few decades, in a highly competitive market, the development of new products has long been considered as a major contributing factor to the survival and growth of SMEs and manufacturing units and economic enterprises have a great desire to create and develop R & D and investment systems for their efficiency so the necessity of conducting this research was created for Iranian companies because SMEs are considered as engines of economic growth, particularly in developing countries and in a day-to-day market for freedom, the survival and continuity of SMEs depend on their ability to enhance their performance and production that are in accordance with international standards. The questionnaires and interviews used to examine the research questions. It was distributed among 114 experts after ensuring the reliability and validity. The research strategy is a survey-correlation questionnaire that has been compiled by a researcher-made questionnaire. The results of this study showed that the technology structure in virtual teams does not directly affect the implementation of virtual R & D. The knowledge structure of the individuals and the process structure can have a direct effect on the implementation of virtual R & D in the other hand this paper acknowledges the progress made over the past several decades, it focuses on the challenges and limits of Iranian Tile and Ceramic Companies. Keywords: virtual research and development, small and medium-sized industries, interpretive structural modeling, virtual teams.

This paper summarises the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion on cash transfers and child nutrition. The main purpose of the research is to assess the effectiveness of cash transfers in improving nutritional outcomes in vulnerable children in sub-Saharan Africa. Systematisation of the literary sources indicates that studies have justified cash transfer as social-income support that addresses a vital social determinant of health (income) for children in low-and-middle-income countries. The methodological basis of this study is a systematic review that searched a wide range of academic and grey literature databases, including PubMed, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar. This study included cluster-randomised controlled trials (R.C.T.s), randomised controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies, mixed-methods studies, and non-randomised cluster trials. Studies included in this systematic review were screened for their eligibility. The systematic review uses the Cochrane data collection form to extract data from the included studies. It was not feasible to statistically combine the results of the studies due to the heterogeneity of most of the studies. Preferably, the review employs a narrative synthesis to present the estimated effects of cash transfers on children’s nutritional outcomes. The systematic review presents the results of data synthesis, of which eleven studies met the inclusion criteria. Overall, the evidence from the systematic review indicates that cash transfer programmes targeted at children effectively improve anthropometric and nutritional outcomes. Further research is needed to spell out the multiple pathways to how cash transfers improve children’s nutritional outcomes. Moreover, this systematic review shows the importance of cash transfers in improving child nutrition. Policymakers should continue to employ institutional mechanisms to strengthen the nutritional status of children, especially the vulnerable ones since cash transfer intervention is a temporary measure.

The complexities of the twenty-first century have paved way for the emergence and proliferation of cross boundary collaboration in the lexicon of localised and territorial development. Collaborative governance is increasingly playing a vital role in addressing the multidimensional challenges of the contemporary era. This paper seeks to contextualise collaborative governance as a possible remedy that could help to salvage the incapacitated municipalities and be more resourceful in their developmental mandate of fostering localised territorial development. In addition, the article discusses some of the contextual limitations of commonly applied state-led and civil-powered approaches to address socio-economic problems in municipalities. To constitute a resilient collaborative governance capable of improving system management and responsiveness to socio-economic issues in municipalities, the paper tends to shed light on the emergence of another type of approach, the hybrid-centric collaborative approach. Given this scenario, what would be the specific roles and relationship between the state and non-state?

Over the last decade, the synergy between the financial and food crises has led to the emergence of new processes in the functioning of national economies – the seizure of agricultural land. On the one hand, the governments of most African countries, for the sake of their food security, import food and buy agricultural land overseas to organize their own agricultural production. On the other hand, the main purpose of multinational companies investing in land purchases is to generate more profit. This situation led to the rapid and complete privatization of agricultural land on the African continent between 2008 and 2010, while the locals were living outside poverty. The peasants’ right of access to land is no longer guaranteed, they have remained unprotected in their own territories. At present, exponential population growth and its needs are taking place, access to land and water is a crucial element of government. The purpose of the article is to analyze the probable conflicts in land relations arising from the transfer of land to multinational companies. The term ‘land grabbing’ means the large-scale acquisition (purchase, lease) of agricultural land by private individuals for commercial purposes abroad and in the long term (30-90 years) for agricultural production or biofuel production for export. The author of the article found that the products grown on these lands will be destined for the population of other countries, which is detrimental to the local population. Consequently, the seizure of land will in the future have negative socio-economic consequences for society: the destruction of farms, the exacerbation of contradictions between the rural population, the destruction of community fields beyond land acquired by foreign states and transnational corporations. In addition, the study concludes that, first, the seizure of land on the African continent through foreign direct investment, capital transfers, technology and job creation can help to increase the individual income and standard of living of the local population, and thus promote food security; secondly, the significant demand for food and biofuels in the world, population pressures and climate change are factors contributing to the improvement of product quality in the African continent. Keywords: land grabbing, food security, impact, rural agriculture, Sub-Saharan Africa.

This paper summarizes the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion on cash transfers and child health. The main purpose of the research is to assess the effects of cash transfers on children’s health and development outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. Systematization of the literary sources indicates that studies have justified cash transfer as social-income support that addresses a vital social determinant of health (income) for children in low-and-middle-income countries. The methodological basis of this study is a systematic review that searched a wide range of electronic databases such as PubMed, ResearchGate and ScienceDirect. Studies included in this review included randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cluster-RCTs, quasi-experimental and mixed methods studies of cash transfer interventions in children 0-18 years. Inclusion criteria were met by eight studies, four from Africa and four from Latin America. The systematic review presents the results of data synthesis of the included studies that mainly reported the effects of cash transfer programmes on child anthropometry outcomes, cognitive development, morbidity, and healthcare utilization. The review found cash transfer programmes to improve these variables among children in households receiving cash transfers. This systematic review has added to the debate on cash transfers and children’s health outcomes. In general, the systematic review indicates that cash transfer programmes intended for children are effective at improving anthropometric, health, and cognitive outcomes, as well as access to healthcare. However, there is a need for more research to clarify the multiple pathways by which cash transfers can improve children’s health and nutritional outcomes. It is also necessary to clarify what factors explain the variety of effects of cash transfer programs on child health and nutritional status. Finally, cash transfer interventions are not permanent mechanisms for promoting access to healthcare. Policymakers in developing countries should borrow ideas on how to finance healthcare services for improving the socio-economic wellbeing of citizens.

The study summarizes a number of scientific discussions and arguments. The main purpose of the study is to improve the quality of e-services in government agencies, to study the current situation and issues related to the general situation in Azerbaijan in this area. Research and systematization of scientific sources show that there are problems with e-governance in government agencies and a number of improvements are needed. Transparent governance and the creation of citizen satisfaction in Azerbaijan is one of the priorities of the state. In this sense, the relevance of the study includes the analysis of e-governance problems in government agencies in Azerbaijan and ways to solve them. The study was conducted in the following sequence: – General information on e-government is provided; – In the world practice, there are a number of obstacles to the implementation of e-government in any country; – Information was provided on what factors are important for the development of e-government information resources in e-governance; -The current state of e-governance in government agencies in Azerbaijan has been analyzed. The theoretical and methodological basis of the research is the perspectives of researchers, theories, scientific articles, scientific research on e-governance and its improvement. Research objects include e-government, analysis of e-government problems in government agencies and finding solutions. The research is based on scientific-theoretical approaches and empirical analysis. Research has shown experimentally and theoretically that development is impossible without e-government, and the application of e-government has become a necessity. At the end of the study, the results and recommendations of the study were given. The results of the research are useful in the development of programs, projects and proposals related to e-governance, as well as in solving research problems and overcoming existing problems in e-government. E-government plays an important role in the successful development of public administration, increasing the flexibility, efficiency and citizen satisfaction of public administration. The main purpose of e-government is to improve the quality of work and management of government agencies, to protect the rights and freedoms and interests of citizens, to ensure transparent governance.

This paper summarizes the elements of agility listed in contemporary scientific literature and aligns them to the four different forces described by the acronym VUCA. There is a general consensus that organizational resilience and agility are crucial elements to gain sustainable competitive advantage especially since the arresting economic changes during the pandemic year 2020. There is little agreement though how precisely organizational agility responds to volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA). By systemization of frameworks and models from the literary sources the aim is to create a combined model. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to develop a model that can practically be employed to evaluate the agile status quo of an organization. It should support practitioners to distinguish between the different requirements each part of the VUCA acronym requires. The design of this study is a conceptual paper which proposes a new corporate agility model with direct linkages to the requirements of VUCA forces. It derives from, and builds on, existing scientific literature while integrating a comprehensive set of existing agile frameworks. The result of this research is a model which defines distinct enablers, sensing capabilities, agile practices, and responses as answers to VUCA forces. It highlights that certain elements reinforce and link to each other to transform an entire organization agile. Surprisingly, leadership and strategy are not incorporated as elements but rather seen as conditions that subordinate the iterative learning approach of this model. Originality is given as the created model provides a set of elements leaders can implement or use to assess organizational agility. Furthermore, it supports how to deal with strategy and leadership in the transitional process. Relevance is given as during the worlds COVID-19 crises the economic and governments changes in terms of volatility and uncertainty were especially challenging for organizations.

Population aging and its consequences are an extremely controversial issue in the global context. An increase in the number of older people along with a decrease in the birth rate leads to an excessive burden on the economically active part of the population. Such imbalances threaten to reduce the workforce, slow economic growth, increase social spending, increase the fiscal burden. Therefore, using the country’s own experience to solve the problem of rapid aging of the nation and take measures to improve the quality of life of older people and their social integration into society is insufficient, as changes in the age structure of the population may occur for the first time. Therefore, it is necessary to study and adapt the experience of other countries to address this social issue. The purpose of this study was to conduct a comparative analysis of the aging population in Iran and Poland, as well as to assess the impact of the nation’s aging on life expectancy, fertility and gross domestic product (GDP) in these two countries. The object of the study is Poland as a representative of European countries, which is facing an increase in the number of elderly people, and Iran as a country where the age structure of the population is just beginning to change. The study period is 1950-2020. The results of the study show that there has been an increase in the elderly population, but the share of this population compared to other countries is lower. The authors of the study proved the existence of significant differences in the aging population in Poland and Iran. A feature of the demographic situation in Iran is the declining birth rate, which leads to a decrease in the total population and an increase in the proportion of elderly people. These socio-demographic transformations in the long run can have a destructive effect on Iran’s GDP. In contrast to Iran, Poland is experiencing an increase in population aging, leading to rising spending on social security and protection, as well as falling GDP. The rapid growth of the elderly population compared to the growth of the total population of the country and the increase in the share of elderly people in the coming years emphasizes the need for further planning of control over the problems associated with this population group.

Climate change raises the risk on food security, alters the cropping pattern, and secondly, it also plays the triggering role to widen inequality. The South Asian region is home to nearly half of the poor and malnourished population of the world. In South Asia — Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan encounter similar climate induced changes though they differ in their socio-political, economic, and cultural conditions. The physiological population densities (farming population per unit of agricultural land) suggest that these countries belong to the threat zone in terms of climate change impact on agriculture. It has been obvious that any unfavorable climatic conditions mean poor agricultural growth which will have serious ramification on the countries’ economies. Poverty induces poverty; because of the rudimentary technologies used in agriculture, more manpower is needed for farming thus encouraging couples to increase family manpower to invest on farming, which might lead to overpopulation. This paper evaluates how climate change has direct impact on the agricultural development and broader economic growth in the global context and South Asia (Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan). Paper unveils the climate change induced challenges in agriculture with the empirical evidence, elaborates the consequences to the farmers livelihood and food security. Based on secondary information, this paper provides climate change risk scenario and recommends few coping strategies to minimize the climate change impact in farming systems and pathway for the future research.

This paper summarizes the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion on the issue of climate change and its affect on agricultural productivity in Ethiopia. The main purpose of the research is to analyze the impact of climate change on the productivity of agricultural crops. Systematization literary sources and approaches for solving the problem associate were analyzed that indicates there is a significant adverse effect of climate change on agricultural productivity as well as allied fields. The relevance of the decision of this scientific problem is that the community participation and state interventions are required at grass-roots level. Investigation of the topic of climate change and agriculture in Ethiopia in the paper is carried out broadly in the following logical sequence at an appropriate empirical standard level. Methodological tools of the research methods were descriptive statistics and the year of research was 2018-19. The object of research is the chosen for Ethiopia as a whole and case study was carried out in Mettu Woreda to verify the significance. The paper presents the results of an empirical analysis of quantitative data, which showed that there is an adverse effect of climate change on agricultural productivity in the region. The climate change affects agricultural productivity and production through shortening of maturity period and to decreasing crop yields, changing livestock feed availability, affecting animal health growth and reproduction depressing the quality and quantity of the crops, changing distribution rate, contracting pastoral zones, expansion of tropical dry forests and expansion of desertification etc.The research empirically confirms and theoretically proves that highlights the coordination between state and local communities are required to combat the adverse effect of climate change. The results of the research can be useful for policy maker, researchers, academicians and other international organizations like UNEP and UNDP etc. Keywords: climate change, random sampling, descriptive statistics, crop productivity, food security and livestock.

The following paper summarizes the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion on the issues of agritourism development issues in rural places. Agritourism development is a good source for rural development, as it will contribute to the investments in villages, increase rural income, emlpoyment, etc. The main purpose of the article is to analyze agritourism development opportunities and issues in Armenian rural places. The analysis was carried out in Armenian two regions: Lori and Tavush. The investigation of the topic and the results of the analysis state that Armenian regions Lori and Tavush have opportunities to develop different types of tourism based on existing resource potential: historical-cultural, eco, agro, gastronomic, adventure, etc. The research empirically confirms and theoretically proves the existing problems that hinder agritourism development. For the analysis a survey and observation methods were used. Survey was done among village heads and local population-hosts. The main results of the research are then analyzed via SWOT analysis, based on which some suggestions were made. The main conclusion is that it is necessary to implement various actions for agritourism development, such as: involving investments, improving roads and infrastructures, improving legislation and statistics, organizing trainings for hosts and farmers, improving marketing, etc. The development of agritourism will contribute to the development of the community and the whole country, will increase incomes, spread and preserve culture, increase motivation to live in villages, will form a civil society, as constant contact with tourists, continuous development of business skills and aspirations, will enlarge the worldview of population and will contribute to their understanding of the most important problem of preserving the Armenian culture. The results of the research can be useful for the state and municipal organs, private sector, also for researchers of tourism sphere. Keywords: agritourism, infrastructures, marketing, rural places, tourism, villages.

The major aim of this paper was to examine the factors that determine market supply of mangoes and red peppers by smallholder growers in Ahferom and Kola-Tembien Districts of Tigray National Regional State, Northern Ethiopia. Data were collected from a sample of 192 mango growers and 191 red pepper growers. Both descriptive statistics and econometric analysis applied for analyzing the collected data. The multiple linear regression model was applied to identify the factors determining mango and red pepper market supply. The result of the descriptive analysis showed that level of mangoes and red peppers production has been raised owing to high intervention and follow up of the regional government on the sector through increasing level of accountability and building competitive sprite among agricultural extension workers. 53.6% of the sample mango growers and 27.6% of the sample red pepper growers sold their produces to retailers. The result of the estimated parameter also indicated that level of mango production, sex of the household head, household family size, access to credit and total land size were the factors that determine marketable supply of mangoes by smallholder growers. Similarly, distance to nearest market, access to market information, total land size, cooperative membership and selling price were found to be determinants of the market supply of red peppers. Finally, the study recommended intervention in appropriate distribution of inputs, improvement in rural infrastructure, promoting and expanding mango and red pepper production for export and ensuring fair trade. The current market oriented agricultural system has to be supported by mechanisms of gathering and distributing market information, appropriate crop pricing and market linkages, which enhance market supply and improve the economic and social bargaining power of growers. Keywords: determinant, market supply, production, smallholder growers.

This paper summarizes the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion on the issue of the effect of education on violent crime, specifically in the U.S. state of Alabama. The main purpose of the research is to determine whether more education leads to a decrease in the rate of violent crime. Systematization of the literary sources and approaches for reducing the violent crime rate indicate that increasing education, particularly the number of people with at least a high school or associate’s degree, can be one influential tool in cutting crime. The relevance of this scientific problem analysis is that Alabama has one of the highest violent crime rates in the United States according to crime watch sources, and Alabama residents desire safer neighborhoods. Investigation of what effect education has on crime in the paper is carried out in the following logical sequence: Introduction, literature review, data and analysis, and conclusion. Methodological tools of the research methods include econometric analysis using log-linear, linear-log, and log-log models covering population, educational attainment, violent crime rate, and unemployment rate of each county over five years: 2011-2015. The object of research are all the counties of Alabama, because namely they have some of the highest crime rates in the United States. Coincidentally, Alabama also has one of the lowest educational attainment rates in the country; the average American has more years of formal schooling than the average Alabama resident, and the crime rates of all other U.S. states compared to Alabama reflect this important fact. The paper presents the results of an empirical analysis of how more education impacted the violent crime rate in that state, which showed that, with one exception, more years of schooling does indeed result in less violent crime. The research empirically confirms and theoretically proves that, in the majority of cases, a better educated populace is less likely to commit violent crime.The results of the research can be useful for educators, law enforcement, and criminal justice practitioners.

Albania has seen significant political and socioeconomic changes in the last 30 years, owing mostly to its participation in democratization and the transition to an open market economy. The purpose of this study is to investigate demographic dynamics in Albania to better understand the country’s current population situation and the near future projection for the period 2025-2031. The relevance of analyzing this topic is to better understand actual demographic changes in Albania and to have a detailed projection of the situation in the near future. The article begins by analyzing important demographic changes and their effects on a country’s economy, specifically the labor market. Furthermore, we demonstrated the trajectory of demographic changes in Albania for various main demographic parameters such as births, deaths, natural increase, marriage, divorces, and numbers of foreigners in Albania, using data from the Institute of Statistics in Albania (INSTAT). The following are presented population projections for ten coming years. The changes that have happened in the labor market are presented here to better comprehend the effects and repercussions of these demographic changes. The descriptive analysis of the main demographic indicators shows that the population is rapidly declining, posing a serious problem with numerous consequences, particularly in the labor market, necessitating the implementation of immediate policies to mitigate this phenomenon and its consequences. It makes a technical contribution by employing an approach that allows for fresh estimations of the amount of internal migration, demographic changes, and labor market issues in Albania. The results of the research can be useful for policymakers to initiate social, fiscal, and incentive policies to mitigate the decline and aging of the population.