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This paper aims to enhance our knowledge about late-medieval epidemic outbreaks in specific parts of Eastern Central Europe. The first part on modern-day Eastern Germany discusses narrative evidence and its use in the current research on plague history, before bringing in municipal records on testaments and conveyances from Görlitz and Stralsund for the reconstruction of seasonality and mortality rates, as well as funeral inscriptions and pictorial evidence from Erfurt as indirect indicators of plague waves. After a brief discussion of the scarce narrative sources, the second part of the paper concerning Bohemia works with the evidence of the Libri Confirmationum, a source originating from the chancellery of the archbishops of Prague. Every new appointment to a benefice was supposed to be approved by one of the vicars general of the archbishop, and this confirmation usually gives the reason for the vacancy. Expanding on Eduard Maur's research, death statistics and their frequency are analyzed statistically. The paper provides insight into new evidence for the reconstruction of plague waves, mortality rates and seasonality, and thereby highlights the characteristics of the plague in Eastern Central Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freshwater systems contribute significantly to the global atmospheric methane budget. A large fraction of the methane emitted from freshwaters is transported via ebullition. However, due to its strong variability in space and time, accurate measurements of ebullition rates are difficult; hence, the uncertainty of its contribution to global budgets is large. Here, we analyze measurements made by continuously recording automated bubble traps in an impounded river in central Europe and investigate the mechanisms affecting the temporal dynamics of bubble release from cohesive sediments. Our results show that the main mechanisms for bubble release were pressure changes, originating from the passage of ship-lock induced surges and ship-passages. The response to physical forcing was strongly affected by previous outgassing. Ebullition rates varied strongly over all relevant timescales from minutes to days; therefore, representative ebullition estimates could only be inferred with continuous sampling over long periods. Since ebullition was found to be episodic, short sampling intervals of a few days or weeks will likely underestimate ebullition rates, which may result in an uncertainty of over 50% in current global freshwater emission estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an introduction to a collection of nine studies that are intended to fill the gap in the literature associated with landform development and landscape changes related to natural forces and human activities in the Central European Mountains and their close forelands. The papers are grouped into four general categories that describe the influence of climate on glacial landforms and snow avalanches, the evolution of slopes in high mountains, the development of mid-mountain relief, and changes in fluvial systems in mountains and their forelands. This paper summarises the contributions of these studies to this special issue and attempts to outline possible avenues of future research on landforms and landscapes in mountainous areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Luridica is the property of Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Lodzkiego and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

For the first time, we investigated the composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) compared to total OM (TOM, consisting of DOM and particulate OM, POM) in throughfall, stemflow and forest floor leachate of beech and spruce forests using solid state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. We hypothesized that the composition and properties of OM in forest ecosystem water samples differed between DOM and TOM and between the two tree species. Under beech, a contribution of phyllosphere-derived fresh POM was echoed in structural differences. Compared with DOM, TOM exhibited higher relative intensities for the alkyl C region, representing aliphatic C from less decomposed organic material, and lower relative intensities for lignin-derived and aromatic C of the aryl C region, resulting in lower aromaticity indices and reduced humification intensities. Since differences in the structural composition of DOM and TOM were less pronounced under spruce than under beech, we suspect a tree species-related effect on the origin of OM composition and resulting properties (e.g. recalcitrance, allelopathic potential). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Along with predicted climate change, increased risks for summer drought are projected for Central Europe. However, large knowledge gaps exist in terms of how drought events influence the short-term ecosystem carbon cycle. Here, we present results from 13CO2 pulse labeling experiments at an intensively managed lowland grassland in Switzerland. We investigated the effect of extreme summer drought on the short-term coupling of freshly assimilated photosynthates in shoots to roots as well as to soil CO2 efflux. Summer drought was simulated using rainout shelters during two field seasons (2010 and 2011). Soil CO2 efflux and its isotopic composition were measured with custom- built chambers coupled to a quantum cascade laser spectrometer (QCLAS-ISO, Aerodyne Research Inc., MA, USA). During the 90min pulse labeling experiments, we added 99.9atom% 13CO2 to the grass sward. In addition to the isotopic analysis of soil CO2 efflux, this label was traced over 31 days into bulk shoots, roots and soil. Drought reduced the incorporation of recently fixed carbon into shoots and increased carbon allocation below-ground relative to total tracer uptake. Contrary to our hypothesis, we did not find a change in allocation speed in response to drought, although drought clearly reduced soil CO2 efflux rates. 19 days after pulse labeling, only about 60 % of total tracer uptake was lost via soil CO2 efflux under drought compared to about 75 % under control conditions. Predisposition of grassland by spring drought lead to different responses to summer drought in 2011 compared to 2010, suggesting increased sensitivity of grassland to consecutive drought events as predicted under future climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information on topics of a conference on the government of the members of the European Union (EU) in Central and Eastern Europe is presented. It sates that the congress focused on dealing with the challenges that EU member states will face. It also adds that the Committee on the Regions (CoR) opened a debate forum regarding the involvement of sub-national authorities on EU multilevel governance. Moreover, it says that 82 papers were discussed during the plenary meetings of the conference.

Copyright of Estudos do Seculo XX is the property of Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Building elements, especially partitions, floors and external walls significantly affect indoor acoustic comfort. Their ability to reduce noise transmission from neighbouring rooms or from outdoors depends on the element composition and the building materials used. In Central Europe, the heavyweight masonry or concrete walls and slabs are typical elements both for family and residential buildings. However, increasing popularity of lightweight multi-layered structures is noticeable. This creates new opportunities for the gradual replacement of traditional materials with renewable and recycled ones, both for load-bearing components and for fillings and other layers of building elements. This paper introduces such design changes in relation to acoustics, particularly airborne sound insulation. The greatest attention is paid to the replacement of masonry and mineral wool insulation with timber and wood fibres. The overview is supplemented by examples of low-energy house external wall and timber wall with recycled infill whose sound insulation has been determined by measurements in the acoustic laboratory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critiques of Western Orientalism have been well-known since the Saidean perspective, and in-depth analysis of Frontier Orientalism has also gained prevalence and academic recognition. Yet, another tendency, namely, that of exoticizing Persia, has not been given wide-ranging attention. This paper delivers a theoretical and empirical framework describing another variant of Central European Orientalism, which may be remotely reminiscent of alleged colonial thought, yet with regional peculiarities and without any direct exposition of historical-political conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper generally builds on the concept of justice in social science. It attempts to interpret this concept in a geographical and particularly in a spatial context. The paper uses the concept of accessibility to define the principle of spatial equity. The main objective of the paper is to propose an approach with which to assess the level of spatial equity in the administrative division of a territory. In order to fulfil this objective the paper theoretically discusses the concept of spatial equity and relates it to other relevant concepts, such as spatial efficiency. The paper proposes some measures of spatial equity and uses the territory of four Central European countries (Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia) as example of the application of the proposed measures and the corroboration of the proposed approach. The analysis is based on the administrative division of four countries and is carried out at different hierarchical levels as defined by the Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics (NUTS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to analyse the double-layered diversification of the European integration system represented by the countries of Central Europe (CE). Here exemplified by the Visegrad Four (V4) states (Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Czechia), the region offers a unique laboratory of European differentiated integration (DI). The V4 positions itself on the outer-core of the European Union hemispheres. At the same time, the bloc itself is internally diversified in various, important aspects of integration (conflicting trajectories with Brussels, monetary integration, energy policy, relations with Russia, etc.). Unpacking this intra-V4 diversity will be accompanied by an exploration of the economic and institutional factors possibly affecting it. The political-economy perspective allows us to capture the determinants intersecting at the crossroads of economic and political dimensions. The authors will explore the selected building blocks of the system of differentiation inside the V4 group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the three case study experiments which investigate the ability of the new 1-way on-line coupled atmospheric chemistry model system (MECO) to accurately predict weather condition during meteorologically challenging conditions in Central Europe. It relates that the simulation with the new model were compared with present-day regional weather prediction models. The study reveals the effectiveness of the new model to forecast the weather during intense weather condition.

Death and dying were a ubiquitous reality of the world of medieval society, with lasting effects on the living from all social groups in equal measure. However, for the rulers of the day, the process of dying and the subsequent burial was an important social, political and cultural event. Over time, special funerary ceremonial complexes developed that included a variety of rituals and symbols which indicated the status and importance of the medieval monarchs. This paper compares the funerary rituals and symbols of power on display during the processions of three Central European kings: King Charles I Robert of Hungary (1342) in Visegrád, Buda and Szkésfehérvár, Polish King Casimir III the Great (1370) in Kraków and Bohemian King and Roman Emperor Charles IV (1378) in Prague. Each of these monumental events included a number of common motifs and ritual sequences, though at the same time, local flavour or innovations always came into play. The common denominator of these three ceremonies was that in the spirit of the political theology of the time, all referenced the immortality of the sovereign power and its timeless essence, which sprung from a sacred character sanctioned by God's grace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper summarizes the current knowledge on winter active Carabidae in Central and Northern Europe. In total 73 winter active species are listed, based on literature and own observations. Ground beetles are among the three most numerous Coleoptera families active during the autumn to spring period. The winter community of Carabidae is composed both of larvae (mainly autumn breeding species) and adults, as well as of epigeic species and those inhabiting tree trunks. Supranivean fauna is characterized by lower species diversity than the subnivean fauna. The activity of ground beetles decreases in late autumn, is lowest during mid-winter and increases in early spring. Carabidae are noted as an important food source in the diet of insectivorous mammals. They are also predators, hunting small winter active invertebrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research into international businesses centered in Central and Eastern Europe. Much of this has focused on theories such as transaction cost economics, agency theory, and institutional perspectives. Articles in this issue analyze the dynamic processes in transitional economies. Each papers analyze different aspects of transition that businesses must go through to fully internationalize themselves. Several researchers found that positive emotions were the key to increasing a Dutch firm's chances of internationalization. Another showed the rough entry of several Swedish firms into the Russian marketplace.

Developing market orientation tax systems has been a significant component of the economic transition in Central and Eastern Europe. Some challenges faced by policy makers in tax policy design for transition countries are studied in this volume. In particular, taxation and corruption, fiscal decentralization, revenue adequacy at the national level and the taxation of natural resources are examined in the papers that follow. The authors of the papers are well qualified to examine these issues. Each author has extensive practical experience in advising transition economies in addition to their individual academic and scholarly achievements. These papers reflect that experience and expertise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents an overview of articles featured in the special issue of "Studies in East European Thought," in 2002, devoted to the topic of nationalism in the Central and Eastern European context. Novel elements in the tradition of philosophical debate, in the issue; Schematics of the alternatives concerning the issue of nations and ethnicity which Central and East European peoples and states face at the beginning of the millennium; Papers concerned with supra-statal models.

This paper examines the relationship between the real exchange rate and the foreign trade imbalance in both the Western Balkan (WB) and Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. During the most recent global economic crisis, examining the impact of the exchange rate on the balance of trade took on a particular importance. Countries used a variety of monetary policy regimes and, depending on their choice, they had different economic instruments available to deal with the crisis. The aim of the research was whether exchange rate devaluation and/or depreciation are capable of effectively and fully eliminating the negative effects of the global economic crisis, as well as the consequent poor export performance and contracted economic activity. Our findings show that during an economic crisis those countries that use their own currency cannot substantially adjust their trade deficit by depreciating their currency. Moreover, it is suggested that during the global economic crisis, the balance of payments deficit is not impacted significantly by the exchange rate, any more. In such cases, other factors play a more significant role, like as government spending, followed by foreign demand and direct investments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main message of this paper is that there are two periods of Europeanization and Democratization in the ECE political systems with a transitory grey zone in the 2000s. They can be termed as the periods of "permissive tolerance" and "increasing disappointment" seen from the side of the ECE populations, and the periods of "formalities" and "alienation" in Europeanization from the side of the ruling elites. This paper tries to describe these two periods of the political systems in general and the party systems in particular. The first party systems of the young ECE democracies have collapsed in the 2010s due to the failure of the catching up process in the last Quarter-Century that has been aggravated by the effects of the global crisis. This paper argues that the decline of democracy in ECE has been accompanied with the rise of the second party system. The critical elections in the 2010s have also meant the change in the party system towards the dominance of the populist parties. The new dominant parties of the last decade represent also some kind of the political reaction to the global crisis management, since they express the dissatisfaction of the large masses suffering from the long-term effects of global crisis in the 2010s. The populist parties in ECE have usually become the governing mainstream parties, and they have completed the state capture in the form of democracy capture leading to the deconsolidation of the ECE political systems. The new wave of populism in ECE that has produced the "populist eruption" in the region, therefore this situation necessitates the elaboration of the comprehensive conceptual framework of the ECE new political systems based on the duality of the external and internal Europeanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The empirical study of trust in leader has manifested its intuitively appealing role as a fundamental characteristic of effective leaders. Thus, the phenomenon and its antecedents have been a salient topic in recent management studies. The aim of this paper is to examine the relation between trust and its one of the most cited antecedent-communication satisfaction (CS). Delimited by the Motivating Language Theory, the paper reveals the mechanism between the phenomena via conventional and SEM analyses in an Int'l sample. Empirical results confirms the significantly positive relation between leader's language use and trust in leader as mediated by CS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper scrutinises how alternative cultural scenes from Central and Eastern European countries have been represented in fanzines published in France since 1977. The study focusses principally on the geographical and temporal rather than the qualitative or cultural aspects of the question. Four countries clearly stand out, representing 57 % of the analysed corpus: Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Hungary. These special interests may be explained by macrosocial factors (for example, the search for alternative information to counterbalance those diffused by French mainstream media) or microsocial factors (i.e. personal interest/linkage of a zinester (zine publisher) to a country of Central and Eastern Europe). Fanzine analyses underline the importance of individuals in the cross-border diffusion of alternative scenes' echoes, rather than established professional networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Istraživanja: Journal of Historical Researches is the property of Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose – This article seeks to explore some of the principal issues and debates on the relationship between institutions, firm level governance and employment relations outcomes in Eastern and Central Europe. Design/methodology/approach – This paper particularly focuses on the countries that are encompassed by the papers covering the special issue. Findings – Introducing new and meaningful forms of labour regulation becomes very much more difficult in times of economic crisis. This means that the regulation of employment relations is likely to be diminished, or, as is probably more likely in the case of the bulk of countries in the region, a situation of "muddling on" is likely to persist. Firm level employment relations practices are likely to be persistently diverse, both within and between countries. Key areas of division are in terms of country clusters, which range from proto-social democratic through to "wild capitalist", distinguished by variations in terms of firm size, and between the formal and informal economies. Practical implications – This study highlights the extent to which institutional variations and change may mould the choices made at firm level. Originality/value – There is a tendency to conflate the region into a loose transitional category. This paper highlights the divergent paths followed by the countries in the region, and the extent to which this has been associated by diversity in employment relations both within and between countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of the present research was to develop a methodology for assessment of resilience of residential buildings in Central Europe. The main purpose of the methodology is to enable to set performance levels in terms of resilience for new multifamily residential buildings. The paper describes a method of selection and development of the assessment criteria and the fi nal structure of whole assessment scheme and presents examples of detailed evaluation using selected criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes institutional dynamics surrounding common-pool resources in postsocialist Central and Eastern Europe. It is conceived in close conjunction with the case studies by Penov, Schleyer, and Wasilewski and Krukowski (this issue). The purpose of this paper is to frame the individual case inquiries, compare their findings, and relate those to broader agrarian and environmental changes in the region.The case studies report a broad shift in resource governance from the previously dominant legal and administrative state hierarchies towards markets. In addition, state power has moved from central towards local authorities. The waning and decentralization of state power has caused the emergence of significant gaps between property legislation and rights-in-practice, which have been particularly stark in fragmented political systems. The discrepancy between legal texts and rights-in-practice leads to the exclusion of wider interests in favor of individual interests in the management of common-pool resources, resulting in resource deterioration and dwindling resource stocks. Thus, the comparative assessment suggests a tentative framework for understanding the effects of postsocialist transformations on governance of the commons and environmental change in Central and Eastern Europe. Its findings indicate an additional dimension to the diversity and distributive conflicts characterizing postsocialist privatization: the distribution of various rights to a resource among different actors. The findings also suggest the need for postsocialist states to take an active role in the governance of common-pool resources, particularly in the enforcement of legal rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the first record of Lithurgus cornutus (Fabricius, 1787) in Poland. Until recently, bees of the genus Lithurgus have not been recorded in Poland. Five females and one male of L. cornutus were caught in Lublin Region, SE Poland. The localities are beyond the range of this species, being the northernmost known records from Central Europe. The following information is provided: short diagnosis, ecology, distribution, recent records and threat status of L. cornutus in Central Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we focus on mapping and analysing the spatial patterns of unemployment in four Central European countries - Austria, Czechia, Germany, and Poland, on municipal level in 2010. Specifically, based on the geo-social differentiation patterns, we are searching for secondary axes stretching from the Blue Banana (the major European economic development axis running from London to Milan) towards Eastern Europe. Unemployment is supposed to approximate economic development, thanks to its close relation to GDP and other economic indicators. To study spatial patterns and development axes on a micro scale, we use the concept of spatial autocorrelation, specifically Moran's I and LISA analysis. While we analyse more than 44,000 units, the resulting maps are very detailed and difficult to interpret on small scales. In this paper, we take advantage of the opportunity to present large-scale maps (1:2,500,000 and 1:6,000,000), which are also more suitable for the analytical conclusions that follow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significance of retirement savings and private pension funds increased in the latest decades and gathered important amounts of capitals. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the macroeconomic effects of pension systems from an investment perspective in five Central and Eastern European countries. The analyzing process regarding several underlying macroeconomic effects of pension systems started from the premises that there is a strong connection between the structure of pension systems, the national economy and the development of the financial sector. The econometric tests were processed and applied by using pool data regression models and the method Pooled Instrumental Variables (IV) - Two-stage Least Squares (2SLS). The main conclusion highlights that the interest rate at deposits is correlated with the amount of incomes earned by population, inflation rate, severe material deprivation rate and the investment strategy of private pension funds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares the translation theories of Otokar Fischer (1883-1938) and Jiří Levý (1926-1967) and highlights the differences and similarities between them. It will be shown that the two scholars focused on similar issues and developed them in different ways, but with various points of contact. The first question to which both Fischer and Levý devote specific attention concerns the centrality of communicative functions, ideological and aesthetic values in the translation process and, therefore, the need to preserve them. Then, it will be shown how they both focus on the need to understand, interpret and translate what is not explicitly expressed, i.e. the subtext, the need to bring the words of the original text back to a prenatal stage, in which they existed only in the form of thought. It will further be highlighted that both Fischer and Levý place emphasis on the importance of translation as a work of art and means of cultural transmission and on the importance of the cultural education, taste and creativity of the translator. Finally, the issue of the dual norm of translation will be addressed: Fischer and Levý focus on what they believe to be the two fundamental requirements of a translation, i.e. fidelity and beauty, reaching different conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the relationships between people and waste in the Middle Ages, primarily in urban environments in Central Europe. At the center of interest are the attitudes of the inhabitants of medieval cities towards cleanliness and a description of different waste management practices. This paper also describes an experiment using ashes to launder clothing as one possible use of a particular waste material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last decade of the EU membership has been a lost decade in East-Central Europe in many ways, first of all for the young generation, which has become a lost generation to a great extent, but also for the new twin paradigm of EU as the performance democracy and the sustainable social progress. The Ten Years' Anniversary of the EU membership gives a good occasion to analyse and evaluate the performance of ECE in the EU. However, it does not give too much reason for the celebration, since it has been very controversial in the terms of economic, social and political developments. This period has to be discussed in the larger framework of systemic change (the Quarter-Century perspective), but with special regard to the EU membership period (the Ten Years perspective). This paper conceptually follows my recent paper (Ágh 2014), dealing with the general framework on NMS developments both in the Quarter-Century and Ten Years perspectives. This new paper concentrates, however, on the socio-political aspect of the Europeanization and Democratization in East-Central Europe (V4+ as Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia). The contributors to the Bertelsmann country reports (BTI, Bertelsmann Transformation Index and SGI, Sustainable Governance Indicators) have discussed the topic of ECE democratization with its general-regional and nation-specific features within the CEPSA (Central European Political Science Association) several times. Moreover, the big international ranking institutions like the Economist Intelligence Unit and the Freedom House (and many others) have also evaluated and documented these democratic developments. They have also concluded that the ECE democracy has been in decline, especially in the last years. Thus, this analysis of Europeanization and Democratization in ECE can be based on the large documentation of these databases, and also on the cooperation of the ECE experts within the CEPSA and elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition from state-socialism to capitalism has not been the only process reshaping the urban landscapes in Central and Eastern Europe but some cities were affected by war destructions, like in the Caucus region or in the former Yugoslavia. The case study of Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is helpful to understand how the urban transformation is performed in post-war contexts, an arena neglected in the current literature on post-socialist cities. This paper aims at exploring the interplay between postsocialist urban restructuring and the peace-building process. It presents results of a series of fieldworks conducted in Sarajevo in 2010 and 2013. It is argued that in spite of the liberal policies implemented by the international community and the belated physical renewal, the transition from socialism to capitalism has been continuously undermined by the local power reconfiguration carried out during the war. The paper analyses the restructuring policies of the post-war period and its impact on the urban spatial structure. The first two sections focus on the urban restructuring processes of post-socialist cities also in post-war contexts, in which the nature of the internationally-led reconstruction and peace-building is analysed as differential processes. Finally, both processes are considered in the case of Sarajevo in relation to the transformation of its urban structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper connects the biofuels literature with the genetic modifications literature by considering the potential of genetic modifications for increasing the efficiency of the cellulosic biofuels production. This is done for one particular case through analyzing the effect of genetically modified corn adoption on the overall yields of corn for silage. Our econometric model confirms that the use of genetically modified corn with the inserted MON810 gene increases the overall corn biomass yield in the production and environmental conditions of the Central Europe, in particular in the Czech Republic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Special Treatment / Különleges Bánásmód is the property of University of Debrecen and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Starting from the premise that, as one of Roth's shorter works, Philip Roth's 1985 novella, The Prague Orgy, may have been insufficiently explored, the paper sets out to analyze its interconnectedness with and indebtedness to the Central-European historical and literary space. As part of a vaster project, via close readings in context, it will retrace the author's preoccupation with major issues that, in time, shaped individual and collective, real and fictional trajectories across The Other Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper is to investigate the Fisher effect, for a sample of emerging countries from the CEE region, namely the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Romania. The results are mixed, according with the methodology, being found weak empirical support to the full Fisher effect. More evidence is found for Romania and Poland. In the Romanian case the ex-post real interest rate has a mean-reverting behavior, and the Engle-Granger methodology detect a cointegration relationship between interest rate and inflation. The Johansen cointegration methodology finds support for a cointegration equation for Poland. The Granger causality test indicates a short-run causality from inflation to interest rate for the Czech Republic, and bidirectional Granger causality for Romania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to empirically explore the impact of absorptive capacity (AC) on explorative and exploitative innovation in business cluster settings, and the environment's moderating role on these relationships. Design/methodology/approach – Using a sample of Central European companies, the paper applies multivariate data analysis techniques to test the effect of AC on innovation performance and potential moderators, respectively. Findings – The empirical evidence indicates that AC impacts both explorative and exploitative innovation, and that the strength of the impact depends on the business clusters' level of dynamism and competitiveness. Environmental dynamism and competitiveness positively moderate the effect of AC on explorative innovation, and negatively moderate the effect of AC on exploitative innovation. Research limitations/implications – Several research limitations apply. First, only one interview per firm was conducted on a self-reporting basis. Second, the survey's focus was on SMEs. Third, questionnaire translations and differing interviewer behaviour may bias the results. Practical implications – The findings suggest that firms in business clusters must develop AC to gain the fruits of agglomeration effects. Furthermore, attention should be paid to the cluster's environmental conditions, since dynamism and competition play a significant role for innovation. Originality/value – Although the importance of AC has often been highlighted, much more remains to be understood about its role in business cluster settings. This issue is addressed in this work by providing systematic, empirical evidence on how AC affects innovation performance at the firm level, and on how this relationship depends on the business cluster's environmental characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Universitatis Lodziensis: Folia Archaeologica is the property of Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Lodzkiego and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper aims at pointing out the evolution in real and financial plans in order to adhere to the EMU, using a comparative approach, on the example of Romania, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary. The main results of the study are the following: the four countries have made notable progress in the years preceding the current crisis; however, considerable efforts are still needed in order to comply with the euro zone, in terms of living standards, economic structure, degree of openness of the economy, etc.; refer the financial convergence, directions are needed to increase the financial intermediation and financial depth in Romania and Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary recording slightly more favourable indicators. On the other hand, central banks, except the Polish one, should significantly improve the transmission mechanism of monetary policy upon the financial and real sphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the complementarity of methodological guides dealing with microregional development in Central Europe. As an example, the Czech Republic framework has been selected. This study compares seven common methodologies written in Czech, which the author has divided into three groups, namely manual-like methodologies, semi-scientific texts and hybrid texts dealing with other complementary aspects. The result is a comparison of methodologies, their usage and implications for the practices of regional development. The paper also includes a brief analysis of sustainable development elements incorporated into the methodological texts. The final part outlines links to the four-capital model of regional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal for East European Management Studies is the property of Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this paper, we evaluate what we have learned to date about the effects of privatization from the experiences during the last fifteen to twenty years in the postcommunist (transition) economies and, where relevant, China. We distinguish separately the impact of privatization on efficiency, profitability, revenues, and other indicators and distinguish between studies on the basis of their econometric methodology in order to focus attention on more credible results. The effect of privatization is mostly positive in Central Europe, but quantitatively smaller than that to foreign owners and greater in the later than earlier transition period. In the Commonwealth of Independent States, privatization to foreign owners yields a positive or insignificant effect while privatization to domestic owners generates a negative or insignificant effect. The available papers on China find diverse results, with the effect of nonstate ownership on total factor productivity being mostly positive but sometimes insignificant or negative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents changes in water and sewage management in the cross-border Oder River basin in the period since the post-communist political and economic system transformation, including the period after Poland's accession to the European Union. The Oder River basin, with an area of 124,000 km2, is the second largest basin in the Baltic Sea Basin, and therefore requires particular protection. It was emphasised that in the years 1989–2017, water withdrawal for production purposes considerably decreased (by 42%), as well as water withdrawal for exploitation of the water supply system (by 33%). The amount of sewage discharged to rivers was also reduced (by approximately 50%), and treatment technologies considerably improved. Changes in water and sewage management were presented in spatial form, i.e. by hydrographic regions of the Oder River basin. Particular attention was paid to changes in sewage management in cities. They involved among others the liquidation of mechanical treatment plants and a considerable increase in the number of cities with treatment plants with increased nutrient removal. The analysis of the effect of the changes in water and sewage management on the quality of the Oder River and Baltic Sea was also performed, and the rate of decrease in loads of contaminants most harmful to water ecosystems was determined. The role of European Union funds and national funds in the implementation of investments in the scope of water management was emphasised. Finally, attention was drawn to the need to intensify works for protecting waters in agricultural areas, which currently constitute the primary threat to their quality. Several top-priority tasks were also specified that should be implemented in the near future for the purpose of obtaining a good ecological state of waters in the Oder River basin pursuant to the Water Framework Directive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper estimates the exchange market pressure (EMP) in four Central European countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia) over the period 1993-2006. Therefore, it is one of very few studies focused on this region and the very first paper applying concurrently model-dependent as well as model-independent approaches to EMP estimation to these countries. The results obtained suggest that the approaches lead to inconsistent findings. They often differ in identification of the principal development trends, as well as the magnitude and direction of the pressure. The paper provides evidence that a shift in the exchange rate regime towards the quasi-fixed ERM II should not stimulate EMP growth. However, it is highly probable that some episodes of the excessive EMP will make the fulfillment of the exchange rate stability criterion more difficult in all of the countries analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A massive surge in foreign investment, beginning with the transition to an enlarged European Union, has contributed strongly to the automobile sector's reorganization in Central and East European countries (CEECs). In an attempt to complement the essentially qualitative literature on the subject, this paper proposes an original empirical approach to evaluate the maturity of the CEEC automobile sector and its integration into the European automobile production network. Relying on six-digit-level disaggregated data on the CEEC automobile sector's trade within Europe for the period 1993-2003, the paper analyzes the composition of trade as well as the evolution of the CEECs' intraindustry trade (IIT). First, the results demonstrate that core CEECs no longer show any sign of a technological deficit or maturity gap vis-à-vis their partners from the ex-EU-15, with whom they reached high levels of IIT, whereas peripheral CEECs continue to accommodate infant industries that generate little IIT. Second, the econometric analysis confirms that the high levels of IIT between core CEECs and their neighboring countries in the ex-EU-15 are a consequence of the production process's decomposition within the central basin, initiated by important foreign direct investment relocation flows. These results, based on the largest available data set over the transition period, confirm that the heart of the sector, previously centered on Germany, has extended to the CEECs of Central Europe, whereas Baltic and Southern CEECs remain hardly integrated. In the long run, the successful integration of core CEECs should reinforce the German pole in the European Union and have a major effect on the European automobile sector's geography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper estimates a labor demand equation based on the panel data of the manufacturing industries in the Central and East European countries of Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, and Romania. It tests the effect of domestic factors (wages and output) and international factors (exports, imports, and foreign direct investment, or FDI) on employment during the era of post-transition recovery. The findings indicate that employment does not respond to wages in more than half the cases. The output elasticity of labor demand is mostly positive, but low; in a number of cases, employment is completely delinked from output. An impressive speed of integration to the European economic sphere through FDI and international trade has not prevented job losses in the manufacturing industry. There are very few cases of positive effects, but insignificant effects of trade and FDI dominate the findings, with some evidence of negative effects as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyse the phenomenon of neo-regionalism in Central-Eastern Europe (CEE) identified in this research as a phenomenon of geo-politicoeconomical co-existence that represents a new form of multidimensional integration in the chosen area. Such a definition is primarily based on the recognition of states as political actors, rather than regions within states. Given that the concept of European regionalisation has been irrevocably connected to the concept of European integration, the CEE is arguably experiencing major geo-political 'mutations'. In December 2005, several CEE states (namely Estonia, FYR Macedonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Romania, Slovenia and Ukraine) opted to establish a new regional political association -- the Community of Democratic Choice. Our paper scrutinises this new and unique regional grouping. Is it a hectic game of political 'pigmies' intended for short-term gains in desire to 'buy' recognition from more powerful neighbours? Or is it an activity of maturing European political powers and promising markets with a long-term perspective, which perhaps could result in a more cohesive Europe (if not a more enlarged European Union)? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]