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This article reflects on the state of cultural studies today. It asks to what extent cultural studies can move with the times, now that we live in a radically altered world dominated by global challenges such as climate change, the rise of China, and technological transformation. It points to the importance of focusing on cultural studies' institutional and material conditions of possibility if it is to continue to exist as a distinct intellectual field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article, based on a report at the meeting of the RAS Presidium on December 10, 2019, discusses the possibilities and problems of the development of the Russian circular forest bioeconomy, which is considered an effective response to modern global challenges. The concepts of the programs on science and technology, Ecological and Socioeconomic Threats of Forest Degradation in Russia under Global Change and Ways to Prevent Them and Assessment and Ways to Prevent the Risks of Crisis Situations in Forests during Forestry Intensification, initiated by the RAS Research Board on Forests, are presented, as is a draft concept of a new edition of the Federal Law On the Forest Code of the Russian Federation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As societies face unprecedented challenges that are global in scope and "more-than-wicked" in nature, educators and educational policy makers emphasize the importance of deepening knowledge about the causes of these problems, creating policies to address them more efficiently, and offering more compelling moral arguments that might persuade people to change their convictions, and – as a consequence – their behaviour. These concerns shape how policies on the study of interculturality are approached in contemporary teacher education in our contexts in Canada and the UK. Our research, however, positions these as problems that cannot be solved with improved information, enhanced cross-cultural skills, or moral claims, because they are rooted in modernity's systems, which structure the possibilities for co-existence on the planet. We see these problems as ontological challenges of being that emerge from a modernist ontology rooted in colonial violences. Our approach therefore explores an orientation to intercultural education which enables student teachers to expand their understanding of cultural and ecological relationships beyond existing frameworks of modernist knowledge, politics, and economic systems. In this paper, we share some of our current learning about the affordances and limitations of dominant approaches to intercultural education, and then explore how the method of "social cartography" can enable engagement with ontological problems in teacher education in a way that generates possibilities for imagining decolonial learning futures, beyond modernity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The creation of the Peace Engineering Consortium is an outcome of the First Global Peace Engineering Conference, held November 2018 in Albuquerque NM, USA (www.weef-gedc2018.org). A team of conference participants are collaborating to develop the Peace Engineering Consortium. That is, to define and implement its charter, identify initiatives and preliminary activities, and continue to identify definitions of what Peace Engineering (PEng) – or Engineering for Peace – is. PEng is a call for action, in a new mindset not only for engineering, but for all existing and future disciplines to address global challenges. Current activities are: • Curricula and content – Members are collaborating to define, create and share curricula for undergraduate minors, professional certificate programs and graduate work; Creating experiential laboratories with industry and practitioner partners; Facilitating information exchange and the symmetry of information/knowledge through globally accessible digital libraries; Incorporating engineering diplomacy, diversity and cultural awareness (including the arts, music and language) into the practice for peacebuilding, peacemaking and peacekeeping. • Research and Development - The group is focused on collaborations, both domestic and international, and internal initiatives that advance the state of Peace Engineering. Key areas of focus have been developing metrics, data models, analytics, visualization and prediction. Some key initiatives include developing a modelling and visualizing conflict, Peace Data Standard, and pollution mitigation. • Entrepreneurial and Economic Development – The consortium is pursuing entrepreneurial activities in peace technology. It has been invited to produce a special edition on Peace Engineering and Innovation in the high impact Technological Forecasting and Social Change journal. • Events – In its charter year, the consortium organized a summer institute at The Hague and Peace Engineering workshops in Colombia – both models for future global workshops. • Case Studies – Members are compiling and publishing case studies and collaborating with US National Laboratories, industry, and governments to create scalable Peace Engineering case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern higher education takes an important role in facilitating mobility, including youth, innovation, economic growth, capitalization of human potential. Given the instability and severe challenges of today, there is an increasing need to strengthen partnerships between higher education institutions at both the national and international levels, conducting a common educational policy, forecasting and planning activities for sustainable development and strengthening competitive positions in the market of educational services. This highlights show the need for theoretical and methodological rethinking of the features of new forms and approaches to ensure the effectiveness of internationalization of higher education in Ukraine and cooperation of partner institutions, which should become effective mechanisms for achieving goals and solving complex problems, including access to education, quality and efficiency, capitalization of human potential. In addition, with the beginning of quarantine measures, significant changes are taking place in the direction of internationalization of higher education. It has been proven that internationalization and cooperation in higher education, international learning, including joint online learning, internships, student mobility as tools of interaction has significant potential for involving a significant number of people in intercultural learning on a global scale. The need for effective internationalization is associated with significant opportunities for universities with limited resources to implement their intentions. Finding a compromise will promote transnational cooperation partnerships both inside the country and internationally, and the main features of internationalization should be sustainability, interdisciplinarity, creativity, openness. Achieving these components will have a positive effect not only for the higher education sector, but also for society as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ekonomik Yaklaşim is the property of Ekonomik Yaklasim Dernegi (Ekonomik Yaklasim Association) 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: To compare severity of visual field (VF) loss at first presentation in glaucoma clinics in England and Tanzania. Methods: Large archives of VF records from automated perimetry were used to retrospectively examine vision loss at first presentation in glaucoma clinics in Tanzania (N = 1,502) and England (N = 9,264). Mean deviation (MD) of the worse eye at the first hospital visit was used as an estimate of detectable VF loss severity. Results: In Tanzania, 44.7% {CI95%: 42.2, 47.2} of patients presented with severe VF loss (< −20 dB), versus 4.6% {4.1, 5.0} in England. If we consider late presentation to also include cases of advanced loss (-12.01 dB to -20 dB), then the proportion of patients presenting late was 58.1% {55.6, 60.6} and 14.0% {13.3, 14.7}, respectively. The proportion of late presentations was greater in Tanzania at all ages, but the difference was particularly pronounced among working-age adults, with 50.3% {46.9, 53.7} of 18–65-year-olds presenting with advanced or severe VF loss, versus 10.2% {9.3, 11.3} in England. In both countries, men were more likely to present late than women. Conclusions: Late presentation of glaucoma is a problem in England, and an even greater challenge in Tanzania. Possible solutions are discussed, including increased community eye-care, and a more proactive approach to case finding through the use of disruptive new technologies, such as low-cost, portable diagnostic aids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is devoted to substantiation of key global challenges and trends in the securities market in the context of digitalization of business processes, the appearance of new financial instruments and technologies, as well as the special macroeconomic situation in the country. The article uses methods of analysis and synthesis, graphical research methods, economic and statistical methods of collecting and processing information, including sampling surveys, groupings, statistical comparisons of values, trend analysis - in evaluation process of the state of the derivatives market, as well as logical generalization - in formulation of the conclusions. The statistical and information base of the study were monographic studies and periodicals of domestic and foreign economists, materials and analytical reports of the World Bank and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the National Commission on Securities and Stock Market, open information Internet resources. It is noted that a characteristic feature of economic development is the ability to do business. It is the high level of ease of doing business, calculated on the basis of 15 indicators, due to the reduction of bureaucracy and corruption, protection of property rights and investments, that positively affects the development of innovation and technology, creates trade and financial freedom and creates per-conditions for investment climate and the development of the securities market in the country. In this context, the analysis of the macroeconomic situation in Ukraine and the ease of doing business with the help of relevant indicators calculated by the World Bank, the place of the country among 167 countries of the world, in accordance with this indicator, was estimated. It was noted that an important indicator that characterizes the growth of the country's economy is the GDP per capita. The author's own position on the possibility of its rapid development in the country over the next five years was given. The low level of development of derivative financial instruments in the domestic securities market in comparison with foreign counterparts was estimated. The critical characteristic of the legislative and regulatory decisions regulating activity with derivative securities in Ukraine was given. The significant impact of digitalization of business processes on the development of innovative financial instruments and technologies and as a consequence of the appearance of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology has been substantiated. From an online medium, they are transforming into a highly liquid means of payment, taxed and regulated by central banks, as well as an independent investment instrument. Positive examples of their application in the world, as well as prospects for their development in Ukraine have been given. The article proves that, in order to effectively develop the securities market, it is necessary to improve the macroeconomic situation in the country, increase the ease of doing business, introduce innovative financial instruments and take into account the rapid global development of digital technologies in business. The results of the work can be used in further research and practical developments in the field of formation and substantiation of patterns of development of the domestic securities market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The governance dimension of global digital cooperation is underdeveloped. • Environmental policy and governance literature offers insights that help to address digital cooperation challenges. • Policy leaders, knowledge-based expertise and polycentric governance arrangements can help to improve digital cooperation. • The UN can model processes and institutions for digital cooperation based on successful environmental governance arrangements. The digital age brings great promise for human development. Yet, the benefits of digital technology can only be realised by mobilising global cooperation to close persistent digital divides and address the harms, risks, and uncertainties of digitalisation. To date, the global digital landscape is dominated by private technology companies and a few governments of technologically advanced countries, while less developed countries and civil society actors effectively have no voice. The goal of the United Nations's (UN) Digital Cooperation initiative is to maximise the benefits and minimise the costs of digital transformation while ensuring that no-one is left behind. The UN's Digital Cooperation identifies the main directions for action but also acknowledges that persistent governance gaps undermine its cooperation efforts. This paper argues that we can learn how to improve global cooperation to govern the digital space by drawing on experiences from global environmental governance. Based on an extensive literature review, I show how existing governance gaps in global digital cooperation can be analysed and addressed. Specifically, I focus on the implications for the UN and identify which roles and functions it could take. Online misinformation is used as a compelling illustration of how lessons derived from environmental governance can inform responses to digital problems. The paper outlines an agenda that can set UN Digital Cooperation on a path towards success in mitigating the uncertainties the digital future will bring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social evolution has reached a point at which the continuation of human life is even at stake. The reason why that is the case lies in dysfunctionalities of the organization of social systems. Those dysfunctionalities came to the fore when hominization was as successful as to cover the whole globe. What social systems could externalize so far, became part of an ever more deteriorating environment on which every system, in turn, has to live on. This system theoretical insight concerns the organization of relations among humans, of relations with nature and of relations with technology.

The aim of the article is to reveal the nature of challenges, contradictions and risks of the global economy. The stages of the reproduction cycle of global contradictions are considered with singling out the “conflict” stage. There described the categorical apparatus of the research with determination of the following meaningful sequence: global challenge ? global problem ? global risk ? global crisis ? global catastrophe. The forecast of the WEF for 2017 on global trends and global risks is analyzed. The system nature of global risks is identified as a defining feature of their modern manifestation. The system approach to determining the source of origin of modern challenges, contradictions and risks of the global economy is used. It is proved that the nature of the system unproductiveness (crisis-induced character) comes from the depths of capitalist relations and finds its modern manifestation through the self-denial of capitalism and the contradictions caused by the evolution of global capital. The idea of the inevitability of the global catastrophe that awaits humanity is refuted and the possibility and necessity of applying long-term safety management strategies on the part of the harmonized society is argued.

The article addresses engineering education and its contribution to the development of contemporary resilient society. These issues were discussed at the World Engineering Education Forum WEEF 2015 in September 2015 in Florence. It is shown that engineering education is the basic component of United Nations' "Education for Sustainable Development" strategy. The modern system of engineering training is based on partnership between science, education and industry, it uses new tools and teaching technologies, takes into account interdisciplinary links, cross-cultural and global experience and therefore it is able to provide the high quality of educational programs. The contribution of Russian researches into the development of global engineering education is outlined.

It is noted that the unprecedented dynamic globalization of trade and economic relations and the fourth industrial revolution cardinally transform the global distribution system of the world economy, accompanied by the growing impact of global challenges and risks, the failure to take into account the effects of which permanently reduces the efficiency of economic functioning and international trade. For developing countries affected by geopolitical challenges, the development of partnerships with countries that are recognized as global leaders in the world economy is essential in terms of national interests and the promotion of state sovereignty. The purpose of this paper is to characterize the impact of global risks on the formation and implementation of trade and economic policies of countries based on the methodological approaches of leading international economic institutions and organizations. Major global risks have identified rising / falling prices for assets, oil or gas, changes in the structure of trade and economic cooperation, terrorism, separatism, climate change, unemployment, income inequality, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, cyberattacks, etc. The following methods of scientific research were used to achieve the goal and to solve the tasks of the article: systematic structural analysis of economic processes and phenomena, method of quantitative and qualitative comparisons, tabular method of calculating the degree of influence. The scientific novelty of the results is to study the processes of formation and implementation of trade and economic policies of countries under the influence of exogenous factors on them. The influence of exogenous factors is characterized not only according to the sectoral classification (economic, geopolitical, technological, social and natural), but also taking into account the degree of influence of the factor (global challenges and global risks) on the environment. It is substantiated that in the conditions of globalization of the world economy, the threats receive a corresponding more serious nature. Therefore, government agencies need to develop new effective tools for their minimization in order to prevent negative effects and to implement more productive trade and economic cooperation with partner countries.

The article provides the „big picture” of the humatt story, discussing cultural evolutions and current global challeng-es, including the influence ofhumans on the environment. It mentions, among other issues, a synthesis of sustainable development, formulating and promoting a lifestyle that would facilitate the reasonable satisfaction ofthe needs of all people throughout the world, be environmentally friendly, and not exceed the carrying capacity of ecosystems. The text is future-oriented study, mapping the potential opportunities and threats associated ivith development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Biomimicry can inspire evolutionary and structural aspects needed for the circular economy. • Biomimetic insights related to mycorrhizal (root-fungi) networks, complex adaptive systems and network theory are provided. • Five firms with innovative approaches in the circular economy context were interviewed. • Business ecosystems require more participants in the roles of 'scavengers' and 'decomposers'. • Business ecosystems require an underlying infrastructure for an integrated management of information and material flows. Managing for triple bottom line (TBL) by creating economic, ecological and social value is increasingly on the business agenda. However, it is challenging to address non-economic issues because businesses are designed to maximize profit and are less aligned with global ecological and social challenges. Shifting from linear supply chain thinking to interconnected, circular, ecosystem thinking could offer insights into addressing these challenges. Looking at time-tested patterns and strategies from natural ecosystems that operate using, reusing, and repurposing materials and components in a way that is sustainable, may allow for innovative and effective solutions for businesses to begin addressing these global challenges. Biomimicry, an approach to innovation that seeks solutions to human challenges by emulating nature, can inspire evolutionary and structural aspects of business ecosystems. Biomimetic insights related to mycorrhizal (root-fungus) networks are used as a foundation of this research. This research draws on network theory and complex adaptive systems (CAS) to translate the biomimetic language to the language of networked business systems. Based on literature and interview data gathered from five businesses, biomimetic principles were developed that can guide businesses as they transition from linear, wasteful chains to circular business value systems. In particular, business ecosystems require more participants in the roles of 'scavengers' and 'decomposers' and an underlying infrastructure, that helps to manage information and material flows in an integrated way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of evolving global challenges and opportunities, this article explores the kind of leadership that moves beyond the philosophy of dependence which pervades many of the everyday assumptions of educational leadership practice. The article argues for educational leadership that places relational freedom, self-determination, and critical reflexivity as the driving aim of distributed leadership by teachers, students and others in non-positional leadership roles. A project arising from the International Teacher Leadership initiative is examined in order to offer practical illustration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Certain global trends create significant challenges to higher education. • · Higher education might become an active agent in shaping future societies. • There is a need to collectively elaborate alternative organisational forms for HE. • · This special issue addresses these themes from different angles. One of the main missions of higher education is to prepare the young (but not exclusively them) for future challenges. It not only has the potential to change individual lives but it can also make the social fabric more resilient and adaptive. However, presently this future is highly uncertain and fraught with risks. This radical uncertainty makes it difficult to identify future-proof knowledge, skills and capacities. Moreover, it also raises questions about the possible roles higher education should play in future societies. We argue that higher education should be an active agent in shaping future society. In order to fulfil its potential as such, this type of agency-orientation should transcend its core activities, like research and teaching, currently built into its institutional settings. This special issue highlights certain possible directions for change as far as HEIs are concerned. These future possibilities are in relation to learning, ethics, fairness, community involvement and the role of research at institutions which were formerly teaching-oriented. These can be seen as first steps towards understanding what organisational changes are needed for HEIs to maintain their social relevance and to actively shape their environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of globalised trends changing the rural environment is often thought to require environmental and ecology-focused policies and actions. But many of the problems have human (societal) causes, and solutions need also to be primarily culturally based. This essay, drawing on the 'CHeriScape' network in western Europe, explores the advantage of seeking a more comprehensive, integrative response to rural change using the twinned concepts of landscape and heritage. It discusses recent developments in conceptualising landscape and heritage, and how these could support effective culturally based approaches that are participatively democratic and also take account of human behaviour. After brief summaries of evolving paradigms for landscape and heritage, and of global challenges, the paper suggests that a landscape–heritage nexus, familiar to the lay public but capable of nuanced and fluid application, offers an effective way ahead. It concludes by identifying some obstacles that hinder the effective implementation of such an approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The protection of human rights and the promotion of social justice is a shared spirit manifested within all social work. Islands of local concern are directly affected by global stresses and inequalities, and the Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development has created a space for repositioning social work globally in addressing these challenges. This article opens up definitions and examples of international social work, arguing the need for integrating an international outlook within social work education and policy in order that the emerging workforce, wherever they may be, are equipped with the knowledge, skills and values for international action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transnational research partnerships are considered fundamental for supporting research and creating shared knowledge for sustainable development. They enable the acquisition and global sharing of high-quality information and create shared knowledge and capacity. This paper aimed to identify the enabling factors of such partnerships. In a survey carried out by the authors of this article, partnerships were perceived most beneficial when they provided access to new key features such as funding, technology and training. Compliance with research partnership principles, combined with funds and shared interests, was seen to further enhance the longevity of partnerships. Upon consulting the recent peer-reviewed literature, it became clear that research was lacking with regard to optimising the framework and performance of research partnerships, despite galloping technological progress in other areas of sustainable development. We believe that technological opportunities could be better harnessed to enable the concept of partnership to evolve and move towards transformative research for the advancement of sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents some views and comments on some of the global players in the 21st century, such as NATO, an alliance constrained to currently act in a profoundly changed global order. There are presented and succinctly analysed the transformation of NATO nature, its competences and scope, from the perspective of the "Pacific Century" paradigm, as well as the North Atlantic Alliance possible responses to the current security challenges. The Warsaw Summit set as priority goal the consolidation of the transatlantic partnership through strengthening NATO-EU cooperation, seeking a common understanding of security and cooperation with the European Union related to issues such as: cyber-security, hybrid threats countering, maritime security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientists' participation in foreign policy strategies fill very few pages in the studies of the international relations of non-hegemonic countries. This text analyses a case study of the science diplomacy of Serbia - a small non-hegemonic country without considerable resources - in the context of the culture of memory as a global challenge. First of all, certain concepts are introduced to interpret the relationship between science and diplomacy; second, the case is described and analysed and the mechanisms of articulation are presented that allow the plausible operability of science diplomacy as a shared space for the consolidation of foreign policy strategies; finally, an evaluation and conclusions are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Financial & Credit Activity: Problems of Theory & Practice is the property of University of Banking of the National Bank of Ukraine 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.)

Research background: Research in this paper is based on analysis of data and documents published by official institutions and relevant studies and papers. Purpose of the article: This paper assesses how the pandemic situation influenced automotive sector in countries of Europe. It evaluates differences between European countries, in terms of automotive industry operation after COVID-19 crisis. It also outlines global trends and challenges for future industry development. Methods: In the research, we use mainly general methods, especially analysis, synthesis and comparison. Among the specific methods, we use statistical methods to obtain, process, explain and interpret data. Findings & Value added: In the findings we present the impact of COVID-19 on automotive industry in European countries. In the end, we present thoughts on globalization challenges for automotive industry, and possible ways for its future development.

Research background: The basis of the long-term sustainable movement of society forward is the paradigm of economic development as a set of scientific achievements, which for a certain period of time are recognized as the basis for the development of scientific and practical activities of the society. The paradigm of market relations is increasingly unable to solve vital problems for society and the economy, such as growing social stratification of the population, an increase in anthropogenic pollution of the biosphere, disruption of the normal functioning of ecosystems and a number of other equally important problems on a global scale. Purpose of the article: The goal set by the authors is to conduct a study of the sustainability of the modern paradigm of economic development in the face of global challenges. Methods: The authors carried out a systematic analysis of economic development in the face of global challenges. A new look at the relationship “global challenges - global actions” is proposed. Findings & Value added: The article presents the author’s view on the manifestations of the crisis of the modern development paradigm, based on the correlation of global challenges and global actions.

Research background: In this era of globalization, data growth in research and educational communities have shown an increase in analysis accuracy, benefits dropout detection, academic status prediction, and trend analysis. However, the analysis accuracy is low when the quality of educational data is incomplete. Moreover, the current approaches on dropout prediction cannot utilize available sources. Purpose of the article: This article aims to develop a prediction model for students’ dropout prediction using machine learning techniques. Methods: The study used machine learning methods to identify early dropouts of students during their study. The performance of different machine learning methods was evaluated using accuracy, precision, support, and f-score methods. The algorithm that best suits the datasets for these performance measurements was used to create the best prediction model. Findings & value added: This study contributes to tackling the current global challenges of student dropouts from their study. The developed prediction model allows higher education institutions to target students who are likely to dropout and intervene timely to improve retention rates and quality of education. It can also help the institutions to plan resources in advance for the coming academic semester and allocate it appropriately. Generally, the learning analytics prediction model would allow higher education institutions to target students who are likely to dropout and intervene timely to improve retention rates and quality of education.