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Depopulation in the Visok micro-region: Toward demographic and economic revitalization
Full text linkThe demographic potential of the settlements in
the Visok micro-region has been significantly disrupted
since 1948. The latest census (2022) shows that the Visok
micro-region now consists of very small settlements, all
with fewer than 100 inhabitants. In all 22 villages of the
Visok micro-region, there are only 504 inhabitants, with
unfavorable age structures. The region’s average age has
remained above 65 for the last 30 years, significantly older
than the surrounding areas. Low salaries, bad infrastructure,
and the industrialization of Pirot City represent the
main reasons for depopulation. The Zavoj Lake catastrophe
caused three villages to be submerged, which accelerated
depopulation even more. Most of the remaining inhabitants
are engaged in farming or work in the construction, stone,
and forestry industries, with sheep farming being a notable
tradition. The local population shows strong ecological awareness,
advocating for industries that align with nature, creating
an ideal environment for nature enthusiasts and scientists.
The only way for revitalization is to have organized seasonal
migrations based on the summer tourist season. The main aim
for revitalization would be a national-level plan for creating a
brand of untouched nature, with traditional agricultural products
for the complete experience
Serbia's Foreign Policy Strategic Goals and the Issue of Kosovo and Metohija in the Conditions of the Diminished Clarity of the International System
No full textIn this article the authors analyze Serbian foreign policy and pursuit of strategic goals in changing global circumstances with specific focus on Kosovo and Metohija issue. In order to examine the roots of Serbian strategic adjustment in international sphere, the path dependency of foreign policy, development and current relations with great powers and especially challenges that Serbia is currently facing in resolving the status of Kosovo and Metohija the authors use neoclassical realist theory of international relations as an analytical framework. Accordingly, authors take both systemic stimuli that comes from international state system and range of domestic factors within the country that influence the creation and conduction of Serbian foreign policy. Taking all factors into consideration the article lays out an explanation why is Serbia persistent on its current strategic course and what are the possible scenarios regarding negotiations about the status of Kosovo and Metoh
The Role of push and pull factors in the Selection of destination for International students: Serbian Context
No full textMany countries, especially small and underdeveloped countries of the world,
increasingly search for new models that would help them attract young highly
educated professionals to educate themselves in the high education institutions
within their borders, thus influencing their better position on the global market.
Relying on the push and pull factors’ theory, this research investigates the motives
for studying in the host country, as well as international students’ intention
to stay or leave the host country after finishing their studies. The paper uses an
mixed methods approach to analyse the data received in all three phases of the
research with Serbian students who are studying or studied abroad and foreign
students who are studying or studied in Serbi
Perceptions of an Ideal Society: Evidence from the ESS-CRONOS Panel
Full text linkThis paper examines the perceptions of an ideal society among European citizens,
comparing them based on their relative priorities. These perceptions shape citizens'
values and expectations, influencing social cohesion and political engagement.
Consensus on the priorities of an ideal society fosters the legitimacy and stability of
democratic systems. Our goal is to investigate these rankings in the context of the
economic downturn caused by the financial and pandemic crises, the sovereign
debt crisis, increasing inequalities and insecurities, the refugee crisis, and the rise
of populist authoritarian movements across Europe. We use data from the fourth
wave of the Cross-National Online Survey (CRONOS-2) of the European Social
Survey from 2022, which includes 6,032 respondents (51% female, M
= 47.31,
SD
= 17.01) across eleven European countries. Exploratory factor analysis was
employed to identify the underlying constructs of 15 items measuring subjective
priorities for an ideal society. The analysis revealed four distinct factors explaining
38.88% of the total variance. The first factor, named Democracy and Cohesion,
encompasses items such as having a well-functioning democracy and strengthening
social ties among people. The second factor we named Traditionalism, and it
emphasizes ideals like emphasizing religious values and increasing birth rates. The
third factor, named Financial Security, consists of priorities like getting rid of
poverty and making life easier for families. Finally, fourth factor we named
National Strength, and it captures items such as maximizing economic prosperity
and having strong military power. The results also suggest that, on average,
respondents place the most importance on Democracy and Cohesion (4.10 out of
5). Financial Security follows closely behind, remaining highly valued (3.98).
NationalStrength comes next (3.33), while Traditionalism had the lowest mean
(2.59) among respondents. The high value placed on democracy and cohesion can
be viewed as a reflection of both the postmaterialist shift and the universalist values
that remain highly prioritized in European societies. The relatively low prioritization
of traditionalism and national strength further supports this claim. In conclusion,
although the state of democracy has eroded in many countries, it remains the most
valued ideal among the people
CULTURE IN THE ALGORITHM: THE IMPACT OF CULTURAL MODELS ON THE DESIGN AND PURPOSE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SYSTEMS
No full textThe development of artificial intelligence is not only a technological
process, but also a cultural phenomenon in which social norms, value
systems, and conceptual frameworks of societies deeply inform the
architecture, purpose, and functions of the systems themselves. This
paper explores how culture permeates the algorithms themselves,
shaping the relationship to data as a resource, the ways in which information
is managed and the metrics of success, and the decision-making
criteria that these systems produce. Special emphasis is placed on the
differences between individualistic and collectivist cultural models and
how they influence the architectural solutions and value orientations
of artificial intelligence. Through critical reflection, the limits of the
existing technical architectures in reflecting the complexity of human
thought and social dynamics are pointed out, as well as the need for
culturally sensitive design and application of these technologies. The
aim of the paper is to open space for an interdisciplinary discussion on
the responsible development and regulation of artificial intelligence
in the global cultural contex
Change in approach towards floods and legal challenges in the implementation of naturebased solutions for flood risk management in Serbia
No full textPredictions about the effects of climate change in Serbia in the coming
period indicate an increase in the number of days with extreme amounts of
precipitation that can cause flooding. The increased risk of flooding, as well as the
extreme flood events that occurred in Serbia, indicate the need for change in this
field. The research is dedicated to the change from the concept of flood protection to
flood risk management, with a special focus on nature-based solutions. The results
of the research have showed that nature-based solutions as one of the approaches
to flood risk management in Serbia are neither recognised as a concept nor as a
term in strategies, policies and legislation. Therefore, there may be problems with
the implementation of measures in practise, especially on privately owned land.
The research has identified the gaps in the system and in legislation, and provided
indications of possible solutions
POLITIČKE STRANKE KAO AKTERI INTEGRACIJE NACIONALNIH MANJINA U SRBIJI
Full text linkU pluralinim društvima multietničnost društva se često doživljava kao pretnja stabilnosti i društvenoj koheziji. Ovakav stav ne zastupaju samo pojedini politički akteri, već je prisutan i u političkoj teoriji, različiti teoretičari smatraju da je za stabilno funkcionisanje liberalno-demokratskih institucija, ako ne neophodno, onda svakako poželjno, da države budu kulturno i nacionalno homogene. Međutim, pojava uspešnih multietničkih demokratija, kao što su Švajcarska i Belgija, dovodi u pitanje ove tvrdnje i pokazuje da etnička raznolikost ne mora biti prepreka demokratskom razvoju. Sve veći broj teoretičara unutar liberalne tradicije prihvata multietničnost kao neizbežnu društvenu realnost i zalaže se za razvoj institucionalnih mehanizama koji bi prevazišli strukturne prepreke i nejednakosti sa kojima se pripadnici nacionalnih manjina suočavaju u tradicionalnim nacionalnim državama (Smith, 2014: 15). Teorija multikulturalizma nam daje dva važna uvida: prvo, da državne/nacionalne institucije promovišu nacionalnu kulturu i da su uređene u skladu sa potrebama i interesima titularne nacije, čime je mit o etnokulturalnoj neutralnosti države je srušen; drugo je da individualna prava utkana u koncept građanstva nisu dovoljna i ne mogu na adekvatan način rešiti nejednakost položaja sa kojim se suočavaju pripadnici manjinskih zajednica
Population Ageing and Gender Gap: A Dual Challenge to Economic Growth
Full text linkchallenges
in the modern globalized world. This demographic
shift is causing potential labour shortages, a higher oldage
dependency ratio, increased healthcare expenses and
additional pressure on social services. These trends raise
concerns about inter-generational equity and the unsustainability
of pension systems. This paper investigates the
impact of old-age dependency and gender inequality on
economic growth in 35 European countries from 2000 to
2022 by employing the quantile regression method. Our
research findings indicate that population ageing significantly
and adversely impacts economic growth across all
quantiles. Specifically, a 1% increase in the share of older
persons in the working-age population is linked with a reduced
economic output growth ranging from 0.03 to 0.07
percentage points. The negative effects of population ageing
are particularly pronounced in high-income countries
with greater economic dependency on an ageing population.
Gender inequality measured by the gender inequality index
jeopardizes economic growth in most quantiles, with its effects
being more evident in the middle and higher quantiles,
particularly at the 60th and 70th. However, it is essential to
note that while statistically significant, the magnitude of this
effect is relatively small: a 1% increase in gender inequality
measured by gender inequality index is associated with only
a 0.002–0.005% decrease in economic growth. Nonetheless,
even such modest impacts may carry important implications
for fostering inclusive and sustainable growth over
the long term. In addition, enhancing legal and regulatory
protection for women positively contributes to economic
growth, especially in countries with the lowest and highest
GDP per capita. We find that a 1% decrease in gender inequality,
measured by the Women, Business and Law Index, is
associated with a 0.08-0.16% increase in economic growth
Impact Of Coal-Based Electricity Generation, Land Use Change, Steel And Cement Production On CO2 Emissions: Evidence From Eastern European And Central Asian Countries
Full text linkThe problem of studying carbon footprint factors is one of the key ones for understanding the relationship
between socio-economic development and atmospheric pollution. We employ a panel quantile regression approach to
reveal the impact of the energy sector (namely, coal-based electricity and hydropower generation), manufacturing (steel
and cement production), and agriculture (cropland area change) on CO2 emissions in 16 Eastern European and 4 Central
Asian countries for the period from 2000 to 2020. We provide evidence for a U-shaped environmental Kuznets curve for
countries with a lower carbon footprint, while the countries with the highest emissions are found to have an inverted
U-shaped relationship between them and GDP per capita. The relationship between electricity production from coal and
emissions is positive and significant at all quantiles (except the 30th quantile), and for hydropower, it is negative and
significant from the 20th to 70th quantile: a 1% increase in generation leads to CO2 emissions increase by 0.08-0.20% and a
decrease by 0.04-0.07%, respectively. Crude steel production positively influences emissions (from the 10th to 80th quantile
levels): a 1% increase in the output of steel products results in carbon emissions increase by 0.05-0.07%. The relationship
between cropland expansion and emissions is positive from the 40th quantile, but the coefficient shows high significance
only at the 80th quantile. These findings allow us to conclude that CO2 emissions reduction in Eastern European and
Central Asian countries could be achieved by the replacement of coal in the electricity generation structure by renewables
(including hydropower), the introduction of sustainable land use practices to preserve carbon sinks, and technological
modernization of crude steel productio