Europeanization of Social Inclusion Policy in Macedonia – Trends,Challenges and Potential Benefits

The article explores policies, trends and challenges related to social inclusion in Macedonia, and assesses the contribution of EU strategic frameworks and instruments towards the country's greater inclusive growth. In this respect, the article starts by exploring existing instruments for pre‐accession (IPAs) which are relevant for the achievement of the EU 2020 goals. Then the article offers a country analysis related to issues such as poverty, material deprivation, as well as exclusion from the labour market, accompanied by an overview of policies and measures undertaken by the current government in the respective domains. Unfavourable socio‐economic trends, such as undeclared work, jobless growth, high unemployment and poverty rates, present serious challenges to the creation of an effective social inclusion policy. On the other hand, the ‘delayed’ negotiation process with the EU, which in social policy results in a lack of Joint Inclusion Memorandum (JIM) and Joint Assessment Paper (JAP) processes even after seven years of candidate status, slows down the adoption of more strategic policy approach towards sensitive issues, such as social inclusion and anti‐discrimination. The main aim of the article is to assess whether there is a significant difference between current social inclusion policies, measures, indicators and trends with the similar EU standards and practices. In addition, the article explores the potential benefits of the process of Europeanization for Macedonian social inclusion policy.     

A GASOLINE SCENTED SINDBAD: THE TRUCK DRIVER AS A POPULAR HERO IN SOCIALIST HUNGARY

The author reconstructs the figure of the trucker as an interesting figure in socialist Hungary's ‘history of mentality’. The study outlines how the figure of the trucker and the popular meanings people associated with them, has constituted a post-Turnerian ‘liminoid construction’ that secured them the (ill-)fame of transgression of any kind of border, subversion against any kind of interest different from theirs, or simply just the fame of agents of change of Hungary's post-1956 everyday life culture. Their liminal character's representation had three major fields: Firstly, in books and movies truckers are usually at the threshold between everyday life of socialist Hungary,and life worlds of another countries, cultures, fields of knowledge and pleasures, between the feared and wanted, the unknown and the quotidian well-known. Secondly,their self-representation unveiled a strenuous way of life and continuous pressures represented by conflicting expectations of self-interest, the family, the profession, colleagues, the company, and social norms. Thirdly, an analysis of their usual life situations (on the road, at the border, at home, etc.), highlighted how these culturally constructed environments served as contrasting ‘cultural landscapes’ to the truckers' liminoid figure. An analysis of the role of motors and women in the representation of truckers gave an explanation of the popular appeal associated with truckers. The last section on truckers' contribution to the emerging Hungarian consumer culture in the 1970-1980s revealed major trucker missions such as supplying objects of desire and (perhaps more importantly) images of another cultures; the conveyance of ‘at-hand’ knowledge and skills about other cultures; travel itself; and performance at trendsetting ‘habitual show’ of doing petty business, and more generally, everyday risk-taking and decision making. Probably truckers' most important role was their contribution to the knowledge, attitudes and skills people employed in making up a Hungarian consumer society.     

Rapid Socio-Economic Transition and Material Flows in Japan

Material Flow Accounting (MFA) is a useful tool to describe interactions between the environment and human activities. An international comparison of economy-wide material flows over the past 25 years was undertaken for five industrialized countries and successfully described the similarities and dissimilarities of the studied countries. This paper shows the relevance of MFA to Japanese environmental policy issues and summarizes the characteristics of recent Japanese material flows based on the outcomes of the international comparison study. In addition, it attempts to analyze longer-term trends in demographic changes and economic growth, as well as changes in material and energy production/consumption. An attempt is also made to offer some insights on the upcoming matured and aging society.     

《辉煌新疆》——影像叙述历史的文本分析

从《辉煌新疆》的创作来看,文献纪录片首先应当广泛地进行素材搜集和整理工作,力求最大限度地占有并挖掘历史资料;其次是要注重叙事结构与叙事内容的关系处理;另外在纪录片创作中要充分运用富有个性化的主体意识,才能更加充分地挖掘被拍摄对象的价值和内涵。     

激光扫描共聚焦显微镜技术在材料学研究中的应用

激光扫描共聚焦显微镜技术(laserscanningconfocalmicroscopy,LSCM)有效地排除了非焦平面信息,提高了分辨率和对比度,使图像更为精确清晰,与计算机及相应的软件技术组合,LSCM实现了连续光学切片,广泛应用于生物三维结构重组及动态分析。LSCM是一种无损深层形态结构分析的重要方法,可以对材料进行深层形貌观察;本文主要综述了LSCM的成像原理以及LSCM在高分子材料和生物工程材料方面的应用。     

从饮食器具材料的地方性特色谈饮食文化

饮食器具是我们日常生活中必不可少的生活用具,和人们的生活息息相关。本文把我国分成三个典型地域,阐述了食具材料的地方性特色以及形成这些特色的原因。     

Catching‐up or Leapfrogging in the Indian IT Service Sector: Windows of Opportunity,Path‐creating,and Moving up the Value Chain

Indian IT service firms are successfully competing with world leaders and research on the industry is emerging. Providing analysis at firm rather than industry level, this article identifies the windows of opportunity open to Indian firms, with the following findings: (i) the catching‐up process by Indian IT firms can be classified as a three‐stage ‘body shopping–offshoring–global delivery model’, comparable with the three steps in original equipment, own‐design and own‐brand manufacturing; (ii) the window of opportunity for Indian firms was primarily the techno‐economic paradigm shift, and secondarily the government's regulation and support of the industry; and (iii) Indian firms initially partially re‐invented their own path by offshoring and created their own global delivery model, gradually moving to higher value‐added services.     

“中国印”的成功与遗憾

第 2 9届奥林匹克运动会会徽———“中国印·舞动的北京”以其强烈鲜明的中国文化符号形象 ,在奥运史和标志设计史上应该占有一席之地 ;但是 ,“中国印”在表意、选材上仍有值得商榷之处 ,其形态设计上也存在某些细小的瑕疵 ,探讨“中国印”在设计上的成功与遗憾 ,将对今后大型活动的标志设计产生启示     

物权的激励功能与西部民族地区的现代化

西部民族地区地处边陲 ,经济落后 ,工业化程度低 ;加上观念滞后、生态脆弱等不利因素的影响 ,其现代化进程步履迟缓 ,但又显得格外迫切。面对西部民族地区还属于传统的农业社会这一现实 ,加快工业发展 ,进行技术创新就成了该地区现代化建设的重中之重。本文将西部民族地区的现代化与物权的激励功能相结合进行了初步的探讨。本文认为 ,要进行技术创新 ,就需要完善的物权制度 ;充分发挥物权的激励功能 ,是加快西部民族地区现代化进程的先决条件     

对时空离不开物质运动的一种误解

在时间和空间同物质运动的关系问题上,一直存在着一种误解:把时间和空间离不开物质运动理解为时间和空间的度量离不开物质运动。这不仅说明不了时间和空间何以离不开物质运动,反而会由此得出时间和空间同物质运动可以分割的结论,这就潜伏着滑向唯心主义和形而上学时空观的危险。