bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISES AND THEIR IMPACT ON INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Authors:   Simon Kuznets Kharkiv National University of Economic, Bulkina Iryna , Bulkin Stanislav ,   Omega-Avtopostavka trade and production company - LLC
Published: May 2022

The article analyzes the consequences of the financial crisis for international trade as a form of international business. It was determined four main ways to support international trade by the financial sector, which are demonstrating the direct link between them. In particular, the financial sector helps to overcome the period between the need for means of production, transportation, etc. and the payment of such products by the importer; the financial sector provides services that help the exporter to receive payments in the least costly and risky way; financial institutions provide valuable information to investors / to traders; the financial sector provides insurance for certain risks associated with the trading process. In addition, it is determined that the impact of financial crises on international business can be determined indirectly by comparing the dynamics of key indicators of key economies (China, Russia, UK, USA, Germany) and Ukraine as a direct reflection of the solvency of international businesses. Given the following, based on the IMF data, an analysis of GDP at current prices, GDP deflator, gross debt of the general government sector, population, unemployment, total investment, exports and imports of goods and services was conducted. According to the results of the analysis, it was found that the financial crisis had a negative impact on the economic growth of the studied countries: the international image of four of the six studied countries (USA, UK, Russian Federation and Ukraine) decreased. Such trends have a negative impact on the development of international business in these countries. However, it is determined that the only among the studied countries, which in the analyzed period increases the globalization of the economy, thereby expanding the boundaries of their own international business, is China. It has been established that most of the studied countries have suffered significant economic losses, and their post-crisis period continues to this day. In particular, the United States, Germany, and the Russian Federation have seen rising unemployment since 2008, while governments in China, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine have seen their accelerating unemployment growth fall sharply. This situation against the background of the general global trend of slowing population growth may in the future lead to a reduction in international business due to reduced demand for products and services, on the one hand, and reduced production by reducing labor resources.
ESSENCE AND ORGANIZATIONAL AND LEGAL ASPECTS OF MARKETING COMMUNICATION OF ORGANIC PRODUCERS IN THE PUBLIC SPACE OF THE COUNTRY
Authors:   Poltava State Agrarian University, Tereshchenko Ivan , Borovyk Tetyana ,   Poltava State Agrarian University, Kaliuzhna Yulia ,   Poltava State Agrarian University
Published: May 2022

The article considers: approaches to the interpretation of the essence of the concept of communication, its types and tools of implementation; organizational and legal aspects of the development of marketing communication of business in public space, in particular producers of organic products. The simplest model of communication is studied, which includes three components – the message (action, filled for others with one or another informative content), the information that the recipient puts into the message, and the understanding of the message by the recipient.The main normative and legal acts of ensuring the communication of producers of organic products in the public space and the study of the communication of producers of organic products in the public space of Ukraine revealed a number of problems. These problems indicate an unformed process of communication in public space, which needs to be improved, both by business and by government agencies and the public to increase the effectiveness of social interaction of active actors.Today, the structure of marketing communications distinguishes between ATL (at the line) and BTL (below the line), while there is no generally accepted classification, and this issue remains the subject of discussion. However, it is believed that ATL activities are related to communication in traditional media: advertising (print media, radio, television, cinema), outdoor advertising (including advertising on transport), as well as indoor-video.Modern openness and transparency of public space necessitates the search for creative approaches to effective business communication, both with the public administration system and with society.Promising areas for improving the mechanisms of marketing communication of producers of organic products in public space are: work on the development of communication culture, enterprises, the public and government; active actions are aimed at the formation and democratization of state bodies and strengthening the transparency of interaction between enterprises and government agencies; work on decentralization of power and transition to partnership cooperation taking into account the interests of the public and producers of organic products; formation and implementation of the national idea based on the interests of society and producers of organic products; formation of organizational and legal conditions for the development of dialogue between business, government and the public.
PROFITABILITY MANAGEMENT OF ENTERPRISES IN THE CONDITIONS OF SOCIAL ORIENTATION OF BUSINESS STRUCTURES DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES
Authors:   National Technical University of Ukraine «Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute», Tulchynska Svitlana , Holub Mykyta ,   National Technical University of Ukraine «Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute»
Published: May 2022

This article is devoted to the study of the connection between modern processes of ensuring a socially oriented vector of enterprise development and management of profitability of its activities and the impact of changes in appropriate approaches due to the crisis of the environment. The article describes the development of socially oriented processes in the activities of enterprises, the evolutionary development of appropriate approaches, as well as explains their actualization in the modern paradigm of post-industrial development and the corresponding relationship with the provision of profitable operation. The list of key features that distinguish the processes of socially oriented development in the enterprise and form the basis of socially responsible activities of the enterprise as a whole. The authors classify the main forms of socially oriented measures of the enterprise according to their functional orientation, which include organizational and economic responsibility, environmental responsibility, social marketing and social investment. The importance and economic efficiency of such measures in crisis conditions on the example of the impact of the global crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, based on the analysis of existing social opinion polls and examples of socially oriented measures by large enterprises in such conditions. The impact of the coronavirus crisis on the ability of enterprises to maintain a sufficient level of profitability in their dual manifestation, ie from the standpoint of explicit and implicit benefits that could gain the business sector due to the pandemic, and a number of negative effects faced by enterprises in adapting to coding and post-coding conditions of functioning of the national economic system and the corresponding social consequences. The main trends in ensuring the social orientation of enterprise development processes in the context of ensuring the profitability of activities, taking into account the described consequences of long-term pandemic threats and anti-epidemiological measures on society and enterprises in general.
MANAGEMENT OF TRANSFORMATION OF CONSTRUCTION ENTERPRISES IN THE CONDITIONS OF ECONOMIC TRANSITION TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Authors:   Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture, Shpakovа Наnnа , Shpakov Andrii ,   Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture
Published: May 2022

This article deals with the conceptual basis for the formation of the content of processes that are necessary for a modern construction organization for effective adaptation to changes in a market environment of different nature. Permanent economic-organizational changes are an indisputable condition for the formation of the current and strategic competitiveness of the construction enterprise. This requirement can be ensured by the creation of a subsystem for controlling transformational changes based on an analytical apparatus of an elective type, which will identify cyclic economic processes in the external environment and plan, organize and implement transformations in the internal environment of the organization on the principles of coagulation, synchronization and resonance of processes of construction organization and from Application of tools and principles of reengineering business processes. Such a coordination will contribute to the creation and functioning of adaptive mechanisms of construction enterprises with subsequent integration of processes in associations of enterprises of different types based on the advantages of a process-oriented approach. It‘s also, described the classification of forms of transformation realization of a construction enterprise depending on objects that’s been restructed, reformatted or modificated. The paper presents the structure of parameters coordination of the construction enterprise strategic development with changes in the economic parameters of the market, which is formed in accordance with the launching conditions of the subsystem of transformational changes start and the adopted system of characteristics of economic cycles adopted as restrictions on planning economic parameters of the construction enterprise. Such an approach to the introduction of transformational changes at the construction enterprise, or within their association, allows to achieve a synergistic effect on the use of favorable market opportunities and compensation for the negative effects of managerial decisions made in conditions of uncertainty. Also increases the role of the subsystem of change management of the construction enterprise as a key unit for solving operational and strategic tasks of organization‘s economic development.
THE ROLE OF COMMUNICATIVE MANAGEMENT IN PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT OF A MODERN ORGANIZATION
Authors:   Poltava State Agrarian University, Shulzhenko Iryna , Vodyan Vasylʹ ,   Poltava State Agrarian University, Divenets Anton ,   Poltava State Agrarian University
Published: May 2022

The article investigates the role of communicative management in personnel management of a modern organization. Communications in the organization – an integral part of the activities of the leader and subordinate. Some researchers believe that the effectiveness of personnel management is proportional to the effectiveness of communication processes in the organization.Carelessly organized communication increases the time spent on any issue, complicates the achievement of results, creates conflicts and misunderstandings. Therefore, there is a need for in-depth study of modern patterns of formation of organizational conflicts, ways to eliminate them and combat their consequences. At the same time, the most important result of effective conflict management at the enterprise will be the formation of a mechanism for early prevention of conflict situations and a mechanism for resolving conflicts that have already arisen. Constructive conflict management begins with their anticipation, and the personality of the leader can be considered one of the decisive factors in effective conflict management in the organization.In addition, well-established internal communications improve the management process of the organization, and thus reduce the time for adaptation of employees, mitigate resistance to change on the part of staff. The organization with well-established communication demonstrates a rapid response to changes in the labor market, quality service, high motivation of staff.To build an effective communication system in the organization it is necessary to use all possible resources and channels. The human resources department must inform employees of all news, mission, strategy and goals of the organization. Effective communications should be characterized by clarity, simplicity, reliability, which in general will contribute to their adequate understanding. Often, modern leaders neglect to establish effective communication flows within the organization through employment, their own negative attitude to communication, which negatively affects the effectiveness of personnel management and the organization as a whole.
MODERN APPROACHES TO ENTERPRISE FINANCIAL FLOW MANAGEMENT
Authors:   PJSC «Interregional Academy of Personnel Management «Kamyansky Institute Distance Learning Center», Rozdobutko Ella , Solomina Hanna ,   National Aviation University
Published: May 2022

The modern economic system is the formation of a new, based on innovative achievements and digital platform and puts forward new requirements for the structure of production, financial flow management.The improvement of theoretical and methodological approaches to financial flow management through the implementation of a new subject-indicator approach in the field of commercialization results in order requires research.We have identified the levels of financial interaction of market entities in the environment: first, the level of the individual; secondly, the level of the business entity; third, the level of the state; fourth, – international financial organizations.The article formulates a subject-level classification according to the criterion of equality of functioning of market entities, according to which it is necessary to distinguish between financial flows: individual; organizational; national; international. The level classification of financial flows allows to emphasize the subjects of the results of activities and expands the theory of finance in terms of clarifying the existing classifications of financial flows.The analysis of the existing classifications of financial flows made it possible to establish the absence of the spheres of international and public finance, limited by the framework of the national economy, or by the time operational framework. The issue of developing an adapted methodological approach to assessing financial flows in the field of the results of activities is not actually being studied. Therefore, in our study, it is proposed to supplement the existing classifications of financial flows with a subject-level classification based on the principle of the level of functioning of market entities, which will act as a universal criterion that delimits and covers all subjects of the financial market.Such differentiation of flows according to the levels of functioning of market entities makes it possible to clearly track specific participants in operations, determine their role in this circulation and assess future potential, as well as compare financial flows in accordance with the level of their occurrence.
SYNERGETIC METHODS IN PREDICTING THE DYNAMICS OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC PROCESSES
Authors:   State University «Odessa Polytechnic», Andrienko Valentina , Emelyanova Daria ,   State University «Odessa Polytechnic»
Published: May 2022

This article is devoted to forecasting the dynamics of processes occurring in the stock market, the methods of chaotic dynamics. Chaotic dynamics is one of the areas of synergetics. Although there are many effective methods for modeling securities price forecasts, emerging stock markets are characterized by long-term stability and short-term instability. In this situation, to study the processes occurring in the markets, chaos theory can be used, which includes methods of theory of dynamical systems and fractal analysis. An example of practical implementation of this approach using neural networks for the share price of the company "Pharmacy 36 and 6" at the close of trading for 2014–2019. The company "Pharmacy 36 and 6" is a retail network of pharmacies "Lekpharm", which is actively working and developing in the pharmaceutical market of Ukraine since 2001. The initial data were obtained on the website of the holding "FINAM". Neural networks have the ability to learn. At the same time, in the process of learning there is a phenomenon similar to self-organization. This property is characteristic of chaotic systems. The most important characteristics of chaos-dynamic analysis are calculated: Hausdorff dimension and Kolmogorov entropy. Their values indicate that the studied statistical series contains a chaotic component. The algorithm of technical application of neural networks is offered in the article. The model is built using neural network technology. Some of the input parameters of the network are determined based on the analysis performed. Comparison of the results obtained on the model deviate slightly from the actual data. It could be considered. that the model is adequate and can be used in practice. Forecasting the dynamics of securities can give a certain economic effect, a specific financial benefit to the owners of securities. Synergistic methods do not always lead to a solution to a problem or task. But they lead to a deeper and more accurate understanding of reality, which allows one to give an explanation for incomprehensible phenomena, such as pre-construction stability and short-term instability. Therefore, the synergistic economic paradigm has an interest on the part of researchers and policy makers.
DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS IN THE CONTEXT OF ATTRACTING FOREIGN INVESTMENTS
Authors:   Kharkiv National University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Tokhtamysh Tetiana , Marchenko Olha ,   Kharkiv National University of Civil Engineering and Architecture
Published: May 2022

International trade is one of the most common forms of economic relations. The country's participation in international trade allows for an additional positive effect that contributes to the country's economic growth.The purpose of the article is to highlight trends and prospects for the development of international trade in agricultural products in the context of attracting foreign investment.The article analyzes the level of implementation of international standards in Ukraine in terms of certain types of agricultural products. The factors that hinder the entry of domestic agricultural products into the EU market are identified and recommendations are given to increase the competitive position of Ukrainian agricultural producers in the international market.The level of harmonization of existing standards for agricultural products is considered. In Ukraine, standardization and certification is mandatory for almost all products, but due to outdated standards, they do not ensure quality. It is noted that the lack of European certificates of conformity for domestic manufacturers is a lever that inhibits the entry of Ukrainian products into the EU market. The top 5 positions of world exports of agricultural products are analyzed. The largest volume of exports falls on cereals. It is proved that the import of domestic agricultural products largely depends on the volume of investment in the industry. The requirements are identified, compliance with which promotes the entry of agricultural products into foreign markets and has a positive effect on attracting foreign investment. It is noted that the EU is currently Ukraine's second trading partner after the CIS. It is proved that the agro-industrial complex is one of the key sectors of the national economy.The authors believe that Ukraine has all the necessary prerequisites for the development of foreign trade in agricultural products. First of all, it is the development of agricultural enterprises in Ukraine, maintaining appropriate relations with other countries and compliance with international standards. These preconditions provide the foundation for the transition to a global level in the country's economy. The potential of agriculture is sufficient to secure Ukraine the appropriate status in the world market of agricultural products.
APPROACHES TO EVALUATING THE EFFICIENCY OF THE FUNCTIONING OF TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE OF UKRAINE
Authors:   Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, Kopishynska Kateryna
Published: May 2022

The article considers the essence and components of transport infrastructure, there were analyzed the dynamics of passenger and freight turnover for all modes of transport, and identified favorable and unfavorable factors influencing the domestic transport infrastructure. Thus, in the period 2015–2020, the dynamics of freight and passenger traffic of all modes of transport differed significantly. The data of 2020 have undergone special changes due to the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Different approaches to assessing the efficiency of transport infrastructure were considered: Logistics Performance Index (LPI – Logistics Performance Index), Global Competitiveness Index (GCI), Global Infrastructure Index, Infrastructure Index of Ukraine. The first two indices are calculated by international organizations. The Global Infrastructure Index has been proposed by a team of scientists, but is not calculated on an ongoing basis. The last approach, which provides for the calculation of the Infrastructure Index of Ukraine, was proposed only in 2020, so it takes into account indicators only for 2020 and does not provide for the reflection of changes in this index in the dynamics. The results of evaluation of these indices for the transport infrastructure of Ukraine were analyzed. Summarizing the results of the evaluation of the efficiency of the transport infrastructure of Ukraine, it currently demonstrates an average level of efficiency. A comparative analysis of these approaches was carried out. Thus, some approaches are assessing the infrastructure of the country as a whole, paying little attention to its transport component. Other approaches evaluate more than once every few years, which does not always take into account the current situation, which is changing rapidly. It was concluded that it is necessary to develop a single methodology for assessing the effectiveness of transport infrastructure, which would be consistent with international approaches and provide an opportunity to constantly monitor (annually) the dynamics of changes in transport infrastructure.
Hood Dreams
Authors: Jones Michelle E.
Published: May 2022

The poem seeks to express the tension within the Black community to be authentic and true to your family/friends without misleading others.  The frequency of misinformation being perpetuated in minority communities happens all too frequently to the detriment of many.  Another perspective is offered to create a sense of responsibility to verify acquired knowledge.  Emphasis on the relevance of consummate information consumers is highlighted. Poetic submission for special issue, "Hip hop and libraries," volume 6, issue 1/2, 2022.
Art of (Data) Storytelling
Authors: Lund Brady
Published: May 2022

The extent to which data visualizations are used, and the quality of these visualizations, has consistently been shown to influence human decision-making relative to static (non-visual) presentations of findings or ideas (Boldosova & Luoto, 2019; El-Wakeel et al., 2020; Liem et al., 2020). Why are visualizations so impactful? Likely because most decision-makers do not want to sort through spreadsheets or read a novel-length narrative to understand what is important—they want it straight and quick. They want color, novelty, storytelling, and interactivity (Dykes, 2020; Kostelnick, 2016; Kosara & MacKinley, 2013). This is the purpose of data storytelling: to literally tell a story about the data analyses to, in some way, impart knowledge or affect change among the audience. Data and data analysis are never neutral—they are always political–and storytelling is how the data analyst can attempt to influence how data findings are perceived by the audience. This paper discusses the basis of data storytelling and why it is important for creating a narrative around data visualizations that compels readers and viewers to act upon findings. It then discusses (in the form of a reflective discussion) how the art of data storytelling may be improved and activated to promote social justice themes by reflecting on the effectiveness of storytelling in hip hop music.
The Power of Hip Hop and the Library
Authors: McDaniels Ralph , Anderson Jill , McNeil Capers Kim
Published: May 2022

Queens Public Library (New York, USA) has presented a variety of hip hop programs and worked with many hip hop artists and entrepreneurs. A holistic examination of the library's hip hop programs and partnerships illustrates a model for analyzing hip hop itself. The authors are calling the three components of this new model: 1) Narrative, 2) the Global Local Echo, and 3) Connection. This article explains this new model in more detail, using examples from Queens Public Library.
Dusty & Digital Media Literacy Workshops
Authors: Kabongo Jonathan , Arthur Craig , Paige Freddy
Published: May 2022

Digging in the Crates: Hip Hop Studies at Virginia Tech, or VTDITC, is a pedagogical model that exists to foster a sense of community among artists, fans, and scholars. Based in our campus’ main library, we hope to model that students’ and community members’ personal interests are worthy of academic study and further establish Hip Hop Studies’ presence at Virginia Tech, the academy, and in the larger community. To that end, the VTDITC community has designed, taught, and assessed more than 150 community-based media literacy workshops over the past half decade. We have demonstrated, explained, and created opportunities for a wide variety of learners to experience the science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics inherent to the hip hop culture. We have learned alongside a diversity of audiences—from elementary school children to adults. To name just a few of our partner organizations, we have worked with the 4H Virginia Congress, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia, Higher Achievement, Inc., a variety of public libraries including our regular collaborator Roanoke Public Libraries, the Science Museum of Western Virginia, Virginia’s Summer Residential Governor's School for Humanities, and the West End Center for Youth.
In our contribution to The Global Drumbeat: Permeations of Hip Hop across Diverse Information Worlds, we will outline and explain an example lesson plan from one of our workshops. We will provide our learning outcomes as well as our assessment plan. Additionally, we will detail the theoretical underpinnings and guiding principles that inform our pedagogical decision making. Our workshops take a hands-on, practitioner-minded, and co-creation approach to teaching media literacy. Inasmuch, this contribution will also provide a recommended list of music creation equipment and other appropriate classroom technology that will accommodate a variety of budgets. Furthermore, we will include several promising practices and recommendations gained from more than 50 years of collective experience creating hip hop music and 10 years of collective experience teaching the hip hop arts. Our hope is that this contribution will inspire other library workers and educators to remix our workshops to suit the needs of their communities.
This jawn right here called street lit
Authors: Irvin Vanessa
Published: May 2022

Poetic submission for special issue, "Hip hop and libraries," volume 6, issue 1/2, 2022.
About the Cover
Authors: Li Amy
Published: May 2022

At the iSchool, we study information. What information was traditionally perceived as is changing. Thus, our program has evolved to encompass the many domains information has branched into with its various concentrations. The changes should not come as a surprise, as information is all around us.
The flowing design elements of the cover allude to the emerging connections and intersections of information between individuals and between other disciplines. The colour scheme is inspired by the colours of the Claude T. Bissell building at the University of Toronto, also home to the iSchool. The building was built in 1971 as part of Robarts Library—an iconic piece of Brutalist architecture in North America. The font used was Times New Roman. It is a classic font which alludes to our roots, contrasting with the curving line elements, which allude to the different directions the study of information can take us.
What’s Politics Got To Do With It?
Authors: Malik Usman
Published: May 2022

Street art is a type of visual art that is often created in urban environments, adorning the walls of buildings, streets, and other publicly viewed surfaces. Despite its unfair reputation as “vandalism,” street art is increasingly recognized as an expressive art form and a feature of urban visual culture. Challenging traditional conventions of art, street art is radical both in its production and display. In its production, street art is anti-authoritarian and reclaims public space; in display, street art engages with everyday onlookers dialectically. As street art has transformed the possibilities of artistic display and production, so too must libraries respond by providing the information literacy needed to study and understand street art within its sociopolitical contexts. Libraries can intervene by liaising between street artists and users to increase public awareness of street art and dismantle negative stereotypes, and by providing classroom instruction that connects information literacy with the sociopolitical aspects of street art. Finally, art libraries can communicate the risks in creating street art to protect potential practitioners.
Opposing the Archive
Authors: Morland Ayla
Published: May 2022

On 17 October 1961, the municipal police in Paris attacked Algerian demonstrators who were participating in a peaceful protest to show their support for Algeria’s war for independence from France. Thousands of protesters were arrested, and an unknown number were shot and killed, with reports of bodies being thrown into the Seine River. The massacre was brutal, yet important details of the event remain unknown, as reflected by the official state archives’ records about the massacre continuing to be partially unavailable for public access. Various fictional accounts of the Algerian massacre in Paris have emerged as alternative records. How can these alternative records of the massacre, in particular literary texts and other artistic interpretations, help to counteract the power and oppressive forces that exist with the official state archives of the event? Using a variety of sources, including scholarly works, French state archival descriptions, and recent media reports, this paper argues that fictional records of the massacre can contest the power and oppressive forces of the official state archive by existing as alternate sites of memory, by challenging the control and authority of official records, and by contributing towards a journey to archival and social justice.
Garbage Watch AI
Authors: De La Garza Lorena Almaraz , Chen Sheng-Kai , Kelly Benjamin , Parsazadeh Hamid , Zhou Pengyu
Published: May 2022

Global plastic pollution in waterways is a serious environmental concern predicted to increase in the coming years with many groups currently invested in monitoring and removing plastics from aquatic ecosystems. Still, available data on the sources and pathways of larger floating plastics in freshwater environments is scarce. To bridge this gap, we present a computer vision model prototype to identify trash in primarily natural settings and develop a plan for a future implementation of the model. This would include an additional camera system to identify and collect data on passing trash on the surface of waterways. A system utilizing computer vision technology deployed at multiple sites seeks to inform existing monitoring and removal efforts while providing valuable open-access environmental data for the broader scientific community.
Platform Pimps
Authors: Slippert Aria
Published: May 2022

This essay compares the complex hierarchy of surveillance embedded in the content sharing platform OnlyFans to Jeremy Bentham’s panopticon prison. OnlyFans creators have found a sweet spot in a novel surveillant assemblage, capitalizing on the voyeuristic tendencies of their followers who are subsequently subject to data surveillance by the platform and its intermediaries. In the classic panopticon, prisoners are held captive in a circular room under the gaze of a single guard in a tower, unable to determine if and when they are being watched. In the inverted OnlyFans panopticon, the content creator stands alone in the tower and captivates their invisible audience below. Each creator maintains a single porn-opticon (pornographic-opticon) to be ultimately surveilled by the platform, a faceless, bodiless puppet master running the show from behind the scenes. Through this analogy, this essay explores the particular set of affordances that set OnlyFans and its creators apart from other platforms and forms of sex work.
Artificial Intelligence or a Neoliberal Marketing Scheme?
Authors: Neri Frida Cerna
Published: May 2022

Virtual influencers are a trending media curiosity, given that they can easily blur racial boundaries, as well as boundaries between authenticity and falsehood. One of the most popular stars of the virtual influencer world is Lil Miquela (@lilmiquela), a virtual avatar of ambiguous ethnicity who follows both popular fashion and politics to boost sponsored brands. This article situates Miquela within the performative ecology of Instagram, blurring the lines of her racial identity and authenticity as an emerging form of commodity activism online. As a 3-D Computer-Generated Image (CGI), Miquela’s racialized design poses questions about the representations of the Instagram category for ‘Black/Brown women,’ which are undermined by the appropriation of mixed-race features in her racially ambiguous design. Miquela is also a virtual influencer, and her creators at the technology and media company Brud label her as an “artificially created robot,” further blurring the boundaries between authenticity and falsehood in Miquela’s posts. These boundaries are further informed by the political economy of influencers on Instagram, which engages with the platform affordances of Instagram, namely the platform’s environment of commodity activism and its neoliberal logic. Pulling from André Brock’s Critical Technocultural Discourse Analysis (CTDA), this article examines how the platform affordances of Instagram and the political economy of influencers have significantly shaped the performative nature of Miquela’s racialized design, as well as her racial identity politics online. This article concludes with the potential empowerment of Black/Brown women in charge of art technology (e.g., Miquela), as well as the demand for government and platform regulations to significantly distinguish virtual influencers like Lil Miquela from human influencers.
The role of neighbourhood ethnic concentration on gender role views: A study of ethnic minorities in England and Wales
Authors: Zuccotti Carolina V.
Published: May 2022

A key issue in migrant integration research and policy debates is whether the spatial concentration of migrants and their children has an effect on their objective and subjective outcomes. This study contributes to this literature by studying the effect of neighbourhood ethnic concentration on one of the most controversial and culturally embedded subjective outcomes: individuals’ gender role views (GRV). The study uses large-scale nationally representative individual-level data covering England and Wales, linked to local area information from the 2011 Census on the concentration of co-ethnics. It focuses on groups that have, on average, relatively strong traditional views on gender roles: Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Africans. Results show a positive relationship between living in ethnically concentrated neighbourhoods and holding more traditional GRV among Bangladeshis and Indians; however, there is no such effect for Pakistanis and Africans. I do a series of sensitivity tests to explore neighbourhood self-selection; these suggest that the effect for Bangladeshis may be (partially) driven by this phenomenon.
Remittances, Financial Sector Development, Institutions and Economic Growth in the ECOWAS Region
Authors: Olaniyan Temitayo Olumide , Ijaiya Muftau A. , Kolapo Funso T.
Published: May 2022

We investigate the relationship between remittances, financial sector development, institutions, and economic growth in a panel of 15 Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) over the period 2000-2017. The empirical evidence is based on the Two-Stage Least Squares Instrumental Variable (2SLS-IV) estimator, which provided two main findings. First, measures of remittances themselves had negative and significant effects on economic growth in the ECOWAS sub-region. The interactive effects of remittances and measures of financial sector development promote growth in the sub-region, thus supporting the complementarity hypothesis. Second, measures of institutional quality had positive and significant effects on the growth of countries in the ECOWAS area. Meanwhile, the interactive terms of remittances and institutional quality show support for the substitutability hypothesis. Therefore, remittances substitute for the presence of weak institutions in the ECOWAS area. Based on the preceding, we suggest the need for ECOWAS countries to further broaden the roles of financial sector institutions inside the remitting process to enhance savings mobilisation and channel the remitted funds into productive and growth-enhancing activities. Moreover, policymakers in ECOWAS countries need to strengthen governance institutions, which could increase the developmental benefits of remittances.
Perception of immigrants in Latin America
Authors: Marroquin Andres , Saravia Antonio
Published: May 2022

What factors are linked to holding a positive perception of immigrants in Latin America? This paper studies the presence of an empathy effect by which individuals who are themselves willing to migrate hold a more positive perception of immigrants relative to those who are not willing to migrate. Using a recent representative survey, this study finds that there is only weak evidence in favour of that effect. There is evidence, however, of a conditional empathy effect among high-trust individuals. This study also finds that individuals who (1) trust others, (2) have a positive outlook of the economic conditions of the country and the family, (3) support democracy, (4) see income distribution as fair, (5) have experience travelling abroad, and (6) are less worried about violence, tend to perceive immigrants more favourably.
Gauging the responsibility assumed by national governments in receiving asylum seekers: An overlooked cornerstone of the EU asylum policy
Authors: Hierro Franco Maria , Maza Fernández Adolfo
Published: May 2022

The unequal sharing of responsibilities across countries regarding displaced persons remains an extremely sensitive political issue pending resolution within the EU. The issue of how to measure countries’ responsibility for asylum poses even further challenges, as it is essential to have a good understanding of the extent of the problem in order to avoid the disclosure of erroneous information. In this paper, we stress that conventional statistics on relative asylum responsibility based on the number of registered asylum applications can be misleading. It, therefore, calls for the development of a comprehensive and harmonised set of data on asylum-related fiscal costs so that researchers and institutions can properly assess the balance of effort between the EU countries.
Undocumented Workers during Malaysia’s Movement Control Order (MCO)
Authors: Peters Diana , Omar Marja Azlima , Dollah Ramli , Wan Hassan Wan Shawaluddin
Published: May 2022

Malaysia has a significant population of migrant labour force. Out of the 5.5 million migrant workers in the country, more than half are reported to be undocumented, with the state of Sabah being home to the highest population of undocumented migrant workers majority from the Philippines and Indonesia. Since the 1970s the scale of migration increased drastically with the arrival of large number of Muslim refugees from the war-torn southern Philippines, and economic migrants from rural areas of Indonesia, in hopes of achieving better economic and food security. This steady flow of foreign labour also coincided with the state’s economic development plan which saw labour intensive sectors such as constructions, plantation and timber boom. However, when the Covid-19 pandemic began to spread in Malaysia, job opportunities drastically reduced as the government pulled the brakes on almost all economic sectors and closed off the borders. The Movement Controlled Order (MCO) announced nationwide beginning 18 March 2020 thus increased the vulnerability of the undocumented irregular migrants, as the economic threat in the form of loss of wages and movement restrictions decreased the food security of this group.
Asylum Flows in the EU Context: Lessons from Gravity
Authors: Karkanis Dimitrios , Anastasiou Evgenia , Ragazou Konstantina , Duquenne Marie Noëlle
Published: May 2022

The present paper aims to identify the impact of geographical, institutional, and sociopolitical factors as regards the magnitude and the direction of asylum seekers in the European Union between 2000 and 2018. The approach is based on the application of gravity model using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Poisson Pseudo-Maximum Likelihood (PPML) estimators. The analysis incorporates a set of institutional variables, in order to assess the impact of the gradual EU enlargement process as well as the differentiated policies on granting asylum among the EU members. The strong presence of refugees in destination countries can be interpreted as an indication of various favorable conditions for granting asylum to persons of the same nationality. The results suggest that the role of migration networks tends to substitute the lack of an integrated EU immigration policy. Finally, either in geographical or institutional terms, E.U. appears as a non-homogeneous space for asylum seekers.
Determinants of Migration Decisions of Asylum Seekers in Vienna
Authors: Privara Andrej
Published: May 2022

This study analyses the issues that refugees and asylum seekers face in Austria and the effects of their concentration in Vienna. We present an assessment of main difficulties and root causes for asylum seekers in Vienna. Data was collected via personal interviews and also supported by regional and European statistics. In total, 12 interviews with municipality representatives, NGOs, and migrants were conducted. Firstly, our study showed, that the asylum seekers face difficulties integrating into the Austrian labor market. Most refugee children do not have access to the compulsory education. It is argued that a more inclusive policy would improve the labor market efficiency in Austria. The anti-immigrant sentiment in Vienna played a crucial role in creating difficulties faced by migrants in the process of integration. Those who have been granted asylum in Vienna are not interested in moving to another country. This tendency is driven by the following factors: They consider Austria a safe country; they have already learned the language; they are overall satisfied.
Gabriel Echeverría (2020). Towards a Systemic Theory of Irregular Migration: Explaining Ecuadorian Irregular Migration in Amsterdam and Madrid.
Authors: De Luca Gabriele , Parven Shahanaz
Published: May 2022

This is a book review for the recent publication by Dr. Gabriel Echeverría, Towards a Systemic Theory of Irregular Migration: Explaining Ecuadorian Irregular Migration in Amsterdam and Madrid, published in 2020 by Springer (e-ISBN 978-3-030-40903-6). The book covers the subject of irregular international migration, of the legal definitions that relate to it, and the theories that study it from both a social and economic perspective. The book also includes a case-study, that of the Ecuadorian irregular immigration to Spain and to the Netherlands, and attempts to explain it by developing a systemic theory that includes a mixture of legal and socio-economic elements. The book comprises an introduction and three parts, and it is further subdivided into a total of eight chapters.
Transformative Agency in Workers’ Account: Tensions in Professional Development
Authors: Impedovo Maria Antonietta
Published: May 2022

The concept of agency expresses one’s will in actions that alter reality. In the work market's current social and cultural conditions, individuals are pushed to continuous change to transform their professional and personal lives. The interests and socio-material constraints help understand the personal and professional path shape. In this paper, we will focus on how a group of workers expressed transformative agency in their narrative accounts, how it evolves and the influence of the interests and socio-material constraints on the expression of agency. To pursue this objective, we interviewed twelve workers that moved from Italy to France. From the transcription and the analysis, we have identified four dimensions in their account to make sense of their career path: conflicts of motives to act; wandering actions in global cultural (dis)fluency; activation of resources toward an (in)definite interest; sensorial and material mobility.
The Role of Outgroup Network in the Choice of Migration Destination: Evidence from Turkey
Authors: Kunuroglu Filiz , Onder Ali Sina
Published: May 2022

We analyse the association between cultural contact and international migration decision drawing on the inter-group contact hypothesis. Using data on Turkish migrant stock in 22 countries and immigration from these countries to Turkey between 2000 and 2015, we find a strong association between the Turkish community's size and migration flow of host country nationals to Turkey. Our results are robust to country-specific and year-specific effects as well as to exclusion of different channels of cultural contact. Our research brings a new perspective to the importance of networks in migration destination as most research focuses on the presence of in-group national community in the target country. Our findings contribute to the improvement of extant theories of international migration providing insight in the role of cultural contact with the out-group in the choice of migration destination.
The Effect of Time and Departure on Entry into Ghana for Citizens from Five ECOWAS Member States from 1997 to 2019
Authors: Dzordzormenyoh Michael
Published: May 2022

Migration among West Africans has both historical and contemporary relevance. The implementation of the ECOWAS Free Movement Protocol was aimed at improving current mobility and migration trends in the sub-region. However, the majority of the existing literature on mobility, migration, and protocol evaluation focused on implementation and operationalization challenges. The current study assesses the effect of time and departure of citizens of member states such as Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Liberia, and Togo, on entry into Ghana from 1997 to 2019, using regression analysis. Results from the regression analysis reveal that both time (measured in years) and departure influence the entry of citizens from ECOWAS member states into Ghana. Specifically, it was shown that time influenced the entry of citizens from Côte d’Ivoire, Nigerian, and Burkina Faso into Ghana. Additionally, departure influenced the entry of citizens from Liberia and Togo into Ghana. Overall, the present results suggest that the time and departure of citizens from ECOWAS member states influence entry and hence affect the successful implementation of the ECOWAS Free Movement Protocol and its success.