Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Trade Uncertainty And Bank Credit Growth: Evidence From China And The European Union Countries, Nazrul Hazizi Noordin, Mohamed Eskandar Shah Mohd. Rasid

Bulletin of Monetary Economics and Banking

This paper examines the relationship between trade uncertainty and bank lending using a sample of commercial banks in China and the European Union (EU) countries. Using a sample of commercial banks in China and the European Union (EU) countries during the period of heightened trade uncertainty from 2017Q1 to 2021Q3 measured by Ahir et al.’s (2018) World Trade Uncertainty (WTU) index, we show that trade uncertainty slows bank credit growth. We find no significant difference in the lending response to trade uncertainty between Chinese and EU banks. Our additional analyses indicate that the credit-reducing effect of trade uncertainty is stronger …

Press Freedom Under Threat In Europe: Slapps And Democracy, Maya Oleary-Cyr

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

This paper critically examines the legal systems of European countries and their relationship to press freedom, particularly the vexatious legal threats used by government officials and corporations to silence journalists. These legal threats are known as SLAPPs (strategic lawsuits against public participation) and their use has increased exponentially in the last decade. Although the issue is global, this research analyzes the issue through the lens of Greece, Italy, and Hungary. As member states, each one of these countries has an obligation to uphold the democratic standards put forth by the EU. Journalists are a vital aspect of the democratic process …

Integrated Cooperation In Implementing Firearm Deactivation Capabilities: Bosnia And Herzegovina, Colonel Geir P. Novik

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Many of the illegal firearms used for terrorist and criminal activities throughout Europe originate from the Balkan region and have previously been legally exported and sold as deactivated firearms. However, due to variations in the quality of deactivation standards and verification processes, many deactivated firearms can easily be reactivated into fully functional military weapons. To prevent the illegal reactivation of additional weapons, new guidelines regarding deactivation standards and techniques have been introduced, thus ensuring that deactivated firearms are rendered irreversibly inoperable. Within the framework of the European Union Force Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUFOR), a training program regarding the deactivation of …

The Applicability Of Lessons From American Society For The European Union: Tolerance, Demographic Change, And Social Structure, Joseph Drew

Comparative Civilizations Review

While Americans have long tended to see our society and civilization as exceptional, in fact the civilization is primarily based on European precedent. We see ourselves, in the words of one of our most significant poets, Emma Lazarus, as the new colossus, “Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp cries she... I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” We claim to be an exception; that means that we are unique, different, what many, alluding to the New Testament as viewed by the Pilgrim founding fathers, have called “a shining city upon a hill.”2 And as “a beacon of hope.”

Bring On The Heat, Renée Stoute

The Journal of International Relations, Peace Studies, and Development

According to the World Economic Forum, in retaliation to European Union sanctions and embargoes, Russia cut EU gas flows by around 80% between May and October 2022 (WEF, 2022). The EU, in turn, has had to not only reduce energy consumption within the public and private sectors but has also scrambled to find energy alternatives to compensate for its energy shortcomings. However, due to the EU’s rejection of Russian oil and gas, there are now opportunities to embrace more sustainable energy alternatives quicker than previously expected. This could lead to a faster transition towards the use of cleaner and more …

Never Enough: Eu Military Spending Challenges In The Face Of Open Conflict, Katherine Wallentine

The Journal of International Relations, Peace Studies, and Development

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 sent a jolt of tension and anxiety throughout the European Union, as well as the rest of the world. Lawmakers and strategists scrambled to find a suitable response in the immediate aftermath and now, a year later, the conversation continues as to what the best course of action is for the EU. Should it amplify and radically increase its supranational defense budget and if so, how should it accomplish this monumental task? How much of it should fall on the Member States to meet the two percent threshold as laid out by …

Is The Impact Of The Refugee Crisis More Detrimental To Women And Children? A Case Study Of Ukraine Women In Poland, Carmaniola Benjamin

The Journal of International Relations, Peace Studies, and Development

The conflict between Ukraine and Russia has made the European refugee dilemma, even more challenging. Many individuals specifically women and children have been displaced as a result of the conflict between these two nations. Because of the conflict many Ukrainians seek safety and stability in nearby nations like Poland. But this surge of Ukrainian migrants, has also brought forward several difficulties.

Migration And Terrorism In Europe: A Nexus Of Two Crises, Shreya Sinha

International Journal on Responsibility

The migration surge into the borders of the European Union has become a major problem in Europe as it has led to several challenges to societal integration and political legitimacy. It is also a danger to cultural identity, domestic and labour market stability as well as internal security, such that a migrant is often perceived as a threat to European society. The first part of the paper attempts to throw light on this migration-security nexus in Europe and how migration has developed into a security issue. The second part discusses how the two crises of migration and terrorism have come …

The Implementation Of Open Door Policy In Dealing With The Syrian Refugee Crisis (A Case Study Of Turkey- European Union Cooperation Through The Emergency Social Safety Net Program 2016-2017), Ninda Rhetalola Agestia, Ayu Aruni, Novriest Umbu Walangara Nau

Journal Of Middle East and Islamic Studies

Turkey has been greatly impacted by the Syrian crisis. Its geographical proximity leads Turkey to become the main destination for Syrian refugees since the beginning of the crisis. This has resulted various changes in Turkey's political, social, and economic structures. The presence of Syrian refugees has become a turning point for Turkey in its relationship with the European Union, notably the implementation of the Open Door Policy. The European Union offered assistance to share the charge of this particular policy with Turkey regarding Syrian refugees. The EU's humanitarian program, represented by the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) scheme, provides social …

What Was David Cameron Thinking? Thoughts Of A British Prime Minister Regarding Brexit, Tímea Varga

Journal of Global Awareness

The aim of my research is to examine what David Cameron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, was thinking all the way through the process of the UK’s secession from the European Union: why he made certain decisions and what influenced him. In order to do that, I use speeches, parliamentary debates, and memoirs, including several interviews with the former PM. The research methodology primarily uses the tools of discourse analysis: I examine the semantic elements, words, sentences and other characteristics of the political discourse, paying attention to the strategic structure of speech modes.

By interpreting his political thinking and …

Eurozone: Pandemic Emergency Purchase Program, Corey N. Runkel

Journal of Financial Crises

The COVID-19 pandemic quickly engulfed the European Union's economy in 2020. As investors sought safe assets, marketable debt yields rose dramatically. To lower the cost of borrowing, the European Central Bank (ECB), alongside the 19 national central banks (NCBs) that comprise the Eurosystem, purchased marketable debt in secondary markets. Asset eligibility mirrored that of the ECB's Asset Purchase Program (APP), an ongoing quantitative easing program which the ECB expanded during the pandemic. The main difference was that the PEPP allowed debt issued by Greece, which did not have an investment-grade credit rating. The rate that the PEPP purchased securities within …

European Central Bank: Fine-Tuning Operations, Corey N. Runkel

Journal of Financial Crises

Credit in the European interbank market tightened in August 2007 as banks sustained losses in mortgage-backed securities markets. On August 9, the European Central Bank (ECB) announced a EUR 95 billion fine-tuning operation (FTO). The Eurosystem continued providing FTOs carrying overnight maturities through the next three business days. Two more bouts of interbank funding stress—in March and September 2008—caused the ECB to deploy more FTOs. The ECB provided liquidity through 12 emergency, overnight FTOs, all but one at least EUR 25 billion in size. All operations, except the first and last, used variable-rate, fixed-allotment auctions. The first and last operations …

Spain: Deposit Guarantee Funds, Ezekiel Vergara

Journal of Financial Crises

On October 10, 2008, Spanish authorities increased the amount insured under its three Fondos de Garantía de Depósitos (FGDs), Spain’s deposit-insurance schemes, from EUR 20,000 to EUR 100,000 (USD 27,200 to USD 136,000). By raising this limit, which was meant to be a permanent change to the banking system, Spanish authorities intended to bolster depositor confidence while exceeding a recent European Union (EU) recommendation to expand such coverage to at least EUR 50,000. Membership in one of the FGDs was compulsory for banks, cajas (savings banks), and cooperatives, each of which had a separate fund. These institutions paid a 0.2% …

Slovenia: Unlimited Deposit Guarantee, Ezekiel Vergara

Journal of Financial Crises

On October 7, 2008, as the European Union (EU) coordinated its members’ response to the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), its Economic and Financial Council (ECOFIN) recommended that member states raise their deposit-insurance coverage to at least EUR 50,000 (USD 67,000). Germany and Austria went further and adopted an unlimited guarantee of deposits. In response, Slovenia announced its Unlimited Deposit Guarantee on October 8, 2008. Slovenia’s national assembly adopted the program on November 11, 2008, effective November 20. The Bank of Slovenia (BoS) administered the program, as it had Slovenia’s existing deposit-insurance scheme. When an insured bank failed, fees were imposed …

Latvia: Deposit Guarantee Fund, Ezekiel Vergara

Journal of Financial Crises

During the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), Latvian authorities raised the country’s deposit-insurance cap from EUR 20,000 to EUR 50,000 (USD 26,800 to USD 67,000) in response to international calls to bolster deposit-insurance systems. They passed the measure on October 16, 2008, and it came into effect two days later. The Financial and Capital Market Commission (FCMC), Latvia’s prudential supervisor and existing deposit administrator, oversaw the guarantee. The FCMC covered most types of deposit accounts and insured all Latvian-registered deposit-taking institutions, including some foreign-bank branches operating in Latvia. The FCMC charged quarterly premiums on insured accounts and could levy additional fees …

Greece: Hellenic Deposit Guarantee Fund, Lily S. Engbith

Journal of Financial Crises

Responding to general financial and economic volatility during the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), the Greek government in November 2008 sought to shore up public confidence in the banking system by raising the deposit-insurance limit from EUR 20,000 to EUR 100,000 (127,000 USD) per depositor for three years. The Hellenic Deposit Guarantee Fund (HDGF) was responsible for administering this adjustment, which was accompanied by a fivefold increase in the percentages used for calculating member institutions’ annual contributions. All credit institutions that were authorized to operate in Greece, including branches of foreign banks without their own coverage, were required to participate in …

France: Deposit Guarantee Fund, Ezekiel Vergara

Journal of Financial Crises

In October 2008, during the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), European Union (EU) officials urged member states to raise their minimum deposit-insurance coverage to at least EUR 50,000 (USD 68,000) to promote confidence in banks. France did not need to increase its deposit-insurance cap to meet this target, as it already guaranteed EUR 70,000. The following year, EU officials passed a directive that required all member states to permanently increase their minimum deposit-insurance coverage to EUR 100,000 by December 31, 2010. French authorities complied with the EU’s directive on September 29, 2010. The Fonds de Garantie des Dépôts (FGD), a private …

Convergence Of Gdp Per Capita Levels Within The Countries Of The European Union, Hayk Mardanyan

Undergraduate Economic Review

The process of economic convergence in the EU has been a hotly debated issue since the formation of this organization. In fact, one of the main “operational priorities” of the EU is to “[promote] sustained convergence of the economic performance” of its Member States. This paper examines how effective the EU has been in ensuring upward economic convergence among its member countries: more specifically, the paper uses linear regression analysis to check whether poorer EU member countries, concentrated in Eastern Europe, have been growing at faster rates than their richer counterparts, which are concentrated in Western and Southern Europe.

Srad Director's Corner: Russia’S Strategy And Its War On Ukraine, George Shatzer

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

In this contribution, Colonel George Shatzer, director of the Strategy Research and Analysis Department of the Strategic Studies Institute at the US Army War College, discusses books of relevance to US Joint planners and strategists, as well as those of allies and strategic partners. He applies his experience and education as a US Army senior strategist to extract insights useful to anyone contemplating how to confront the challenges of today’s strategic environment.

Unprecedented Success: How The Alternative For Germany Party Capitalized On Eastern German Economic Grievance And Euroscepticism In 2013 And 2014, Aidan J. Schwob

Gettysburg College Headquarters

The Alternative for Germany party (AfD) has experienced a remarkably fast rise to state, federal, and European electoral success and has disrupted German politics. This paper investigates how the AfD achieved popularity in 2013 and 2014 and later became the first far-right German party since the Nazi Party to be represented in the Bundestag. I find that eastern Germany’s aging population and deficient economy engendered contempt for Angela Merkel and the Bundestag that transformed to euroscepticism when Germany committed to taxpayer bailouts of Greece during the eurozone debt crisis while ignoring domestic economic inequality. As such, the AfD’s single-issue platform …

The Border As A Resource – New Places For Tourism Development. Evidence From Two Carpathian Tripoints, Marek Wieckowski

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Background: The development of cross-border tourism and local resources based on the border has grooving the importance in last decencies. One of the most important tourist attractions on Polish borders are tripoints. This article seeks to discuss changes made, by reference to two border tripoints situated on the junction of Polish, Czech and Slovak borders in the Beskids Mountains and on the junction of Polish, Slovak and Ukraine borders in the Bieszczady Mountains. Material and methods: Analysis of historical, legal and statistical materials as well as cartographic analysis and fieldwork were conducted. Informal discussions and formal in-depth interviews were undertaken …

Review Of Eu’S Carbon Neutral Policy System And Its Enlightenment, Liping Dong, Jingjing Zeng, Jiansheng Qu, Huijuan Pei, Qin Liao, Yanfei Liu, Lina Liu, Bingxue Qin

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Carbon neutrality is a redefinition of human development mode, and a "self-reform" of the production paradigm. It not only affects the economic development of various countries, but also rebuilds the global geopolitical pattern. Since 2060 carbon neutrality target was proposed in September 2020, China has been working hard on exploring how to establish a system of the carbon neutral policy. By considering the system of carbon neutral policy in European Union that is relatively mature, this study comprehensively reviews and analyzes the EU's system of carbon neutral policy from policy framework, key industry measures, R&D deployment support, and fiscal and …

The European National Transfer Accounts: Data And Applications, Jože Sambt, Bernhard Hammer, Tanja Istenič

Economic and Business Review

Population ageing exerts considerable pressure on the funding of public transfers. It is of utmost importance to understand how the transfer system can adapt to population ageing. Using National Transfer Accounts, we illustrate the different organisation of transfer systems across Europe. Countries like Greece and Romania, where labour income already falls short of consumption at age 54, would greatly improve their public system sustainability by following the Swedish example where this happens ten years later. High consumption at older ages is less problematic when financed substantially through savings (the UK) rather than almost exclusively through transfers (Austria).

United States Food Law Update: Shrouded By Election-Year Politics, State Initiatives And Private Lawsuits Fill In The Gaps Created By Congressional And Agency Ossification, A. Bryan Endres, Lisa R. Schlessinger, Rachel Armstrong

Journal of Food Law & Policy

Observers of food law in the 2012 presidential election year witnessed a dramatic slowing of federal initiatives-perhaps arising from a desire by both Congress and the administration to avoid upsetting critical constituent groups during a year seemingly dominated by campaigns and endless talking points. For example, Congress failed to take action on a unique compromise between what some had considered mortal enemies-the Humane Society of the United States and United Egg Producers-that would implement a federal animal welfare standard for laying hens in return for abandoning ballot measures in various states. Similarly, the FDA waited until the early days of …

Global Journey To Post-Pandemic Normalcy And Revival, Andrzej Sankowski

Journal of Global Awareness

After a year of COVID-19, countries, societies, and individuals are longing for normalcy and beginning to consider what life will be like post-pandemic. Efforts and experiences of countries in the European Union, Asia, Asia-Pacific, Australia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States are examined as they face challenges to end the pandemic and prepare for the post-pandemic reality. What will be the post-pandemic "new normalcy"? What changes caused by the pandemic are permanent in societies and the world? What are the necessary reforms that have to take place as part of normalcy? Reflections on the impacts of vaccinations, …

Europe: A Strategy For A Regional And Middle Power, Jean-Yves Haine, Cynthia Salloum

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

As the European Union deals with yet another crisis— the COVID-19 pandemic—it must adopt a grand strategy based on unity, policy, and proportionality: cohesion over inaction, policy over process, and regional imperatives over global ambitions. An analysis of past strategy documents and a study of current international trends stress the need for a Union capable of shaping its own environment rather than reacting to it. The pandemic should accelerate Europe’s journey toward power maturity and responsibility.

The European Union: Data Protection For Economic Competition And Regional Security, Matthew D. Wurst

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

The collection and use of personal data is being increasingly scrutinized by governments and the European Union (EU) has been attempting to handle the development of data protection based progressive protections to protect its citizens data and right to privacy. With the reemergence of Russia in challenging the state of affairs within Europe, their illegal seizure of the Crimea from Ukraine demonstrated the lengths Russia will go to in order to preserve its sphere of influence. Furthermore, Russia’s use of cyber tactics and hybrid warfare has caused many in Europe to become more concerned for their security. When viewed through …

Advocating For The Law Of Subsidiarity, Braeden T. Fleck

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

Today in our nation, a steady rate of increased centralization has contributed to a society that seems fixated on the prospect of personal gain. This has had a direct adverse impact on our nation’s economic growth and efficiency, and has dampened our sense of duty as citizens who are gifted with a government administration that acknowledges constitutional rights such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The inefficient results of federal government’s political action highlight the ineffectiveness of current procedure. The question then arises, does the principle of subsidiarity when applied to government provide measurable gain for the parties …

Ukip’S Use Of Valence Issues To Impact Attitudes Towards Eu Membership, Madeline Kincaid, Lisa Conant

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

In the book Brexit: Why Britain Voted to Leave the European Union, Clarke, Goodwin, and Whiteley suggest that certain valence issues, or issues “on which there is a broad agreement among the people and parties about what the policy should be,” are the determining factors that drove and continue to drive attitudes towards EU membership within the United Kingdom (Clark 2017, 68). These two main valence issues, public perceptions on economic conditions and immigration, are the central factors that determined whether or not UK citizens wanted to remain or leave the EU. Understanding these two main issues, the United Kingdom …

The European Union And Violence Against Women: Fundamental Rights And Con Games, R. Amy Elman

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Deciphering the European Union’s (EU) commitment to countering violence against women is challenging. To date, much of its response has been rhetorical. This article opens with a brief consideration of the EU’s first few initiatives to counter violence against women before turning to the polity’s enthusiastic endorsement of the Council of Europe’s 2011 Istanbul Convention, which defines such violence as a human rights violation. Not least, it offers a critical analysis of the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency’s 2014 survey on violence against women, the world’s largest international survey of its kind. That inquiry involved 42,000 in-person interviews with a representative …