NSZZ “Solidarność” years 1980 – 1990 as an integrated factor of Kujawsko-Pomorskie region

Independent Self-governing Trade Union “Solidarity” did not accept the disintegration of the state by dividing into 49 small provinces and districts liquidation – both in the program and operations sought to community actions. Similarly happened in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie region, where “Solidarity” unionists in the public and conspiracy activities sought to create a macro-region of their trade union within the limits of the liquidated in 1975 Bydgoszcz-region. By 1989 cooperation between regions: Bydgoszcz, Toruń and Włocławek was very good. The experience of “Solidarity” can now be used in the process of integration of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie region, as an idea of regional solidarity – a sense of mutual dependence and mutual responsibility for the prosperity and development of the entire region.

Voivodeship board as an organ of public authority implementing the development policy

The establishment of voivodeship in 1999, as the unit of local government, had a break- through role in the process of decentralization of the state. Voivodeship has gained not only the traditional attributes of the local government, but is clearly evolving in the direction of the institution of the region. This process has intensified because of the accession to the European Union. The voivodeship board has got major importance in this process on the basis of The Act of Regional Development, which ensures the voivodeship board a lot of undertakings in the area of regional development. These undertakings, performed during the reception of EU funds in the years 2007–2013 (2015) and in the years between 2014–2020 have significantly affected the dynamic socio-economic development of local communities, but above all have stimulated the transformation of the self-government of the voivodeship into the European region.

The aim of the article is to characterized the theory of institutionalization of the region. Its author, Finnish geographer Anssi Paasi, described region as an effect of multiphase process that takes shape of an institutionalization. Such process starts when region has its territorial frame (territorial phase), then symbolic images are created and located in people’s consciousness inside and outside of the region (symbolic phase). In the next phase (called an institutional) symbolic images are transformed into formal institutions (law, strategies, organizations). In that phase regional actors operate in the field of a regional discourse. Region is a sociospatial phenomenon, a place where symbolic and institutional acting between different regional actors takes place. It is a constant process of legitimization specific images of regions, which is used to create a brand of the region and structuring the regional identity of people living in the region. The moment a regional identity and a regional brand is created by regional institutions is defined as a full phase of institutionalisation. Paasi’s theory is an important and interesting proposal, which can enrich the sociological surveys of the region, but it is necessary to supplement it. The process of institutionalization of the region involves all regional actors, Paasi argues that only formal organizations. Additionally, this process is dependent on the internal and external context and on the history of the region. These complements enriches heuristic value of the theory characterised in the article.

W tekście podejmuję próbę ukazania znaczenia edukacji regionalnej w pielęgnowaniu pamięci przeszłości, odnosząc się do sytuacji wielokulturowego Białegostoku. Zastanawiam się nad rolą, jaką pełnią badania dotyczące pamięci przeszłości w planowaniu i realizowaniu działań edukacyjnych i wychowawczych. Zwracam uwagę na wybrane kwestie związane z pamięcią przeszłości w kontekście badań społecznych.

W tekście podejmujemy próbę pokazania syntezy współczesnego rozumienia edukacji regionalnej, uwzględniając także podstawy prawne niniejszego zagadnienia. Zwracamy uwagę na możliwości realizacji treści regionalnych w praktyce edukacyjnej. Przedstawiamy wybrane kreatywne metody i formy wykorzystywane w edukacji regionalnej. Odnosimy się również do wyzwań stojących przed wspomnianą edukacją realizowaną w obszarze pedagogiki miejsca. Celem pracy było wskazanie kierunków rozwoju edukacji regionalnej we współczesnej szkole oraz pokazanie interesujących obszarów w kulturze regionu, z których może ona czerpać inspiracje. Przyczynkiem do poznania i analizy omawianego problemu w przestrzeni nauki były studia literatury i analizy badań naukowych ukazujące rolę edukacji regionalnej w budowaniu „ojczyzny prywatnej”, kształtowania identyfikacji z miejscem zamieszkania, a także zagadnień związanych z pamięcią regionalną, pamięcią społeczną, dziedzictwem kulturowym, regionem. Ponadto impulsem do podjęcia tego tematu były osobiste refleksje dotyczące przekazywania znaczenia edukacji regionalnej i jej roli w kształtowaniu tożsamości miejsca - tożsamości regionu.

The article analyses the Italian Government’s response to the recent Covid-19 pandemic and, more precisely, the centralization of decisions and the consequent marginalization of Parliament and Regions. The author assesses the compatibility of the governmental emergency measures with the Italian Constitution (which does not expressly regulate the “state of emergency”) and with the principle of proportionality, in order to verify whether the compression of some fundamental rights and constitutional competencies was justified by the contingent crisis.

‘Central Asia’ is a unique and diverse region of the world that landmass distinct from other regions and sedentary civilisation is one of the characteristics. The geography of this region is considered a controversial discourse among scholars in international relations and, Europeans prefer to call them ‘Central Eurasia’, but Asian scholars frequently used the term ‘Central Asia’. However, the history of Asia was not stable and similar in the past. In this regard, this article tries to find the status of the Central Asia in international relations from a historical to empirical discussion in academia. Through the discourse analysis applied here to trace scholars, historians, institutions, governments, and sociologists’ perspective how they treat ‘Central Asia’, whether it is a deeply profound ‘region’ or precise existence. The initial argument says that Central Asia is more significant due to the geostrategic point of view and attracts superpowers in the ground of diplomacy play.

Belgium as a Laboratory of Bipolar Federalism

Having moved away from unitarism, Belgium is described as a federal state of communities and regions. A large number of interpreters of the Belgian Constitution believe that federalism is an essential element of its constitutional identity. However, a more detailed analysis is needed to interpret the political system of this state. The breakdown of the unity of the political community at the national level as well as the doubt about the existence of a political nation are of crucial importance. A striking identity and growing separateness of the two linguistic groups, Flemish and Walloon, are decisive factors behind the originality of the political system of modern Belgium. In the article, I point out that the distinctive feature of the Belgian federalism involves the bipolarity and domination of the constitutional mechanism based on co-determination and co-operation of the two linguistic groups as the actual subjects of the power in the state. The predominance of this mechanism has significant systemic effects, including the renunciation of reforms to rationalize parliamentarism. The article also shows the importance of the Constitutional Court, hitherto underestimated, in maintaining the Belgian unity.

Directions of Improving the Efficiency of the System of Measures of General Social Prevention of Terrorist Acts in the Ukraine

The article is devoted to improving the effectiveness of the system of measures of general social prevention of terrorist acts at the national, regional and local levels. It was emphasized that the prevention of terrorist acts at the national, regional and local levels is a key area that allows the most humane, with the least harm to the state and society, to address the problem of combating this phenomenon. The content of «general social prevention of terrorist acts» is revealed. It is proposed to understand «general social prevention of terrorist acts» as a system of measures that promotes the anti-criminogenic potential of the state, society and all institutions, and most importantly – the formation of a positive criminological situation, improving security of life and reducing existing terrorist threats. It is concluded that the system of measures of general social prevention of terrorist acts at the national, regional and local levels should be built to taking into account all financial and resource opportunities and specifics of specific administrative-territorial units, as well as: should be targeted, planned and systemic. settlement; should affect almost all spheres of society; should be aimed at neutralizing criminogenic factors in the of the environment that affect the emergence and implementation of terrorist acts, through the consolidated efforts of all, without exception, the subjects of preventive activities; Competent entities must take into account the territorial and spatial specifics of a particular settlement (its natural resources, historical features of the economy, proximity to the border, level of economic development, ethnic composition of the population, etc.); Competent entities should take into account the architectural design and planning of individual urban planning facilities, which will help to establish effective control over the state of public safety and public order, as well as prevent terrorist attacks; should cover a range of: socio-economic, political, ideological, organizational and managerial, psychological and educational, legal, informational and socio-cultural activities. It is proved that the activity of local self-government bodies, which promote the implementation of targeted and comprehensive programs to improve the security of the entire population and reduce the level of existing threats, including terrorist, is of particular importance in the development and implementation of social measures to prevent terrorist acts at the local and regional levels.

The notion of region is particularly vague, as this issue is referred to by studies from various disciplines. It has long been one of the subjects of interest of the Council of Europe which perceives local and regional administration as one of the fundamental ingredients of modern European democracy. The European Charter of Local Self- -Government is the main document that regulates these matters in the Council of Europe law system. It is accompanied by a number of other documents, including The European Charter of Regional Self-Government. The article provides an analysis of these normative deeds within the realm of Union law. When the Single European Act entered into force, regions have become an important part of Union policy. Committee of the Regions set up in 1994, whose operation is related to the principle of subsidiarity and programming of the idea of the Europe of Regions, is the most important body concerned with regional issues.

The article addresses the implementation of regional education, a crucial component of socio-cultural identity. Its goal is to initiate a discussion on the essence of regional education in contemporary schools and present a pilot study on students’ knowledge about their region. The research shows that the role of schools in acquiring knowledge about the region is significantly smaller than that of the family environment, the Internet, or learning through social observation. The research indicates the need for broader studies on schools’ current curricula and educational offers in regional education. Its results also reveal the urgent need to restore the methodological foundations of regional education in Poland. It will help remind young people of the importance of local cultural heritage values and their own roots in their lives. A modern school also needs to restore the idea of regional education as civic education, which is necessary to shape competencies conducive to integration and openness to others. It is extremely important, especially in the current social situation related to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The Gazakh region, located in the basin of Agstafa and Kura rivers in the northwest of Azerbaijan, was inhabited by the Gazakh tribe, which was part of the Hun tribal union from the first centuries of our era. The greater influx of the Gazakh tribe, which gave its name to the north-western region of Azerbaijan, took place in the XI–XII centuries at the invitation of the Georgian tsars who tried to free themselves from Seljuk dependence. During this period, the Gazakh tribe, which was part of the large Kipchak tribal union, lived in a part of the Kuban steppes. That area was called ‘Gazakhia’ after the name of the Gazakh tribe. Tens of thousands of Gazakhs who came to the South Caucasus at the invitation of the Georgian tsars settled in Georgia and converted to Christianity, while the other part began to live in the present-day Gazakh and Borchali regions. The Gazakhs living in the latter areas have preserved their national identity by mixing with their compatriots since the early Middle Ages. The Gazakh region, a part of the Safavid province with the status of a county, came under the influence of the Kartli-Kakheti kingdom in the second half of the XVIII century. During this period, a large part of the Gazakh tribe, who did not want to live under the rule of the Georgian tsars, moved to Ganja, Karabakh, Iravan khanates and the eastern provinces of Turkey.