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The article aims to analyse the effect of COVID 19 pandemics on energy poverty in Visegrad (V4) countries, namely Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Czech Republic. The literature review on energy poverty was performed and the main indicators energy poverty were discussed. The dynamics of the main indicators of energy poverty during COVID 19 pandemics and post pandemic period were critically analysed and compared among V-4 countries trying to identify the successful policies and measures helping to mitigate negative COVID 19 pandemics impact on energy poverty in analysed group of countries

Global Business Services Center is modern, constantly developing, agile and value-driven business organisation form, which is well-known and appreciable in business community. However, it is still not so well known in the scientific community. This scientific paper contributes to improvement of scientific exploration level of Global Business Services Centers as economic phenomenon, reviews the limitations encountered by scientists, who aim to evaluate the economic outcomes of Global Business Services Centers, and presents the model for comprehensive evaluation of these macroeconomic outcomes taking into consideration the multiplier effect.

Human capital is frequently viewed as the only resource that can be constantly developed, and it can be denoted as key in the long term in efforts to increase the level of organisations. This paper aims at analysing the present state of focus of Slovak organisations on systematic education, on comprehensive targeting of education on all employees, as well as on the assessment of effectiveness in education in the context of a relationship to the region in which such organisations operate. Several partial objectives, such as a questionnaire survey conducted in Slovak organisations between 2013 – 2017, were fulfilled in order to accomplish this objective. Statistical hypothesis testing aimed at specifying the relationship between the region of operation of the given organisation and the execution of activities related to systematic education of employees in it, the focus of the organisation on education of all employees, and the assessment of effectiveness in the education provided by them, confirmed a link between the analysed variables. Positive changes in the selected attributes in time were evaluated by the fixed-base index.

Comparative analysis of the EU countries’ socioeconomic indicators is carried out here along with the systematic analysis of the global and the EU strategic documents, the European Commission’s communiqués, the European Commission’s (committees’) and individual working groups’ studies on employment issues. Potential scenarios for increasing employment are considered basing on the analysis of socioeconomic conditions in Lithuania. The article uses the methods of systematic scientific literature analysis, general and logical analysis, comparison, summation and abstraction as well as the mathematical and statistical processing methods. Situation analysis is based on the data of the Eurostat, specialized surveys and the results of statistical calculations. The article substantiates that in order to increase employment, efficient resource allocation and targeted economic policy focused on social problems of the country are needed, and appropriate measures for its implementation are proposed. Employment-friendly macroeconomic policy-making is seen here as a fundamental strategic guideline to address the problems of employment and social economic inequality. Green economy and green jobs’ development are one of the priority directions in increasing employment in Lithuania. Employment policy guidance in green technologies (renewable energy sources, recycling, and green building), the green economy, and promotion of professional skills in this area are recommended. Transition to green economy, eco-villages and ecological communities would be one of the fundamental directions in increasing employment among the most vulnerable groups. Furthermore, regional policies must be intensified in Lithuania to enhance economic (investment) and social attractiveness of less populated areas.

Nowadays, CSR and its evaluation has become one of the most important questions in the field of finance and economy. The presented paper theoretically analyses CSR criteria and discusses the latest concepts of CSR evaluation, emphasising TBL specifics as the background for further research. Furthermore, a relevant criteria setup is made and used for formulation of CSR evaluation system. Finally, the modelling of CSR evaluation system is carried out and its practical implementation is presented from the perspective of commercial banks.

The aim of this paper is to review Lithuanian cultural policy system and achievement in its improvement. The main tasks to achieve this aim are: to give brief overview of Lithuanian cultural policy and its major developments; to compare Lithuanian cultural indicators with other EU member states; to develop policy recommendations based on analysis conducted. Studies show that adults’ culture consumption habits are influenced by the frequency and the earliness of encounter with culture and whether they are taught to participate in cultural life. Therefore, increasing the accessibility of culture to children regardless of their family and social environment is an important priority of our culture policy. It can take the form of both integrating cultural education disciplines into the curriculum of general education and creating educational programmes adapted to the young generation and the cultural activity centers.

The latter European crisis reveals the fact that traditional agreements between governments of the Member States and supranational political and legal institutions of the European Union are not sufficient for the maintenance of European Union stability and integrity. Therefore, the political and legal sustainability of the European Union requires a certain metatheory as a methodology, which could essentially contribute to the coherent construction, interpretation and assessment of theoretical and practical issues of the European Union’s legal and political reality. This paper aims to explore two main questions: What is constitutionalism as a legal-political metatheory? What challenges are faced by this theory while addressing the specific EU legal-political reality construction problems? The results of the research reveal that constitutionalism as a metatheory is constituted by principles and values, which provide ideological support for the development of the nation, and performs a methodological function in the construction of legal and political reality. However, the EU’s political elite still seeks to legitimize constitutionalism as a political action theory, which, accordingly, legitimizes the respective legal policies it pursues. This process dangerously increases the gap between the EU’s political elite and the societies of its Member States.

The paper reviews and compares external costs of atmospheric pollution and pollution taxes in Lithuania and Poland and assesses the level of external costs internalization and their impact on atmospheric emissions of classical pollutants in both countries. The analysis of trends of atmospheric pollution by classical pollutants in Lithuania and Poland is presented and policy recommendations based on the main fi ndings of the analysis conducted were developed.

Authors of the paper propose the hierarchical model for management of strategic changes in municipalities and applicate it in their empirical research. The model explains the relations between the goals and volume of strategic changes, designates the type of changes and also indicates the management level of the municipality in which the appropriate decisions have to be made. 25 Lithuania’s municipalities were investigated. Heads of municipality administration and their deputies expressed their opinion about implementation of strategic changes in a political and administration level of municipality performance as well as assessed the municipality work quality in the volume of functions delegated by the State.

Recent economic environment more than ever highlights the need for essential changes in modern governments. Effective absorption of information and communication technologies (ICTs), usually described as electronic government (e-government) is one of the tools to achieve it. Its nature has evolved from silos to cross-organisational systems, so the significance of new organisational capability for interoperability is increasing along with the demand to re-design existing e-government development models. The aim of this paper is to examine the aspects of applying dynamic organisational capabilities approach for government transformation models based on ICTs. As a result, integrated framework for the strategic planning, implementation and research of government reform based on ICTs, grounded on the approach of dynamic organisational capabilities and their assessment, is proposed. It might ensure more comprehensive and sustainable change in public sector, capable to build global national competitiveness in the period of economic uncertainty.