Visuomenės saugumas ir viešoji tvarka / Public security of public order

This article examines the gender gap in national security institutions as a multidimensional phenomenon shaped by both structural inequalities and discursive biases. While gender equality is increasingly recognized as a factor contributing to organizational effectiveness and institutional legitimacy, significant disparities persist, particularly at higher hierarchical levels. The study addresses how structural factors and public discourse interact in sustaining gender inequality within the security sector. The research applies a mixed-methods design, combining quantitative analysis of survey data (N = 128) from defense, law enforcement, and internal security institutions with computational discourse analysis of 148 media publications (2019–2024). The findings reveal statistically significant vertical gender segregation: women are less likely to occupy leadership positions and experience slower career progression. Gender remains a significant predictor of leadership attainment even after controlling for professional variables. Women also report greater exposure to stereotypical evaluations and limited access to informal professional networks, indicating persistent informal organizational barriers. Discourse analysis shows that women are more frequently represented as exceptional or defined by personal characteristics, whereas men are portrayed in neutral, professional terms. This symbolic “markedness” reinforces gendered perceptions of competence and normalizes male dominance in leadership roles. Topic modeling further identifies a distinct discursive cluster that frames women as a separate category, emphasizing challenges and gender-specific narratives. By integrating structural and discourse data, the study demonstrates a consistent association between institutional inequalities and patterns of public representation. The findings suggest that structural and symbolic factors operate as interconnected mechanisms sustaining gender inequality. The study contributes to the field by introducing an integrated analytical framework that combines data science methods with gender and discourse analysis in the context of national security, offering both theoretical insight and practical implications for policy and institutional reform.

Lithuanian civil law provides two exceptional mechanisms through which a person may acquire full civil capacity before reaching the age of majority: emancipation and the acquisition of full civil capacity through marriage. Although both institutions grant a minor the legal status of a fully capable person in civil legal relations, their practical application raises a number of legal issues. The legal framework does not clearly define the criteria for determining a “sufficient basis” for emancipation or what constitutes “other important reasons” for reducing the marriageable age, leaving significant discretion to the courts. In addition, questions arise regarding the legal significance of opinions provided by the State Child Rights Protection and Adoption Service and the relationship between full civil capacity and other branches of law. This article analyses the legal regulation governing the acquisition of full civil capacity by minors, Lithuanian judicial practice concerning emancipation and the reduction of the marriageable age, and the legal consequences of acquiring full civil capacity before reaching adulthood. Particular attention is paid to the criteria developed in judicial practice, the evidentiary significance of opinions submitted by child rights protection authorities, and the legal implications of full civil capacity outside the sphere of civil law. The research demonstrates that the concepts of a “sufficient basis” and “other important reasons” are primarily developed through judicial practice and assessed on a case-by-case basis. The findings further indicate that, although opinions of the State Child Rights Protection and Adoption Service constitute an important source of information in proceedings concerning emancipation and the reduction of the marriageable age, they are not binding upon the courts. Finally, the study confirms that an emancipated minor, or a minor who acquires full civil capacity through marriage, is treated as an adult in civil legal relations; however, this status does not extend to criminal, administrative, or constitutional law, where the age criterion remains decisive.

Regional development policy across the European Union continues to rely predominantly on growth-oriented metrics such as GDP, employment rates, investment absorption and productivity indices to evaluate whether regions are progressing. Yet these measures are structurally blind to two conditions fundamental to long-term societal security: social sufficiency floors, meaning minimum acceptable standards of well-being and inclusion, and environmental sustainability ceilings, meaning maximum levels of ecological pressure compatible with stable, liveable communities. This paper argues that this measurement gap constitutes a genuine security vulnerability: one that allows regions to appear successful on paper while social deprivation deepens and environmental conditions deteriorate.Drawing on the beyond-GDP economics literature, human and societal security studies, and EU cohesion policy evaluation research, the paper develops three interlocking arguments. First, dominant evaluation frameworks are structurally insensitive to social shortfalls and environmental overshoot: regional well-being measures and GDP diverge systematically at NUTS-2 level, and cohesion policy assessments anchored in growth metrics fail to detect environmentally meaningful progress. Second, these omissions correspond to documented security pathways: persistent regional inequality erodes institutional trust, fuels populist voting and generates political instability, while environmental deterioration creates deferred but compounding insecurity through climate exposure, health burdens and transition risk. Third, a dual-boundary approach that assesses regions against explicit social sufficiency floors and environmental sustainability ceilings as joint necessary conditions offers a principled and practically feasible direction for evaluation reform. This approach adapts the intellectual lineage running from Rockström et al. (2009) and Dearing et al. (2014) through Raworth's Doughnut Economics (2017), translating the insight that the central policy question should be not merely how much growth, but whether societies are operating in a space that is simultaneously sufficient and sustainable, into the EU regional development and cohesion policy context.These arguments are illustrated at two territorial scales. At the national level, a comparison of Lithuania and the Netherlands demonstrates that GDP convergence and dual-boundary performance are empirically decoupled: Lithuania records strong GDP growth yet fails its social sufficiency floor, while the Netherlands meets social conditions but presses its environmental ceiling. At the urban level, Rotterdam illustrates the same decoupling within a single prosperous city: strong aggregate economic performancecoexists with concentrated social deprivation in specific districts and one of Europe's largest sources of industrial greenhouse gas emissions. The main finding is that current metrics systematically reward growth while remaining insensitive to the structural conditions upon which durable regional security depends, and that this failure is detectable at both national and urban scales.

Professional (occupational) victimisation in policing—manifesting as external aggression from the public, internal harassment and bullying, and organisational/systemic forms of secondary victimisation—poses significant risks to officers’ well-being, perceived safety and organisational performance. Lithuania has developed a multi-layered prevention and support architecture that combines labour-law prohibitions of violence and harassment, occupational safety and health (OSH) duties to manage psychosocial risks, organisational procedures for reporting and case-handling, and statutory provisions for psychological, medical and rehabilitation support. However, empirical evidence remains limited regarding how police officers assess the practical effectiveness of these formally established measures and how often they are used. The purpose of this study is to evaluate police officers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of prevention and support measures aimed at addressing professional victimisation and to examine patterns of reporting, utilisation and perceived usefulness of available support. A cross-sectional quantitative research design was applied using an anonymous online survey of Lithuanian police officers (n = 137). Data were analysed with descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests (Mann–Whitney U) to compare evaluations of effectiveness between officers with and without victimisation experience, supplemented by qualitative content analysis of an open-ended question on additional prevention measures (n = 40). The findings indicate that professional victimisation is salient in officers’ occupational environment through both direct and indirect exposure, while victimisation experience is not significantly associated with key socio-demographic or occupational characteristics. Officers’ evaluations of formally established measures were moderate overall: none achieved high perceived effectiveness, and ratings did not differ significantly between those who had and had not experienced victimisation, suggesting a shared system-level assessment. Psychological support was evaluated most positively, whereas trust- and confidentiality-dependent mechanisms (e.g., confidential reporting pathways, peer/internal support arrangements and rehabilitation-related measures) received lower evaluations. Practice-related indicators revealed substantial underreporting and limited utilisation of support measures among victimised officers, and the perceived usefulness of received support was frequently difficult to assess. Qualitative proposals emphasised strengthening accountability for external aggression, ensuring genuinely anonymous internal reporting, reinforcing leadership accountability and organisational climate, and expanding continuous training. Overall, the results suggest that the principal challenge concerns the credibility, accessibility and consistent implementation of prevention and support mechanisms rather than their formal existence.

The dichotomy or synergy, when law enforcement, which has the main function to stand for the rule of law, and also for human rights may be discussed from several perspectives, such as the role of emotional intelligence or effective performance. When it is doubtful that a direct and one-sided answer will be formulated, it is, however, important to ask the questions in a democratic country. Human history, at least the one recorded in writing or preserved in technological artefacts such as cities, irrigation, and similar, spans approximately 10 thousand years or so (at least until new findings are uncovered), but the history of democracy is rather short. Apart from the rather limited and short-lived form of democracy in Antiquity (Ancient Greece), the more recent democratic thought and its manifestations do not extend beyond 300 years. The urgency of discussions about what it means to live in a democracy is rooted in the fact that democracy remains rather fragile and limited globally: the Democracy Index does not increase; rather, it declines. Not even half of the world’s population lives in a democracy: specifically, 45%. Then 39% live under authoritarian rule, and 15% in “hybrid regimes” that combine electoral democracy with authoritarian tendencies. Thus, anyone who lives among those 45% has both expectations and a certain responsibility to live up to and respect the privileges we enjoy. Thus, it is imperative to discuss how our state and its institutions, specifically, the police force, function. The aimofthis paper is to discuss whether there are preconditions for promoting a paradigm of thinking, where requirements and expectations for police officers are in synergy with the support they need in their demanding work.The empirical data were collected during the 1st quarter of 2026, under the framework of the POL-COM (KA220-VET -Cooperation partnerships in vocational education and training project: A developmental and educational platform and gamified tools for training police officers and similar professionals, with respect to communications) project.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into business education and organizational practice, creating new opportunities for productivity improvement, decision support, process automation, and value creation. However, the availability of AI technologies does not automatically result in effective adoption or the realization of organizational value. Differences in users’ knowledge, trust, perceived usefulness, ethical awareness, and organizational readiness may influence how AI is perceived and used in different contexts. This study examines attitudes toward AI adoption in business by investigating the relationships among perceived usefulness, AI literacy, trust in AI, ethical concerns, and behavioral intention, while also exploring differences between anticipated AI use among students and experienced AI use among business practitioners. A convergent mixed-methods research design was employed. The quantitative component was based on a structured survey of 140 business students at Vilnius University Business School. Data were collected through Google Forms using a five-point Likert scale and analyzed using descriptive statistics, reliability and validity assessment, and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The qualitative component consisted of semi-structured interviews with seven business practitioners who had experience using AI-based technologies in organizational settings. The interviews explored AI use in decision-making, organizational readiness, trust, risk perception, accountability, and changes in work processes. Quantitative and qualitative findings were subsequently integrated through methodological triangulation. The quantitative results indicate that perceived usefulness has a significant positive relationship with behavioral intention to use AI (β = 0.42), while trust in AI also positively influences behavioral intention (β = 0.29). Ethical concerns demonstrate a significant negative relationship with behavioral intention (β = –0.21). AI literacy is positively associated with trust in AI (β = 0.38), while perceived usefulness also contributes positively to trust formation (β = 0.35). The structural model explains 63% of the variance in behavioral intention (R² = 0.63). The qualitative findings complement these results by demonstrating that practitioners assess AI adoption not only in terms of potential benefits but also through organizational readiness, accountability, task characteristics, trust, and implementation constraints. The findings indicate that AI adoption should be understood as a multidimensional socio-technical process in which technological usefulness interacts with human capabilities, trust, ethical considerations, and organizational conditions. The study contributes to the AI adoption literature by connecting individual attitudes with contextual and organizational dimensions of AI use and by comparing anticipated and experienced perspectives on AI adoption.

Šiame straipsnyje nagrinėjamos jaunų suaugusiųjų socialinio nerimo, perfekcionizmo ir suvokiamų tėvystės stilių sąsajos. Tyrimo aktualumą lemia didėjantis perfekcionizmo paplitimas šiuolaikinėje visuomenėje, socialinių medijų įtaka tapatumo formavimuisi bei augantis socialinio nerimo aktualumas tarp jaunų žmonių. Straipsnyje remiamasi teorinėmis socialinio nerimo, perfekcionizmo ir tėvystės stilių sampratomis, aptariami pagrindiniai šių reiškinių tarpusavio ryšiai. Tyrime dalyvavo 139 asmenys, kurių amžius svyravo nuo 18 iki 29 metų. Duomenys rinkti naudojant šiuos standartizuotus instrumentus: Tėvų autoritetingumo klausimynas (PAQ), Socialinės fobijos klausimynas (SPIN) bei Daugiamačio perfekcionizmo skalė (MPS). Tyrime buvo skaičiuojamas instrumentų patikimumas, atlikta aprašomoji statistika, taikomas Student t-testas nepriklausomoms imtims bei atlikta Pearson koreliacinė analizė. Tyrimo rezultatai atskleidė, jog jauni suaugusieji patyrė vidutinio arba aukšto išreikštumo socialinį nerimą, tačiau moterys jautė aukštesnį socialinio nerimo lygį nei vyrai. Lyčių skirtumų perfekcionizmo dimensijų atžvilgiu rasta nebuvo. Tyrimas taip pat atskleidė, jog suvoktas autoritarinis auklėjimo stilius buvo teigiamai susijęs su socialiai priskirtu ir į save orientuotu perfekcionizmu bei socialiniu nerimu. Leidžiantis auklėjimo stilius nebuvo susijęs nei su socialiniu nerimu, nei su atskiromis perfekcionizmo dimensijomis, o autoritetingas auklėjimo stilius buvo neigiamai susijęs su socialiai priskirtu perfekcionizmu. Gauti rezultatai pabrėžia ankstyvųjų tėvystės patirčių ir perfekcionistinių nuostatų svarbą jaunų suaugusiųjų psichologinei gerovei bei socialinio nerimo formavimuisi.

This article analyzes the manifestation of leadership in social organizations, conceptualizing it as a transformative force that shapes organizational culture within the framework of sustainable security. In contemporary social organizations operating under conditions of constant uncertainty and social challenges, leadership takes on strategic significance—it becomes not only a mechanism for coordinating activities but also a value-based orientation uniting the community toward a common goal and the long-term development of the organization. The objective is to reveal the role of leadership in social organizations in order to create a sustainable, safe, and socially responsible organizational culture that enhances employee engagement and well- being, and to identify effective leadership practices in the context of human resource management. The theoretical research method is a systematic analysis of the scientific literature, encompassing the latest scholarly sources on the topic of leadership in social organizations. A targeted selection and critical analysis of the literature allowed for the conceptual substantiation of the statements and conclusions formulated in the article without relying on the collection of empirical data. The results of the analysis show that, in the context of social organizations, leadership is not equated with hierarchical management or administrative control. It is understood as a sustainable practice based on values, trust, and a moral stance, oriented toward the creation of long-term value. It is emphasized that emotional intelligence, the creation of psychological safety, employee empowerment, and the application of “slow” leadership principles create conditions for the formation of a resilient organizational culture, reduce the risk of professional burnout, and strengthen the organization’s long-term sustainability.

The development of modern society and the continuous expansion of legal relations have contributed to a gradual increase in the number and complexity of legal disputes. At the same time, the growing workload of courts and the prolonged duration of judicial proceedings have reinforced the significance of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. Among the various forms of alternative dispute resolution, legal scholarship has recently devoted particular attention to the application of mediation in disputes between public administration authorities and private individuals. The concept of peaceful dispute resolution, based on dialogue and cooperation rather than adversarial confrontation, is primarily implemented through mediation procedures. Compared to judicial proceedings, mediation offers several advantages, including a more expeditious resolution of disputes, reduced financial costs, and greater procedural autonomy for the parties involved. In Lithuania, the system of administrative justice incorporates both judicial and quasi-judicial models of administrative dispute resolution, including proceedings before the Regional Administrative Court and the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania, as well as pre-trial dispute resolution institutions. The establishment of a mandatory pre-trial dispute-resolution mechanism in Lithuanian administrative law largely aligns with European standards for accessible and efficient administrative justice. Under the current legal framework, certain administrative disputes are subject to mandatory examination by the Lithuanian Administrative Disputes Commission, which operates as a quasi-judicial body. It should be noted that the use of mediation within the Commission's activities has been gradually increasing. Although both Lithuanian and foreign scholars have analyzed mediation as a method of pre-trial administrative dispute resolution, insufficient attention has been paid to the practical functioning of the Lithuanian Administrative Disputes Commission, the challenges arising in its operations, and the methods used in its dispute-resolution practice. Accordingly, this article examines the general processes of mediation in administrative law, with particular emphasis on the legal regulation and operational aspects of the Lithuanian Administrative Disputes Commission.

XXI amžius vadinamas skaitmeniniu amžiumi, kuris iš esmės palietė įvairias žmonių gyvenimo sritis, valstybės valdymo procesus, kardinaliai pakeitė informacijos rinkimo, apdorojimo, sklaidos ir saugojimo procesus, formatus. Dar prieš trisdešimt metų, galimybė neišeinant iš namų nuotoliu užregistruoti verslo įmonę, gauti leidimus iš valstybinių institucijų tam tikroms ūkinėms veikloms vykdyti, atrodė nepasiekiama svajonė, lyg iš fantastikos pasaulio nužengęs scenarijus. Sparčiais tempais besivystančios technologijos sukūrė galimybes komunikuoti nuotoliu, perduoti didžiulius informacijos kiekius per kelias sekundes iš vieno kontinento į kitą, atlikti finansines transakcijas, bet tuo pačiu sukūrė naujas grėsmes individų, visuomenės, valstybių saugumui. Tos grėsmės yra įvardijamos terminu „kibernetiniai nusikaltimai“ ir egzistuoja greta jau seniai žinomų grėsmių, įvardijamų terminais „korupcija“, „organizuotas nusikalstamumas“, „terorizmas“. Kibernetiniai nusikaltimai akademinėje literatūroje dar vadinami terminu „aukštųjų technologijų nusikaltimai“ ir daro didelę žalą tiek atskiram individui, tiek visuomenei, verslams, kuomet neteisėtais veiksmais, sukčiaujant ar kitaip, yra vykdomos tapatybės vagystės, duomenų vagystės, įvairūs finansiniai nusikaltimai, klaidinančios informacijos skelbimas, manipuliacija, kenkėjiškos programos, šnipinėjimas, įvairios atakos prieš valstybines institucijas ir kt. Europos Sąjungos (toliau –ES) teisėsaugos agentūra (toliau –Europolas) pažymi, kad kibernetiniai nusikaltimai didžiausią pavojų kelia tiek valstybių nacionaliniam saugumui, tiek individualiems asmenims ir visuomenei. Kibernetiniai nusikaltėliai tampa vis agresyvesni, o jų vykdomos veikos tampa vis pavojingesnės ir labiau organizuotos, koordinuotos, siekiant užsibrėžto konkretaus tikslo. Šio tyrimo objektasyra kibernetinių nusikaltimų poveikis žmogui. Šio tyrimo objektas apsprendė ir šio tyrimo tikslą, kurio siekiant bus išanalizuotas kibernetinių nusikaltimų poveikis per asmeninio saugumo prizmę žmogui. Siekiant šio tyrimo tikslo atlikta mokslinių straipsnių publikuotų tiek Lietuvoje, tiek užsienyje analizė, įvardijanti kibernetinių nusikaltimų taikinius, kryptis ir poveikį žmogaus finansiniam stabilumui, psichologinei būsenai bei sukeltus neigiamus padarinius. Tyrimu nustatyta, kad pirmiausiai žmogus patiria žalą, kuri gali būti išmatuojama ir išreiškiama pinigine verte. Po to seka daug sunkiau pastebima, išmatuojama ir ne visada vizualiai pastebima neturtinė žala, pasireiškianti žmogaus psichinės sveikatos pablogėjimu, darančiu įtaką įvairioms žmogaus gyvenimo sritims. Šiame straipsnyje siekiama atsakyti į tyrimo iškeltus klausimus: kokias esmines žmogaus teises įtvirtintas nacionaliniuose ir tarptautiniuose teisės aktuose pažeidžia kibernetiniai nusikaltimai? Kokią žalą patiria žmogus tapęs kibernetinio incidento taikiniu? Kaip žmogus reaguoja į kibernetinę ataką? Kaip kibernetinis incidentas paveikia žmogaus finansinį stabilumą, psichiką, savijautą? Tyrime naudojami šie kokybiniai ir kiekybiniai tyrimo metodai: dokumentų analizė, lyginamasis, abstrakcijos,loginis ir kiti tyrimo metodai.