Viešosios politikos ir valdymo institutas / Institute of Public Policy and Management

Recent decades have brought an upward trend in creation of historical comics in Lithuania. Local illustrators, in collaboration with various authors, historians and museum experts, and drawing from the historical memory of their relatives, have boldly dived in traumatic periods of Lithuanian history conveying them to the general public in an attractive form. One of the examples could be the historical comic book Siberian Haiku (Jurga Vilė and Lina Itagaki, Sibiro haiku, 2017) which uses the exile of children to examine the repression of the Lithuanian population by the Soviets in the years after World War II. The modern community, especially children, appreciated publication of this comic, although there were doubts whether it is decent to create comics on such a painful topic for the people of Lithuania. Doubts were dispelled after reading the comic book as words and illustrations have revealed a compelling emotional image of the exile carried out by the Soviets, the fate of the exiles in the vastness of Siberia, and their complicated return to Lithuania after the death of Joseph Stalin. The aim of this report is to show the possibilities of using historical comics in studies of Europe at the university. To examine the defined subject, the research methods of document analysis and interview were used, which allowed to uncover the features and peculiarities of Lithuanian historical comic books and identify the ways in which they can be used in the study process. The sources of this report may be classified into two groups. The first includes historical comic books of Lina Itagaki and her co-authors, examining interwar and post-war historical events in Lithuania, Poland, the Soviet Union and Albania. The second group covers articles and interviews with Lina Itagaki, a historical comic book author and illustrator. Those sources have enabled us to distinguish the main motifs of the historical comic book themes chosen by her, and understand their creation process in depicting the image of tragic events. The author of the report has distinguished the following forms of use of historical comics: 1) a historical comic as a historical source, 2) a historical comic as a means to create an image of historical events, 3) a historical comic as a method of learning about people’s daily life, household aspects, and traditions, and 4) a historical comic as a way of preserving the historical memory of a family.

The aim of the paper is to examine the attitudes among key policy stakeholders regarding technology-based self-directed learning in Lithuania as a learning innovation, with a focus on how tensions between innovation and policy regulation hinder the creation of a common understanding. b) design/methodology/approach Methodology. This study employed a qualitative research design to explore the key factors shaping TSDL in Lithuanian high schools and to inform educational policymaking. Data were collected through 14 semi-structured interviews conducted with representatives of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, school leaders, teachers, and parents, ensuring a multistakeholder perspective. The semi-structured interview were organised into six core thematic blocks: 1.) current pedagogical practices; 2.) the use of digital technologies in the learning process; 3.) TBSDL as a pedagogical approach, investigating whether and how TBSDL is encouraged in schools, how it is implemented in practice; 4.) challenges and barriers to implementation; 5.) educational policy and governance; 6.) school autonomy and future development.

The purpose of the article is to highlight the characteristics of economic nationalism through an analysis of the relations between Lithuanians and ethnic minorities (Jews) in cases of the protectionist economic policy of the Lithuanian government as well as ethnic discrimination and ethnic conflicts in 1930 1940. The author of the article has highlighted the general characteristics typical of economic nationalism in a number of forms. Firstly, the protectionist economic policy of the government, the aim whereof was to oust entrepreneurs of other nationalities, especially Jewish, and to increase the relative number of Lithuanians in the trade and banking business sectors. Secondly, the discriminatory policy of the authorities against Jewish individuals to ensure that the latter could not take civil service positions in state and municipal institutions (which in fact eliminated them from working within the authorities). Thirdly, causing ethnic discord in the media, shaping a negative and hostile opinion about ethnic minorities, e.g. by accusing Russians of Russification and labelling them as invaders; by accusing Jews of stealing businesses from Lithuanians and labelling them as exploiters of Lithuanians; by accusing Poles of Polonization and anti-Lithuanian attitudes, etc. Fourthly, activities of economic organizations or movements targeting ethnic minorities and demanding to restrict their businesses, boycott their goods and services. Fifthly, public rallies and demonstrations instigating the nationalist sentiment, e.g. the typical slogan of nationalist rallies “Lithuania for Lithuanians”, “making the business Lithuanian again”, “Lithuania to become Lithuanian”. Finally, provoking ethnic conflicts or acts of violence against ethnic minorities (including damaging property by arson or otherwise, and physical violence against representatives of ethnic minorities. The author of the article has drawn several conclusions, the main being that there were multiple reasons which prompted the rise of economic nationalism. They were primarily related to the economic, social, and cultural gap between ethnic minorities and Lithuanians. In particular, the protectionist economic policy (which exhibited certain aspects of ethnic discrimination) pursued by the Lithuanian government with the aim of ousting entrepreneurs of several nationalities from industrial, financial, and trade sectors widened the economic gap between ethnic minorities and Lithuanians. Another important reason for the development of economic nationalism was the building of a nation state, where ethnic minorities were perceived as an obstacle to an ethnocentric state, its economic modernization, and to Lithuanians competing with representatives of other nationalities. At the local level, ethnic conflicts would sometimes escalate into physical violence, essentially against one ethnic minority (Jews). This was, to some extent, affected by the anti-Semitic sentiment instigated in the press, the anti-Semitic activities of some organizations, and, partly, the protectionist economic policy pursued by the government that aimed to restrict or oust Jews from key businesses. The study of Lithuanian-Jewish relations from the perspective of economic nationalism expands the field of research on anti-Semitism as a phenomenon in interwar Lithuania. And looking ahead, we must show zero tolerance for the acts instigating national hatred and they must always entail criminal prosecution to prevent the nationalist sentiment (anti-Semitism) from spreading in our society.

Purpose. To investigate the state of the national logistics system of Ukraine and propose measures to improve logistics processes in the field of international business project management and cross-border logistics. To propose approaches to adapting logistics processes in crisis conditions and identify factors complicating strategic management in these conditions. Methodology. The dialectical method allowed determining the significance of the impact of the uncertainty of the trade policy of partner countries on the national logistics process. Using the integrated method, it was proposed to form specialized digital logistics systems and implement an integrated digital system that should combine the functions of logistics systems and DSS- and ERP-systems of manufacturers. The method of comparison based on the components of the Logistics Performance Index made it possible to identify problems in the national logistics system. Findings. It is proposed to review the principles of building specialized logistics management systems and introduce real-time optimization of cargo flows through border checkpoints. It is proposed to form an integrated DSS- and ERP-system that should combine the functions of software complexes of logistics companies and digital systems of counterparties. It is indicated that the formation of management strategies is complicated by the increasing uncertainty of business processes. It is established that this uncertainty is not only2 a consequence of war and internal factors, but also a consequence of the influence of uncertainty in the trade policy of partner countries. Originality. It is indicated that the logistics chain should not be treated as a linearly ordered set of links, but should be considered as a more universal variable tree-like structure, the routes of which are selected taking risks into account. The proposed comprehensive application of a tree-like logistics chain with a block strategy will increase the adaptability of logistics companies to challenges and their competitiveness. Practical value. Promising directions for adapting logistics processes to crisis conditions are indicated, and directions for improving management strategies for international business project management are proposed.

Many people still assume that high abstract support for democracy as an ideal means that democracy itself is healthy. In reality, in times of local and global turbulence, democracy and human rights have largely become formal or performative – enshrined in laws and rhetoric, yet ineffective in delivering genuine civic participation, rule of law, inclusion, or social justice.