Journal of Security and Sustainability Issues

The article addresses the issues related to sustainable inland waterway transport in the context of stimulating transformations towards a green economy. The considerations focused on the second-largest river in Poland – the Oder. The clear economic needs and benefits arising from the river’s regulation and the restoration of its transport capabilities were juxtaposed with the results of a study regarding the perception of these changes by the public opinion. To clarify, these were the residents of the Oder River Basin, thus people in the immediate impact area of the river.

The installation plan, operation and functions of the military field camp are very important for a military unit action. Every army in a NATO country strives to set up a military camp that is as flexible and comfortable as possible. NATO has set standards for the installation of a military field camp, and each country in the organization relies on this standard. This study was focused on how to build a military field camp as quickly as possible and to minimize the loss of various resources.

The article considers the problem of forming the vector of economic development on the principles of sustainable development and social economy. State security is based not only on successful economic development, but also on maintaining a balance of social interests. Social entrepreneurship is contrary to social stratification and confrontation in society. As an empirical basis for this direction of development, the authors explore the segment of non-profit organizations with constant income and organizations providing services in the social sphere of Kazakhstan. In the absence of an official definition of social entrepreneurship, these types of socially oriented activities most fully implement the principles of sustainable development, while at the same time forming economic and social value. The results of a sociological study reveal the microscopic extent of this phenomenon in Kazakhstan, and the overwhelming array of respondents focuses on the system of institutional support for social entrepreneurship. The authors developed recommendations on the regulatory legal status of social entrepreneurs and the main directions of their institutional support. Particular attention is paid to the development of intersectoral and intra-sectoral ties in the development of social entrepreneurship. The emphasis is on the accelerator model, as the most productive form of support, which has a network nature and is based on coordination mechanisms between the state and non-state actors. The formation of a full-fledged institutional environment will ensure the stability and progression of the economic development of socially oriented activities and create a critical mass of entities acting on the principles of sustainable development in the unity of economic and social values of social development.

The safety and security research is generally presented as a problem of two levels. The first level is focused on individuals and social groups while the second level deals with the safety and security issues on a country level. Research on both levels, however, is very often concentrated on the life or health threat in direct connection with war conflicts, terrorism, organised crime, political or social persecution and natural disasters. Nevertheless, such understanding and evaluation of safety and security does not comply with the present reality. There exist a wide range of scientific studies proving that the present understanding of human safety and security consists of several dimensions which might not be directly linked to actual war activities. The human safety and security of people in a broad sense could be jeopardized also by unfair practices or abuse of political power by governmental bodies, corruption in national economies, discrimination of minorities, drugs and black markets. The threat to the safety and security of individuals and countries is a multidimensional problem and its scope, intensity and dynamics should be measured by adequate tools and should be understood as a standard dimension of the quality of life. A specific tool should be adopted for measuring the safety and security in people´s life and for measuring safety and security on a country level. Current statistical and other exact methods enable researchers to perform qualitative and quantitative measurements and evaluate the safety and security in a broad scope and with needed depth and qualification. The aim of this paper is to review present trends in the measurement of the safety and security levels in context with actual impacts of external threats from international war conflicts, terrorist attacks and corruption practices and to underline the activities of countries and the international community to stop, or to reduce such threats. To measure these dimensions of safety and security, some selected indexes and indicators of international standards will be used. Our aim is to demonstrate their application in mapping and evaluating the safety and security situation within the European Union countries and particular attention to the performance of Slovakia.

Sustainability and security assessment currently arises as comprehensive and integrated approach. Sustainable development is a fundamental and overarching objective of the European Union (EU) countries. It aims to improve the quality of life of citizens through sustainable communities that manage and use resources, by linking economic development and security, protection of the environment and social justice. Measuring progress towards sustainable development is an integral part of the EU Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS), that defines objectives and targets intended to put the European Union on a path towards sustainable development. The issue of economic security and sustainability has been analyzed in theory from different perspectives. In many studies the macroeconomic indicator Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the best-recognized measure of economic performance in the world. However, GDP may measure economic growth but does not involve all aspects of sustainable growth or development. In order to effectively measure progress and wealth, clear indicators are needed that incorporate social and environmental costs and benefits. There is no shortage of research on indicators complementary to GDP, but this remains a subject for academic discussions. In order to manage security and sustainability, society has to formulate clear and measurable goals of sustainability. The level, at which these goals are achieved, might be measured using sustainable development indicators. The paper aims to reveal prevailing conceptual approaches of sustainability from the macroeconomic as well as corporation perspectives, to summarize and compare the key factors describing sustainable development. The method of the research is based on logic abstraction that encompasses generalizations and examinations on theoretical approaches and academics’ surveys.