Tiltai

Scientific journal TILTAI/BRIDGES/BRÜCKEN published by Klaipėda University (established in 1991) is devoted to the issues of social sciences. The publications attempts at analysing and solving actual problems of economy, management, demography, social geography, geopolitics, political sciences, history, education, religious, regional planning and land use, other social problems. Science hasn’t borders. Therefore scientific cooperation is one of the most important elements in the progress of world’s community. Scientists from different countries of the world are kindly invited to write for and contribute to the journal.

Over the period of two decades of public governance evolution, the public sector researchers focused on the main elements of new public management evolution to new public governance as modern stage of public administration theory and administrative practice. The methodology of public governance consists of various ideas, paradigms, analytical methods, models and constructs. Such collection represents the logic of public governance problem research in the modern public sector changes, reforms, modernization at the beginning of twenty first century. This study on the basis of meta-analysis, theoretic modelling, classification, interpretative method has the task to explore the main reasons, structures and impacts of public governance evolution to the development of public policy decision making, intersectional integration, creation of hybrid form of organization networks, quality of socially oriented governance and implementation of more effective strategic planning role modelling the new constructions of performance management in public sector.

In the article the paradigm of traditional public administration is analysed by trying to accomplish the critique of the model in the cultural dimension direction and by identifying the crucial elements of post-modernism which, according to the authors, had made an impact for the formation of such a model. There are also revealed the parameters of post-modernism in metanarrative theories of rationality, as the grounded technological and instrumental relation towards traditional paradigm principles by stressing the hierarchical governance, bureaucratic relations, control mechanisms, rational organisational structure and functional division with professionalism. By identifying the main traits of traditional paradigm, the aspects and tendencies of post-modernist organisations are revealed and the controversial answer to the question about the relevance of traditional public administration model is presented.

This article analyses inter-regional colloboration between Latin America and European Union (EU) in order to find out the processes of regional integration to international extent. Basic reasons of inter-regional collaboration between EU and Latin America which are related with social inequality and destitution, shortfall of democracy and growth of Latin America’s economical potential as well as appearance of various new markets are excluded in this text. EU encourages economical, social and institutional integration which is associated with regionalization processes in the area of Latin America. Inter-regional collaboration happens through international organizations such as Rio group, MERCOSUR, UNASUR, CAN. This article deals with general aims of inter-regional collaboration, various branches of it and relations between EU and Latin America in regional, sub-regional and bilateral level which are intermingled among themselves.

The article deals with the problem of spatial and numeral changes of rural settlements. Definition of the rural settlement and rurality is discussing at the context of the settlements developing. Appropriate place is devoted to the question of the size classification and density of settlements. The research deals with the methodological problem of the index of the nearest neighbourhood of the settlements, its distance from main services centres. The question of the influence of the transport system to development of regional rural settlements is discussing as well as the future of its.

Article examines Klaipėda city and its suburban areas territorial change, as well as population change during the year 2005–2013. During these decades, cities experienced major changes because of previously created city models. Because of this, on these days it is still important to predict city’s future development, expansion and metamorphosis. Today it is very important to predict and make future prognoses of city development in case to avoid spatial planning failure, rising from social and demographical economical problems. Even today cities are facing sub-urbanization which leads to city emptiness. Therefore, article’s main aim is Klaipėda city and its suburban zones together with population future analysis and development. According to received Klaipėda city, city suburban areas and population change results during these eight years, the most important thing was to create and understand future of the city, suburban areas and population development in this area till the nearest 2020 year.

In this article authors present the development of intercultural competences as a part of study process. Organization of study process in the modern world is not confined within one institution or one country. Possibilities to study in different joint programmes or choose Erasmus courses are open for many students. Not only the language abilities, but also intercultural awareness and competences influence the quality of communication and level of understanding by the representatives of other cultures. Intercultural competences are one of the very important abilities that are also presented as the outcomes of new methods of education that should prepare students to cope with intercultural environment. Study process requires students to obtain various abilities (application of knowledge, research, special, personal, social). All these abilities are particularly important in conducting comparative research and adopting foreign experience. The article emphasizes that intercultural competencies in modern study process can be assessed on two levels: the level of intercultural communication and intercultural level of scientific research.

The paper discusses different styles of leadership of the social work that have been empirically reconstructed and conceptualized. The consequences of such leadership styles for the professional activity of the social workers are analysed not only regarding the clients but also in the context of empowerment of the workers. Considerations are made concerning the influence of social work to the identity and the distribution.

There are very limitted investigations in Lithuania on appearance matters. Research results reavealed that attitudes towards his/her appearance is one of the leading personal identity factors which influenze psyhosocial developement and this is particular actual for adolescents. Research study done in 1999–2000 perfomed in Lithuanian cities revealed that among factors influenzing appearance matters among adolescents mass media is most important: 60–80 percent of adolescent girls reported that TV or press influenzed their opinion about their appearance problems. The study surveyed 227 respondents. The study was conducted at the University of Klaipeda. In order to find out how much appearance matters we did an investigation with staff and students of our university. The data acquired would be helpful to present collected information for better understanding of the subject.egative control of the weight and more anxiety.

The current article sketches some peculiarities of the Christian worldview manifested as Roman Catholic, Protestant and Eastern Orthodox traditions shaped by unique social activities of nations and their luminous representatives. These three traditions are described as Roman Catholic (society which pleases God), Protestant (Professional calling from God) and Russian Orthodox (merge of religious and national identity). Traditions are characterized by illustrations from the key documents representing local peculiarities of the Christian mindset. Being mutually interactive, these vectors open up unlimited ways to carry out practical Christian ministry both within the Church and outside its walls at the same time acting as preconditions for Christian social teaching and development of caritative social work.