International Journal of Euro-Mediterranean Studies

Abstracts in French, Slovene, and Arabic

2024-09-27T12:12:26+02:00

Navigating Global Disruptions: Migration, Education, and Labor Markets in a Post-Pandemic World

2024-09-27T12:03:52+02:00

Morocco's Contribution to the Consolidation of Intra-African Migration: An Analysis through the Prism of Gabonese and Cameroonian Student Migration Flows in the City of Fez

2023-06-28T15:12:34+02:00

This article brings further light on the enhancement of intra-African migration, which hardly makes the subject of in-depth research, besides irregular migration to Europe. This study highlights Morocco's involvement in the consolidation of migratory processes of African students from the perspective of African Cameroonian and Gabonese students in the city of Fez. Semi-structured interviews revealed mixed opinions regarding their integration into the host country, both in the university environment and in their living place. The study finds that Fez is an ideal place to study even as one student community (Gabonese) benefits from all the facilities to the detriment of the other (Cameroonian), in relation to the agreements pre-established by their governments, which will lead to an imbalance in the integration relationship, and which gave rise to a comparison between the two student communities. This analysis led to questions about the involvement of the home states but also about the reactions of the host country to this policy of the Kingdom to attract more of the students to study in Fez. This study aligns with contemporary studies on international migration, constitutes a perspective for the expansion of legal migration channels and an invitation for the African Union to promote ‘intra-African’ migration.

Internationalisation at Home: Intercultural Engagement of Students in Extracurricular Activities; MED2IaH Case Study

2024-06-11T14:48:36+02:00

This study explores the role of extracurricular activities in enhancing students’ intercultural abilities, using the MED2IaA Erasmus+ CBHE project as a case study. Conducted between 2020 and 2023 across 12 higher education institutions in non-eu Southern Mediterranean countries, the project aimed to integrate international and intercultural aspects into local education. The concept of ‘Internationalisation at Home’ (IaH) is highlighted, emphasizing the inclusion of global learning opportunities within the curriculum and campus life for all students. The study finds that specific extracurricular activities, such as digital storytelling, intercultural events, and the friends Tea-Houses, significantly contribute to IaH by fostering intercultural engagement and understanding. The research concludes that these initiatives effectively promote intercultural competencies, enhance communication and teamwork skills, and provide valuable insights into managing cultural collaborations, thereby supporting the internationalisation
goals of higher education institutions.

The Use of Analytic Hierarchy Process forMeasuring National Interests: Demonstrating the Case Study of the Changing Relevance of Libya for Italian Foreign Policy between 2011–2021

2024-04-21T21:36:23+02:00

The study employs the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to quantitatively assess the Italian national interests over a 10-year period (2011– 2021) within the context of five states along the southern Mediterranean coast. By adopting a longitudinal approach, this research investigates the dynamics and relative significance of each state, thereby shedding light on potential shifts in Italy’s foreign policy. The study introduces a comprehensive methodology for visualizing and analyzing national interests, offering valuable insights into the evolving geopolitical landscape of the Mediterranean region. The findings highlight the changing patterns and relative importance of these interests over the examined period, uncovering subtle shifts in Italy’s strategic outlook. By offering a detailed examination of the Mediterranean region, this study presents a detailed understanding of the complex interplay between Italian national interests and the geopolitical dynamics of neighboring states. The visualization of this data provides an overview of the evolving relationships and power dynamics, facilitating informed decision-making and policy formulation.

Case Studies of COVID-19 Pandemic Affecting Early-Career Scientists’ Mobility within theMediterranean Blue Economy Sector

2024-05-27T10:00:33+02:00

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted scientific international mobility, particularly for early-career scientists (ECSs). This paper aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the challenges faced by ECSs in the Mediterranean region during the pandemic, specifically focusing on scientific mobility. Additionally, the study will explore the implications of the pandemic on the career trajectories of ECSs and the long-term effects on scientific research and academia in the Mediterranean. We incorporate individual experiences of three researchers, providing first-hand insights into the challenges and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. These personal experiences enrich the paper by offering a nuanced understanding of the practical implications and emotional aspects associated with the discussed issues.

The Effects of Job Retention Schemes on Employment Preservation during the COVID-19 Epidemic in Euro Area Countries

2024-06-19T21:56:23+02:00

In this paper, we analyse the effects different job retention (JR) schemes take-ups on the preservation of employment during the COVID-19 pandemic in euro area countries. We find that JR schemes in euro area countries helped reduce job losses during the pandemic. The most effective at preserving employment were take-ups of the most extensively updated pre-existing short-time work (STW) schemes that were more generous and included nonstandard workers. However, the impact of JR schemes was less than the overall employment preservation achieved. In contrast to the Great Recession, macroeconomic measures of economic support have helped preserve jobs during the pandemic as well. Corresponding differences in sectoral employment preservation effects show that such macroeconomic support led to more jobs being kept, by far the most in the group of vulnerable service sectors.

The Positive Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Slovenian Economy

2023-12-04T09:38:02+01:00

The objective of the paper is to assess the resilience of Slovenia’s economy after the Covid-19 pandemic that hit the global economy in Q4 2019, in years 2020, 2021 and 2022. To assess the resilience of Slovenia’s economy, two sets of forecasts are generated: forecasts using historical data including the pandemic (from Q4 1997 to Q2 2022) and not including the pandemic (from Q4 1997 to Q3 2019). The computation of the difference of their averages is an indicator of the resilience of the economy during the pandemic, the greater the difference the greater the resilience. Eurozone and Germany are used as benchmarks. By subtracting the average forecasted Q3 2022-Q4 2050 Eurozone quarterly GDP growth rate (annualized) obtained with the Q4 1997-Q2 2022 data, +0.68%, by the one obtained with the Q4 1997-Q3 2019 data, +0.57%, the difference is +0.11%, whereas with Slovenia the difference is 0.10% [+1.20% - (+1.10%)] and with Germany the difference is -0.12% [+0.89% - (+1.01%)]. Thus, Slovenia’s economy shows an almost equal resilience (+0.10%) than the Eurozone’s (+0.11%) based on Q3 2022-Q4 2050 forecasts and a stronger resilience than Germany’s (-0.12%). In addition, the authors pointed out that the average of the Q3 2022-Q4 2050 quarterly (annualized) growth rate forecasts of Slovenia is expected to be +1.20% with the Q4 1997-Q2 2022 data whereas it is expected to be only +0.68% for the Eurozone and +0.89% for Germany. Slovenia’s economy shows better prospects than the Eurozone’s and Germany’s economies.