Chronic exhaustion is a consequence of detrimental working conditions and demands, as well as inadequate coping techniques, potentially resulting in burnout. Previous research has studied occupational environment and individual factors as predictors of exhaustion. Although these differ between former East and West German states, the regional distinction regarding exhaustion has been neglected. To fill this gap, we used the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory in a representative German sample from 2014 to assess the burnout symptom exhaustion. Estimating ordinary least squares regressions, important burnout predictors were compared between the former East and West German states. Regional differences concerning occupational environments were related to the associations between individual factors, situational aspects of technostress and exhaustion. Associations between individual factors (e.g., female sex, lower working hours, age, partnership status, and household income) and exhaustion were stronger in East Germany, whereas technostress (strain of internet use, number of e-mails during leisure time, and social pressure to be constantly available) was more strongly associated with exhaustion in West Germany. Despite lower financial gratification and a higher social pressure to be constantly available in the East, West Germans were more afflicted by exhaustion. Individual factors and technostress should thus be considered when focusing on job-related mental health issues.

The main objective of the thesis is the evaluation of the development of avoidable mortality in selected European countries during 1980-2010 with emphasis on comparison of East and West. Concept of avoidable mortality was established to measure the effectiveness of the health care system in 70s of the past century. The main results of the thesis indicate different development of avoidable mortality during 80s in both parts of Europe. Inefficient medical care and inappropriate health policy in formal Eastern Bloc contributed to divergent trends of avoidable mortality in Europe. Different trends of mortality were observed in East European countries especially during the transformation process. The importance of selection of avoidable causes and age limits was confirmed. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

Dans un contexte bipolaire Est-Ouest, l’accord de coopération spatiale franco-soviétique conclu lors de la détente demande la réalisation de programmes spatiaux engageant l’action des scientifiques. Cette recherche étudie les interactions entre les politiques publiques et la capacité d’agir des organismes délégués et des réseaux scientifiques en France et en URSS entre 1966 et 1988. L’analyse vise à appréhender la capacité des acteurs à répondre aux objectifs assignés à cette politique de coopération. L’objectif diplomatique vise à « dépasser l’affrontement entre les deux blocs » lancé en 1966 sur le long terme, faisant de la coopération bilatérale un instrument de diplomatie scientifique, et l’objectif visant à matérialiser la relation sous forme de projets spatiaux automatiques et de missions de vols habités. Des réseaux de scientifiques russes et français contribuent à l’internationalisation des sciences, comme le montrent en 1986 le projet VEGA et les missions de vols habités PVH et Aragatz. La manière dont ces objectifs interfèrent avec des facteurs structurels externes met en lumière la capacité des acteurs à établir une gouvernance au moyen d’une communication innovante, formelle et informelle. Dans un contexte de relations internationales parfois tendues, la démonstration de cette aptitude renforce le champ de la diplomatie spatiale. Il s’agira de contribuer à une histoire croisée de la coopération spatiale en France et en URSS. L’ambition est de rendre compte, par l’analyse des interactions des réseaux scientifiques du spatial avec le politique et dans le contexte des relations internationales des Etats, de leur capacité à coopérer en situation concurrentielle. Cette démarche entend contribuer à la relecture d’une séquence de la guerre froide que l’historiographie récente revisite par les circulations Est-Ouest. / In the East-West bipolar context, a Franco-Soviet space cooperation agreement demanding the implementation of space programs involving the work of scientists was concluded in 1966. This thesis examines the interactions between the public politics applied in centralised institutions between 1966 and 1988, and the capacity of delegated bodies and scientific networks in France and the USSR to act in a situation characterized by periods of retraction and détente.The analysis draws on the role of politics of cooperation having two distinct objectives: the superior and long-term political goal of "overcoming the confrontation of the two blocs" launched in 1966, for which bilateral cooperation becomes the instrument of scientific diplomacy, and the objective to materialise the relationship in the form of joint robotic space and human spaceflight projects. The way in which these objectives are influenced by external factors highlights the capability of actors to establish a system of governance through innovative formal and informal communication. In a context of sometimes tense international relations, the demonstration of this aptitude reinforces the field of a space diplomacy. This work will contribute to an intertwined history of space cooperation between France and the USSR. The ambition is to account for their ability to collaborate in a competitive situation by analysing the interactions between scientific networks in space and politics intertwined with international relations between the states.This approach aims to contribute to the re-reading of a sequence of the Cold War that recent historiography revisits through East-West circulations.

Many people have migrated between East and West Europe in recent decades. The daily life of these migrants is crucial not only for the migrants themselves but also for the development of future migration. The aim of this thesis is to explore the interaction between migration motives, integration, social networks and migration, and how this affects international migration processes in general. This is done using migration between Sweden on the one hand and Russia, Poland and the Baltic States on the other as a case study. The thesis consists of three empirical studies which derive from different sources of data: the first (Paper I) draws on individual Swedish register data while the second and third are based upon a questionnaire survey. Paper I explores aspects of transnational social spaces in the context of migration from the non-Baltic former Soviet republics to Sweden before and after the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989. The results of this paper show rather limited migration and a lack of a more developed transnational social space. This is partly due to weak integration on the labour market, a high degree of intermarriage, no existing migrant community and limited return migration. The following two papers (II, III) focus on migrants from Russia, Poland and the Baltic States to Sweden after 1990. Paper II analyses migration motives and the outcome of the migration decision, and reveals significant gender differences in the motives for migrating and in how men and women adapt in their new country of living. While men mainly came for economic reasons, the majority of women came for intermarriage in Sweden; however, the migration motives have changed over time towards more economic ones. The final paper (III) shows significant gender differences in the migrants’ perceived sense of belonging in Sweden. Women report a stronger sense of belonging than their male counterparts, and while men’s sense of belonging is mainly affected by duration of stay in Sweden, language proficiency and citizenship, women’s sense of belonging is shown to be mostly affected by local social networks. In sum, the results in this thesis show that migration systems and transnational social spaces between Sweden and the respective countries have not yet emerged. This is partly due to the specific migrant composition and integration that characterize this migration process. The immigrants mainly function as weak bridgeheads, and do not facilitate the development of any further migration. However, with a changing migration flow, including migrants with different motives and migration agendas, future migrants can be stronger bridgeheads and facilitate further development of migration systems and transnational social spaces.

My dissertation traces the contemporary American assimilation of Asian enlightenment traditions and discourses. Through a close reading of three communities, I consider how Asian traditions and ideas have been refracted through the psychological, political, and economic lenses of American culture. One of my chapters, for example, discusses how the American Insight community has attempted to integrate the enlightenment teachings of Theravada Buddhism with the humanistic, democratic, and pluralistic values of the European Enlightenment. A second chapter traces the American gum Andrew Cohen's transformation from a Neo-Advaita teacher to a leading proponent of "evolutionary enlightenment," a teaching that places traditional Indian understandings of nonduality in an evolutionary context. Cohen's early period shows the further deinstitutionalization of traditional Advaita Vedanta within the radically decontextualized Neo-Advaitin network, and evolutionary enlightenment engages and popularizes another less-known but influential Hindu lineage, namely that of Sri Aurobindo's integral yoga. a A third chapter examines contemporary psychospiritual attempts to incorporate psychoanalytic theory into Asian philosophy in order to reconcile American concerns with individual development with Asian mystical goals of self-transcendence. In conclusion, I argue that the contemporary American assimilation of Asian enlightenment traditions is marked by a number of trends including: (I) a move away from the rhetoric and privileging of experience that scholars such as Robert Sharf have shown to be characteristic of the modem Western understanding of Asian mysticism; and (2) an embrace of world-affirming Tantric forms of Asian spirituality over world-negating renouncer traditions such as Theravada Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta. I also reflect on how the cultural shift from the modem to postmodern has affected East-West integrative spiritualities.

Various representations of the figure of Salomé and the Biblical legend have been produced in the European, specifically in the English literature and arts throughout the nineteenth century. Oscar Wilde’s 1891 dramatic version of the legend in many ways epitomizes the full potential of the legend and capitalizes on the period’s fascination with the Orient. The climax of the orientalism of the play, the Dance of the Seven Veils, offers a unique reflection on European fantasies about the harem and invites a comparison to Ottoman representations of this same cultural space. This project seeks to analyze the relation between the Dance of the Seven Veils as presented by Wilde, and the figure of dancing woman in the harem of the Ottoman Empire. It is the slippage between the two which has informed various representations of the Oriental female figure in the West. The gap that emerges between the Western representations and the real practices in the harem, allows for a focused critique of Orientalist practices while recovering, in some ways, the actual experience of Muslim women.The vision of the harem that the Dance of the Seven Veils in Wilde’s Salomé offers is informed not by an actual encounter, but by the image of the harem as understood in nineteenth century English culture. At the same time, it participates in Victorian feminist debates on liberating the oppressed harem woman from her veils, her sexualization, and her objectification. Ultimately the dance functions as a reaffirmation of conventional gender roles as understood in Victorian society. / text

Hintergrund: Nach der deutschen Wiedervereinigung beschäftigte sich eine Reihe von Studien mit der psychischen Befindlichkeit der Menschen in Ost- und Westdeutschland. Die vorliegende Untersuchung stellt eine Replikation der Studie von Basten et al. [Psychische Beschwerden und körperliche Gesundheit im vereinten Deutschland: Eine Ost-West-Vergleichsuntersuchung an einer studentischen Stichprobe. Verhaltenstherapie 1994;4:90–95] 10 Jahre nach der Originaluntersuchung dar. Diese wurde 1991/1992 durchgeführt und untersuchte Unterschiede in der Depressivität, Angst, Somatisierung sowie im berichteten Essverhalten zwischen Studentinnen in Dresden und Marburg. Probanden und Methode: Von Oktober 2001 bis April 2002 wurden die psychischen Beschwerden und das Essverhalten bei Dresdner und Marburger Studenten untersucht. In die vorliegende Arbeit gingen Daten von 221 Studentinnen ein. Es wurden dieselben standardisierten Erhebungsinstrumente wie in der Originaluntersuchung eingesetzt. Ergebnisse: Im Unterschied zu der Originalstudie konnte keine höhere Depressivität bei der westdeutschen Stichprobe nachgewiesen werden. Stattdessen gaben ostdeutsche Studentinnen signifikant mehr Angstsymptome an als westdeutsche. Daneben gab es Hinweise auf einen stärker ausgeprägten Schlankheitswunsch der Ostdeutschen. Insgesamt wiesen die ostdeutschen Studentinnen in allen Verfahren höhere Mittelwerte auf als 10 Jahre vorher. Diskussion: Die Studie bestätigt vorliegende Ergebnisse, wonach nur geringe Unterschiede in der psychischen Befindlichkeit in Ost- und Westdeutschland bestehen. Allerdings sind in den letzten 10 Jahren Veränderungen geschehen, die aufgrund fehlender Längsschnittstudien nicht eruiert wurden. Die höhere Ausprägung der Angstsymptomatik der ostdeutschen Studentinnen wird als ein Sozialisationsergebnis interpretiert. / Background: After the German unification, several studies have focused on differences in the psychological health of people in East and West Germany. The current study is a replication of the Basten et al. study [Psychological wellbeing and health in a unified Germany: An East-West-comparison of two student samples. Verhaltenstherapie 1994;4:90–95] 10 years after the original research of 1991/1992. It investigated differences in depression, anxiety and bodily symptoms as well as problematic eating behaviour in female university students in Dresden (East Germany) and Marburg (West Germany). Subjects and Methods: From October 2001 to April 2002, we investigated psychological symptoms and eating behaviour in students of the universities of Dresden and Marburg. The current report includes data of 221 female students. We used the same standardized measures as had been used in the original research. Results: In contrast to the original study, students from West Germany did no longer exhibit higher depression scores. Instead, students from East Germany showed significantly increased anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, there was a trend towards a higher drive for thinness in East German students. In all, students from Dresden showed higher mean values in all measures than 10 years before. Discussion: This study corroborates results that there are only minor differences in psychological health between people in East and West Germany. However, our findings point out that during the past decade subtle changes might have occurred which have not been detected through lack of longitudinal investigations. The higher level of anxiety in East German students could be a result of socialisation. / Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.

The paper deals with the issue of contemporary flat-tax reforms in Eastern Europe and aims to account for the different approaches that various European countries adopted towards the idea of a flat-tax. Empirically, the work is based on detailed studies of Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Germany. The analysis considers three factors being decisive for the flat-tax feasibility: 1./ party system institutionalization, 2./ coalition/opposition cohesiveness, 3./ labor union institutionalization. First, the study is concerned with each of the factor's influence on the political decision-making process in the three country cases. Secondly, on country paired comparisons the findings for each of the countries are mutually contrasted. Although all identified factors seem to be at play with regard to flat-tax feasibility, I argue that it is either the strength or the weakness of labor unions' institutionalization and welfare identity that underlie the political decision-making in the East and the West and as a result determine the flat-tax (un-)feasibility. The absence of welfare identity in the East allows for higher coalition cohesion in favor and weaker opposition against the flattax adoption in contrast to the West. / Series: Discussion Papers SFB International Tax Coordination

30 years into the existence of a unified German Republic, the emphasis of differences, the use of stereotypes and the existence of economic inequalities remain. This affects the younger post-unification generation - children that were born after 1989. The study is concerned with the investigation into the process of identity construction along the East-West binary and the effects this process has on said binary division. Thereby, the Eastern German perspective is stressed by using in-depth interviews with Eastern German respondents for a narrative analysis that is based on structural, interactional and performative principles. This thesis sees its contribution in the renewal of the deadlocked debate about the German East-West discourse by taking a postmodern stance on identity while applying a sociological theoretical framework and postcolonial concepts. The ambivalence in identity construction and the indication for a hybrid form of identity point at the existence of a Third Space, in which socio-political transformations can take place.

The conflict over the right way to tackle the so-called refugee crisis in Europe has proved that relations between the EU and the Visegrád Group have changed. The political dispute surfaced most clearly regarding the different proposals for a quota-based refugee relocation system - a decision which was refused by the V4. The bloc consisting of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia first articulated its common position on migration in September 2015 and several times afterwards. On the basis of these statements, one can summarise their approach as follows: (1) Protecting the external borders of the EU and underlining the importance of fulfilling the obligations for the EU acquis; (2) Effective management of the root causes of migration flows, which could help reduce the number of migrants; (3) Refusing Germany's open-door migration policy. Although an increasing number of EU member states share a similar approach, the V4 as the whole started to be perceived as a coalition known for obstructing practices. The split on the issue gave life to a new wave of speculation about the increasing split between "old" and "new" Europe and the possible shift of the later eastwards. Furious politicians and public opinion in Western Europe continued to remind the Visegrád countries of their lack of...