Luxembourger in the USSR: Tambow in Wort und Schrift. Zur logotherapeutischen Funktion von Ego-Dokumenten und Lagerliteratur der Zwangsrekrutierten in sowjetischer Gefangenschaft

Article for general public (2020)

Luxembourg camp literature has its literary roots in the literature of prisoners of war and prisoners of war of the First World War. During their Soviet imprisonment from 1943 to 1953, the Luxembourg ... [more ▼]

Luxembourg camp literature has its literary roots in the literature of prisoners of war and prisoners of war of the First World War. During their Soviet imprisonment from 1943 to 1953, the Luxembourg conscripts continued a tradition of documentarism that did not want to create fictional narrative worlds, but instead focused exclusively on what they had experienced themselves. A large part of the texts left behind is also not literature that was written for a larger audience. They have often been published by the authors themselves. Autobiographies, memoirs and a few volumes of poetry (Faber, Bausch, Schauss) were published, some decades later. A fictional play by the former prisoner of war Joseph Schmit has not been printed to this day. Numerous ego documents, as the research of contemporary history calls them today, have also been preserved - private, handwritten texts of a personal nature. Such material will be the primary focus of this paper. The range of Luxembourgish texts to be examined from the Soviet camp ranges from smuggled notes and letters that released comrades brought to Luxembourg, through diaries, speeches and self-made dictionaries to poems and stories, some of which were in the camp and some immediately after their return Tambov and other Soviet camps emerged. [less ▲]

Opinion Statement ECJ-TF 2/2020 on the ECJ Decision of 3 March 2020 in Vodafone Magyarország Mobil Távközlési Zrt. (Case C-75/18) on Progressive Turnover Taxes

in European Taxation (2020), 60(12), 555-564

This CFE Opinion Statement discusses the decision of the Grand Chamber of the ECJ in Vodafone. The Court held that the imposition of the Hungarian progressive turnover-based tax on the telecommunications ... [more ▼]

This CFE Opinion Statement discusses the decision of the Grand Chamber of the ECJ in Vodafone. The Court held that the imposition of the Hungarian progressive turnover-based tax on the telecommunications sector did not infringe the EU fundamental freedoms or article 401 of the VAT Directive (2006/112), and that the question regarding the prohibition of State aid was inadmissible. Vodafone is especially important in respect of the current debate regarding turnover-based digital services taxes. [less ▲]

NOMA-Enabled Multi-Beam Satellite Systems: Joint Optimization to Overcome Offered-Requested Data Mismatches

in IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology (2020)

Simultaneous Diagonalization of Incomplete Matrices and Applications

in Proceedings of the Fourteenth Algorithmic Number Theory Symposium (ANTS-XIV), edited by Steven Galbraith, Open Book Series 4, Mathematical Sciences Publishers, Berkeley, 2020 (2020, December)

We consider the problem of recovering the entries of diagonal matrices {U_a}_a for a = 1, . . . , t from multiple “incomplete” samples {W_a}_a of the form W_a = P U_a Q, where P and Q are unknown matrices ... [more ▼]

We consider the problem of recovering the entries of diagonal matrices {U_a}_a for a = 1, . . . , t from multiple “incomplete” samples {W_a}_a of the form W_a = P U_a Q, where P and Q are unknown matrices of low rank. We devise practical algorithms for this problem depending on the ranks of P and Q. This problem finds its motivation in cryptanalysis: we show how to significantly improve previous algorithms for solving the approximate common divisor problem and breaking CLT13 cryptographic multilinear maps. [less ▲]

Self-Regulation of Fundamental Rights? The EU Code of Conduct on Hate Speech, Related Initiatives and Beyond

in Ojanen, Tuomas; Petkova, Bilyana (Eds.) Fundamental Rights Protection Online: the Future Regulation of Intermediaries (2020)

This contribution will give a brief overview of EU legislation encouraging self-regulation, such as codes of conduct, communications and recommendations and propose an alternative approach towards ... [more ▼]

This contribution will give a brief overview of EU legislation encouraging self-regulation, such as codes of conduct, communications and recommendations and propose an alternative approach towards fighting illegal content on online platforms, which ventures squarely into co-regulation. There is no formal and straightforward definition on what constitutes illegal hate speech. However, hate speech might be classified as targeting minority groups in a way that promotes violence or social disorder and hatred. The use of social media and online platforms to spread illegal content and hate speech has increased progressively during recent years, as content may be disseminated anonymously and further shared by other users. Therefore, the timely removal or blocking of access to illegal content is essential to limit the wider dissemination and harm of individuals targeted by hate speech. The prominent role of online platforms in revolutionizing modern communication and as influencers of the public opinion has increasingly come to the attention of policy makers. Since online platforms provide an important stage for phenomena such as ‘fake news’, ‘hate speech’ or ‘disinformation’, the pressure to take more responsibility over content hosted by them has grown. The EU Commission took action via several attempts to set certain rules for online intermediaries, mostly relying on non-binding agreements, often in the form of self-regulatory measures, such as codes of conduct, guidelines and recommendations. These measures have raised concerns regarding possible limitations of Freedom of Expression, because they require online platforms to adjudicate on the legality of content, often by relying on automated systems. Meanwhile decisions over the unlawfulness of hate speech and “disinformation” are often notoriously difficult. The deployment of algorithms to analyse the content generated on platforms, such as recognition and filtering technologies, bear risks and pitfalls of automated compliance solutions. Although the use of algorithms to monitor content online still happens based on the “human-in-the-loop principle”, the diligence and efficiency with which illegal content can be reviewed is also dependent on the financial capacity and resources of each company. In addition, these privatized removal procedures maybe influenced by commercial interests and lack effective appeals mechanisms. All these issues throw up serious questions about the democratic legitimacy of self-regulatory removal procedures An alternative solution, proposed in this article, would require platforms to apply a risk-based approach to preventing and removing illegal content. The norms and standards of such an approach would be based on duty of care and be subject to regulatory oversight. It is suggested that the current self-regulatory proposals be replaced by co-regulatory solutions. [less ▲]

Publicly provided healthcare and migration

in Economics and Human Biology (2020), 39

Publicly provided healthcare has received growing attention. Debates have been fuelled by evidence on improved health and reduced poverty, and concerns over adverse labour market effects; concerns that ... [more ▼]

Publicly provided healthcare has received growing attention. Debates have been fuelled by evidence on improved health and reduced poverty, and concerns over adverse labour market effects; concerns that are, to date, only supported by mixed empirical findings. This article examines whether publicly provided healthcare influences the decision to migrate. The spatial and temporal variation in the expansion of a non-contributory health insurance programme in Mexico, combined with the panel dimension and the timing of household survey data allows causal identification of the effect of increased coverage on migration. Difference-in-differences estimates reveal that accessing healthcare for free raises internal migration. The effect on international migration, costlier by nature, is statistically insignificant. Potential mechanisms include better health, the alleviation of financial constraints and a greater propensity to work. Results point to the relevance of including household members who have migrated in assessing the impacts of social health policies. They suggest that publicly provided healthcare could have multiplier effects on economic development and welfare by enabling labour force detachment of working-age members in affiliated households. [less ▲]

Phase transition for the volume of high-dimensional random polytopes

in Random Structures and Algorithms (2020)

Écologie, culture, Grande Région : remarques introductives sur une relation plurielle et complexe

in Thiltges, Sébastian; Solte-Gresser, Christiane (Eds.) Écologie culturelle et cultures écologiques dans la Grande Région (2020, December)

Age, Intentions and the Implicit Role of Out-Selection Factors of International Migration

E-print/Working paper (2020)

In this paper, I propose to isolate the role of age as a self-selection factor of international migration. The role of age is estimated on intended emigration rather than on observed outcomes of migration ... [more ▼]

In this paper, I propose to isolate the role of age as a self-selection factor of international migration. The role of age is estimated on intended emigration rather than on observed outcomes of migration, using individual measures of intended emigration drawn from a large-scale survey conducted by Gallup. I find evidence that age has a monotonic negative effect on desired emigration for the working-age population. The estimations point to a very robust effect, suggesting that an additional year of age decreases the probability of intended emigration by about 0.5%. This effect is steady over different periods of time and for most types of countries of origin. The results contrast with previous evidence obtained on observed outcomes of migration, suggesting that out-selection factors interact with age and shape the demographic profile of migrants. [less ▲]

Perception of immigration to Iceland: The host country perspective

in Meckl, Markus; Gunnþórsdóttir, Hermina (Eds.) Samfélag fjölbreytileikans: Samskipti heimamanna og innflytjenda á Íslandi. (2020)

With 35.5 immigrants per 1000 inhabitants, Iceland had the third highest number of immigrants per inhabitants in Europe in 2018. Until the turn of the century, the foreign population percentage in Iceland ... [more ▼]

With 35.5 immigrants per 1000 inhabitants, Iceland had the third highest number of immigrants per inhabitants in Europe in 2018. Until the turn of the century, the foreign population percentage in Iceland was around 2%. In the last 5 years, this percentage has risen steadily to nearly 14% in 2020. How is this rapid rise in immigration experienced by the host country population? How are immigrants perceived and what are expectations in terms of behavior? The Inclusive Societies – Iceland project investigated both, the immigrants’ situation in Iceland, but also the native populations’ attitude towards immigration and immigrants. It is important to take the host country perspective into consideration, as diversity ideologies will also determine the acculturation options for minorities. A quantitative survey was conducted among 3630 native Icelanders (51.1% women, MAge = 50.8, SD = 15.6), spread across all regions of Iceland. The questions covered a range of domains pertinent to life in Iceland. In this Chapter only the questions pertaining directly to immigration and immigrants are analyzed. The results indicate that culture contact takes place – with, over two thirds of participants indicating that they have invited immigrants to their home and slightly under two thirds having been invited to immigrants’ homes. Overall, the perception is that immigrants have made a positive impact to communities. The vast majority of participants expect immigrants to learn Icelandic. The greatest divergence of views was found concerning the question, if immigrants should adopt Icelandic customs and values. The findings will be discussed in light of policy implications. [less ▲]