This article aims to analyse the specifics of the Republic of Kazakhstan’s international activities by examining the country’s pursuit of consensus between cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the execution of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7), which focuses on affordable and clean energy. The research employs diverse qualitative and quantitative metrics to assess the impact of the BRI and SDGs on enhancing international cooperation, particularly within the context of Kazakh foreign policy relations. Key materials include decrees, strategies, and reports from the Republic of Kazakhstan and China, as well as data from the UN and various statistical agencies. The findings highlight the significant role of Kazakhstan in supporting transports, logistics, economic, and other connections between China and Europe via the BRI. The study reveals that while Kazakhstan has made progress in aligning with SDG 7, challenges remain due to the environmental impact of large-scale Chinese investments. The analysis underscores the need for Kazakhstan to balance economic benefits with environmental sustainability and to integrate robust regulatory frameworks to ensure compliance with SDG 7. The research concludes that international collaboration and the integration of environmental sustainability principles into economic policies are crucial for Kazakhstan to achieve its sustainability goals. While the country has initiated reforms for a ‘green’ transition, significant reforms are still required to fully align with SDG 7 and enhance its international reputation. The study emphasizes the importance of a multi-vector foreign policy and continuous engagement with global partners to realize large-scale international initiatives and improve energy regulation compliance.

This article explores the concept of the ‘Trump effect’, defined by a technological disconnection and evaluated through alterations in export specialization among various economies. It scrutinizes if there were any shifts in the techno-nationalist trends of the EU, China and the US in terms of domestic value-added exports in technology sectors after 2017. The research covers the period from 1995 to 2020 and utilizes a fluctuating difference-in-differences approach. The findings suggest that technological global value chains (GVCs) were minimally affected by Trump’s policies, showing scant evidence of significant disconnection in the economies under study. Consequently, the research underscores the robustness of GVCs against the measures taken by the Trump administration.

Regulations are necessary for the governance of health products in order to protect public health and safely introduce new technologies. This article examines the history of regulations in the USA and EU for food, medicines and medical devices, to uncover the original motivations and objectives for legislative initiatives. The foundation of the US FDA in the early twentieth century resulted from concerns about adulteration of foods. Drug regulation in the 1930s was precipitated by the sulfanilamide scandal. The development of regulations for medical devices during the 1970s was accelerated by concerns about deaths attributed to devices, and complications with the Dalkon shield intrauterine device. In the EU, pharmaceutical regulation in 1965 followed the thalidomide scandal while the first directives for medical devices after 1990 followed petition from manufacturers and earlier concerns about pacemakers and heart valves. In Europe and the USA, pharmaceutical and device regulations have been initiated reactively in response to crises, as well as perceived deficiencies in regulatory frameworks. The European Commission is now conducting a review of the medical device regulations to consider possible legislative changes. This review of the history of regulations provides an opportunity to reconsider what is needed, proactively and on scientific and clinical grounds.

The purpose of this study is to thoroughly examine the concept and significance of corruption in the European Union from an ethical standpoint and analyse statistical data on the level of corruption and attitudes towards it, using the example of Italy, Greece and Latvia. For effective research on the subject, it is important to use the hermeneutical method and quantitative analysis. The study considers corruption and ethics, identifies the essence, their concept and content, and demonstrates the connection between them. The analysis of an international regulatory act related to the fight against corruption is conducted and, based on this analysis, the forms of corruption are determined. The influence of corruption on society and various spheres of state government, both in general, in the international arena (and directly within the European Union), and on the example of individual states (Italy, Greece and Latvia) is established. The level of corruption is analysed in accordance with the Corruption Perceptions Index Transparency International, and the best and worst indicators among the member states of the European Union are highlighted. As a result of the study, the most thorough definitions of the concepts of ethics and corruption are provided, the relationship between these concepts is demonstrated, and statistical data on the level of corruption in the world’s countries (in particular, in relation to the selected states) are established. Changes in the perception of the level of corruption in 27 European Union states from 2012 to 2023 are also analysed. This study emphasizes the importance of compliance with ethical behaviour by representatives of the civil service and enterprises. The specific problem of employees exceeding their powers, which leads to public disbelief in the effectiveness of the government of their state, is also noted. In addition, the study showed that focusing on ethical issues can substantially contribute to preventing and combating corruption.

Max Weber and Émile Durkheim are two of the most important classical authors in the social sciences. The influence of their respective theories and methodological approaches is still seen in the work of many contemporary authors. This article presents some contributions of the authors to qualitative and quantitative research. For this, we discuss Weber’s qualitative research in the work Protestant Ethics and Spirit of Capitalism and Durkheim’s quantitative research in Suicide: A Sociological Study. We are interested in showing how the authors use methodological and epistemological constructs to produce a sociological analysis with interpretative and causal scopes on social phenomena.