The first comprehensive history of World Literature to be published in English was Literature: A World History (4 vols, 2022). As an editor-contributor of this work, I here examine in retrospect the decisions we collectively took about basic structural issues such as periodization, division of the world into six macro-regions, their proportional representation, and the multi-tier process of writing, editing and coordination. In the process, I point out several aspects of our project that in my view did not go as well as they could have, and conclude by acclaiming nonetheless the undoubted success of our pioneering endeavour.

In much of its history from the nineteenth century to the last decade of the twentieth, comparative literature remained largely Eurocentric, and surveys or histories of the world’s literatures were mostly written by Western scholars from a West-centred perspective. Literature: A World History (LAWH) took the first step in writing a history of literature of the world from a non-Eurocentric point of view by having the voices of the world’s different traditions heard and by distributing the proper space to macro-regions more equally than ever before. That is the most significant contribution this long and arduous project made for a better understanding of the world’s literatures.

The decision to apply for EU membership has prompted significant legislative changes in Central and Eastern European countries, including Serbia. The focus on the single European market emphasizes the importance of product safety and quality. Establishing a National Quality Infrastructure (NQI) is crucial for good governance and fostering a favourable trade environment. This article aims to analyse how Serbian policymakers view quality infrastructure by examining parliamentary debates on four NQI laws, contributing to a better understanding of policy development in Serbia and similar countries in the region. Out of 266 parliamentary speeches at the joint hearings of NQI laws, 35 speeches of law proponents, ministers, and deputies were analysed in detail. The European solutions adopted in Serbia lacked sufficient critical evaluation of their applicability, leading to unjustified economic and social costs. The quality infrastructure laws were viewed merely as EU requirements, rather than essential measures with intrinsic value and relevance to Serbia.

The early development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the latter half of the twentieth century was marked by limited, hand-crafted systems and fluctuating perceptions of the field’s potential. Early research explored a range of paradigms – including symbolic, neural and probabilistic approaches – constrained by severe hardware and data limitations. Key technological advances, such as the invention of microchips, GPUs and later TPUs, significantly enhanced computational capacity, enabling more complex AI experimentation. Concurrently, the proliferation of digital data through the internet addressed longstanding bottlenecks in data availability. The most transformative shift, however, came from architectural innovations in neural networks, culminating in the deep learning revolution. This unfolded in two phases: the emergence of Recurrent and Convolutional Neural Networks, followed by the development of transformer-based models, which underpin today’s Large Language Models (LLMs).

Cities play a crucial role in green transformation and need strategies to address environmental, social and cultural issues. This article explores how Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) contribute to strengthening urban resilience, restoring biodiversity, improving air and water quality, and adapting to climate change. The integration of natural solutions with renewable energy systems and circular economy strategies reduces greenhouse gas emissions, enhances energy efficiency, strengthens resource resilience, and supports public health and economic stability. Important EU initiatives such as the Mission ‘100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities’, the Mission ‘Adaptation to Climate Change’, and the New European Bauhaus, provide a framework for integrating sustainability, inclusiveness and aesthetics into urban development. Technological concepts such as Digital Twins and Building Information Modelling help to adapt these innovations to local contexts. Examples of European cities (such as Barcelona Super Block, Aspern Smart City, Rotterdam hydrogen-fuel transport, etc.) clearly demonstrate benefits such as reduced emissions, increased biodiversity, and improved quality of life. This article underscores the role of interdisciplinary collaboration, innovation labs, and creative funding in advancing inclusive, climate-resilient urban transformation across Europe.

This article offers a view of the prospects of nuclear fusion as a sustainable energy source, with a focus on magnetic confinement fusion and tokamaks. It highlights the key theme of integration and presents the EUROfusion programme as a model for coordinated fusion R&D in Europe while stressing the need for public–private partnerships to bridge the gap between laboratory innovation and industrial implementation. A crucial element is human capital development, i.e. the training of a new, diverse generation of scientists, engineers, and technicians. A broader educational effort is called for, with industry–academia collaboration, hands-on training, and mechanisms to retain and transfer knowledge from legacy projects such as JET.

When Johann Wolfgang von Goethe coined the term ‘world literature’ (Weltliteratur) in 1831, he made it clear that this epoch had begun in his time and, like every epoch, would come to an end. This article is about the end of that epoch and the future of comparative literature in an era after the end of world literature. It is easy to see that we are now living in the era of world literatures. In a world in which, at first sight, literature counts for less and less, it must emphasize its unique selling point: it is the only form of human discourse that has actively expanded the realm of knowledge over several millennia. Only comparative literature, which draws on the most diverse literatures of the world, is able to bring this uniqueness into focus and highlight its social relevance.

This study analyses the evolution of body mass index (BMI) as income increases across the population, controlling for age, sex, educational level, marital status and some lifestyle habits. To this end, a quantile regression, an econometric technique that readjusts the weights of the variables in each quantile to minimize deviations, has been carried out, where the variable that orders the sample is income. We use 316,777 observations from the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS) for these regressions. This approach allows us to separate the regression analyses for low-, middle-, and high-income groups, evidence that as individual income increases, BMI tends to rise. Consequently, individuals with higher incomes exhibit higher BMI levels. Additionally, the estimated parameters for explanatory variables increase with income, signifying that wealthier individuals not only have a greater likelihood of increased BMI but also that socio-economic factors influencing BMI – whether positively or negatively – evince a stronger impact as income levels rise.

This study, focused on the Czech Republic, examines the influence of ethnic nationalism on the public willingness to accept war refugees from countries with different cultural and religious backgrounds. We present evidence relating to forced migration from Ukraine (predominantly Christian) and from countries with predominantly Muslim populations. The theoretical-conceptual framework for our study encompasses the concepts of ethnicity and historical institutionalism, and the theory of social identity. Our theoretical analysis is strengthened by evidence from structured and semi-structured interviews. We find that ethnic nationalism does contribute in part to public rejection of migrants with different ethnic or religious backgrounds in the Czech Republic, as one of several factors that encourage a perceived ‘us’ versus ‘them’ dichotomy among certain sectors of the Czech population.

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.

While the previous studies of the world history of literature are mostly concerned with the cross-cultural dissemination of literature, this article intends to analyse the intermediality of world literature in light of intermedial studies. It argues that the cross-cultural transmissions of literature are often entangled with and empowered by the intermedial interactions between literature and different forms of art. Under the theoretical framework of cross-cultural and intermedial studies, two representative Chinese literary works are discussed at length, namely Mulan ci (The Ballad of Mulan, sixth century) and Hong gaoliang (Red Sorghum, 1987). In addition to a careful analysis of their respective history of overseas transmissions, a comparative study of the two, an ancient poem and a modern novel, is carried out to show how the evolution of media has contributed to the cross-cultural transmissions of literature.

This article aims to explore the social representations of the Spanish Second Republic and the Transition epochs among university students of various national identities within the Spanish state. A free-association exercise elicited by the words ‘Second Republic’ and ‘Transition’ was completed by 477 university students of the Basque Country, Catalonia, Galicia, and Madrid, who were also asked about their national identity ideological orientation. Lexical analysis was used to analyse their responses. The results demonstrate how these two periods are strongly anchored in the ideological affiliations and social identity of the participants. Furthermore, we observed that the Spanish identity and right-wing ideology were related to a narrative crafted by the political elites during the inception of the current democratic period. Meanwhile, the peripheral national identities and left-wing ideology were associated with a contentious narrative that responds to the contested narrative. In addition, the results also reveal the current relevance of these two periods through their symbols and transmission, whose senses and meanings differ based on the ideological affiliation and national identity of the participants.

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.

A fundamental question in relation to academic freedom is the setting of research agendas. In relation to this issue, this article first points to the great diversity of research as a result of the complex structure of the research ecosystem. Against this backdrop, the article continues by discussing six different steps in setting a research agenda. This, in turn, leads to a comparison of the two main approaches to set up a research agenda: bottom-up and top-down. Finally, the article presents recent tendencies and limitations to research agendas.

This article examines the narrative strategies employed in the representation of world literature history, departing from the chronological and geographical divisions used in the recently published four-volume work, Literature: A World History. The separation of the narrative paths by continents may appear overly mechanical, but the work demonstrates remarkable flexibility in this regard. The example of classical literature is particularly illustrative. Despite the chapters belonging to the ‘Europe’ category, the work discusses literature produced in all three continents around the Mediterranean together and without any mechanical separation. Although divisions in a narrative of such a vast scope are unavoidable, it is essential to apply them in a flexible manner.