Paper long abstract:

The purpose of this paper is to explore CSR of MNCs Turkmenistan, a transition economy in Central Asia. The article analyzes CSR activities of MNCs in the country. The findings of the study are based on the content analysis research design in order to get an in-depth understanding of the key CSR themes and activities reports to the audience. Multiple sources of publicly available qualitative data on MNCs operating in Turkmenistan's oil and gas industry (CSR reports, annual reports, websites of the companies, local news outlets reporting about CSR of foreign companies) are coded to generate the findings. The findings are based on CSR practices that are explicitly stated and do not include informal/implicit CSR activities of the companies. Additionally, the findings are based on a limited number of companies reviewed. This paper contributes to the literature on CSR in transition economies of Central Asia with the aim to provide a contextualized explanation of the MNCs CSR in transition economy setting as well as policy recommendations regarding oil and gas MNC in Central Asia CSR reporting practices, level of disclosure and local stakeholders' involvement in CSR activities.

Paper long abstract:

The residential energy consumption accounts for 35% of global energy use, with households in developing countries using the energy primarily for cooking, heating, and cooling. Air pollution from burning solid fuels has become a serious issue in many Central Asian countries and it negatively affects health and environment. Central Asian governments de-jure show a strong commitment to decrease emissions and move to 'green' and sustainable development path. However, Central Asian cities lately became famous for notorious air pollution due to dirty heating methods. Burning coal and biomass by households is a primary source of the air pollution in these cities and worsens the indoor air quality in rural areas.

This paper studies the factors that affect household decisions to move from dirty energy to clean modern fuels using the four-year household panel data from Kyrgyzstan. First, we outline the main Theoretical concepts in the fuel transition studies and the following Context section describes the situation in energy consumption in Kyrgyzstan. Finally, we describe the data and using state-of-the-art methods present the results of the study. The paper argues the choice of the fuel depends on a number of endogenous and exogenous factors. Contrary to the conventional wisdom of Energy Ladder Theory, high income does not lead to a full switch to modern fuel but facilitates the transition to mixed-fuel energy consumption. Factors that increase chances of full fuel transition are education and access to gas. The number of elderly members and size of the house negatively affect the transition to clean energy use. In the last section, the paper proposes policy measures to facilitate the transition to the modern fuels.

Paper long abstract:

The paper presents a case study of meat production in Moscow regions and halal norms applied or not applied within the production system. The paper assumes the case of two parallel, conflicting systems of certification, that is, public and private. The article discusses the question of the role of legislative institutions in the process of administration and control over the existing commercial organizations engaged in Halal business.

The main argument of the paper is that as a result of the processes described in this paper there are parallel legal systems of regulation of production and trade in all spheres of economy. Furthermore, these systems (public and Islamic) complement each other, and then also collide. The article contributes to the existing debates about parallel legal systems, as well as scholarly works on morality, behavior and conscience. The has the following structure.

Paper long abstract:

Global players such as Starbucks Coffee can initiate globalization processes. Some markets are not sufficiently attractive for global players that holds true for Kyrgyzstan and its capital Bishkek. For us, Kyrgyzstan draws as an example for other comparatively small economies, where rather local actors than global players carry out processes of global movements. A recent trend can be observed, that coffee consumption patterns are changing and coffee becomes part of daily live. Within twelve years, cafes and coffee-to-go stalls mushroomed in the center and upmarket residential areas. Even Russian and Kazak cafe chains opened branches in Bishkek in 2016 and 2017. In comparison to the living costs, prices for coffee in a cafe are rather high. The gap between the financial resources, the widespread tradition of drinking tea in Central Asia, and the fast increasing numbers of cafes and points of sale for coffee is intriguing. The aim of the study is to analyze the impact of globalization on coffee consumption patterns and social places to consume it. We analyze the emerging coffee market by focusing on consumption patterns of Bishkek´s citizen with enhanced interest on youth and young adults since they are in the foreground of globalization processes and grown up in a transforming market. This study is mainly based on secondary data and a standardized survey conducted in Bishkek in 2016. For most participants soluble coffee or coffee bought in cafes established in their daily life and is often associated with positive feelings. Young adults are the main consumer group. Cafes are primarily used as a place for meetings and communication. Coffee sold in cafes attract only a smaller group of participants, who are willing to pay for the quality of the product. Although most of the persons questioned arguing that visiting cafes is an expensive enjoyment, the development of the market points to a movement, where coffee and cafes seem to anchor in social and business life.