Özlem Yorulmaz

This study examines the perceived social, economic, and environmental impacts of Istanbul Airport, Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge (YSS), and Northern Marmara Motorway (NMM) based on surveys with 995 residents across 25 neighborhoods. Three separate path models were developed to analyze perceived social, economic, and environmental impacts. The social model shows that residents’ desire to live in the neighborhood is shaped by neighbor relations and a sense of belonging, whereas migration inflows and safety concerns weaken social cohesion. The economic model highlights how infrastructure fosters employment and income diversification, though persistent inequalities point to the need for inclusive development. The environmental model reveals that forest loss and climate change drive ecological degradation, affecting water sources, bird habitats, and landscapes. These findings emphasize the interconnected yet distinct nature of each impact and underline the importance of integrated planning. The main recommendations are to strengthen community ties, support more equitable economic growth, and promote sustainable land-use practices that balance development with social and ecological well-being.

This study explores the willingness to compete among native Dutch individuals and non-Western migrants in the Netherlands, with a particular focus on first-generation non-Western migrant women. Drawing upon existing literature on competitiveness and career preferences, this research suggests that non-Western migrants, especially the first generation of non-Western migrant women, may exhibit different levels of competitiveness compared to the native Dutch population or native Dutch women. This aspect is crucial for understanding the challenges non-Western immigrant women encounter in the job market and broader societal contexts. Utilizing data from two existing experiments conducted within the publicly accessible LISS framework, our research findings reveal that first generation of non-Western women demonstrate a higher propensity for competition than their Dutch counterparts do. Notably, this pattern is not replicated among non-Western men participants in all generations. The results align with research on gender equality and competitiveness in the countries of origin. In nations like the Netherlands, where gender equality is relatively high, notable differences in competitive preferences between native women and men are observed. However, this disparity is less pronounced among first-generation non-Western migrant women from countries with lower levels of gender equality. Additionally, the study uncovers variations in competitive preferences between native Dutch and non-Western migrant women within the same societal setting. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the complex interactions among ethnicity, competitiveness, and gender dynamics in Dutch society.

Forests are increasingly under pressure due to rapid population growth, unplanned urbanization, and the conversion of forest land for non-forestry uses. In Istanbul, large-scale infrastructure projects—including a major airport, motorways, and a bridge—constructed in forested northern regions have led to significant land use change, generating complex social and environmental impacts. This study examines how local populations perceive the social consequences of these projects. Data were collected through 995 questionnaires across 25 neighborhoods and semi-structured interviews with 18 neighborhood headmen and 5 representatives from NGOs and professional organizations. Exploratory factor analysis was used to categorize perceptions, and Mann–Whitney U tests assessed differences based on proximity to project sites and project type. The findings indicate that both proximity and project type play a key role: residents living closer to the projects—and particularly those living near the airport—report more negative impacts, including feelings of insecurity, increased accident risk, limited employment opportunities, loss of forest, agricultural, and pasture lands, heightened environmental, noise, and air pollution, as well as adverse effects on physical and mental health. Measuring and mitigating these impacts during and after the projects is essential. Properly conducted, audited, and effective social impact assessments are of vital importance for the local people living around the project.

Information and communication technologies (ICT) lead to significant social and economic changes in the lives of individuals. In parallel with this change, new criteria are needed when evaluating nations' development levels. In this study, the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), the Women in Digital Index (WID), and Rural Digital Index (RDI) proposed by the European Commission were considered as the proxies of ICT. The effects of these indexes on human development and gender inequality were studied. Findings showed that there is a digital divide among EU countries. The effect of DESI on HDI is higher in developed countries than in developing countries. In addition, it was observed that the increase in the WID value affected countries with high gender inequality more, and the RDI has an impact on the development of countries.

Covid-19 salgınıyla birlikte Türkiye yüz yüze eğitime ara vererek, acil uzaktan eğitime geçti. Bu çalışmada Covid 19 pandemisinin ilk dalgasının yükseköğretim öğrencilerinin performansı üzerindeki etkileri değerlendirilmektir. Bu amaçla Slovenya Lübliana Üniversitesi öncülüğünde 133 ülkede üniversite öğrencilerine düzenlenen anketin Türkiye örneklemindeki 1719 üniversite öğrencisinin cevapları dikkate alınmıştır. Çalışmada öğrencilerin yeni öğrenme ortamını göz önüne aldıklarında, yüz yüze yapılan dersler iptal edildikten sonra performanslardaki değişim ile ilgili 5’li Likert ölçeği ile sorulan görüşleri sıralı lojistik regresyon yöntemi kullanılarak ölçülmüştür. Öğrencilerin kendi performanslarını değerlendirmede cinsiyetler arasında bir fark görülmemişken, devam edilen fakültelere bağlı olarak performans farkı olduğu sonucuna varılmıştır. Öğrencilerin performansları üzerinde bilgisayar becerilerinin ve duygu durumlarının da etkili olduğu belirlenmiştir.

Money laundering is the process of hiding or disguising the unlawful origin of property and hiding or disguising the true nature, origin, source, location, disposal, ownership or title of property. In other words, money laundering means “laundering” dirty money until it becomes clean. Corrupt officials and other criminals use money laundering techniques to hide the true nature of their income. Research shows that cigarette smuggling is linked to money laundering. The purpose of the article is to determine how money laundering is related to cigarette smuggling and which public authorities have a key role in combating these phenomena in Georgia and Serbia. Methods used in the study: literature analysis and focus group methodology. In addition, the EU member states were clustered into three categories by their HDI, CPI, GDP per capita and transaction reports indicators. Clustering indicated that the states attributed to the third cluster are most vulnerable to money laundering. An effective factor in the fight against smuggling is to increase the population’s intolerance to illicit goods and services, therefore, it will seek to extend the empirical study to the population’s perspective on money laundering and cigarette smuggling.