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This study aims to identify the factors which influence the change in the volume of shadow economy in the countries of Europe to explain its growth or reduction through the change in the identified factors. This would help to determine which factors are worth impacting to reduce the volume of shadow economy in the countries of Europe.

This work sets out an econometric analysis. For the purpose of making research calculations, MS Excel software package has been chosen. It has been decided to use linear multiple regression and several auxiliary tools allowing research accuracy to be increased.

Final model has shown that the levels of corruption and inflation have a positive effect on the volume of shadow economy. Also, with the low level of significance it has been proved that foreign direct investments have a negative impact on the volume of shadow economy. From the hypotheses, it has also been ascertained that the rule of law and gross domestic product influence the volume of shadow economy negatively. Therefore, the results of this study indicate that the magnitude of shadow economy can be controlled by increasing the efficiency of the rule of law and the economy’s growth.

Because of the limited data on such an indicator as the shadow economy, in this work, this study used data for only one year – 2015, which may reduce the objectivity and reliability of the results obtained. But because of the fact that 38 European countries were taken and, as a result, the selection was larger, objectivity is preserved. As a result, three hypotheses were confirmed.

From the point of view of practical implications, this study should help determine the number of parameters, which affect the volume of the shadow economy in a particular country in Europe. Understanding of such correlations will help to regulate the volume of the shadow economy, which will mostly affect the overall development of the country.

From a point of view of social implications, this study will help to solve some problems in Europe countries. Because this study is focused on finding parameters that affect the shadow economy, it is possible to reduce the volume of shadow economy. This changes can lead to a number of social improvements, such as a reduction of crime, a reduction of poverty, a reduction of unemployment, an increase of revenues to the country's treasury and a general increase of living standards.

Within the framework of this work, unique empirical research has been undertaken. This work helps to establish the factors which are the most influential in respect of the volume of shadow economy and which graphically indicate the following: what precisely needs to be prioritized to overcome one of the crucial socioeconomic problems for the majority of European countries.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a model of management of cultural security of Russian society.

The methodological foundation of this research consists in comprehensive approach and activity approach, which make it possible to comprehend specific aspects of cultural security management as an element of the national security system. The research uses a riskologic approach, which reveals the nature of modern risks and threats to cultural security in the information society. A constructivist approach is used, from the perspective of which the interaction between cultural identity and historical memory of society is analyzed.

It has been found that historical memory is one of the factors that are able to ensure cultural security of society in the context of threats associated with the processes of cultural intervention, current geopolitical confrontation, during which information and psychological methods of destructive influence on the cultural identity of peoples are abundantly used. Therefore, in the system for managing cultural security of society, one should use a historical memory resource aimed at preserving the cultural identity of the people and transmitting it to the coming generations.

It has been substantiated that the growing geopolitical confrontation in the world and the crisis state of the spiritual realm of Russian society bring up the question of state responsibility for the cultural situation and the need to implement an effective national cultural policy. It has been established that only through the reliance on the cultural factor, crisis phenomena can be overcome and social stability and civil society consolidation can be achieved. The role of historical memory in the preservation of cultural identity of the people and ensuring cultural security of Russian society in the context of external and internal threats has been identified. In order to preserve and transmit historical memory, one should use all the structures responsible for the process of socialization of an individual: family, educational system, mass media, cultural establishments and leisure industry.

This paper aims to provide insights into the environment needed for advancing a digitally enabled circular plastic economy in Africa. It explores important technical and social paradigms for the transition.

This study adopted an interpretivist paradigm, drawing on thematic analysis on qualitative data from an inter-sectoral engagement with 69 circular economy stakeholders across the continent.

The results shows that, while substantial progress has been made with regard to the development and deployment of niche innovations in Africa, the overall progress of circular plastic economy is slowed due to relatively minimal changes at the regime levels as well as pressures from the exogenous landscape. The study highlights that regime changes are crucial for disrupting the entrenched linear plastic economy in developing countries, which is supported by significant sunk investment and corporate state capture.

The main limitation of this study is with the sample as it uses data collected from five countries. Therefore, while it offers a panoramic view of multi-level synergy of actors and sectors across African countries, it is limited in its scope and ability to illuminate country-specific nuances and peculiarities.

The study underlines the importance of policy innovations and regulatory changes in order for technologies to have a meaningful contribution to the transition to a circular plastic economy.

The study makes an important theoretical contribution by using empirical evidence from various African regions to articulate the critical importance of the regime dimension in accelerating the circular economy transition in general, and the circular plastic economy in particular, in Africa.