Note of the editors of the Revista de Stiinte Politice. Revue des sciences politiques.

Olimid, Anca Parmena ; Georgescu, Catalina Maria ; Gherghe, Cosmin Lucian 等

Welcome to the third issue of 2014 of the Revista de Stiinte Politice. Revue des Sciences Politiqu/es (hereinafter RSP). The new covers and the concept of the journal provided since issue 41/ 2014 are dedicated to further the research and critical observance of the social sciences investigation.

Due to recent polictical inconsistencies and contradictions in the region, RSP Editorial Board launched a new four issues series entitled as follows: East & West Post-Communist Encounters: Ideologies, Policies, Institutions Under Scrutiny (issue 41/ 2014); Citizenship, Elections and Security: An Analytical Puzzle (issue 41/ 2014); Compass of Politics: Systems and Regimes Synopsis (launched at the end of September 2014 and available online beginning with September 30, issue 43/ 2014).

The content of issue 43/ 2014 is set out to compass the inconsistencies and undecisions of regional politics focusing on: the international peace and security cause on the United Nations agenda; the institutional governace and the system challenges; the political regime encounter in the mid-century Romania; the electoral provisions and contradictions in contemporary Romania; the restitution of land property; the religious mapping of the Eastern societies; the new kind of regional social policy in EU landscape; values and academia that have been fermenting in the region for the last twenty years.

The journal cover and format hopefully individualize the research initiatives and studies such as: After 25 years: Pinpointing East and West Encounter Arena (cover of issue 41/2014); Identity and Belonging in Post-Communism (cover of issue 42/2014) and In-between change: system and regime algorithm (cover of issue 43/2014).

In this issue the research of Lorena-Valeria Stuparu accounts for the correlations between the political power and the personal/individual power constructing a philosophical perspective on the practice of democracy. The author offers a personal perspective on the imagology associated to political participation of citizens, legitimacy of the ruling class and political power to construct a theoretical framework for identifying the political system's inconsistencies and sources of deception.

The sources for regime change are dealt with in this issue with reference to the Czechoslovak Perestroika. Martin Stefek outlines in this issue the case of the party Programme by historically accounting the phases of the Czechoslovak reform process highlighting the creeping in of "differentiation and fractionalisation within the Czechoslovak communist leadership" and bringing to light precious archival material that stood at the basis of transition towards democracy.

The "return to democracy" is moreover correlated to land reforms. Florin Nacu makes a description of the land restitution process in post-communist Romania mapping the private property, social structure urban/rural area in the post-revolutionary context.

Studies on systemic change in Romania take into account the spiritual revolution of the population. The aim of the study accomplished by Veronica Gheorghita (Ion) is to explain the positions adopted by the Romanian Orthodox Church during the communist period. The article authored by Alexandrina Paduretu continues this line by outlining the policies of restoring religious monuments in post-communist Romania in oposition to their distruction during the totalitarian regime.

The historical administrative traditions account for the actors' behavior at present. The article of Elena Tereza Danciu draws the evolution of the Romanian civil code in the modern period accounting its critiques, but outlining its path-opening nature. Historical studies highlight the specificity of national institutions and traditions. Narcisa Maria Mitu accomplishes in her study a descriptive profile of state-Crown relations starting with the institutionalization of the Romanian Crown Domain.

Communist regime propaganda struggled to delete a whole chapter of Romanian history. The article signed by Mihaela Camelia Ilie aims at offering a synopsis of the practices and instruments deployed in order to cripple collective memory and history by cutting short the whole chapter of monarchy in Romania.

The research of Marusia Cirstea offers valuable information on Great Britain's foreign policy during the interwar period by discussing the reports of Romanian diplomats. The methodology improves the explanations of the Great Powers behaviours and interests towards Romania in that specific period.

During the inter-war period the international relations between the Romanian state and the Yugoslav state were determined by the social-economic and geo-political context, the two countries following their interest on preserving the status-quo. The study of Mihaela Barbieru explains the conditions for the participation of both Romania and Yugoslavia in bilateral treaties and their decisions of joining in defensive political-military alliances.

"Between Art and Social Justice" is the title of a study on the political thought, the ideas, morals, theses in politics and political economy that molded the evolution of English and European culture (Victor Olaru).

The evolution of the system of values and norms accounts for the changes in society. Offering synthetic characterizations, typologies and explanations of the modern systems of values, Ali Pajaziti explains the value crisis in transition societies with a peculiar interest to the system of higher education in Macedonia.

Studies on the ocupational structure of the labour force in a specific geographical area are relevant for explaining the functionality of market economy and the reaching of an appropriate living standard of the employed population within a territory (Mihaela Ceana).

Researches on the evolution of Romanian agriculture in the post-communist period are usually drawn in correlation to de-collectivization, privatization and the re-structuring based on private property. Costela Iordache and Cristiana Vilcea add to this equation an institutionalist approach that explains the stadialization of the transition process in agriculture.

The paradigm of alternatives and the paradigm of changes in education are outlined in an empirical research (Alexandrina Mihaela Popescu, Mihaela Aurelia Stefan) aimed at identifying and explaining the challenges of old educational models and the alternatives at hand.

Studies on family legislation usually result in considering a series of factors such as culture, society, religion and traditions. The article authored by Oana Ghita and Roxana Gabriela Albastroiu upgrade the discussion by moving the context to the European Union legislation and wondering on the possibility of establishing a "European Code of norms which regulate family relationships".

Regional social policy in the EU has been studies through institutionalist approaches that offer insights on policy fields such as ,,social redistribution, social regulation and social rights". The study of Cristina Ilie Goga allows for author's interpretations concentrating on "protection and social inclusion, education, labour market and unemployment, gender equality and health".

International peace and security cause on the UN agenda has triggered recently a seminal preoccupation for researchers interested in the institution building and vocabulary associated to international security issues. Through a complex and coherent political discourse analysis Anca Parmena Olimid identifies ,,pattern themes" while accomplishing a separate "rating theme coding".

The Europeanization imagology has triggered huge interest lately due to the diversity of theoretical opinions and empirical findings that do not account for a unitary position of the role of national parliments and executives within the integration process. Catalina Maria Georgescu explains this situation and the correlations between integration, Europeanization, "de-parliamentarisation", institutional adaptation, strengthening the executives, transfer of competences by adding a historical institutionalism touch.

Anca Parmena Olimid, Associate Professor, PhD, University of Craiova, Faculty of Law and Social Sciences, Political Sciences specialization, CEPOS Staff, Member of the Board of Directors of the CEPOS Conference 2014; Phone: 0040251418515, E-mail: parmena2002@yahoo.com

Catalina Maria Georgescu, Lecturer, PhD, University of Craiova, Faculty of Law and Social Sciences, Political Sciences specialization, CEPOS Staff, Member of the Board of Directors of the CEPOS Conference 2014Phone: 0040251418515, E-mail: cata.georgescu@yahoo.com.

Cosmin Lucian Gherghe, Lecturer, PhD, University of Craiova, Faculty of Law and Social Sciences, Political Sciences specialization, CEPOS Staff, Member of the Board of Directors of the CEPOS Conference 2014Phone: 0040251418515, E-mail: avcosmingherghe@yahoo.com.