The aim of this paper is to examine the interdependence between higher education on the one hand and the competitiveness of the economy and sustainable development on the other hand. To examine the mentioned interdependence, we used a sample that includes EU member states and candidate countries. The paper applies correlation and regression analysis of comparative data sections. The research findings indicate a strong correlation between higher education on the one hand and the competitiveness of the economy and sustainable development on the other. The results obtained by research can serve as a “global benchmark” of future public policy in the field of higher education.

Climate change is often seen as the most global and complex problem the world has been facing during its current development. The emissions of harmful gases, rising temperatures, variable amounts of precipitation, the occurrence of extreme weather conditions affect all countries regardless of their geographical position and level of development. The subject and goal of this paper is to examine the impact of economic, technological and demographic determinants on CO2 emissions in 18 EU countries in the period from 2011 to 2020. In the research are used k-means clustering and panel regression analysis. By the application of k-means clustering, 18 EU countries were grouped into 2 clusters according to the level of emissions of selected greenhouse gases (CO2 , CH4 , HFC, PFC, SF6 ) per capita. In the "green cluster", there are the following countries: Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Poland, Belgium, Ireland, and Netherlands. The "red cluster" includes the other analyzed EU countries. The results of the panel regression model in the "green cluster" showed that CO2 emissions are statistically significantly and positively influenced by Energy efficiency and Production of electricity by solid fossil fuels. On the other hand, the results of the analysis in the "red cluster" suggested that Research and developments costs turn out to be the most important predictor of CO2 emissions.

TThe aim of the paper is to examine the interdependence of the selected indicators from the Global Competitiveness Report and the Innovation pillar, which is used as a proxy indicator of the science competitiveness. This relationship is analyzed within the sample of 9 countries. The analysis uses available information sources in WEFs annual reports. The key contribution of this paper consists in providing clearer into factors competitiveness in the analyzed countries and pointing out the priority actions for the authorities to improve and increase the competitiveness level of science, and its contribution to the national economy competitiveness level. The research results can serve policy makers in shaping strategies and policies for the competitiveness improvement and the future of economic development in the analyzed countries.

The paper is devoted to the analyses of methodological and metatheoretical problems of rational choice theory. The methodological challenge is associated with the questions: whether rational choice theory can be appropriately empirically tested and whether RCT allows researchers to derive interesting hypotheses with regard to substantive fields of application? The answers to these questions have important implications for the rational choice theory?s ambition to be appropriate basis for the implementation of social research. In this paper, allso, we analyse the following metatheoretical problems: how to deal with the apparent counterevidence that stems from applied fields of sociological research: Is it possible to provide explanations of this evidence within RCT by widening its core assumptions and thereby broadening the set of allowed auxiliary assumptions? Or does RCT have to be enriched (and if so, how?) by integrating concepts and mechanisms of other sociological approaches for it to remain a reasonable workhorse and starting point for sociological research?

Agriculture represents the “cause” and the “victim” of climate change. Almost 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions come from the agricultural sector. They contribute to global warming and therefore significantly affect the sustainability of agricultural production systems. The aim of the paper is to determine which factors have the greatest influence on the greenhouse gas emission from agriculture. For this purpose, a dynamic panel analysis for 26 members of the European Union in the period from 2013 to 2021 in the paper is conducted. The results of the analysis suggest that the capacity for biofuel production, organic agricultural production and greenhouse gas emissions from the previous period have the greatest impact on the same emissions from agriculture. The results of this research can serve policy makers in formulating strategies for the development of food systems that will pollute the environment to a lesser extent and use available resources more rationally.