This book analyzes regional and local models of development, in the context of existing socio-economic disparities and the impact of EU enlargement and European policy, offering a comparative and in-depth analysis of the distinct nature of regional differences within Central and Eastern Europe.

Decentralisation is changing the face of South East Europe. This book provides practical analysis of the devolutionary measures reshaping post-Communist economies. Using case studies from Croatia, the former Yugoslavia, Albania and more, this collection offers valuable insights into political and fiscal redistribution.

This Handbook covers all major aspects of EU Cohesion policy, one of the most significant areas of intervention of the European Union. Over five parts, It discusses this policy’s history and governing principles; the theoretical approaches from which it can be assessed; the inter-institutional and multi-level dynamics that it tends to elicit; its practical implementation and impact on EU member states; its interactions with other EU policies and strategies; and the cognitive maps and narratives with which it can be associated. An absolute must for all students of the EU.

The globalized economy depends on local and context-specific factors. This edited volume addresses local-global nexuses via case studies of global interactions in developed and developing areas, and of particular firms' approaches to these issues. The chapters build up a prospectus on how best to create globally capable localities.

Analysing foreign investment promotion at a regional level in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia, the book applies regional science, international business, and place marketing concepts to explore how Central Eastern European Countries compete for multinational firms. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, the author places special emphasis on promotion and its role within a wider context of regional strategies aimed at inward investment attraction. With useful insights for policy-makers, the book combines theory with empirical evidence and provides valuable reading for those researching international business location, place marketing and regional development.

This book provides a comprehensive framework for analysing, comparing and promoting territorial governance in policy relevant research. It reveals in-depth considerations of the emergence, state-of-the art and evolution of the concept of territorial governance. A unique series of ten case studies across Europe, from neighbourhood planning in North Shields in the North East of England to climate change adaptation in the Baltic Sea Region, provides far-reaching insights into a number of key elements of territorial governance. The book draws generalised empirically-based conclusions and discusses modes of transferability of ‘good practices’. A number of suggestions are presented as to how the main findings from this book can inform theories of territorial governance and spatial policy and planning. Territorial Governance across Europe will be of considerable interest to scholars around the world who are concerned with European studies, regional policy, urban and regional planning, and human and political geography. It provides a solid debate on discourses, theories, concepts and methods around the notion of territorial governance as well as a number of empirical findings from various contexts across Europe. It specifically targets scholars involved in policy-relevant research.

ÔThis book by Westlund and Kobayashi emphasises the fact that the gap between urban and rural areas is no longer relevant today: all places and regions are under a strong influence from cities. The authors show in a straightforward way that the continuum between more and less urbanized places requires new types of regulations, based on innovation and local skills, and that rural policies cannot be based on agriculture only but primarily require the mobilization of local social capital links.Õ Ð AndrŽ Torre, INRA Ð Agroparistech, Paris, France ÔÒRuralÓ communities are not all resource dependent and very low-density places. Not all have people leaving in droves and no newcomers. This bookÕs theoretical arguments and case studies (from five countries) help one understand better the diversity of ÒruralÓ. We find population gainers, population losers; newcomers and long-term ÒstayersÓ together in sizable towns; Aboriginal communities where out-migration is limited. The diversity is a key dimension in the analyses of public and private action to build and maintain social capital.Õ Ð Roger E. Bolton, Williams College, US ÔThis amazingly surprising book takes the popular topic of social capital and provocatively examines the contemporary rural development issue. New social capital driven thinking and insights are applied globally from a conceptual frame and locally with examples. The way forward for both urban and rural development is achieved when the variables that define social capital are simultaneously balanced around focused development objectives. Examples show how a multidimensional view of social capital enables meaningful rural development.Õ Ð Roger R. Stough, George Mason University, US Social capital is often considered a key factor for local development. This book analyzes the role of social capital for rural areasÕ survival and development in the current age of metropolitan growth Ð an era in which urban is the norm and where rural areas must adapt to this new situation and build innovative urban-rural relations. The traditional division between ÔruralÕ and ÔurbanÕ is no longer valid in the knowledge society. Instead of being a homogeneous unit based on primary sector production, the countryside in the developed world increasingly consists of areas with very different development paths. With examples from Europe, Asia and America, the book discusses building and renewal of rural social capital from both bottom-up and top-down perspectives, and from the standpoint of business, and both the public and private sectors. Being the first book to treat social capital and rural development in the age of megacities and the knowledge economy, it will be of great benefit to academics interested in social capital research and rural development.

This open access book provides in-depth and comparative analyses of how young people in peripheral areas in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania perceive EU citizenship. It also informs the reader about the challenges faced by EU Youth Dialogue projects that aim at promoting active (EU) citizenship in these areas and it offers context-specific recommendations for local, regional, national and European policymakers and people working with young people. The contributions are based on new qualitative data collected within the framework of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence at Leipzig University. It will be of interest to practitioners and scholars working on Europe and the EU, citizenship and the promotion of an active EU citizenship beyond urban centres.

The aftermath of the US subprime mortgage crisis in 2008 saw its influence spread around the world, including Europe. The European crisis turned out to be longer, deeper and more resilient than anticipated. An unexpected consequence was the increasingly divergent economic and financial situation of two main groups of countries within the Eurozone, which includes the countries that adopt the euro as their common currency. The divergence was caused by a number of factors, fundamentally stemming from the dissimilar economic and financial situation of its member countries and from the incomplete institutional architecture and the monetary and fiscal policies in the Eurozone.One Currency, Two Europes: Towards a Dual Eurozone seeks to explore these factors which give rise to the Eurozone's asymmetric composition and the growing difficulties and ineffectiveness that policies meet. It presents evidence to show how the presently incomplete institutional architecture of the Eurozone is the main reason for the extreme detrimental effects of the international crisis and austerity policies, along with the asymmetric economic situation and the insufficient mutual trust demonstrated by the vulnerable as well as resilient countries.Other than presenting a complete overview and analysis of the events that unfolded in the Eurozone as a result of the financial crisis that first emerged in the US, this book also suggests possible solutions which could help to reunify the Eurozone, and make the common currency sustainable and beneficial for all member countries. One Currency, Two Europes will be useful for policymakers who want to learn from the Eurozone's experience with the financial crisis and the importance of complete institutional architectures and inter-country economic convergence. It will also serve as a reference to students and researchers who would like more in-depth analysis of the crisis and the Eurozone's fiscal, monetary and institutional past, present, and future.

This collection of essays documents and investigates the conflicts in Europe, Russia and China that sparked populist revolts against the established globalist order in the European Union. It shows that the populist surge was not an anomaly. It was a reflection of the internal contradictions of globalism that sparked nationalist resentment inside the EU, and backlashes against Western 'soft power' aspirations in Russia and China. The idealist rhetoric of the globalist dream was persuasive. It lulled many into believing that the movement should not, and could not be stopped until the 2008 global financial crisis started the dream to unwind. The essays in this volume show that globalism is not dead, but will have to reinvent itself to revive.