German Research Foundation (DFG) Project (2008-2011)

Prof. Dr. Ingo Mose, Dipl.-Umweltwiss. Marta Jacuniak M.A., Dipl. Geogr. Georg Fiedler und M. Sc. Franziska Wittenberg

Objectives

• Analysis of strategies and instruments for rural development in peripheral areas in the EU regarding new "steering structures" such as Regional Governance
• Determining and comparing rural development policies and different styles of Regional Governance between four European regions: Sky & Lochalsh and Western Isles (Scotland), Jämtland (Sweden), Extremadura (Spain) and Warmińsko-Mazurskie (Poland)

What does Regional Governance mean?

• cooperation of actors of different backgrounds (territorally oriented public actors, such as politicians, and functionally oriented private actors, such as entrepreneurs or civil representatives)
• crossing the border and responsibilities of the subsystems (government/administration, private sector, civil society)
• self organised networks
• horizontal interaction through arguiung and bargaining (not power and enforcement)
• linked to self-imposed (negotiated) regulation systems, which canalise the interaction formally, lower transaction costs and heighten the reliability of expectations
• high degree of reflective rationality (learning processes are very important

(Fürst 2003)

Background

In 2007, 92% of the land surface of the European Union was classified as rural (Grabski-Kieron & Krajewski 2007: 12). As a result of the EU enlargement, Europe is experiencing a renaissance of rural areas. Large areas of Eastern European countries are classified as rural, often displaying the classic structural characteristics such as comparatively high contribution of agriculture to the regional product, low population density and out-migration. However, some rural peripheries have experienced considerable economic regeneration over recent years.

Research questions

• Which new approaches and institutional structures are adopted in regional development policy?

• What are the differences and similarities between the case study areas regarding the integrated rural development concept?

• What kind of interactions can be identified between the actors and what role do they play?

• Which group of actors is likely to prevail and who is the “loser”?

Map of the case study areas

References

• Fürst, D. (2003): Regional Governance. In: Benz, A. (ed.): Governance - Regieren in komplexen Regelsystemen. Eine Einführung. Hagen. pp. 45-64

• Grabski-Kieron, U./ Krajewski, C. (2007): Ländliche Raumentwicklung in der erweiterten EU. In: GR 59, H. 3, S. 12 - 19 

• Brodda, Y. (2004): "Integrierte ländliche Entwicklung" - Ein viel versprechender konzeptioneller Ansatz der ländlichen Entwicklungspolitik in Europa? Forschungsdesign einer europäischen Vergleichsstudie. In: Bröckling, F./ Grabski-Kieron, U./ Krajewski, C. (Hrsg.): Stand und Perspektiven der deutschsprachigen Geographie des ländlichen Raumes. (= Arbeitsberichte der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Angewandte Geographie Münster, H. 35). S. 101-107. Download
• Mose, I. (2005): Integrierte ländliche Entwicklung in Europa - neue Entwicklungsperspektiven für die "extreme Peripherie"? Erfahrungen aus den schottischen Highlands and Islands. In: Alpine Raumordnung, Nr. 26, S. 19-30. Download