Title: The Evolving European Context for Regional Development and Spatial Planning
Abstract: ABSTRACT.This paper aims to analyze and discuss the formula-driven mechanisms for allocating EU Cohesion Policy resources between Member States and regions, the EU's management of migration, the international comparability of the regions in the individual Member States, and the rationality of administrative systems. My analysis complements the growing literature on processes of social and economic development in the context of the European Union, practices of spatial planning in Europe, the commitment to regions at the EU level, and the new paradigms of spatial policy.Keywords: regional development, spatial planning, the EU1. IntroductionIn this paper I am particularly interested in exploring the European policy experience of migration and development, decentralization and emerging multi-level and multi-agent governance systems, the mechanisms for fiscal redistribution inside EU Member States, and activities relating to regional economic development. My paper contributes to the literature by providing evidence on the creation of an integrated and cohesive EU economy, the often-stated political requirements of EU Cohesion Policy, the entangled nature of state and spatial policy rescaling processes, and the influence of supranational organizations, non-public entities and subnational levels of government in the implementation of public policies. The findings of this study have implications for tensions between state and spatial policy rescaling processes, governance landscapes across Europe, the role of policy instruments in changing pre-existing institutional settings, and the evolution of development models in China.2. The Territorial Dimension of EU Cohesion PolicyIvic thinks that the Udine Declaration emphasizes the idea of identity as a constantly shifting and changing phenomenon1 (national identity does not provide the only sense of identity for Europeans). The logic of heterogeneity embraces various identity possibilities and rejects the idea of an identity as a fixed concept. The logic of homogeneity emphasizes unity, totality and universality. The Udine Declaration emphasizes the notion of diversity and the concept of multiple identities. EU regional policy is not merely based on financial solidarity between the member states and other financial matters (it is, first of all, the policy of multiculturalism).2Faludi and Peyrony contend that dealing with the territorial division of labor requires well-established democratic institutions3 and proper responses to the demands of technical systems and markets. EU Cohesion policy can contribute to solidarity by strengthening integration and solidarity in the face of the territorial division of labor. Territorial cohesion is about the development of individual territories, and emphasizes the integration of territories in their wider spatial context, up to the scale of the EU, enabling citizens and enterprises to benefit from and contribute to European integration and the functioning of the Single Market. The right configuration of assets in specific spaces may determine success or failure. Territorial cohesion is a reflection of the territorial division of labor, addressing the need for coherence and coordination between policies at all levels, and between levels in a multilevel governance system.4Pike et al. argue for stronger connection and deeper interaction concerning local and regional development5 within and between the global North and South. Understanding the distinctiveness of places can highlight the conditional and contingent nature of development regionally and locally. Different places cannot be treated the same through rolling-out universalizing, one-size-fits-all models.6 Collyer points out that it is possible to manage migration in ways that increase its potential developmental impact. Policy experience of migration and development is expanding at all levels of government in Europe. Remittances form the most tangible evidence of the impact of migration on development (middle-income countries are the dominant remittance receivers from Europe). …
Publication Year: 2013
Publication Date: 2013-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 1
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