Critical Dictionary on Borders, Cross-Border Cooperation and European Integration

This Critical Dictionary on Borders, Cross-Border Cooperation and European Integration is the first encyclopaedia which combines two so far not well interconnected interdisciplinary research fields, i.e. Border Studies and European Studies. Organised in an alphabetical order, it contains 207 articles written by 115 authors from different countries and scientific disciplines which are accompanied by 58 maps. The articles deal with theory, terminology, concepts, actors, themes and spaces of neighbourhood relations at European borders and in borderlands of and around the European Union (EU). Taking into account a multi-scale perspective from the local to the global, the Critical Dictionary follows a combined historical-geographical approach and is co-directed by Birte Wassenberg and Bernard Reitel, with a large contribution of Jean Peyrony and Jean Rubio from the Mission opérationnelle transfrontalère (MOT), especially for the cartography. The Dictionary is also part of four Jean Monnet activities supported by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union for the period 2016-2022: two Jean Monnet projects on EU border regions (University Strasbourg), one Jean Monnet network (Frontem) and the Franco-German Jean Monnet excellence Center in Strasbourg, as well as the Jean Monnet Chair of Bernard Reitel on borders and European integration. Rather than being designed as an objective compilation of facts and figures, it should serve as a critical tool for discussion between researchers, students and practitioners working in the field of borders, cross-border cooperation and European Integration

Where is the Global Transaction Centre of RMB: Shanghai, Hong Kong or perhaps London?

Session OSS1: Geographies of Finance and FinancialisationConference Theme: Sustaining Regional FuturesThis paper presents preliminary results of a study on the world major foreign exchange markets and FOREX trading centres. This research focuses on the recent trends of transactions of the world major foreign currencies, their geographical locations and the driving forces behind them. It also touches upon the relation of “on-shore” and “off-shore” characteristics, which helps to distinguish the importance and prominence of FOREX trading centres. The findings could shed light on the potential location and emergence of a global RMB transaction centre-the so-called RMB off-shore centre that Shanghai and Hong Kong are currently competing for, which is a battle that London and Singapore would also like to join.postprin

LE REGIONI D'EUROPA TRA IDENTITÀ LOCALI, NUOVE COMUNITÀ E DISPARITÀ TERRITORIALI

L’Europa è oggi attraversata da una forte domanda di autonomia da parte dei territori: da un lato, a tutela dell’identità delle comunità locali e, dall’altro, per la crescente rivendicazione di una più ampia rappresentanza delle cittadinanze. Queste istanze possono, però, mettere a rischio gli obiettivi di equilibrio e di coesione economica, sociale e territoriale, da sempre al centro della riflessione e delle proposte sviluppate dagli studiosi delle scienze regionali. La recente crisi ha acuito l’instabilità e allargato i complessivi divari tra le regioni, anche nella loro dinamica interna di evoluzione. Alla resilienza economica non sempre è corrisposto, nell’attuale transizione verso un nuovo paradigma, il mantenimento di solidi livelli di coesione sociale e di integrazione tra aree e comunità. Il volume raccoglie una selezione di contributi presentati alla XXXIX Conferenza Italiana di Scienze Regionali, svoltasi a Bolzano il 17, 18 e 19 settembre 2018. Nella sua articolazione, esso si sviluppa in tre parti. La prima analizza il tema della domanda di autonomia da parte dei territori all’interno dello sviluppo economico e sociale di regioni e paesi, e dell’attuale dibattito sul federalismo differenziato. Nella seconda le riflessioni si estendono alla crescente disparità tra aree centrali e aree periferiche, tra aree interne e aree esposte, tra Nord e Sud dei Paesi e dell’Europa, mentre nella terza parte, l’analisi guarda ai mutevoli equilibri tra territori e sistemi locali urbani e rurali, tra pianura e montagna e, all’interno delle aree montane, tra i fondivalle maggiormente urbanizzati e i territori di alta quota, zone spesso di confine tra province, regioni e stati. La novità editoriale di quest’anno è rappresentata da uno spazio dedicato a brevi contributi a cura di giovani autori vincitori dei premi AISRe.Europe is today crossed by a strong demand for autonomy from the territories: to protect the identity of local communities and, also analyze the growing demand for a broader representation of citizens. However, these issues can jeopardize the objectives of balance and economic, social and territorial cohesion, which have always been at the center of the reflection and proposals developed by scholars of regional sciences. The recent crisis has worsened instability and widened the overall gaps between the regions, including in their internal dynamics of evolution. Economic resilience is not always matched, in the current transition towards a new paradigm, by maintaining solid levels of social cohesion and integration between areas and communities. The volume collects a selection of contributions presented at the XXXIX Italian Conference of Regional Science, held in Bolzano on 17, 18 and 19 September 2018. The volume is divided into three parts. The first analyzes the issue of the demand for autonomy by the territories within the economic and social development of regions and countries, and the current debate on differentiated federalism. In the second, the reflections extend to the growing disparity between central and peripheral areas, between internal and exposed areas, between North and South of countries and Europe, while in the third part, the analysis looks at the changing balance between territories and systems. urban and rural areas, between plains and mountains and, within mountain areas, between the most urbanized valleys and high altitude territories, areas often bordering provinces, regions and states. This year ia space is dedicated to short contributions by young authors who have won the AISRe Awards

The Evolution of Regional Uneven Development in Jiangsu Province under China's Growth-oriented State Ideology

This doctoral project explores the evolution of regional uneven development in Jiangsu province under China’s growth-oriented state ideology during the economic reform era. Based upon a set of political-philosophical and historical analyses, it is argued that, as the foundation of China’s regime legitimacy in the reform era, the growth orientation of China’s dominant state ideology consisted of two key rationales, those are, China’s utilitarianism and its pragmatism. And, in order to concretely study the evolution of the regional unevenness between the south and north of Jiangsu province, two city-regions were selected as the basis for detailed empirical research. They are Changzhou city in the south and Nantong city in the north. Both the theoretical and empirical analyses were conducted under a three-stage periodization of economic reform. These are: the first stage (the late 1970s – the earlier 1990s), the second stage (the mid-1990s – the earlier 2000s), and the third stage (the earlier 2000s – 2013). It is found that, generally speaking, the dominant growth-oriented state ideology exercised key influences on regional unevenness in Jiangsu through a set of utilitarian and pragmatic institutional expressions and practices. And, corresponding to the influence of the growth-oriented state ideology, there are different kinds of strategically inscribed structural selectivities being expressed during different stage of the economic reform. Such selectivities are mainly exhibited by, and practised through, the dominant local growth patterns of the respective stage of the reform. Those are: TVE-driven growth, development zone-driven growth, and state-led, urbanisation-driven growth. Whilst the actual practices of these local growth patterns all decisively (re)produced and (re)shaped regional unevenness, they also exhibited, and were subject to, polymorphic and multidimensional sociospatial relations and processes which may be explored from the perspective of the so-called TPSN framework. It is proposed that whilst regional unevenness in Jiangsu province was increasing during the first two stages of reform, it was reduced during the third stage, though in a highly unsustainable and socially unjust fashion

Can institutions adapt to new models of economic governance? : case studies in North East England and Tees Valley

PhD ThesisThis thesis draws lessons for economic governance from two case studies of a model of local development introduced by the UK government in 2010. Its temporal context is the decision of the coalition government to abolish the regionalism introduced by the Labour government in 1997/98 and replace it with a model of localism based on functional economic areas (FEAs). Its spatial context is North East England, where the two case studies have been conducted to illustrate how localism is working in practice as a governance system. The thesis studies the governance of devolution in the North East Combined Authority (NECA) and in Tees Valley as a political, economic and institutional issue, analysing the responses of local leaderships to the new model and its formal institutional arrangements. It finds that informal institutions in the shape of identity, socio-cultural values and political traditions and practices can exert a powerful influence on local leadership groups and hence the establishment and operations of new formal institutions. The thesis discusses the different approaches taken by the new formal institutions to development, and the resulting economic outcomes. It concludes that governments intending to devolve powers for economic purposes must take full account of regional and/or local circumstances, including the political. Trying to impose an economic governance model on an unwilling locality does not work, and a bottom-up approach should be adopted. Economically, it finds that at this stage, and with so many spatially blind factors affecting the regional economy, it is impossible to say whether the transition from regionalism to localism is having any economic effect, though early signs are largely disappointing. The thesis also examines the accountability and inclusiveness of the new governance and finds problematic issues in relation to both. It concludes with recommendations for institutional reform. In what is the quite recent and continuously evolving institutional landscape of localism in England, the thesis makes a significant addition to a still under-researched field