Central Eastern Europe in the global market scenario: Evolution of the system of governance in Poland from socialism to capitalism

The article attempts to analyze Central Eastern European Countries (CEECs) focusing on the restructuring of governance and on the evolution of the complex network relations constituting the framework for decisional processes concerning economic, social and territorial development in Poland. The evolution from the highly hierarchical structure of the pre-1989 period towards the governance model characterising the transformation period will be looked at as a process increasingly embedded in a scenario dominated by international agents such as international financial institutions, the European Union, international capitals. It is possible to affirm that the presented transformation did not coincide with a withdrawal of the state, but mainly with a process of restructuring of apparatuses and hierarchies, following the guidelines of the neoliberal approach. The claimed neutral position of the state, guaranteeing complete freedom to the market, while provoking the dismantling of the socialist welfare system, implied a strongly biased behaviour as the state provided the necessary framework for new economic mechanisms to freely reproduce themselves

Adaptive Territorial Governance in the Face of COVID-19

During the last few decades, extreme weather events and global and regional economic crises have been forcing us to rethink the way that governments approach territorial development. The inherent links between social, economic, and ecological systems are proving to be increasingly significant, and exist only in a complex whole characterised by multiple feedbacks (Berkes et al. 2002). In this light, managing the relationship between the social, economic, and ecological aspects of development is of paramount importance for those interested in establishing sustainable development trajectories in the long-run. This is particularly true since the COVID-19 pandemic has added further entropy to the picture . During the early stages of the pandemic, decision making, regulations, and communication had converged at the national level. However, throughout the course of the pandemic, there has been growing room for improvement in policy-making. As such, there is a need to rethink development objectives and their governance according to a new long-term perspective – one that takes better account of different issues and needs. Key concepts such as multi-level governance, place-based development, circular economy, and the localisation of the Sustainable Development Goals can all help Western Balkan countries to achieve a better quality of life while preserving productivity, social inclusion, and the environment (Cotella and Vitale Brovarone, 2020). However, to develop territorial governance systems to support secure, long-term societal development is particularly challenging (Lambin, 2005), and requires the introduction of forms of territorial governance that explicitly take into account the possibility for immediate and long-term change (Dietz et al., 2003; Folke et al., 2005). ‘Adaptive’ governance models and mechanisms are those that are able to address uncertainty through continuous learning and feature the involvement of multiple actors and levels in decision and policy making processes. Continuous knowledge sharing and learning is indeed a critical component when facing complex dynamics and uncertainty. It can be stimulated by networks that enable interaction between individuals and institutions at multiple levels and use those interactions to draw upon various knowledge systems and develop better policies (Adger, 2001; Olsson et al., 2006). In this light, adaptive territorial governance models rely on polycentric institutional arrangements that operate at multiple scales (McGinnis, 1999), balancing between centralised and decentralised control (Imperial, 1999). At the same time, these models should be flexible enough to re-organise and re-form through institutional arrangements that encourage reflection and innovative responses (Brunner et al., 2005; Folke et al., 2005). Since the first appearance of the concept in the early 2000s, (Dietz et al., 2003), the boundaries of adaptive governance have evolved significantly, particularly in relation to the governance of territorial development. However, an explicit research agenda on the matter has yet to coalesce. A synthesis of the literature concerning adaptive governance may contribute to the quest for new models of territorial governance that address the dynamic, large-scale nature of the most pressing crises, such as the 2008 global financial crisis that still projects its shadow over our economies and, more urgently, the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath. Serving as an introduction to the 2020 Annual Review of Territorial Governance in the Western Balkans, this editorial focuses on the concept of adaptive territorial governance in the face of COVID-19, with particular reference to the Western Balkan Region. After this brief introduction, the concept of adaptive governance is detailed in relation to its evolving boundaries. The challenges that may undermine the implementation of adaptive governance in practice are then reflected upon before a number of tentative research avenues in relation to the Western Balkans are brought forward. Finally, the various contributions that compose this volume and the way that each contributes to the debate are introduced to the reader

Testing comparative spatial planning studies in the Latin American context: theoretical implications and challenges for regional development

Until recently, comparative spatial planning research had mostly focused on the European continent. Since the end of the 1980s, a growing number of studies contributed to the proliferation of theoretical and methodological approaches, as well as to a further definition of the object of study. Comparisons focusing on other parts of the World are much less frequent, if one excludes the rather ‘dry’ reports produced by international organizations. Aiming at investigating the reasons behind this empirical gap, the paper inquires the theoretical implications and challenges that emerge when applying to the global South conceptual and analytical frameworks developed in the Northern hemisphere. In so doing, it first raises awareness on the role played by the colonial legacy to then argue for the need to ‘go beyond technical efficiency’ and to consider dominant power relations hidden by the apparent neutrality of spatial governance and planning systems, particularly in relation to contexts where spatial inequalities are more pronounced. In this light, it suggests to consider informal practices alongside formal ones, as a way forward to better understand the drivers structuring spatial governance and planning systems in the Global South. Overall, to test comparative spatial governance and planning studies to the Latin American context could provide an added value for the development of the region, by setting up a regional agenda for more integrated and cooperative spatial planning in Latin America

The Europeanization of Territorial Governance: results from an analysis across the board

Since the 1990s developments in the territorial dimension of EU policies has progressively fostered member states’ territorial governance and spatial planning systems to become one of the key components of EU integrated development strategies and policy delivery mechanisms. The extent to which this created a catalytic environment resulting in a so called ‘Europeanization’ of territorial governance and spatial planning is however subject of debate. Aiming at shedding light on this matter, the paper builds on the provisional results of the ESPON COMPASS project to investigate the role that the EU plays in shaping national territorial governance and spatial planning and vice versa. It does so by understanding territorial governance and spatial planning systems as ‘institutional technologies’ subject to continuous change and classifying the possible influences that link the EU and the Member States within the overall European territorial governance framework. In particular, it identifies three types of top-down influence from the EU to the country level (structural, instrumental, discursive top-down), two types of bottom-up influence through which the European countries potentially influence EU policy- making (discursive bottom-up, practical), and the horizontal influence through which countries potentially influence one another. The impact of these six types of influence is explored systematically for the 32 States of the ESPON area (28 EU Member States plus 4 neighbour countries), in order to reflect on the main commonalities and differences that characterise the Europeanization of territorial governance and (ii) on what this can suggest for the improvement of European territorial governance

The legal, administrative, and governance frameworks of spatial policy, planning, and land use: Interdependencies, barriers, and directions of change

The article provides an overview of the legal and administrative aspects of spatial governance and planning and of the related challenges. The legal dimension of spatial planning, administrative spatial planning traditions, as well as different frameworks and conditions for the governance of territorial regions are briefly introduced. On this basis, the various contributions that compose the special issue are framed and presented to the readers. In conclusion, a number of directions for further research are identified. Overall, the article serves as an editorial introduction and the various issues it touches upon are further specified in the individual contributions the compose the special issue

Structure, tools, discourse and practices: a multidimensional comparative approach to EU territorial governance

The concept of "EU territorial governance" has been recently adopted by planners and decision-makers to indicate the occurrence of a complex, multifaceted and largely undefined process of spatial planning and development activities guided, at various levels, in the European Union's institutional context. Building on a EU territorial governance conceptual framework elaborated by the authors in previous work, which individuates the specific „channels‟ of interaction that convey change in European countries, on the one hand, and institutional progress at the EU level, on the other hand, the contribution aims to shed some light on the differential impact exerted by such channels as they manifests in relation to different Member States domestic contexts. It does so by adopting three different national contexts as case studies, representative of as many „ideal types‟ of planning system traditions existing in Europe – namely , „comprehensive integrated‟ (Germany), „urbanism‟ (Italy), plus a supposed „Central and Eastern European socialist transition‟ type (Poland) – and providing a comparative analysis of the elements that, in relation to each of them, influence the evolution of European spatial planning and spatial planning domestic contexts within the complex framework of EU territorial governance

Functional modulation of the transient outward current Ito by KCNE beta-subunits and regional distribution in human non-failing and failing hearts

Objectives: The function of Kv4.3 (KCND3) channels, which underlie the transient outward current I,, in human heart, can be modulated by several accessory subunits such as KChIP2 and KCNE1-KCNE5. Here we aimed to determine the regional expression of Kv4.3, KChIP2, and KCNE mRNAs in non-failing and failing human hearts and to investigate the functional consequences of subunit coexpression in heterologous expression systems. Methods: We quantified mRNA levels for two Kv4.3 isoforms, Kv4.3-S and Kv4.3-L, and for KChIP2 as well as KCNE1-KCNE5 with real-time RT-PCR. We also studied the effects of KCNEs on Kv4.3 + KChIP2 current characteristics in CHO cells with the whole-cell voltage-clamp method. Results: In non-failing hearts, low expression was found for KCNE1, KCNE3, and KCNE5, three times higher expression for KCNE2, and 60 times higher for KCNE4. Transmural gradients were detected only for KChIP2 in left and right ventricles. Compared to non-failing tissue, failing hearts showed higher expression of Kv4.3-L and KCNE1 and lower of Kv4.3-S, KChIP2, KCNE4, and KCNE5. In CHO cells, Kv4.3 + KChIP2 currents were differentially modified by co-expressed KCNEs: time constants of inactivation were shorter with KCNE1 and KCNE3-5 while time-to-peak was decreased, and V-0.5 of steady-state inactivation was shifted to more negative potentials by all KCNE subunits. Importantly, KCNE2 induced a unique and prominent 'overshoot' of peak current during recovery from inactivation similar to that described for human I-to while other KCNE subunits induced little (KCNE4,5) or no overshoot. Conclusions: All KCNEs are expressed in the human heart at the transcript level. Compared to It. in native human myocytes, none of the combination of KChIP2 and KCNE produced an ideal congruency in current characteristics, suggesting that additional factors contribute to the regulation of the native I-to channel