Search results for "507"

Involving Universities in Regional Upgrading in the Periphery: Lessons from Northern Europe

2017

This chapter presents and discusses two cases of regional upgrading involving public-run universities in two Northern European countries, Norway and the Netherlands. More specifically, it illuminates how academic groups associated with the field of medicine took pro-active steps to establish and further develop regional coalitions which, over time, have resulted in situated learning. The focus on processes of university-regional engagement and mutual satisfaction in a context where universities are pressured to be globally excellent allow lessons to be drawn for regions in Southern Europe. Subtle transfer is nevertheless required to account for universities’ autonomies and organisational ca…

The ‘actually existing’ cultural policy and culture-led strategies of rural places and small towns

2016

Abstract Questions regarding the relevance of culture-based development strategies are even more relevant to ask when such strategies are applied to rural places and small towns. In urban contexts, the number of citizens and the volume and variety of the cultural sector, other industries and services are important success criteria. In small Norwegian rural municipalities, these factors are even more critical because the Norwegian rural context is characterized by low population density and low variety and volume in industries and services. Rural places and small towns are, to a large extent, neglected in the culture-led development studies, and likewise, culture is largely neglected in rura…

Innovation and networks in rural areas. An analysis from European innovative projects

2014

Abstract Innovation is a central factor for the development of rural areas, both in terms of diversification and increased competitiveness, also related to new structures of governance. The creation, adoption or adaptation of innovations is particularly complex, requiring the right combination of local knowledge (often tacit and implicit) with expert knowledge (often more explicit and formalised), as well as the support of extensive networks. This paper analyses a number of innovation projects in several European rural areas, through the data collected via in-depth interviews. It examines the projects' contributions and the role played by stakeholders in each stage of the projects. On the o…

DETERMINANTS OF EDUCATIONAL ADVANCEMENT OF RURAL AREAS IN POLAND

2017

The article is an aimed attempt at the diagnosis and evaluation of the educational level (character) of rural population in Poland perceived as educational advancement as well as of its environment (background). Growing importance of education in improving professional opportunities, changing educational aspirations and parents’ support as well as positive internal migration trends were emphasised. Rural regions are still lagging behind urban areas, though optimistic characteristics indicate receding stigmatisation and marginalisation of the Polish country with internal migration of young and educated individuals, including affluent ones (potential luxury goods buyers), to rural area…

Public Participation in Planning Processes Under the Confinement Regime: Perspectives of Municipality Urban Planning Offices in Poland

2020

The lockdown triggered by the coronavirus pandemic (March – June 2020) affected not only the economy, but also the functioning of the administration, and thus procedures connected with spatial planning. Spatial planning at the local level, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity enshrined in the Polish constitution, belongs to the so-called “commune’s own tasks”1. Formal spatial planning procedures in Poland, equipped with administrative, technical consulting apparatus, were subjected to stress testing during the pandemic. The crisis situation not only highlighted their weaknesses unprecedentedly, but also showed new opportunities and caused changes in conducting procedures. The di…

Salud pública, espacio urbano y exclusión social en la España de posguerra: la epidemia de tifus exantemático en la ciudad de Valencia, 1941-1943

2019

Resumen Tras la Guerra Civil, las deficientes condiciones higiénico-dietéticas de gran parte de la población española favorecieron la aparición de enfermedades epidémicas. El tifus exantemático puso en jaque a las autoridades sanitarias, especialmente durante la primavera de 1941, cuando el ciclo epidemiológico de la enfermedad y la falta de infraestructuras se aliaron para provocar una grave crisis sanitaria. El régimen franquista, consciente de que esta situación dificultaba su legitimación, no dudó en utilizar la exclusión social como parte de su política sanitaria contra esta epidemia. El artículo analiza en profundidad el caso de Valencia, una ciudad que durante la guerra, por hallarse…

How do community development activities affect the construction of rural places? : A case study from Finland

2019

Community‐based development practices have been seen as the prevailing paradigm for rural development. Rural community development practices are employed especially through local non‐governmental organisations, such as village associations, to ensure that rural communities are vital and attractive places to live. In this article, we explore how community development practices affect and shape rural places. The data were collected in three Finnish villages that each have an active village association and that have adopted community development practices as their method of keeping their village viable. According to the results of our study, the impacts of community practices on rural places c…

The Ambiguity of Return Migration: Prolonged Crisis and Uncertainty in the Life Strategies of Young Romanian and Latvian Returnees

2019

Circularity Within the EU: The Return Intentions of Latvian Migrants

2016

Recently, much attention has been paid in the literature to circular migration because of its perceived potential to reduce permanent migration and to promote development. This is probably a result of a perfect combination of interests benefiting not only sending and receiving countries, but also the migrants themselves (Vertovec 2007; Adepoju et al. 2010; Castles and Ozkul 2014). Circularity allows migrants to gain experience and acquire skills, and to apply them on returning to their countries of origin, thereby contributing to development (Cassarino 2004; de Haas 2010, 2012), transforming brain drain into brain gain, and at the same time contributing to their positive effects on labour m…

The land grabbing in the international scenario: the role of the EU in land grabbing

2016

The worldwide increase in population and consumption has produced a growing demand for food and energy in the rich and developing Countries. The resulting intensification of land investments, to cope with this need, has in many cases produced investments without transparency rules and it hasn't created real development for local people. The aim of this paper is to identify, through a cluster analysis, homogeneous groups of investor Countries in order to understand the role of the EU Member States in the context of land grabbing. The results show that the strategies adopted by the investors are driven by the need to achieve energy security and reduce CO2 emissions in order to cope with the p…