Search results

The main aim of the article is to reveal problem of decentralization of autonomy for local authorities & territorial administration in Lithuania. The reform of administrative division & autonomy for local authorities of the country runs slowly & complicated. Though society, scientists, various branches of government has a lot of various propositions & discussions have been taking place for more than 15 years, the important decisions cannot be made because of the lack of political willpower. One could be under impression that the reform will never be completed. The main reasons of such a disturbances are related to the absence of authentic traditions of autonomy for local authorities as well as to constant changes of centralized models of territorial administration. The unfinished re-form not only disturbs even development of the country but also complicates development of autonomy for local authorities system, which is one of the most important institutions of modern democracy. This also disturbs formation of regional self-consciousness, identity at regional & local level. Finally, it complicates the development of modern civil society in Lithuania. The history of Lithuania shows that even during 20th century models of territorial administration of the country have been changed several times, though centralized government prevailed & autonomy for local authorities was very limited. This prevented formation of territorial autonomy for local authorities & community traditions, solidarity among population was decreasing while indifference to the social needs was increasing. The Soviet period demolished the first appearances of territorial (regional) identity. This consequently caused the lack of willpower to implement new reform of territorial administration. The same as during the years of independence before World War II there is still uncertainty whether centralized or vast autonomy for local authorities should be chosen as a priority. Lithuanian government has always paid the main attention to the reform of regional governing system but autonomy for local authorities is almost totally forgotten. The absence of local & regional autonomy for local authorities makes Lithuania a unique rather unitary state, with a transformed soviet administrative division. Because of these reasons the problem of reformation & decentralization of territorial administration of Lithuania remains topical. Adapted from the source document.

Since its restored political independence, Lithuania has launched a set of reforms for changing the country's political, socioeconomic, institutional and territorial models. Reforms have not advanced at the same pace in all fields however. In particular, institutional and territorial reforms are lagging far behind. A lack of experience with autonomy for local authorities is linked to Lithuania's geopolitical position between central Europe (particulary Poland) and Russia, which used to impose their own institutions and division into territorial units. The slow pace of reforms since 1989 has an impact on regional development, especially in rural areas, and on socioeconomic differences between regions. Regional and local development is blocked owing to insufficient decentralization and an inadequate managerial autonomy for local authorities. Institutions at the regional and local levels are also wanting. Despite the change of system, new arrangements are implemented within territorial units inherited from the Soviet era. The institutional and territorial model conveyed by democratization and decentralization has not yet been put into practice.

Land use is a cornerstone of human civilization, but also intrinsically linked to many global sustainability challenges—from climate change to food security to the ongoing biodiversity crisis. Understanding the underlying technological, institutional and economic drivers of land-use change, and how they play out in different environmental, socio-economic and cultural contexts, is therefore important for identifying effective policies to successfully address these challenges. In this regard, much can be learned from studying long-term land-use change. We examined the evolution of European land management over the past 200 years with the aim of identifying (1) key episodes of changes in land management, and (2) their underlying technological, institutional and economic drivers. To do so, we generated narratives elaborating on the drivers of land use-change at the country level for 28 countries in Europe. We qualitatively grouped drivers into land-management regimes, and compared changes in management regimes across Europe. Our results allowed discerning seven land-management regimes, and highlighted marked heterogeneity regarding the types of management regimes occurring in a particular country, the timing and prevalence of regimes, and the conditions that result in observed bifurcations. However, we also found strong similarities across countries in the timing of certain land-management regime shifts, often in relation to institutional reforms (e.g., changes in EU agrarian policies or the emergence and collapse of the Soviet land management paradigm) or to technological innovations (e.g., drainage pipes, tillage and harvesting machinery, motorization, and synthetic fertilizers). Land reforms frequently triggered changes in land management, and the location and timing of reforms had substantial impacts on land-use outcomes. Finally, forest protection policies and voluntary cooperatives were important drivers of land-management changes. Overall, our results demonstrate that land-system changes should not be conceived as unidirectional developments following predefined trajectories, but rather as path-dependent processes that may be affected by various drivers, including sudden events.

Land use is a cornerstone of human civilization, but also intrinsically linked to many global sustainability challenges—from climate change to food security to the ongoing biodiversity crisis. Understanding the underlying technological, institutional and economic drivers of land-use change, and how they play out in different environmental, socio-economic and cultural contexts, is therefore important for identifying effective policies to successfully address these challenges. In this regard, much can be learned from studying long-term land-use change. We examined the evolution of European land management over the past 200 years with the aim of identifying (1) key episodes of changes in land management, and (2) their underlying technological, institutional and economic drivers. To do so, we generated narratives elaborating on the drivers of land use-change at the country level for 28 countries in Europe. We qualitatively grouped drivers into land-management regimes, and compared changes in management regimes across Europe. Our results allowed discerning seven land-management regimes, and highlighted marked heterogeneity regarding the types of management regimes occurring in a particular country, the timing and prevalence of regimes, and the conditions that result in observed bifurcations. However, we also found strong similarities across countries in the timing of certain land-management regime shifts, often in relation to institutional reforms (e.g., changes in EU agrarian policies or the emergence and collapse of the Soviet land management paradigm) or to technological innovations (e.g., drainage pipes, tillage and harvesting machinery, motorization, and synthetic fertilizers). Land reforms frequently triggered changes in land management, and the location and timing of reforms had substantial impacts on land-use outcomes. Finally, forest protection policies and voluntary cooperatives were important drivers of land-management changes. Overall, our results demonstrate that land-system changes should not be conceived as unidirectional developments following predefined trajectories, but rather as path-dependent processes that may be affected by various drivers, including sudden events.

The researchers of the Lithuanian Social Research Center analyzed the regional consequences of the processes of socio-economic transformations that had taken place in recent decades and their impact on the well-being of the population across the country. The book summarises the results of the research, which was funded by a grant No. GER-005/2017 from the Research Council of Lithuania. The main aim of this book is to contribute to the knowledge of the country's regional development, emphasizing that the inhabitants of Lithuania, depending on where they live, have different living conditions and opportunities, which contradicts the fundamental principles of democratic society. Ongoing processes that have changed the structure of the country's economy have influenced the territorial structure of the labor market, and these changes have caused negative migration phenomena. Negative migration phenomena have strongly influenced the demographic spatial structure of the whole country, which has triggered changes in public service networks and all social and economic infrastructure. These changes create different business and working conditions in different regions, as well as different opportunities for access to employment, incomes, education and other public services for residents of different municipalities.

The researchers of the Lithuanian Social Research Center analyzed the regional consequences of the processes of socio-economic transformations that had taken place in recent decades and their impact on the well-being of the population across the country. The book summarises the results of the research, which was funded by a grant No. GER-005/2017 from the Research Council of Lithuania. The main aim of this book is to contribute to the knowledge of the country's regional development, emphasizing that the inhabitants of Lithuania, depending on where they live, have different living conditions and opportunities, which contradicts the fundamental principles of democratic society. Ongoing processes that have changed the structure of the country's economy have influenced the territorial structure of the labor market, and these changes have caused negative migration phenomena. Negative migration phenomena have strongly influenced the demographic spatial structure of the whole country, which has triggered changes in public service networks and all social and economic infrastructure. These changes create different business and working conditions in different regions, as well as different opportunities for access to employment, incomes, education and other public services for residents of different municipalities.

The researchers of the Lithuanian Social Research Center analyzed the regional consequences of the processes of socio-economic transformations that had taken place in recent decades and their impact on the well-being of the population across the country. The book summarises the results of the research, which was funded by a grant No. GER-005/2017 from the Research Council of Lithuania. The main aim of this book is to contribute to the knowledge of the country's regional development, emphasizing that the inhabitants of Lithuania, depending on where they live, have different living conditions and opportunities, which contradicts the fundamental principles of democratic society. Ongoing processes that have changed the structure of the country's economy have influenced the territorial structure of the labor market, and these changes have caused negative migration phenomena. Negative migration phenomena have strongly influenced the demographic spatial structure of the whole country, which has triggered changes in public service networks and all social and economic infrastructure. These changes create different business and working conditions in different regions, as well as different opportunities for access to employment, incomes, education and other public services for residents of different municipalities.

The researchers of the Lithuanian Social Research Center analyzed the regional consequences of the processes of socio-economic transformations that had taken place in recent decades and their impact on the well-being of the population across the country. The book summarises the results of the research, which was funded by a grant No. GER-005/2017 from the Research Council of Lithuania. The main aim of this book is to contribute to the knowledge of the country's regional development, emphasizing that the inhabitants of Lithuania, depending on where they live, have different living conditions and opportunities, which contradicts the fundamental principles of democratic society. Ongoing processes that have changed the structure of the country's economy have influenced the territorial structure of the labor market, and these changes have caused negative migration phenomena. Negative migration phenomena have strongly influenced the demographic spatial structure of the whole country, which has triggered changes in public service networks and all social and economic infrastructure. These changes create different business and working conditions in different regions, as well as different opportunities for access to employment, incomes, education and other public services for residents of different municipalities.