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The identification of individuals with the region as a manageable and influenceable framework is gaining in importance in times of uncertainty, increasing dissolution of boundaries and global networking. We have experienced this directly in the last few months due to corona-related restrictions, which at times extremely reduced general mobility and at the same time made us aware of our dependence on technical infrastructures. For some people, this has inevitably brought the issue of their own place of residence more to the fore

Regional studies are right in the center of scientific and political discourse at the moment; regional issues acquire special significance in the countries with a transition economy. However, there is still no clear definition of the term "region". Due to its multifaceted nature, it certainly has natural, cultural, economic, political, and social dimension. At the same time, this term occupies a wide range of phenomena from small parts of countries to huge continental interstate formations. The goal of this paper is the analysis of various theoretical and methodological approaches to the definition of the region. We have brought different approaches, from the classical school to the New Economic Geography. The latter considers the region as a unit of space for economic activities. Thus, the region becomes a multidisciplinary object of research within the framework of economic theory and economic geography. In Europe, the integration processes put the region on the forefront of economic policy. The issues of regional policy are equally important in the light of the economic modernization processes taking place in Russia and Serbia. This article also summarizes the experience of regional studies of Serbian and Russian schools. The results can be used in further theoretical and applied research, writing theses in the field of economics and economic geography.

The authors look at the concept of social facilitation as a possible component of Russian social consolidation in the course of social reforms. The article focuses on the results of an empirical study of the levels and characteristics of competence in social facilitation, which is here understood as the ability to apply certain knowledge and systems of skills and as a success rate of actions based on experience in improving the conditions of social development. The study was conducted in the Kaliningrad region in 2012—2013. The data was obtained through a survey of 400 respondents using the authors' methodology encompassing eight basic elements of competence and a structured interview aimed at a better understanding of the subject of the study and attitudes towards it. The data is compared against the results of a similar study in two regions of central Russia with similar conditions. The results suggest a disharmonic and inconsistent structure of competence in social facilitation, low motivation for social
activity in youth, and a narrow range of ideas about possible areas of personal activities in the current conditions. Gender differences are identified in the level and structure of competence. The authors believe that certain differences in competence components identified through mathematical methods are determined by the geographical characteristics of the Kaliningrad region — its exclave nature, a relatively small territory, and proximity to the EU countries. It is stressed that the regional conditions affecting motivation, forms and areas of activities, and structure of experience should be taken into account in selecting means and methods of organising youth activities. They can also serve as a basis for the regional youth policy.

The 'region' has been a prominent focus of economic development studies for many years, fuelling conceptual and political debates about the relevance of this particular scale of activity as a unit of analysis and a site of social activity. Although these questions are still far from resolved, the nature of the debate has shifted decisively towards a larger, more compelling question – namely the scope for sustainable development in capitalist societies.

Klappentext: "Die Region" begegnet uns ganz selbstverständlich im Alltag, in Politik, Wirtschaft und Medien und als (raum-)wissenschaftlicher Fachbegriff. Auch wenn Regionen auf den ersten Blick als etwas Faktisches erscheinen, zeigt sich beim zweiten Hinsehen, wie sich das Regionale einer konkreten Begriffsbestimmung entzieht - was auch als eine Stärke verstanden werden kann. Die Beiträger*innen erkunden "die Region", indem sie von Begriffskombinationen ausgehend - etwa "die kreative Region", "die geplante Region", "die softe Region" oder "die Untersuchungsregion" - eine Entdeckungsreise durch die verschiedenen Dimensionen des Regionalen antreten und damit neue Perspektiven zur Begriffsbestimmung liefern.

In the context of post-Cold War European integration, 'making' regions has become commonplace. Far from reducing the significance of regional initiatives, inflationary regional labelling draws attention to the significant role played by 'regions' as legitimating political vectors. Why are political projects formulated in regional terms? Critically examining the Black Sea region project, this article suggests that region-making transcends the boundary between theoretical and political praxis. Regional entrepreneurs frequently use different conceptual categories in the formulation and justification of their initiatives. In order to understand why regional forms are preferred politically, it is necessary to scrutinise closely this contextual interaction between political praxis and conceptual logic. The article maps the various concepts of region which coexist in the Black Sea region project, and discusses their relationship with four political and hermeneutical strategies that link the regional project with its context, profoundly marked by the logic of European security integration. The 'double hermeneutics' of the Black Sea region highlights the contradictory security logics that structure European security in general and this regional project in particular. In the conclusion, the article draws attention to the significant epistemological and normative consequences of the double hermeneutics of the Black Sea region. Adapted from the source document.

In der Region Stockholm ist eine kommunal verfasste Institution (Stockholm Läns Landsting) für die Regionalplanung verantwortlich. Der Ende 2010 abgeschlossene Aufstellungsprozess für einen neuen Regionalplan war deutlich stärker kommunikations- und diskursbestimmt als der seines Vorgängers. Als Grundlage für die planerische Arbeit wurde die Vision entwickelt, Stockholm zur attraktivsten Großstadtregion Europas zu entwickeln. Daraus wurden vier Ziele und sechs zentrale Strategien abgeleitet. Räumlich konkrete Festlegungen erfolgen für die Raum- und Siedlungsstruktur sowie das Transportsystem, wobei die enge Verbindung zwischen Strategien und regionalplanerischen Festlegungen zu betonen ist. Trotz hoher Bereitschaft der regionalen Akteure zu informellen Vereinbarungen muss jedoch die fehlende planungsrechtliche Verbindlichkeit des Regionalplans kritisch gesehen werden.

"Ich kann mir unter Großregion den SaarLorLux-Raum vorstellen und Trier noch mit einbezogen." – solche und ähnliche Antworten geben Grenzgänger auf die Frage nach der 'Großregion'. Dabei kommen erstaunliche Gebietszuschnitte zum Vorschein: "Ich würde mal behaupten, dass damit Luxemburg gemeint ist." oder "Alles, was so um Trier drumherum gehört." Die Zitate zeigen, dass sich die Menschen unterschiedliche Begriffe von der 'Großregion' machen, hierfür unterschiedliche Bezeichnungen verwenden und schließlich das verfehlen, was von politischer Seite einmal als 'Großregion' definiert wurde. Ferdinand de Saussure folgend sollten das Bezeichnete (politisches Gebiet 'Großregion'), sein subjektiver Begriff und das Bezeichnende (Name 'Großregion') eindeutig zusammengehören. Das gelingt jedoch nicht immer angesichts der vielfältigen Gebietszuschnitte sowie der etwas sperrigen Setzung durch den Gipfel : Großregion Saarland - Lothringen - Luxemburg - Rheinland-Pfalz - Wallonische Region - Französische Gemeinschaft Belgiens - Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft Belgiens.