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PurposeThis paper seeks to examine evidence of new forms of regionalisation in both theory and practice, and the relationship between the two. In so doing, it aims to demonstrate the essential complementarity, rather than widely argued alternativeness, of both conventional and new forms of inter‐local collaboration at the regional level. The paper also seeks to demonstrate the importance of institutional and local legacies for the nature of regionalisation.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on interviews by the author with economic policy makers in several city regions in Europe and North America over the last three years, and the results of a series of workshops involving many of these very policy makers.FindingsThere is growing evidence of new forms of inter‐local region building being adopted by policy makers in response to a perceived need to maintain/improve economic competitiveness. Concerns about "giving away" powers and resources when engaging in usual conventional, formalised, fixed forms of regionalisation have created reluctance among many local actors to do so. The need to be more responsive to rapidly changing economic conditions, coupled to a realisation of the need for concerted action, have encouraged economic policy makers to adopt new, more experimental forms of region‐wide collaboration.Practical implicationsThe findings not only challenge established practices and a conventional focus on planning and technocratic views of "regions", but also raise questions about the prevalent regulation theory‐inspired arguments in academic debate. Instead, "virtual regionalisation" seems to open new opportunities for defining meaning and operation of "regions" and "regionalism", with the different backgrounds in Europe and North America allowing a somewhat more "open mind" in the latter than the former.Originality/valueThe paper illustrates that in many regions in Europe and North America there is now a multitude of actors and organisations seeking to promote regional competitiveness and growth.

1. Introduction: Cities between state and globalization : towards city-regional governance -- 2. Defining city regions : cities between urban and state theories -- 3. Cities and the global : changing relationship between "inside" and "outside" -- 4. Cities, city regions and the state : locating trans-local governance -- 6. City-regional governance : between state hierarchy and "inter-local assemblages" -- 6. City-regional governance as product of impetus, milieu and structure : comparing policies -- 7. Summary, conclusions, outlook.

Since the formal raising of the Iron Curtain, there has been much interest in post-socialism and the process of post-socialist transition. This timely book provides a systematic review and analysis of the process of 'transition'. Herrschel explores recent theories, concepts and debates on post-socialism and the notion of transition. He provides a systematic, topical account of post-socialist transitions around the world, as evidence by social, economic, and political processes and examines case studies of post-socialist transition in east and Central Europe, the former Soviet Union, Asia and South-East Asia, and Africa and Latin America. He brings together theoretical and practical aspects by examining what lessons can be learned from recent experiences. This book provides a truly global comparative account of the meaning and processes of post-socialist transition and will be an invaluable resource for all those interested in this area.

This e-book draws on papers presented and discussed at the ESRC-funded seminar series on 'Business Clusters and Regionalisation', held in London in 2005/6. This series brought together academics and practitioners engaged in questions of region building and 'best' forms of regional governance in economic development in metropolitan areas. In particular, discussions centered on the relationship between varying and changing formations of economic spaces, and the territories of regulation devised by related policies

"Global Geographies of Post-Socialist Transition provides a unique synopsis of the diverse meanings of communism around the world, interacting with European, Asian, African and Latin American traditions, and the particular impact of colonialism outside Europe."--Jacket.

Increasingly, the widely established, globalisation-driven agenda of economic competitiveness meets a growing concern with sustainability. Yet, the practical and conceptual co-existence—or fusion—of these two agendas is not always easy. This includes finding and operationalising the 'right' scale of governance, an important question for the pursuit of the distinctly transscalar nature of these two policy fields. 'New regionalism' has increasingly been discussed as a pragmatic way of tackling the variable spatialities associated with these policy fields and their changing articulation. This paper introduces 'smart (new) city-regionalism', derived from the principles of smart growth and new regionalism, as a policy-shaping mechanism and analytical framework. It brings together the rationales, agreed principles and legitimacies of publicly negotiated polity with collaborative, network-based and policy-driven spatiality. The notion of 'smartness', as suggested here as central feature, goes beyond the implicit meaning of 'smart' as in 'smart growth'. When introduced in the later 1990s the term embraced a focus on planning and transport. Since then, the adjective 'smart' has become used ever more widely, advocating innovativeness, participation, collaboration and co-ordination. The resulting 'smart city regionalism' is circumscribed by the interface between the sectorality and territoriality of policy-making processes. Using the examples of Vancouver and Seattle, the paper looks at the effects of the resulting specific local conditions on adopting 'smartness' in the scalar positioning of policy-making.

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- List of illustrations -- Introduction -- 1 The smart turn: tracing transitions to city-regional smartness -- 2 Economic factors in shaping city regionalism and "smartness" -- 3 Political factors in shaping city regionalism and "smartness" -- 4 Going for "smartness": reframing city-regionalism -- 5 Beyond post-Fordist regimes? Smart city-regionalism in North America and Western Europe -- 6 Beyond post-authoritarian regimes: smart city-regionalism in Eastern Europe and South Africa -- 7 Conclusions: smart transitions in city-regionalism -- Index

Preface -- Contents -- List of Figures -- Chapter 1: Cities Joining States as International Actors -- 1.1 Conceptualisations of 'City' and 'Internationality' from an Urbanist and IR Perspective -- 1.2 Outline of Chapters -- References -- Chapter 2: Cities and the Global Arena-From Connectors to Actors: The Questions of Space and Territory -- 2.1 Introduction -- 2.2 The Dual Meaning of 'Region': Connecting the 'International' and the 'Sub-National' -- 2.2.1 Regions and State-Centric Internationality -- 2.2.2 The Sub-National Use of 'Region' -- 2.3 Summarising Comments -- References -- Chapter 3: Cities and the Changing Nature of International Governance -- 3.1 Introduction -- 3.2 Understanding the 'International' in Global Governance-Some Conceptual Views and Debates across the Disciplines -- 3.2.1 Growing Complexity in Scale and Multi-Level Governance -- 3.2.2 International Organisations and Regimes in Multi-Level Arrangements -- 3.2.3 Questions of Authority and Legitimacy of International Urban Action -- 3.3 The Growing International Sphere of Governance -- 3.4 Cities, Regions and the Internationalisation Through Networks -- 3.5 International Networks and Organisations by Sub-National Actors -- 3.6 Leading Cities: Mono-Lateral International Engagement -- 3.7 Conclusion: 'Thickness' of Internationality and Modes of Sub-National Engagement -- References -- Chapter 4: Expansion and Activities of Networks of Sub-National Governments -- 4.1 Introduction -- 4.2 Sub-National Networks and International Organisations -- 4.3 Summary -- References -- Chapter 5: Individual Initiatives by Cities in Europe -- 5.1 Introduction -- 5.2 City-to-City Pairing Through Town Twinning -- 5.3 European Capital of Culture as EU-Sponsored Route to International Engagement -- 5.4 Single City Engagement Through International Representation in Brussels -- 5.5 Summary