Suchergebnisse

Despite recent calls for more critical views of capitalism in sustainability transitions research, a starting point for transitions researchers is lacking. Recognizing the potential of the varieties of capitalism (VoC) approach to bring capitalism deeper into transitions research, this paper constitutes a review of VoC in the sustainability transitions literature, returning to its theoretical foundations in coordination and strategic interactions and their relations to innovation and socio-technical system transformation. The review finds the most common application of VoC to be in the energy dimension of transition, nevertheless revealing a shallow engagement with the approach that reinforces the need for conceptual development for sustainability transitions purposes. Potential areas for development relate to the enrichment of core VoC concepts – coordination, strategic interaction and comparative institutional advantage – and to competing growth and sustainability objectives of existing (and beyond) capitalist systems. There is a further need to expand the scope of VoC application beyond ideal-form national archetypes to infiltrate across scales and levels, as well as to go beyond the traditional range of sectors to shed light on understudied actors, roles and power relations for transitions. Despite typical delegation to political economy, VoC is highly interdisciplinary, applicable to common frameworks used in transition studies and amenable to social scientists interested in power and agency in transitions. As a strategy for moving VoC forward in transitions research, it is recommended to place it at the core of studies taking institutions, stakeholder interactions and sector coordination in their contextual situations seriously. ; publishedVersion

The issue of decentralization in the postsocialist countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) has faded from the research agenda since the democratic transition and EU accession. Conventionally presented as a global policy goal for supporting local democracy, improved governance and reduced regional inequalities, decentralization has been met with uncertain results in less developed regions. EU Regional Policy, initially supporting decentralization and related regionalization processes in CEE, has met challenges in lagging regions facing institutional legacies and capacity limitations. Perceived failures of decentralization point to a trend of re-centralization of regional policy in CEE countries, on the part of both national and EU levels, potentially exacerbating the trend of increasing regional polarization within countries. The cases of Estonia and Hungary illustrate these tendencies, drawing attention to national responses and the need for a continued dialogue on institutional development and EU Regional Policy reform in order to better target regional inequalities.

This special issue focuses on the governance of peripheries in CEE from a multiscalar perspective to identify current policy responses and practices at the European, regional, cross-border and local levels. We attempt to unite various paradigms of peripheries by taking a governance approach – paradigms that, when used independently, threaten to further fragment our understanding of non-core territories across CEE. The introductory paper progresses from discussing the territorial basis of peripheries, through rescaling processes and issues of governance, to the introduction of selected papers included in this issue.

Cohesion Policy has provided new impulses for development in Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) that continue to be challenged by regional disparities. This paper investigates the effects of the European Union Cohesion Policy on regional development. After presenting historical development patterns of the investigated area and opportunities afforded by this policy, its effects on a variety of indicators are analysed for the period 2007–2014. The analysis allowed confirming positive effects of EU Cohesion Policy on the development of CEE regions. However, these effects differ across the investigated area. Moving forward, it will be crucial to develop institutions and policies characteristic to each region that are stable and efficient without external funds. ; Kohezní politika nabídla zemím střední a východní Evropy nové impulzy využitelné k čelení problematiky regionálních disparit. Článek prozkoumává dopady Kohezní politiky Evropské unie na rozvoj regionů. Po prezentaci historických rozvojových trajektorií a příležitostí, které politika nabízí, analyzuje dopady programového období 2007 - 2014 na různé rozvojové indikátory. Analýza potvrzuje pozitivní efekty Kohezní politiky na rozvoj regionů zemí střední a východní Evropy. Tyto efekty jsou však poměrně variabilní.

Cohesion Policy has provided new impulses for development in Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) that continue to be challenged by regional disparities. This paper investigates the effects of the European Union Cohesion Policy on regional development. After presenting historical development patterns of the investigated area and opportunities afforded by this policy, its effects on a variety of indicators are analysed for the period 2007–2014. The analysis allowed confirming positive effects of EU Cohesion Policy on the development of CEE regions. However, these effects differ across the investigated area. Moving forward, it will be crucial to develop institutions and policies characteristic to each region that are stable and efficient without external funds.

Cohesion Policy has provided new impulses for development in Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) that continue to be challenged by regional disparities. This paper investigates the effects of the European Union Cohesion Policy on regional development. After presenting historical development patterns of the investigated area and opportunities afforded by this policy, its effects on a variety of indicators are analysed for the period 2007–2014. The analysis allowed confirming positive effects of EU Cohesion Policy on the development of CEE regions. However, these effects differ across the investigated area. Moving forward, it will be crucial to develop institutions and policies characteristic to each region that are stable and efficient without external funds.