NEW GEOGRAPHIES OF EUROPE Edited by THILO LANG AND FRANZISKA GÖRMAR REGIONAL AND LOCAL DEVELOPMENT IN TIMES OF POLARISATION Re-Thinking Spatial Policies in Europe New Geographies of Europe Series Editors Sebastian Henn Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena Jena, Germany Ray Hudson Durham University Durham, UK Thilo Lang Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography University of Leipzig Leipzig, Germany Judit Timár Hungarian Academy of Sciences Budapest, Hungary Tis series explores the production and reshaping of space from a comparative and interdisciplinary perspective. By drawing on con- temporary research from across the social sciences, it ofers novel insights into ongoing spatial developments within and between the various regions of Europe. It also seeks to introduce new geographies at the edges of the European Union and the interplay with bordering areas at the Mediterranean, African and eastern Asian interfaces of the EU. As a result, this series acts as an important forum for themes of pan-European interest and beyond. Te New Geographies of Europe series welcomes proposals for monographs and edited volumes taking a comparative and interdisciplinary approach to spatial phenomena in Europe. Contributions are especially welcome where the focus is upon novel spatial phenomena, path-dependent processes of socio-economic change or policy responses at various levels throughout Europe. Suggestions for topics also include the relationship between the state and citizens, the idea of fragile democracies, the economics of regional separation, the deconstruction of the idea of Europe, the comparative assessment of European planning models, new migration streams, and the European labour market. More information about this series at http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14740 Thilo Lang · Franziska Görmar Editors Regional and Local Development in Times of Polarisation Re-thinking Spatial Policies in Europe Editors Tilo Lang Franziska Görmar Global and European Studies Institute Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography University of Leipzig University of Leipzig Leipzig, Germany Leipzig, Germany and Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography University of Leipzig Leipzig, Germany New Geographies of Europe ISBN 978-981-13-1189-5 ISBN 978-981-13-1190-1 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1190-1 Library of Congress Control Number: 2018946622 © Te Editor(s) (if applicable) and Te Author(s) 2019. Tis book is an open access publication. Open Access Tis book is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made. Te images or other third party material in this book are included in the book’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the book’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. Te use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifc statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Te publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Te publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional afliations. Cover credit: Alexander Kovalevich/EyeEm Tis Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. Te registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore Acknowledgements Tis book is fuelled by long-standing research collaborations focus- ing on socio-spatial polarisation in Europe. It combines conceptual thoughts and empirical observations gained through joint project work in the Marie Curie Initial Training Network ‘Socio-economic and Political Responses to Regional Polarisation in Central and Eastern Europe’ (RegPol2). Tis project was funded by the European Union through the 7th Framework Programme under grant agreement no. 607022 and coordinated by the Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography (IfL) in Leipzig, Germany. We are deeply indebted to all junior and senior researchers who took part in the project for their val- uable work and the fantastic time we had together. We also thank all visiting researchers and practitioners who shared their knowledge and experiences with us during this time and provided valuable inputs in a number of workshops and conferences between 2014 and 2017. We most warmly thank all authors and reviewers who have contrib- uted to this book with their great expertise. We extend our thanks to the administration staf of IfL (especially Franziska Weyrich for her sup- port in fnancial issues) and Stefan Haunstein, research assistant at the v vi Acknowledgements institute, who have shown great commitment in realising this endeav- our. We also thank the editing team at Palgrave Macmillan and the pub- lishing house in general, which was willing to accept our book in the series on New Geographies of Europe. Contents 1 Re-thinking Regional and Local Policies in Times of Polarisation: An Introduction 1 Franziska Görmar, Tilo Lang, Erika Nagy and Garri Raagmaa Part I Socio-Spatial Polarisation in the EU and Questions of Power 2 Geographical Uneven Development and Regional Futures: A Conversation 29 Ray Hudson and John Pickles 3 “New” Questions of Peripherality in Europe or How Neoliberal Austerity Contradicts Socio-Spatial Cohesion 61 Costis Hadjimichalis 4 State Power, Spatial Inequality, and Geographical Expertise: Notes on Method 79 Merje Kuus vii viii Contents Part II Regional and Cohesion Policies (Re-)producing Socio-Spatial Disparities 5 Re-conceptualising Territorial Cohesion Trough the Prism of Spatial Justice: Critical Perspectives on Academic and Policy Discourses 97 Rhys Jones, Sami Moisio, Mikko Weckroth, Michael Woods, Juho Luukkonen, Frank Meyer and Judith Miggelbrink 6 Questioning the Convergence of Cohesion and Innovation Policies in Central and Eastern Europe 121 Bradley Loewen and Sebastian Schulz 7 Divergent Paths to Cohesion: Te (Unintended) Consequences of a Place-Based Cohesion Policy 149 Stefan Telle, Martin Špaček and Daniela Crăciun 8 Urban Growth Pole Policy and Regional Development: Old Wine in New Bottles? 173 József Benedek, Ştefana Varvari and Cristian Marius Litan 9 Reproducing Socio-Spatial Unevenness Trough the Institutional Logic of Dual Housing Policies in Hungary 197 Zsuzsanna Pósfai and Csaba Jelinek Part III Responses to Regional Polarisation and Alternative Perspectives 10 Out-Migration from Peripheries: How Cumulated Individual Strategies Afect Local Development Capacities 227 Aura Moldovan Contents ix 11 Towards a Progressive Local Development Approach: Insights from Local Community Initiatives in Hungary and Romania 253 Sorin Cebotari and Melinda Mihály 12 Bypassing Structural Shortcomings: Innovative Firms in Peripheral Regions 287 Martin Grafenberger 13 Leading Trough Image Making? On the Limits of Emphasising Agency in Structurally Disadvantaged Rural Places 319 Bianka Plüschke-Altof and Martiene Grootens Part IV Conclusions: About the Relevance of Scientifc Research for Political Practice and Policy Making 14 Understanding and Going Beyond the Regional Policy Paradox: Conceptual Contributions to Studying Socio-Spatial Polarisation in Europe 345 Garri Raagmaa, Erika Nagy, Franziska Görmar and Tilo Lang 15 Translating Scientifc Results: Encouraging Refective Policies as a Chance for Change 369 Sorin Cebotari, Tomas Hanell and Tilo Lang Notes on Contributors József Benedek is Professor of Geography at the Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and Professor of Spatial Economics at the Miskolc University. He is Director of the Research Center for Sustainable Development, Cluj, Romania and Country Ambassador for the Regional Studies Association. His research interest is on regional and urban development in Romania, Hungary and the broader CEE. Sorin Cebotari is an early career researcher holding a PhD in Geography from Babeș-Bolyai University. His main areas of interest are socio-technological interplay and its potential to reverse peripher- alisation dynamics. In his PhD work, Sorin looks closely into renew- able energy projects and their interplay with local communities in the North-West region of Romania. Troughout his PhD and his pub- lished works, Sorin supports the idea of decentralised energy governance and community-owned renewable energy projects as a resource for sus- tainable development at the local level. Daniela Crăciun is a Yehuda Elkana Fellow at the Central European University (Hungary) where she is pursuing a PhD in the Doctoral School of Political Science, Public Policy and International Relations. xi xii Notes on Contributors Recently, she has been a visiting scholar at the University