Local response to socio-economic change in East-German and North-English old industrial towns - Issues of Governance and Regional Development
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Local response to socio-economic change
in East-German and North-English old industrial towns
– Issues of Governance
and Regional Development
Dealing with Change
Demographic Change and
Regional Development Strategies
Berlin, 18-19 Nov 2010
Dr. Thilo Lang
Leibniz-Institut für Länderkunde
Starting Point
East Germany since the
1990s
population loss
urban decline
economic downturn
high unemployment
East Germany as
periphery?
hit by multiple
peripheralisation?
and centralisation?
Berlin, DLGS conference – Thilo Lang: Local response to socio-economic change
2/ 15
Dimensions of peripheralisation
Peripheralisation as (relative)
economic slowdown
systemic desintegration (e.g. infrastructure)
(relative) loss of importance (e.g. population, jobs)
loss of power and growing dependence on dominant centres
a result of system immanent processes of capitalist order
Production of peripheries as social discourse
„winning“ and „losing“ or „lagging“ regions
dominant interpretations of the central and the peripheral
related normative concepts to the order of centre-periphery
peripheralisation in your head – mental „lock-ins“
no link to structurally defined spatial category
Berlin, DLGS conference – Thilo Lang: Local response to socio-economic change
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Blyth
Wolgast
Barrow
Schwedt
Berlin, DLGS conference – Thilo Lang: Local response to socio-economic change
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Research questions
Which key factors lead to and support the
emergence of local socio-economic initiatives?
as a response to socio-economic change
in peripheralised old industrial towns
to what extent can the emergence of such initiatives
be explained with
institutional contexts,
specific forms of governance and partnership,
regional or national frameworks?
utilising 3 research perspectives
Berlin, DLGS conference – Thilo Lang: Local response to socio-economic change
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Socio-economic initiatives
local projects, schemes, undertakings
direct economic and social objectives
new jobs for local people
integration of long-term unemployed
community enterprises
branch-based growth schemes
start-up support
significance of socio-economic initiatives
overall relevance of local economy
8% of jobs in the social economy in Germany
high symbolic importance
Berlin, DLGS conference – Thilo Lang: Local response to socio-economic change
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Theoretical inventory
socio-economic
challenges
spatial disparities globalisation
practices
institutional
norms routines environment
socio-econ. actors,
initiatives ? organisations
rules policy
statutes documents
key national
mechanisms, policy context
governance?
Berlin, DLGS conference – Thilo Lang: Local response to socio-economic change
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Research methodology
2 x 2 comparative case study approach
most similar systems design
common themes across cases in differing contexts
main data
24 semi-structured interviews with 29 actors
qualitative analysis of local, regional and national context
institutional analysis
identifying collective, value-driven, rule-bound or
instituted forms of behaviour/ decision taking
understanding specific institutional environments
grounded theory: inductive proceeding
Berlin, DLGS conference – Thilo Lang: Local response to socio-economic change
8/ 17Schwedt Wolgast
Projekte Ziele Projekte Ziele
LILA - lokale Initiativen für promoting self-employment Produktionsschule Train and motivate young
lokale Aktivitäten for long term unemployed (Sozialagentur/ CJD) unemployed
Biofuels Initiative Attract biofuels businesses, Centrepoint (IDB) Support females starting up in
complement local industry business
Forschungsgemeinschaft training and employment for Existenzgründer- Workspace + support for new
für Technischen former research employees of zentrum and young enterprises
Umweltschutz u. Logistik PCK
Technologie- u. local incubator Perspective 50plus Support self-employment
Gründerzentrum (TGZ) (Sozialagentur)
Service- und supporting businesses to "Kiek In" Sozialladen Furniture and household items
Beratungszentrum SBC expand into the Polish market (Sozialagentur) for the poor
Solarinitiative Schwedt supporting solar energy in Baltic e.V. Support women and families,
Schwedt (Weiberwirtschaft) consulting, rooms to rent
Patenmodell Arbeit durch supporting start-ups with Red Cross: Used Collect and re-distribute used
Management business angels furniture and clothes items
Biogascluster/ Barum 111 networking of biogas initatives Familienzentrum Social work and leisure
and sustainable energy (SHIA e.V.) activities
Freiwilligenagentur finding honorary jobs for local LMAA (CJD e.V.) integration of unemployed, local
Schwedt people cooperative
Impulse: Wirtschafts- und promoting internet-use
Bürgernetzverein
LOS – lokales Kapital für promoting self-employment
soziale Zwecke with local projects
Berlin, DLGS conference – Thilo Lang: Local response to socio-economic change
9/ 17Findings: 3 groups of supporting factors
specific forms of governance and partnership
organisations
decision takers
capacities
institutional contexts
identification with initiatives
networks of support
strategic fit
regional or national frameworks
frameworks
funding
wider debates
Berlin, DLGS conference – Thilo Lang: Local response to socio-economic change
10/ 17Specific forms of governance
forms of strategic governance with little effects
partly even closed shops
agencies very supportive towards initiatives
direct impacts through effective agencies
Berlin, DLGS conference – Thilo Lang: Local response to socio-economic change
11/ 17Institutional environments and initiatives
Schwedt
long term and high appreciation of industrial development
dominance of industrial leaders in economic policy
clear formal economy support and low value of
social initiatives
Blyth
three cycles of decline
(coal, shipbuilding,
textiles)
paradigm of community
driven regeneration
support to community
driven projects and
distrust in formal ec.
Berlin, DLGS conference – Thilo Lang: Local response to socio-economic change
12/ 17Institutional environments - quotes
Schwedt: „Diese Aktivitäten sind lobenswert, aber sie führen nicht zu
Arbeitsplätzen auf dem ersten Arbeitsmarkt. [...] Wir müssen uns damit
abfinden, das endogene Potenzial ist weitestgehend ausgeschöpft in
diesen dünn besiedelten Regionen.“
Blyth: "it's a culture the way we work here [...]. And our community
development strategy is about as playing a strategic role rather than just
community worker role.“
Schwedt: „Leute, die jetzt seit der Wende arbeitslos sind, ja, also zehn
Jahre plus arbeitslos sind. Die kann man schlichtweg im Prinzip nur
verrenten. […] Die werden nie wieder 'ne Arbeit bekommen"
Barrow: „What I think they're doing is dealing with the worst problems
we've got now. Trying to help people out of the difficulties they're in. They
are fundamentally about giving those people more choices in life.“
normative lack of agreement (Normdissens)
Berlin, DLGS conference – Thilo Lang: Local response to socio-economic change
13/ 17National and regional contexts
direct interventions (UK)
supra-local actors in local governance
setting up new agencies and task forces
shaping local policies
giving policy orientation by national debates
government inspired initiatives in the UK vs. less national
regulation and higher importance of the lower tiers in
Germany (Länder)
funding opportunities
mainly specialised and competitive funding schemes in
the UK vs. mainstream programmes in Germany
Berlin, DLGS conference – Thilo Lang: Local response to socio-economic change
14/ 17Relevant actors for socio-economic
development according to policy-level
(>33% recognition; local, sub-regional, regional, national)
2
2 1
3 1 2
8 5 7 4
Blyth Barrow Schwedt Wolgast
Berlin, DLGS conference – Thilo Lang: Local response to socio-economic change
15/ 17Achievements
methodological
framework for cross-national comparative governance study
combining institutional theory and analytical governance
perspective
practical
adding to contemporary British governance debate and
German debate about urban regeneration/ Stadtumbau
introducing a social economy theme to German debate
theoretical
governance factors: clearly over-estimated (partnership?)
understanding governance in institutional environments
determinating role of national debates
Berlin, DLGS conference – Thilo Lang: Local response to socio-economic change
16/ 17Leibniz-Institut für Länderkunde, Leipzig
Local response to socio-economic challenges
in Germany and England
Thank you!
Dr. Thilo Lang
Leibniz Institute
for Regional Geography
T_Lang@IfL-Leipzig.deYou can also read
