Dear List members,

 

The Regional Studies Association is pleased to announce its fourth Central and Eastern Europe Conference to be held 11-13 September in the beautiful city of Dubrovnik, Croatia.

 

The conference is organised in partnership with Department of Economics and Business at the University of Dubrovnik and in association with the Croatian Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds and the Leibniz ScienceCampus Eastern Europe- Global Area (EEGA).

 

We hope you can join us for this conference.

 

Please feel free to share details about the conference via your network.

 

With best wishes,

 

Nicola

 

 

**Conference Announcement and Call for Papers**

 

Central and Eastern Europe: A Dynamically Changing Region in an Ever-Changing World

11^th – 13^th September 2024

 

University of Dubrovnik, Croatia

 

Central and Eastern European (CEE) regions continue to undergo substantial internal and external restructuring. New patterns of regional differentiation and development, alternative development pathways, and different political projects, are all impacting the internal dynamics of CEE. Integrating into European and global networks, positioning in relation to the geopolitical manoeuvrings of the US, EU, China and Russia, and responding to international crises (e.g. migration, environmental, health), are just some of the major external dynamics impacting CEE and its place in the world. Regional research often ‘looks in’ at regions and regional development within and across CEE, or ‘looks out’ to beyond CEE.

 

The RSA’s CEE Conference in Dubrovnik provides an opportunity for researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and students working in all areas related to regional policy, regional development and regional studies to come together and discuss the changing internal and external dynamics of CEE. The conference organisers warmly invite sessions and papers which look at CEE from the inside out and others which look at CEE from the outside in. We are particularly keen to see contributions from those whose research speaks to both. An example here might be research that explores the strategic location of CEE in China’s Belt and Road Initiative by examining which places or regions stand to gain or lose the most as a result.

 

Potential themes and topics include, but are not limited to:

 

Looking out – CEEs Place in the World:

 

• The changing identity and external view of CEE
• The changing impact of CEE on the International political stage
• The position and role of CEE in the European project and further enlargement
• The influence of Russia, China, the EU and US on CEE
• CEE and the global east
• Regional Cooperation in the Western Balkans, between CEE and SEE
• De-colonial and post-colonial Approaches to CEE
• Contributions to theory production and innovation in methodological development
• CEE in a digital world
• CEE in a post-Covid world
• CEE and the climate change and energy crises
• CEEs role and position in global value chains, transnational cooperation, foreign direct investment

 

Looking in – places and regions in CEE:

 

• Winners and losers of economic transformation
• Hidden economies of everyday life and social reproduction
• Spaces of innovation and entrepreneurship
• Institutional change and the rescaling of power
• Spatial planning in the context of urban and regional policies 
• Integrated territorial development and management of specific territories
• Climate change, green infrastructure, and civil protection
• Demographic shifts and changing social structures
• Healthcare, education and welfare
• Tourism, culture, creativity
• Transport, infrastructure, waste
• Housing, labour markets and work

 

Looking in, looking out:

 

• Comparing social, economic and political trends inside and outside CEE
• EU Cohesion Policy and its regional impacts in CEE
• Transnational, macroregional and cross-border cooperation inside and outside CEE
• Comparative approaches to researching CEE and non-CEE places and regions
• Spatial distribution and effects of foreign investment
• Integrating regional, national and international economies
• Liberalism, illiberalism, authoritarian within and beyond CEE
• Strategic location in China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the impact on places or regions in CEE
• (Im)mobilities and (im)migration of people from inside-to-outside or outside-to-inside CEE
• Placing the digital economy in CEE

 

The event is inclusive and offers networking opportunities for all in our field. The organisers welcome proposals for special sessions, themed workshops and innovative forms of networking and collaboration.

 

The conference is organised in partnership with Department of Economics and Business at the University of Dubrovnik and in association with the Croatian Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds and the Leibniz ScienceCampus Eastern Europe- Global Area (EEGA).

 

Conference Webpage: www.regionalstudies.org/events/2024cee

 

Submission Details:

Special Sessions: 16^th April 2024
Abstracts: 14^th May 2024 (up to 250 words and text only)

 

Please click here to submit your abstract or special session proposal.

 

For any questions, please feel free to contact me.

 

With best wishes

 

Nicki

 

Nicola Pilling
Conference and Events Officer

Regional Studies Association

Sussex Innovation Centre | Falmer | Brighton BN1 9SB | United Kingdom

Tel (office): +44(0)1273 698 017

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