Territorial Cohesion of What and Why? The Challenge of Spatial Justice for EU’s Cohesion Policy

Weckroth, Mikko; Moisio, Sami

doi:10.17645/si.v8i4.3241

Cited by 18 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The concept of spatial justice clearly shows that the mechanism of distributing the EU funds among the member states/regions based on the GDP per person creates a vicious cycle as it puts the development processes on a trajectory of economic growth and a competitive battle. In this cycle, it is efficient and effective to support only the ones already showing the largest growth potential [109]. Thus, the aimed territorial cohesion becomes a more and more unreachable concept.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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EU Rural Policy’s Capacity to Facilitate a Just Sustainability Transition of the Rural Areas

2021

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The sustainability transition of rural areas is a must due to rapid climate changes and biodiversity loss. Given the limited resources of rural communities, policy should facilitate a just sustainability transition of the EU rural areas. The analysis of EU development policies, past performance and the envisaged scope of reform, presented in this study point to a serious inconsistency between the declaration and implementation of relevant policies. Namely, the marginal role rural areas perform in common agricultural policy and cohesion policy; a result of the lack of a complex approach to rural development. The analysis was based on the concept of good governance and took a multi-level perspective. It advocates territorial justice as an approach that should be at the core of creating a comprehensive policy for rural areas in the EU, including their diversity and empowering local communities to choose the transition pathway that is most in line with their current situation and development capacity. This analysis fills a gap in research on the evolution of the rural development policy in the EU. This research can inform the reprioritization and intensification of efforts to create equitable policies for EU rural development.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some authors [113,114] see the environmental measures of the second pillar as part of the EU rural policy as related to environmental problems. Yet, a close examination of these measures shows that they do not support providing environmental public goods [109] and do not facilitate a sustainability transition.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

EU Rural Policy’s Capacity to Facilitate a Just Sustainability Transition of the Rural Areas

2021

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“…How can we measure degrees of territorial cohesion unless we have a strict definition? Weckroth and Moisio (2020) provides an overview of how the concept is defined, framed and justified in European Union policies. They base their overview on the analysis of official speeches by European Union commissioners responsible for regional policies.…”

Section: The Thematic Issuementioning

confidence: 99%

Cohesion in the Local Context: Reconciling the Territorial, Economic and Social Dimensions

Andersen

Fallov

Jørgensen

et al. 2020

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This brief editorial introduces a set of articles dealing with territorial challenges in Europe. The EU and the member states have put attention to a silent, but growing issue of inequality: The spatial disparities are in several member states considered able to provide wider political tensions and challenges. Consequently, the EU has launched a research theme in its framework programme Horizon 2020 to cope with such matter. Most of the papers in this issue have their origin in the Horizon COHSMO project “Inequality, Urbanization and Territorial Cohesion. Developing the European Social Model of Economic Growth and Democratic Capacity.” While social or economic inequalities are recognized as a social problem, spatial disparities are forgotten or ignored. However, territorial inequalities do boost social and economic differences and add to growing tensions and contradictions in many cases. Coping with such challenges is a difficult matter; most European countries have had programmes aiming at rebalancing regional inequalities for many years. Despite major investments in public services, infrastructure, education and culture, as well as targeted support for private investors, businesses raising employment opportunities and so on. However, the success in terms of growing population and employment has been limited. Instead, endogenous structures and relations receive more attention; in particularly local capacity to generate solutions and means to promote economic and social development. This ability strongly links to the concept of collective efficacy, i.e., a joint understanding and capability to organize and execute actions of mutual benefit.

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“…EU policy‐making reflects this ambiguity and contestation. Approaches to equity and spatial justice have changed direction over time (Weckroth & Moisio, 2020), and they are taken forward in governments and sectors with their own history, assumptions, frames of reference, policy networks and impacts on public services. General aims – such as equity and spatial justice – are interconnected in theory, but their relationship is unclear in practice.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, Weckroth and Moisio (2020: 183–6; 190) examine two decades of EU ‘territorial cohesion’ policy: (1) identifying its general commitment to address ‘uneven geographical development’ but also its ‘peculiar, elusive and contested’ nature; and, (2) tracing its intellectual development, from a macroeconomic focus on economic growth and regional gross domestic product (GDP) disparities towards improving ‘spatially equal access to services’ and individual perceptions of regional variations in access to public services (2020: 187). Similarly, Madanipour et al (2021: 9–12) identify a shift of policy over time, from (1) a ‘distributive agenda’, to allocate funding at an EU level, to (2) a ‘procedural agenda’ that emphasises multi‐level governance (MLG), devolving the responsibility to invest within regions, and making sure that ‘sectoral policies which have a spatial impact’ and ‘regional policy’ are ‘more coherent’.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Policy design for territorial equity in multi‐level and multi‐sectoral political systems: Comparing health and education strategies

Cairney

Kippin

Denny

et al. 2022

Regional Science Policy & Practice

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The EU has many plans to foster equity and spatial justice. However, each has separate reference points and it is difficult to find an overall vision. To demonstrate, we analyse two sectoral strategies to identify their implications for spatial justice strategies. Education focuses on early investment and public service reform. Health prioritizes intersectoral action to address the 'social determinants' beyond the control of health services. Both warn against equating territorial cohesion or spatial justice with equal access to public services. These findings could inform European Commission strategy, but it tends to respond with renewed rhetoric rather than reconsidering its approach.

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Territorial Cohesion of What and Why? The Challenge of Spatial Justice for EU’s Cohesion Policy

Cited by 18 publications

References 20 publications

EU Rural Policy’s Capacity to Facilitate a Just Sustainability Transition of the Rural Areas

EU Rural Policy’s Capacity to Facilitate a Just Sustainability Transition of the Rural Areas

Cohesion in the Local Context: Reconciling the Territorial, Economic and Social Dimensions

Policy design for territorial equity in multi‐level and multi‐sectoral political systems: Comparing health and education strategies

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