Social Investment and Territorial Inequalities: Mapping Policies and Services in the Baltic States

Front matter

BALTISCHE STUDIEN ZUR ERZIEHUNGS- UND SOZIALWISSENSCHAFT 38

BALTIC STUDIES IN EDUCATIONAL

AND SOCIAL SCIENCES 38

Preface

This book emanates from the COHSMO research project “Inequality, Urbanization and Territorial Cohesion: Developing the European Social Model of Economic Growth and Democratic Capacity” funded by Horizon 2020 Grant [no. 727058] implemented in the period 2018-2021.’ The project addresses social inequalities and socio-economic differences between neighborhoods, cities and regions across European countries (Poland, Greece, Austria, UK, Denmark, Italy, Lithuania). It focuses on a public investment approach and the role of social policies in delivering economic growth and better quality of life implemented by employing multi-layered and multi-scaled governance forms, tools, and mechanisms. COHSMO pointed to the relevance of a territorial perspective in forming place-driven policies. The project asks whether “place” matters in implementing a social investment policy framework at territorial level? One of the main achievements of our project includes the development and conceptualization of a European Social Model. The model proposes solutions for a more cohesive European countries considering the impact of territorial inequalities and importance of life chances, community participation and complementarity within a social investment policy paradigm. Our research, among other sub-questions, was designed to detect the importance of localities in designing a variety of welfare and economic growth policy tools for sustainable territorial development in different context and regions. Will a shift towards social investment policy be an efficient perspective to counteract rising spatial differences in various administrative systems, welfare traditions, and contexts? Is it necessary to recognize the emerging policy concepts that should underline the importance of governance, institutional complementarity, and provision of services? And finally, how is social-economic equity and well-being at different local, regional, and state levels promoted? Each chapter of this book benefitted from the outcomes of the academic cooperation in this long-term project that employs both qualitative and quantitative research methodological approaches’.

1 More information on the research project is available here: https://www.cohsmo. aau.dk/.

2 The chapters of this book are based on the material from COHSMO project reports (D.2.2., D..4.4., D.4.6.; D.5.1., D.5.2, D.5.3 deliverables), available online: https://cordis. europa.eu/project/id/727058/results.

6 Preface

We would like to thank all consortium members from Austria (Vienna university), Italy (Milano Politechnico), Poland (Warsaw University), the United Kingdom (Bristol University), Greece (Harokopio University) and Denmark (Aalborg university) for their effective teamwork and inspirational insights that encouraged us to develop the idea of publishing this book. The book would not have been published without continuous administrative support from the Aalborg university team that was responsible for the overall project administration and supervision. We would also like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the contributions of all national teams, early-stage researchers, doctoral students, and post-docs who tackled the extensive field work. The rich and fascinating empirical data invaluably feeds the theoretical and empirical assumptions. International collaboration is always a challenge for researchers from a variety of scientific fields that are trying to combine different views, expectations, and insights. We have been privileged to work with the team leaders Rob Atkinson, Yuri Kazepov, Costanzo Ranci, Anja Jorgensen, Hans Thor Andersen, Pawel Swianiewicz, Carolina Pacchi and many others not mentioned in this personalized list, without whose extensive expertise and commitment the vision of this book would not have been possible for our Lithuanian team. Our young colleagues, both doctoral students and post-doc researchers, contributed substantially, conducting field research, utilizing empirical skills, and exerting considerable efforts in interviewing people from local authorities, business, and local communities. Similarly, we are grateful for the reviewers for their constructive feedback and academic guidance through the jungles of territorial policies and multi-scale governance.

Table of contents

Jurga Bučaitė-Vilkė Introduction. Challenging territorial inegualities and social investment

Part I Revising territories and social investment policy in Europe: Concepts, ideas and challenges

Panagiotis Artelaris and George Mavrommatis Chapter 1 Territorial cohesion, spatial justice and the social investment ADPIOAChL si ii sis i i ii i i i a i i i 27