Abstract: Cultural, economic and demographic diversity not only pose challenges but also offer enormous potential for developing cross-border regions. Tapping into the latter requires intelligent networking and merging of different systems in the fields of education, employment and economy, etc. This central working focus examines the conditions and tangible implementations of cross-border training and educational cooperations and their effects on cross-border employment and economic activity. The research results are intended to provide information on system differences, cooperation potentials and practices as well as an added value with respect to their transferability and regional development perspectives.
The diversity of cross-border regions with regard to culture, economic and demographic development offers potential for the development thereof. The development of cross-border-promoting increased knowledge and economic development can be generated by situative and sufficiently flexible mobilization and by combining knowledge and educational systems with the labor markets, i.e. there is potential for a positive shift in the precarious peripheral situation of border regions.
The aim of the planned research is to analyze the cross-border training and educational cooperations as regards their creation and implementation and to understand the latter and their impact and effect on the cross-border labor markets and economic interrelations as a learning process in themselves. The intention is to carve out opportunities and risks posed by the transfer from and to other regions. The following concepts are to be utilized:
- Regionales Lernen (“Learning Regions” (e.g. Gustavsen, B./B. Nyhan/R. Ennals 2007)
- Policy and Knowledge Mobilization (räumliche, zeitliche bzw. intersektorale Mobilisierung (e.g. Peck/Theodore 2010; Temenos/McCann 2013))
- dynamische Regionskonzepte der New Regional Geography (Regions as processes)
- grenzüberschreitende Netzwerkanalysen sowie Border Studies (De- und Re-Bordering-Prozesse)
Furthermore, this central working focus of the UniGR-Center for Border Studies deals with the description and analytical documentation of labor markets and the players, scholastic educational systems and programs, academic education, vocational training, continued and further training on both sides of the national border as well as cross-border approaches and forms of cooperation.
So far, this multidisciplinary central working focus of the UniGR-Center for Border Studies has primarily involved researchers from all professional positions in the fields of regional sciences/geography, economic sciences, political science, sociology, educational science and linguistics. Reference points to all other central working focuses of the UniGR-Center for Border Studies also exist.
Bibliography
- Gustavsen, B./B. Nyhan/R. Ennals (eds.) (2007): Learning together for local innovation: promoting learning regions. (=Cedefop Reference series; 68). Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities).
- Peck, J./N. Theodore (2010): Mobilizing policy: Models, methods, and mutations. - Geoforum 41, 169-174.
- Rutten, R. (Ed.) (2007): The Learning Region Foundations, State of the Art, Future. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
- Temenos, C. /E. McCann (2013): Geographies of Policy Mobilities. - Geography Compass 7/5, 344-357