The twinning mechanism, which has become very widespread since in Europe since the end of the Second World War, is analysed in this study through its concrete effects on populations and its impact on the sense of belonging to the community of Europeans. The study is based on a questionnaire that was circulated very widely to the local authorities concerned. It provides insights into the spillover effects of the many exchanges that take place as part of twinning schemes and offers some recommendations to reinforce and renew these dynamics.
L’ouvrage pose la question générale de l’existence d’une identité collective propre au territoire transfrontalier du Rhin Supérieur. Trois types de contributions permettent de baliser les réponses à cette question : l’examen d’initiatives institutionnelles qui encouragent la construction de cette identité collective, des analyses d’us et habitus de ce territoire qui témoigne de cette identité chez les acteurs et habitants de cette région et enfin des témoignages issus de régions proches qui confirment le propos général.
The term "border" is characterised by its complexity in connection with its linguistically ambiguous character. The work analyses the concept of the border under a multidisciplinary approach. All eight contributions are based on two approaches: internationalist political science theory on the one hand and social sciences on the other hand. This work has an entirely new, diversified methodical approach. It offers added value for the traditional approaches of political sciences and international relationships regarding the term of "border", in which the multidisciplinary perspective is supported. This approach permits integration of development of this concept and shows that several shared properties exist in spite of the different areas.
In spite of their small sizes, Luxembourg and Switzerland have a high demand for workers. In particular, they offer employment opportunities to people crossing the border to work. The situation in the main employment sites (Luxembourg, Basel, Geneva) – but also Ticino – is the object of the subject leaflet that 19 authors submit contributions with comparing perspectives. Under consideration of central context features and methodological considerations, the geographers, economists, sociologists and politologists considered in particular the labour market, cross-border everyday life and social perception of cross-border commuters. The multidisciplinary approach was eventually condensed by the editors into shared challenges between Luxembourg and Switzerland.
Lorraine appears to be subject to continuous outer influences, from the patriotism of 1914 - 18 with its many victims, to the "copy and paste" mode that we see today. Unable to initiate endogenous development, too dependent on outer forces – Lorraine is not even an administrative region today. Lorraine is the victim of "territorialisation" under the neoliberal approach. It has degraded to nothing but a crumbling space, a suburb of Luxembourg and a place where nuclear wastes can be put in final storage. The politicians and elites in Lorraine want to retroactively legitimate and support this exogeneous development..
The book essentially questions the way spaces can be described and empirically studied within or as cross-border relations. To do this, the author focuses on border dwellers in the Greater Region of SaarLorLux, insofar as its circular mobility structure and its presence in multiple neighbouring areas may be considered exemplary for cross-border life realities. The book hypothesises that spaces, rather than being pre-existing, allow for the development of subjectively significant spatial relations through cross-border activities. The concept of space therefore describes the significant social relations developed through border dweller practices, which are partially operationalised and studied empirically through socio-cultural questions.
Universities in the European border regions are facing special challenges due to their geographic location. These challenges may also be viewed as opportunities. Political representatives from the border regions confirm their willingness to engage in stronger European integration in the areas of education and research. In fact, the spatial proximity facilitates international research cooperation, student exchange in general and creation of special coordinated bi- and trinational study programs. The site also leads to special research topics in subjects such as economics, law, literature and cultural sciences. These can be processed by scientists on either side of the border. The quality of personal contact turns out to be supporting pillar for innovative border-crossing programs in all areas..
In this book, geopolitical experts from different countries provide important information on border landscapes thereby enabling us to get a deeper understanding of certain aspects of cultural landscapes. The political border represents a spatial limit to the political organisation of territories. But the way in which these borders are used and perceived can have an effect on the landscape.
Mid-sized towns in rural areas support the spatially balanced and sustainable development as enforced by territorial policy, as well as preservation of area-comprehensive public service in all partial areas. However, the article also shows that mid-sized towns have a wide range of development potentials that require targeted support by instruments of state development, regional and structural policy. In the scope of the debate about future-capable regional development and assurance of infrastructure supply in rural spaces, a number of fields for action becomes evident for rurally-peripheral areas in order to design the challenges of socio-economical structural change processes.
All in all, it therefore can be said that the article makes an important contribution in the scope of the discussion
of design of development and socio-economic structural change in rurally-peripheral regions, and that it has ad direct practical benefit for politics and planning practice.
The aim of the book is to show what means exist to soften borders and avoid the discrimination and marginalisation that separation can generate. To extend the debate, the book draws on the theoretical framework of social ecology. Social ecology is concerned with the complex relations between nature and society and seeks to provide perspectives by showing how environmental issues are dependent on the social context.
