De-coding New Regionalism Shifting Socio-political Contexts in Central Europe and Latin America

Bringing together comparative case studies from Central Europe and South America, this book focuses on 'new' regions - regions created as political projects of modernization and 're-scaling'. Through this approach it de-codes 'New Regionalism' in terms of its contributions to institutional change, while acknowledging its contested nature and contradictions. It questions whether these regions are merely a strategy of neo-liberal adjustment to changing political and economic conditions, or whether they are indicative of true reform, greater citizen participation and empowerment. It assesses whether these regions are really representing something new or whether they are a reconfiguration of traditional power relationships. It provides a timely critical analysis of 'region-building' and the extent to which national processes of decentralization and sub-national processes of regionalism can enhance the effectiveness and responsiveness of governance.

Part 1 Introduction: Aims and Outline of the book; Chapter 1 Introduction, James Wesley Scott; Part 2 Systemic Transformation and the Politics of Scale; Chapter 2 Systemic Transformation and the Implementation of New Regionalist Paradigms: Experiences of Central Europe and Latin America, James Wesley Scott; Chapter 3 Between Crisis and Adaptation: Economic Aspects of Institutional Change in Latin America and Central Europe, Carlos Riojas; Chapter 4 Policies of Regionalization in a Transformational Context: Some Conceptual Considerations, Karl-Dieter Keim; Chapter 5 Regions, New Regionalism and Regime Theory: Deciphering Post-Socialist Institutional Change, Iwona Sagan; Part 3 Case Studies of Region-building in Latin America; Chapter 6 An Indecisive New Regionalism in Mexico? The Case of Jalisco, Basilio Verduzco Chávez; Chapter 7 Decentralization and Regions in Brazil: An Economic Development Perspective, Anita Kon; Chapter 8 Redefining Regional Policies in Venezuela: From Decentralization to Recentralization, Catalina Banko; Part 4 Case Studies of Region-building in Central Europe; Chapter 9 Regional Development and ‘New’ Regionalism in Poland, Grzegorz Gorzelak; Chapter 10 Regionalization in Hungary: Options and Scenarios on the ‘Road to Europe’, Ilona Kovács Pálné; Chapter 11 ’Reaching for the Stars’: East German Urban Regions and the Vicissitudes of Place-Making, Hans-Joachim Bürkner; Chapter 12, József Benedek; Part 5 Conclusion; Chapter 13 New Regionalism and Evolving Territorialities of the State, James Wesley Scott;

Dr James W. Scott is a lecturer at the Leibniz Institute for Regional Development and Structural Planning, Germany.