Border Municipalities Research Articles

The Free Movement of People and the Success of Far-Right Parties: Evidence from Switzerland’s Border Liberalization

The main theories explaining electoral backlash against immigration focus on citizens’ cultural, economic, and security concerns. We test these predictions in Switzerland, which opened its labor market to neighboring countries in the 2000s. Employing a difference-in-differences design, we document a substantial rise in immigrant workers in Swiss border municipalities after the border opened. This was accompanied by a 6-percentage-point (95% confidence interval 2–10) increase in support for anti-immigrant parties, equivalent to a 32% rise at the mean. However, we find no adverse effects on citizens’ employment, wages, or subjective perceptions of economic, cultural, or security threats. Instead, we describe how far-right parties introduced novel narratives related to overcrowding to advance hostility toward immigrants. We provide evidence that this rhetoric targeted border municipalities, where it had the greatest impact on voters susceptible to political persuasion. Together, these findings suggest that elites can play a role in driving anti-immigrant votes.

Divergent population dynamics: The case of the inner city of Riga

Population dynamics shape the spatial landscape of Europe. Although broadly studied, both suburban sprawl and inner-city reurbanisation have often been treated in isolation. Furthermore, these processes manifest distinctively across different local contexts. This research aimed to explore the population dynamics in the inner city of Riga from 2011 to 2021, contrasting them with the bordering municipalities of Riga, and to analyze how these dynamics align with the urban development model. Covering 58 neighborhoods and 7 bordering municipalities of Riga, the analysis revealed a shift in the trajectory of inner-city population dynamics during the latter half of the decade, which was finally characterized by growth. However, suburbanisation continued to outpace reurbanisation, indicating the coexistence of multiple urban development model stages.

The association between SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and cross-border mobility for visiting family or friends among Dutch residents of a Euregional province

BackgroundBorder measures were implemented in many countries as infection prevention measures to interrupt between-country COVID-19 transmission. Border closings impact border region residents, as their professional and social lives are often intertwined across national borders. We studied whether crossing borders to visit family/friends in neighbouring countries (cross-border mobility) was associated with SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Dutch Euregional residents. MethodsSARS-CoV-2 serostatus (negative/positive) was assessed (pre-vaccination) using laboratory testing to determine previous infection. Visiting Belgian or German family/friends in February-March 2020 was questioned. The association between cross-border mobility and seroprevalence was tested using logistic regression analysis, adjusted for previously identified exposure factors. ResultsIn 9,996 participants, 36.8 % (n = 3,677) reported cross-border family/friends. Of these, one-third (n = 1,306) visited their cross-border family/friends in February-March 2020. Multivariable analyses revealed no positive association between cross-border mobility and seropositivity, for both participants living in a border municipality (ORfamily/friends not visited=0.90 [95 % CI:0.78–1.04], ORfamily/friends visited=0.88 [95 % CI:0.73–1.05]), and for participants not living in a border municipality (ORfamily/friends not visited=0.91 [95 % CI:0.72–1.16], ORfamily/friends visited=0.62 [95 % CI:0.41–0.94]). ConclusionsThis study provided no evidence of cross-border mobility as an important exposure factor for SARS-CoV-2. The results of our unique real-world study suggest that cross-border mobility did not substantially contribute to cross-border SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the Netherlands.

Anthropogenic pressures and spatio-temporal dynamics of forest ecosystems in the rural and border municipality of Kasenga (DRC)

Anthropogenic pressures and spatio-temporal dynamics of forest ecosystems in the rural and border municipality of Kasenga (DRC)

Роль приграничных муниципальных образований в обеспечении экономической безопасности региона (на материалах Сибирского федерального округа)

The article explores the role of border municipalities in contributing to the economic stability of Siberian regions. It analyses the current mechanisms of state control over border municipalities and summarises scientific approaches to understanding their situation. Additionally, it identifies indicators of economic stability at the municipal level. Based on data from five regions within the Siberian Federal District - the Omsk and Novosibirsk Regions, the Altai Territory, and the Republics of Altay and Tyva - the research conducted a comparative analysis of economic stability in their municipal and urban areas. The study identified vulnerable aspects of economic stability for local communities and assessed their influence on the development of the region as a whole. The article discusses the potential and tools for the impact of regulatory measures in the region on the development of local communities. It compares the economic efficiency indicators of neighboring municipalities and regions and reveals a significant difference in the indicators for border municipalities compared to the average regional values. The research findings can be used to develop a strategic policy for the district's development in the area of integrated development for border regions and constituent municipalities. Based on the research, the author concludes that a unified state policy is needed to ensure the economic stability of Siberia's border municipalities, and identifies some possible directions for implementing such a policy.

Directions of change in the spatial policies of Polish border municipalities during the first year of war in Ukraine, 2022

Local-level spatial policies in Poland are determined by diverse social, economic, political and environmental factors. On the one hand, they result from the specific characteristics of individual areas. On the other, however, supra-local factors are found to be playing an increasingly important role. These can include trends related to the Europeanisation of spatial planning and the associated promoted institutional changes and changes in planning practices. However, from February 2022 onwards, certain European countries in particular have seen another important factor has come into play, i.e. the war in Ukraine. It thus seems legitimate to verify how the fundamental change in the geopolitical situation, i.e. the location in the immediate vicinity of a victim state (Ukraine), an aggressor state (Russia) and an aggressor-friendly state (Belarus), along with a number of related consequences (including a change in the nature of border capacity, a sense of insecurity, potential changes in investment policy, etc.) determine the directions local spatial policies have been taking. The main purpose of the article is to diagnose the current planning situation of units of local-government administration along Poland’s eastern border by reference to two groups of issues: (1) concerning the state of progress of planning work, as well as (2) the impact of the outbreak of war in Ukraine on changes in spatial policy (perforce ancillary, given the small number of responses received). The source of the data were annual surveys of the Ministry of Development and Technology and Statistics Poland regarding the advancement of planning work at the level of the Polish gmina, as well and a survey addressed to all 77 such units of local administration located by the border. Particular reference was made to the application of spatial-planning instruments at the local level (studies of spatial planning conditions and directions, local spatial development plans and decisions on development conditions – with the analyses concerning the period before the major July 2023 amendment of spatial planning law). Particular attention was paid to the frequency of enactment of individual acts, with this being related to both earlier periods and trends in Poland as a whole. The research finds that the relatively high level of activity shown by some of the surveyed gminas in amending/updating spatial planning studies and spatial / physical development plans may not be related to the outbreak of war in Ukraine. The Polish spatial-planning system in fact lacks instruments by which to react flexibly and ensure the integration of development policies (as is particularly necessary when a crisis erupts).

Донные ландшафты на подводном береговом склоне у мыса Таран (юго-восточное побережье Балтийского моря)

The article addresses the dynamics of the representation of the Russian population in the Baltic republics during the rise of Russophobic sentiments in these countries from 2018 to 2023. The aim of the article is to identify current trends in the dynamics of the Russian ethnic population in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, considering the spatial characteristics of their settlement, and to compare this with the situation before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The research is based on official data from national statistical departments, including the results of population censuses (both national and all-Union since 1959). The methodological foundation of the study includes general scientific methods (generalization, analysis, comparison), as well as statistical and cartographic methods. The study finds that the rate of decline in the number and share of Russians significantly increased after 2021, particularly in Estonia — by a factor of 10 in 2021 compared to 2020. Negative trends are observed across all regions. The highest representation of Russians in the ethnic structure of the Baltic republics remains in the capitals, border municipalities adjacent to Russia, and historically Russian-settled territories, where the decline in the Russian share is most pronounced.

Электоральные циклы в Грузии: опыт пространственного анализа

The article discusses three electoral cycles in Georgia: 2012, 2016, and 2020. Among the main issues in the political party programs that make the parties different are the territorial integrity of the country, relations with Russia and the collective West, as well as issues of economic stability that has become even more sensitive in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. Given these facts, the author seeks to understand how electoral support for the parties changed during the last three electoral cycles in Georgia municipalities. Besides, the author tries to uncover some possible patterns of electoral behavior that are closely connected with the present cleavages in Georgian society and economic situation. In order to answer the questions, the author used non-spatial models of spatial analysis. Firstly, the transformation of electoral preferences in Georgian municipalities is characterized with the use of cartograms of box blots of voting for Georgian Dream, United National Movement, and Alliance of Patriots of Georgia. Secondly, the author used multi-variable analysis on the basis of parallel coordinate plot (PCP) in order to analyze the voting patterns. When conducting the analysis, such indicators were included as the unemployment rate in municipalities, Georgian, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Russian, and Ossetia population, as well as Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Muslim population. Electoral choice in Georgia is determined, among others, by the spatial factor, the ethnic and religious composition of Georgian municipalities, their economic indicators, as well as their position on the map, i.e., which country borders a particular Georgian municipality. Little support for United National Movement is shown by municipalities that border the Russian Federation excluding Kakheti. Besides, municipalities with a big proportion of Armenian population also show low electoral support for the party. At the same time, municipalities bordering Turkey actively vote for United National Movement. As for Georgian Dream, Georgians in municipalities bordering Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as well as along the Russian border, highly support the party since one of its core issues on the agenda is recreating the territorial integrity of the state. However, Kakheti and Mtskheta-Mtianeti show low electoral support for the party. In addition, this party promotes the idea of expanding economic and political ties with Turkey, albeit the bordering municipalities are not enthusiastic about the idea and grant lower support for the party as a result. Municipalities on the Russian, Turkish, and Armenian border at the same time show high support for Alliance of Patriots of Georgia, which is connected with religious, ethnic, political, and economic cleavages.

Risk Factors for Death among Hospitalized and Nonhospitalized Patients due to COVID-19 in a Triple International Border Municipality.

The severity of COVID-19 in the general population ranges from minimally symptomatic disease to critical illness, which may require hospitalization and progress to death. A retrospective cohort study carried out with all positive cases of COVID-19 reported in the municipality of Foz do Iguaçu (PR) between the period from March 2020 to December 2021. Data were collected from Bank Notifies COVID-19 is the name of the information system that provides notifications by professionals of suspected and confirmed cases of the disease. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques and calculation of relative risk. 24,647 confirmed cases were identified in the study; among these, 22,211 (90.1%) were not hospitalized and 2436 (9.9%) were hospitalized. Among the 2436 patients hospitalized for COVID-19, 947 (38.9%) died and 1489 (61.1%) recovered. Among the 22,211 outpatients, 93 (0.4%) died and 22,118 (99.6%) recovered. An association between death and the following characteristics was identified among the cases that were hospitalized: male gender, all age groups over 40 years, indigenous race/color, hospital staylength of more than 10 days,hospitalization in a Unified Health System (SUS) bed and in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). According to the clinical characteristics of symptoms and comorbidities, the following prevailed:ities dyspnea, intercostal retraction, cyanosis, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, smoking, lung disease, kidneydisease, neurological disease, neoplasia, and immunodeficiency. Among the cases that were not hospitalized, death was associated with: malegender, all age groups over 50 years, dyspnea, cyanosis, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, neurological disease, neoplasia, and liver disease. Older adults, male, and Caucasian people are commonly affected by COVID-19 and can evolve with aggravation when they have modifiable risk factors such as obesity and smoking, as well as nonmodifiable risk factors such as: cardiovascular disease, neurological disease, renal, hypertension, diabetes, and immunosuppression.

Perinatal health outcomes of international migrant women in Brazil: A nationwide data linkage study of the CIDACS birth cohort (2011–2018)

BackgroundWe investigated perinatal outcomes among live births from international migrant and local-born mothers in a cohort of low-income individuals in Brazil. MethodsWe linked nationwide birth registries to mortality records and socioeconomic data from the CIDACS Birth Cohort and studied singleton live births of women aged 10–49 years from 1st January 2011 to 31st December 2018. We used logistic regressions to investigate differences in antenatal care, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and neonatal (i.e., ≤28 days) mortality among international migrants compared to non-migrants in Brazil; and explored the interaction between migration, race/ethnicity and living in international border municipalities. ResultsWe studied 10,279,011 live births, of which 9469 (0.1 %) were born to international migrants. Migrant women were more likely than their Brazilian-born counterparts to have a previous foetal loss (ORadj: 1.16, 1.11–1.22), a delayed start of antenatal care (i.e., beyond 1st trimester) (1.22, 95%CI:1.16–1.28), a newborn who is large for gestational age (1.29, 1.22–1.36), or a newborn with congenital anomalies (1.37, 1.14–1.65). Conversely, migrant women were less likely to deliver prematurely (0.89, 0.82–0.95) or have a low birth weight infant (0.74, 0.68–0.81). There were no differences in neonatal mortality rates between migrants and non-migrants. Our analyses also showed that, when disparities in perinatal outcomes were present, disparities were mostly concentrated among indigenous mothers in international borders and among live births of Black mothers in non-borders. ConclusionAlthough live births of international migrants generally have lower rates of adverse birth outcomes, our results suggest that indigenous and Black migrant mothers may face disproportionate barriers to accessing antenatal care.

Borders, cross-border cooperation and depopulation: the case of the Spanish-Portuguese North-Central Border.

Cross-border cooperation has been (and still is) one of the main assets of the acquis communitiare in everything that refers to cross-border development. In fact, development initiatives aimed at addressing the problems of intra-European border areas could have better results if they were concerted (horizontally coordinated) and executed jointly by the governments, national, and local actors from both border sides, to improve their populations' quality of life. The study goal is to provide new contributions that enrich critical reflection and debate on the issue of depopulation, in order to propose economic policy recommendations within a framework of cross-border institutional cooperation and inter- and intra-governmental coordination of political actors involved. We prepared a descriptive analysis of its evolution during the period 1960-2020, with three essential variables: a) population evolution border based on the losses or gains verified with respect to 1960; b) critical population mass existing in 2020 based on the indicator of population density (inhabitants per square kilometer), and c) level of population aging based on the indicator percentage of population over 65 years of age over total population. Our descriptive analysis exclusively covers the border municipalities located along the both sides of the Spanish-Portuguese north-central border line, a total of 49 border municipalities (nine Portuguese and 40 spanish). The results show the existence of this recessive demographic continuum, which extends to both sides of the border, causes the need to face the depopulating phenomenon from a transnational and European perspective, in the sense that 'national' solutions to the phenomenon will not be able to offer answers common and consistent to a phenomenon as complex as depopulation. It is necessary to reinforce the existing cross-border cooperation, providing it with greater operability at the level of institutional and administrative coordination, deepening the multilevel governance of the territory.

Differentiation of Leisure Time Budget of Residents of Border Municipalities in Poland

Differentiation of Leisure Time Budget of Residents of Border Municipalities in Poland

Survey of Accessibility of Information on International Cooperation of Municipalities on Border Regions Administrations Official Websites (case of AIRR member regions)

One of the problems researchers encounter when researching the topic is the availability of relevant information from official sources. This problem is especially acute when collecting data on international cooperation at the local level, since there is very little or no information on cooperation with foreign partners in the public domain on the websites of administrations. At the same time, the municipality is a border municipality, which means that it has conditions for the organization of inter-municipal cooperation with neighboring countries. Consequently, questions arise. Firstly, why does the administration not publish up-to-date information on international projects implemented on its territory? Secondly, if such interaction does not take place, why does the municipality, having a favorable geographical location, not implement inter-municipal partnerships with foreign municipalities? In this article the author tries to prove the relevance of the stated problem and suggests some ways to solve it by the example of studying the official websites of the border districts of some subjects of Russian Federation.

Immigrant inventors and local income taxes: Evidence from Swiss municipalities

This paper studies the relationship between local personal income tax rates and the attractiveness of municipalities as residential locations for immigrant inventors in Switzerland. Exploiting sharp differences in top income tax rates across state borders, I find an elasticity of the probability that an inventor takes residence in a border municipality with respect to the top net-of-tax rate of around 3.2. Additional evidence suggests that inventors’ residential location choices are consequential for the localization of entrepreneurial activity and local knowledge spillovers.

Демографические аспекты развития приграничных муниципалитетов России и Китая в контексте их пограничных политик

The adoption in 2015 of the Concept for the Development of Border Territories in the Far Eastern Federal District was the milestone in the process of identifying Russian border municipalities as a special object of state policy. The purpose of the article is to assess some intermediate results of the implementation of this Concept in the demographic sphere. Based on a comparative analysis of municipal and regional statistics, the author examines the current spatial distribution of the population in the border areas of Russia and China, its dynamics in 2012–2021, as well as the impact of the border policies of the two countries. The study leads to the conclusion that measures to optimize border infrastructure and establish preferential regimes, taken in the Russian Far East since the mid-2010s, could not change the negative trends in the demographic development of border municipalities

Concept development of Sino-Russian cross-border agricultural entrepreneurship

The objective of the study is to support an adequate methodological approach to the development of the concept of cross-border Russian-Chinese agricultural entrepreneurship and to take into account the inevitable risks that arise in this process. The object of the study is Russian-Chinese agricultural entrepreneurship in Primorsky Krai of the Russian Federation. The subject of the research is the organisational and economic relations that determine the conditions of Russian-Chinese agricultural entrepreneurship in the border areas. The results of the research are methodological tools to support the process of developing the concept of joint Russian-Chinese agricultural entrepreneurship under the conditions of minimising environmental and economic risks. It identifies promising projects aimed at the development of agricultural entrepreneurship in border municipalities and production aimed at the production of import-substituting products. The conditions of interaction with Chinese partners, under which foreign investment in the development of agriculture in Primorsky Krai will have an impact on increasing the potential of economic development and its formation as a competitive segment in the Asia-Pacific region, are substantiated. As a result of the development of this concept, related to the variety of tasks to be solved and risks that arise, the improvement of Russian-Chinese agricultural entrepreneurship should be based on the maximum structuring of risks and the application of standardised assessments of the results obtained, which will ensure high efficiency of joint entrepreneurship in the border areas and progressive development of the Russian and Chinese economies by achieving mutual interests.

ЕС vs ЕАЭС: молодежь российского эксклава о перспективах и барьерах международного сотрудничества

The dynamics of relations between the Kaliningrad region and its neighboring countries demonstrates various strategic approaches for positioning the region: a military outpost, a “development corridor” and a region of international cooperation. The latter option is considered the most promising scenario. However, the effectiveness of the implementation of the program largely depends on the degree of acceptance of the new geopolitical role of the region by the population of the region. First of all, those who represent the cultural and professional future - the youth. Therefore, the aim of this article is to determine the ideas of young people in the Kaliningrad region about the prospects and barriers of international cooperation with the Russian exclave, as well as to record their assessment of the socio-economic, cultural and infrastructural network of interactions with the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union. The main research method is a sociological survey of young people aged 18-35 in Kaliningrad and border municipalities of the Kaliningrad region. The survey was conducted in May 2021. The research sample consisted of 463 respondents. Depending on the attitude to the EAEU and the EU a typology of Kaliningrad youth is proposed: Eurasians and anti-Eurasians, pro-Europeans and Euro-pessimists. A positive attitude to each integration project (EU and EAEU) significantly prevails among the youth of the Kaliningrad region. The European Union is seen as the region's preferred partner in such areas as culture, science, education, transport and infrastructure, and environmental protection. The Eurasian Economic Union seems to be a more reliable partner for cooperation in the military sphere. The socio-economic and healthcare spheres turn out to be outside of integration agenda. The absolute majority of the respondents supported the development of cooperation with Poland and Lithuania in various fields, especially in the tourism industry. Despite the support for the idea of cross-border cooperation, the majority of the young people demonstrated extremely poor awareness of the main international programs with the Kaliningrad region. They also could not give specific examples of cross-border cooperation. According to the youth, there are such main barriers to cross-border cooperation as the COVID-19 pandemic, the visa regime, the two-sided sanctions of the European Union and Russia, and stereotypes in the perception of Russians by residents of the neighboring countries.

Can high COVID-19 vaccination rates in adults help protect unvaccinated children? Evidence from a unique mass vaccination campaign, Schwaz/Austria, March 2021.

BackgroundAfter an outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 Beta variant in the district of Schwaz/Austria, vaccination with Comirnaty vaccine (BNT162b2 mRNA, BioNTech-Pfizer) had been offered to all adult inhabitants (≥ 16 years) in March 2021. This made Schwaz one of the most vaccinated regions in Europe at that time (70% of the adult population took up the offer). In contrast, all other Austrian districts remained with low vaccine coverage.AimWe studied whether this rapid mass vaccination campaign provided indirect protection to unvaccinated individuals such as children (< 16 years) living in the same district.MethodsTo study the effect of the campaign we used two complementary approaches. We compared infection rates among the population of children (< 16 years) in Schwaz with (i) the child population from similar districts (using the synthetic control method), and (ii) with the child population from municipalities along the border of Schwaz not included in the campaign (using an event study approach).ResultsBefore the campaign, we observed very similar infection spread across the cohort of children in Schwaz and the control regions. After the campaign, we found a significant reduction of new cases among children of −64.5% (95%-CI: −82.0 to −30.2%) relative to adjacent border municipalities (using the event study model). Employing the synthetic control method, we observed a significant reduction of −42.8% in the same cohort.ConclusionOur results constitute novel evidence of an indirect protection effect from a group of vaccinated individuals to an unvaccinated group.

Access to Health Care by Foreign Children with Special Needs in an International Border Municipality

This qualitative study aimed to analyze access to health by foreign children with special needs in an international border municipality. Grounded on hermeneutics-dialectics, this research was conducted through in-depth interviews with 26 professionals who treat foreign children with special health care needs and thematic analysis for data analysis was adopted. One central theme emerged: Vulnerability of foreign children and the health access in a border area Brazil-Argentina-Paraguay, organized by six sub-themes. High demand of children, overload in the health services, problems with documentation and language, insufficient articulation between the countries, and lack of funding represent restrictions for the access, especially in the fields of promotion, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation.

Thrive, survive, or perish: The impact of regional autonomy on the demographic dynamics of Italian Alpine territories

AbstractMountain communities face the threat of depopulation, as residents age or move to large cities in the lowland. This issue is pressing for Italy, where a large portion of the territory is mountainous and the overall population is rapidly aging. This paper analyses whether the autonomous status of a region affects the demographic dynamics of its mountain areas. The question is currently being fiercely debated in Italy, with border municipalities seeking to switch region in pursuit of perceived benefits, mainly in the form of the direct management of a larger portion of taxes. The analysis relies on an adjacency‐based estimation approach, including spatial regression discontinuity techniques, to compare population changes in mountain areas randomly selected from Northern Italian regions with special statutes versus neighboring regions without special statute. Measuring population changes in the 2000s shows a significant difference in the demographic dynamics in border regions, with areas in autonomous regions experiencing more favorable population dynamics. Our hypothesis is that fiscal autonomy contributes to sustainable local development and the survival of mountain communities.