Regional Development Councils Research Articles

A look at decentralization in public policies: achievements and challenges in the work of the coredes in RS

This article aims to verify the influence of the Regional Development Councils (Coredes) on the socio-economic growth of Rio Grande do Sul, as an experience of decentralization of public policies between the different federal entities and civil society. This is a qualitative study using bibliographical and documentary research, with a focus on analyzing the socio-economic indices presented on the IdeseVis platform, from 2013 to 2020, considering the participation of the Coredes and the role of the Central Government in aligning public policies with the other spheres of government. We can say that a well-structured system combined with effective coordination by the national government is fundamental to guaranteeing satisfactory performance in development indices, represented here by the areas of health, education and income. These structures require a variety of factors, including government policies, investments, local initiatives and global economic conditions, constant monitoring and evaluation and training for the actors involved. However, it can be said that the decentralized system has led to exceptional advances in public policies, as well as providing a balance between the different regions of RS.

From the RPAA to the RDCA – communitarian regionalism as a consistent theme

ABSTRACT The Regional Planning Association of America (RPAA) comprised a core group of experts on urbanism, design, economics, housing, and planning throughout its ten years of advocacy and implementation from 1923 to 1933. A lesser-known subsequent organization, the Regional Development Council of America (RDCA), was founded twenty-five years later in 1948 in recognition of the 50th anniversary of Howard’s To-morrow. Primed for a postwar development surge, the RDCA’s ambitious agenda ranged from federal planning to urban renewal to community building for ‘productive defense’. This study applies a comparative analysis of archival materials, including review of efforts to sustain the RPAA mission during the bridging period when neither organization was active. While the RDCA only functioned for four years, the core membership consistently advocated for the regional city as the solution to a wide range of postwar challenges at the federal, state, and local levels. In doing so, their strategies addressed the increased professionalization and institutionalization of planning. At the same time, their sustained focus on communitarian regionalism diverged from the growing emphasis on economic development through expansionism that came to dominate the field.

Evaluation of the Level of Variability of Niger Delta Community People’s Awareness and Knowledge of Chevron Regional Development Councils (RDCs) and Shell’s Cluster Development Boards (CDBs) Activities

The study's objectives were to evaluate the level of variability in community people's awareness and knowledge of Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) Regional Development Councils (RDCs) and Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) Shell Cluster Development Boards (CDBs) and to determine whether the ascertained community people's awareness and knowledge have a significant impact on how well Multi-National Oil Corporations (MNOCs) development programmes are carried out in the host communities. Adopting the cross-sectional research design, the study surveyed 400 respondents from selected four states in the Niger Delta Oil Producing communities where RDCs and CDBs are operated. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, means, and percentages were used to describe the socio-demographic information and the research questions. Inferential statistical tools like the One-Way Analysis of Variance and regression analysis had been used to take a look at the formulated hypotheses for the study. The findings indicate no relevant difference among community people in their state of awareness of the RDCs and CDBs but that the host community’s people poor involvement in the RDCs and CDBs resulted from inadequate requisite knowledge of the activities of MNOCs in their communities. The study recommended that every decision-making and taking process involve in project initiation, execution and implementation should involve the host communities in order to earn the people’s trust and respect.

44th ASM Message, ASM Steering Committee

My warmest greetings to all our resource persons, partners, colleagues, guests, and participants of the 44th Annual Scientific Meeting! NAST PHL has chosen “PAGTANAW 2050: Agham Tungo sa Mabuting Kinabukasan; FORESIGHT 2050: Science for a Sustainable Future” as the theme of the 2022 Regional Scientific Meetings (RSMs) and its 44th Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) in order to promote awareness of the STI community towards futures thinking and a sustainable blue and circular economy. Prior to the ASM, NAST PHL, in cooperation with the DOST Regional Offices, held the RSMs in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted for the DOST regional offices, SUCs and private HEIs, other government agencies, key private sectors, and NGOs to determine the status of STI talent development and retention and to discuss the STI priorities for the region. Regional Strategic Planning Sessions were also held to facilitate communication and coordination among the government agencies and representatives of the Regional Development Councils. The discussions also served as an initial groundwork for developing a regional strategic plan on STI talent development and retention. Proceedings from the discussions will be consolidated and presented at the 44th ASM. On behalf of NAST PHL, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the DOST, our partners, and stakeholders for their continuous support to the Academy.

Strategic plan to achieve the SDGs in South Brazil: evidence from the Regional Development Council articulated with the 2030 Agenda

The Regional Development Councils (Coredes), created in 1994, have become spaces for discussion of public policies, promotion of governance, and citizen participation in the multiple areas in which the public power operates. In this task, the Councils assume the work of elaborating the strategic plans of regional development. The 28 Coredes of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, promote this work responsibility and periodically carry out its evaluation and eventual correction every 10 years, financed by the state government. The last review process, which ended in July 2017, was a process carefully handled by a team of technicians from a university. Universities contribute as articulators to achieve Sustainable Development Goals. This study aims to analyze the methodologies used in this participatory process, the strategies defined, and the proposed projects linked to the 2030 Agenda by the United Nations. From the diagnosis, it was possible to identify the potentialities and challenges for Strategic Development Planning in the region. The following are themes of the Sustainable Development Goals: health, education, infrastructure, and production, among others.

Quality of life: impacts of a health promotion program in the supplementary health sector.

The objective of this study was to compare quality of life indicators and clinical parameters among individuals participating in a cardiovascular health promotion program in the supplementary health sector. We conducted a cross-sectional study with 251 program participants living in the regions covered by the Vale do Taquari and Vale do Rio Pardo regional development councils in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Quality of life was assessed using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. Participants were predominantly women and elderly and had high cardiovascular risk (37.8%) and good self-reported quality of life. The clinical parameter means were body mass index obesity class I, normal blood pressure and lipid profile and adequate fasting blood sugar level. The results of the reassessment after one year showed a significant reduction in mean triglycerides (p = 0.031), diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.000) and systolic blood pressure (p = 0.013), and a significant increase in the mean score for the general domain of the WHOQOL-BREF (p = 0.004). It is necessary to consider and address social determinants of health and promote integrated actions across various sectors, including both the public and private spheres.

Políticas públicas e mudanças institucionais: as trajetórias dos agricultores familiares nas atividades de processamento de alimentos no Rio Grande do Sul – Brasil

A partir da década de 1990, as atividades de processamento de alimentos começaram a sofrer modificações, estimuladas pelo contexto político-governamental, que induziu novas formas de produção e comercialização no âmbito da agricultura brasileira. Dentre tais mudanças, várias políticas públicas foram desenvolvidas com a finalidade de regrar a produção, o processamento e os mercados dos alimentos da agricultura familiar. Apesar dos avanços nas discussões sobre os efeitos das políticas públicas nessa realidade, há lacunas para compreender em que medida elas influenciam as formas como as famílias interpretam e conduzem tais atividades. Para tanto, este artigo teve como objetivo analisar o papel que os programas e as políticas públicas exercem no processo de mudança institucional nas atividades de processamento desenvolvidas pela agricultura familiar. A pesquisa foi realizada em quatro regiões do Rio Grande do Sul (Coredes: Hortênsias, Jacuí Centro, Sul e Vale do Rio dos Sinos). Foram entrevistadas 64 famílias (agricultores familiares) que processam alimentos, utilizando um formulário semi-estruturado, diários de campo e observações. Para a análise dos dados, foram utilizadas as técnicas análise de conteúdo e escala likert. As famílias foram divididas em 4 grupos (trajetórias), que mostram as diferenças nas formas como iniciaram e modificaram tecnicamente as suas atividades de industrialização. Neste contexto, o Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar (PNAE) foi considerado como a política pública que influenciou a ocorrência de mudanças institucionais, identificadas pelas novas técnicas no ambiente da produção e pelas inovações nas relações de mercado. Tais mudanças são explicadas pelo processo de operacionalização dessa política pública, que demanda novas formas de planejamento produtivo das propriedades, além da organização social e coletiva para atender os contratos de comercialização.

Cardiovascular risk, lifestyle and anthropometric status of rural workers in Pardo River Valley, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

The state of health of rural workers is influenced by the living conditions to which they are subjected, including social, economic, technological and organizational aspects. Given the scarcity of studies on this population of workers, establishing their profile is necessary. To analyze cardiovascular risk according to demographic factors and anthropometric status of rural workers under the Pardo River Valley Regional Development Council (COREDE-VRP). Cross-sectional analytical study with rural workers in five municipalities in the COREDE-VRP southern region. We administered a structured questionnaire for lifestyle socioeconomic information, physical activity and self-reported health. Anthropometric measurements, resting heart rate and electrocardiogram (ECG) were performed to analyze heart rate variability (HRV). Women exhibited higher cardiovascular risk, which in turn did not differ as a function of age, marital status, socioeconomic status or lifestyle. We found a relationship between cardiovascular risk and anthropometric measurements, but not with cardiovascular variables. Women exhibited higher cardiovascular risk, which was not associated with marital status, socioeconomic status, alcohol use, smoking, sleep disorders or physical activity. Therefore, we emphasize the relationship between cardiovascular risk and anthropometric variables, as well as the lack of association with heart rate and autonomic imbalance.

Fatores associados à transparência pública municipal

Um dos objetivos dos Conselhos Regionais de Desenvolvimento (COREDEs), assim como dos mecanismos de transparência pública, diz respeito à aplicação correta dos recursos públicos. Este estudo buscou identificar os fatores relacionados ao nível de transparência dos 77 municípios da região funcional de planejamento RF7. Os fatores avaliados foram socioeconômicos (desemprego, investimento, dívida, Índice de Desenvolvimento Humano Municipal (IDHM) e Índice Firjan), políticos (participação eleitoral, competitividade política, reeleição, gênero do prefeito) e um fator demográfico (população). Todos os dados, de origem secundária, foram coletados em bases disponíveis na internet. Para a análise fez-se uso de técnicas de estatística descritiva e multivariada. Os resultados demonstraram que, há uma relação positiva do índice de transparência com o tamanho da população e com o investimento anual do município; já com a participação eleitoral e o desemprego verificou-se a existência de uma relação negativa. Além disso, não foi verificada relação da transparência com a dívida municipal, com o Índice de Desenvolvimento Humano Municipal (IDHM), com o Índice Firjan de Desenvolvimento Municipal (IFDM) e com o fator competitividade política.
 Palavras-chaves: Acesso à informação. Fatores socioeconômicos. Fatores políticos.

Understanding the Creation of New States

Granting statehood does not mean merely the formation of the new state, it is also about giving more relatively autonomous powers and freedom of action within the federation. In order to eradicate the regional imbalances in the neglected areas and underdeveloped regions, the earlier provision of establishing Regional Development Councils proved to be failed experiment for instance in the case of Telangana, Gorkhaland and Vidarbha. As a result the demands for new states have gained fresh momentum on the assumption that smaller states do well in the lives of marginalized sections of society. At present there are demands for more than 20 separate states from all four regions of the country such as Bodoland in Assam, Gorkhaland in West Bengal, Vidarbha in Maharashtra, Coorg in Karnataka, a Kuki state of Manipur and the demand for dividing Uttar Pradesh into proposed four states such as Avadh Pradesh, Bundhelkhand, Paschim Pradesh, and Purvanchal. In this context, this work has relevance and significance to examine the patterns in the creation of new states. All these ongoing demands are mainly focusing for better ‘social inclusiveness ’and ‘good development ’in terms of administration. Therefore, there is a clear shift on demands for creation of smaller states from a language/identity to the concept of governance and good development being the new motto in the present time. The demand for creation of new states might be on the ground of identity and regional deprivation, but finally it will also lead to a politics of recognition with carrying demonstrations, bandhs hunger strikes jail bharo as a violent struggle to pursue their demands.

O COREDE ALTO JACUÍ NO CONTEXTO DA PNDR/CNDR: REFLEXÕES SOBRE A QUESTÃO MIGRATÓRIA

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo estabelecer uma discussão sobre a utilização de alguns dos indicadores tradicionais como critérios de elegibilidade para beneficiários de políticas públicas, no caso, a Política Nacional de Desenvolvimento Regional-PNDR, e a dinâmica de desenvolvimento da região do Conselho Regional de Desenvolvimento-COREDE Alto Jacuí, no Rio Grande do Sul. Através de um olhar sobre informações econômicas e demográficas da região, a reflexão parte da proposta apresentada pelos Coredes na Conferência Nacional de Desenvolvimento Regional-CNDR e que prevê a utilização dos fluxos migratórios como um dos critérios de elegibilidade para a nova PNDR. Tal reflexão foi baseada em análise conjunta de informações econômicas e demográficas para os períodos censitários de 2000 e 2010, da contagem populacional de 2007 e de informações relacionadas com o comportamento da economia da região. Procurou-se evidenciar que a dinâmica econômica é uma variável importante a ser considerada na análise dos fluxos migratórios regionais em um contexto de discussão que se estabelece a partir da PNDR. No entanto, para que o fenômeno seja tratado de forma abrangente, é relevante incluir, para além da perspectiva econômica, variáveis que perpassam os sentidos do movimento migratório.

SOCIEDADE CIVIL, INSTÂNCIAS PARTICIPATIVAS E DESENVOLVIMENTO: O CASO DOS CONSELHOS REGIONAIS DE DESENVOLVIMENTO NO ESTADO DO RIO GRANDE DO SUL

O artigo apresenta uma discussão sobre a literatura produzida no Brasil, a partir da década de 1990, em torno dos conceitos de sociedade civil, capital social, participação e desenvolvimento, problematizando os seus aspectos normativos e as suas limitações para a compreensão dos processos verificados empiricamente na sociedade brasileira contemporânea. A partir de uma pesquisa sobre os Conselhos Regionais de Desenvolvimento-COREDES no RS, baseada em análise documental e entrevistas com os seus integrantes, buscou-se investigar como vem se alterando a atuação desses fóruns nas últimas duas décadas e de que forma tem se dado a participação dos distintos atores sociais regionais nesses espaços. O aporte teórico utilizado neste trabalho baseou-se em abordagens recentes produzidas no campo das Ciências Sociais que visam analisar o caráter contingencial das relações entre sociedade civil e democracia e/ou entre instâncias participativas e os processos de desenvolvimento nos diferentes territórios.

Uma proposta de alinhamento das áreas de pesquisa em um programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia de Produção

Considering the organizational practices and financing of strict post-graduate studies existing in Germany this article intends to prepare an alignment proposal in the areas of research that the Postgraduate Program in Industrial Engineering from the Federal University of Santa Maria/RS (PPGEP-UFSM) can adopt to stimulate regional industries to fund research on the course. Therefore, they analyzed 29 companies that are part of the Regional Development Council region and has Santa Maria/RS as county seat. Data were collected by the Registry of the Industrial Federation of Industries of Rio Grande do Sul State, Economy and Statistics Foundation and the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. To adopt a graduate of the financing model similar to that practiced in Germany, it is recommended that the PPGEP-UFSM seek greater affinity between their lines of research and production activities of regional industries. It is suggested that the program develops research in machinery compatible with that produced in the region for the production of food production technologies and also to improve the handling and processing of grain and meat, thus enabling local industries an improvement in conditions competitiveness.

DESCENTRALIZAÇÃO E PARTICIPAÇÃO SOCIAL: CONSTATAÇÕES E ANÁLISES COMPARATIVAS EM EXPERIÊNCIAS BRASILEIRAS DE DESCENTRALIZAÇÃO POLÍTICO-ADMINISTRATIVA

The descentralization of public management in Brazil oportunized by the different experiencies on political-administrative descentralization, is a nowadays issue with a deep relevance for the advancement of democracy, taking in to account the indicators of social participation under the 1988 Brazilian Federal Constitution. The experiences of descentralization in the fields of political and administrative are compared between the Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina States. Also the possibility of social participation in the public management is assessed, under the legal framework in force. Considering the mentioned analysis it is possible to say that although some former error could occur, in both experiences, the Juridical Framework of the Development Regional Councils (RS) allows a major social participation. On the other hand the Regional Development Council (SC) despite being provided for the equally participation between the public sector and the civil society in the formation of their boards, the nomination and appointment of the members is a responsability of the State and the Cityhalls, with what is commited the representative participation of the society in the process.

REGIONAL PLANNING IN THE STATE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL: A METHODOLOGICAL PROPOSAL FOR THE ANALYSIS OF REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLANS

Pressures of the global economy, the accelerating flow of capital, information, goods, people, etc., and the resulting spatial rearrangements have brought up the challenge of reasserting regional dynamics. In such a context of growing and continuous economic and technological changes that affect the direction and intensity of the existing relationships between places and regions of the world, planning becomes indispensable to the development of regional areas. Guided by this reflection we start by describing the regional spatiality and the challenge of the regional planning process as they are nowadays. We continue by restoring the experience of regional planning in the state of Rio Grande do Sul through the experience of the Regional Development Councils (COREDES). We then suggest a methodology for the analysis of the regional development plans made by COREDES in the 2009/2010 period. Finally, we present some of the results of the production process analysis and the contents of the COREDEs plans selected for the research.

ANÁLISE DO DESENVOLVIMENTO SOCIOECONÔMICO DAS REGIÕES DO RIO GRANDE DO SUL

O objeto geral deste trabalho é avaliar os diferentes níveis de desenvolvimento socioeconômico municipal das regiões dos Conselhos Regionais de Desenvolvimento (COREDES) do estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Este trabalho consiste em ampliar o campo de estudos

Metrópole e região: dilemas da pactuação da saúde. O caso da Região Metropolitana da Baixada Santista, São Paulo, Brasil

This paper focuses on the relationship between metropolitan and regional health planning based on the processes of regionalization and the Pact for Health in the Baixada Santista Metropolitan Area, São Paulo State, Brazil. The method used was a case study in two stages, namely during initial implementation of the Pact for Health (2007) and the Regional Administration Committees (CGR) and in 2010. Municipal and regional health systems managers and the director of the Metropolitan Agency were interviewed, and records were analyzed from ten years of meetings of the Regional Inter-Administration Committee and the Regional Development Council. Four issues emerged: financing and infrastructure; health services utilization; inefficiency of the Regional Health Administration's instruments and decision-making levels; and the relationship between different levels in the Administration. Metropolitan health management remained as an underlying issue, appearing only incidentally or tangentially to regional management. Despite some limitations, the CGR has been legitimized as a space for regional health management.

A Gestão Social no Contexto do Programa Territórios da Cidadania: os casos dos Municípios de Braga, Campo Novo e Coronel Bicaco - RS.

This article analyzes the processes of social management in Rio Grande do Sul state municipalities of Braga, Campo Novo and Coronel Bicaco, as well as its relationship with the federal program Territories of Citizenship. The object of the study are three municipalities that integrate the Territory of Citizenship Noroeste Colonial. The objective was to verify what advances have social management produced in terms of citizenship in studied environments. Program data are described for the country, state and region and the economic and social data of the three municipalities focused in the research are analyzed. Based on interviews with managers, policy makers and social actors, became evident a great distance from the Territories of Citizenship program. Internal relationships of social management are almost exclusively coming from municipal councils and according to the popular consultations coordinated by the Regional Development Councils. The other constituted relationships are more typically a practice of strategic management, monological and technobureaucratic than a practice of social management in the perspective of a deliberative citizenship. Key-Words: social management; territories of citizenship; participation; citizenship

Gestão social e cidadania deliberativa: uma análise da experiência dos Coredes no Rio Grande do Sul, 1990-2010

Este artigo aborda a prática da gestão social nos Conselhos Regionais de Desenvolvimento (Coredes), experiência vivenciada no Rio Grande do Sul ao longo dos últimos vinte anos. A gestão social, conforme aqui entendida, requer a participação da sociedade civil na gestão pública e do desenvolvimento. O estudo utiliza a abordagem interpretativa inserida no paradigma da teoria social crítica, estabelecendo uma matriz de categorias e subcategorias de análise que contempla os princípios da inclusão, do pluralismo, da igualdade participativa, da autonomia e do bem comum, presentes no conceito de cidadania deliberativa. Os Coredes, sendo arranjos institucionais que atuam na promoção do desenvolvimento, constituem-se em espaços públicos potenciais para a prática da cidadania deliberativa. Se as experiências participativas já são significativas em âmbito local, como no caso dos conselhos municipais e do orçamento participativo, ainda são raras em âmbito regional e estadual, daí a importância dos Coredes, ativos após seis governos estaduais. Portanto, os Coredes são processos e espaços de cidadania deliberativa que produzem mudanças, ainda que lentamente, na perspectiva pública dos indivíduos, na cultura da sociedade civil, no perfil da sociedade política e no modus operandi do aparelho burocrático e dos governos. Por outro lado, trata-se de processo dialógico que necessita ser construído e reconstruído permanentemente pelos participantes, para evitar o risco do controle corporativo, político ou administrativo por meio de cooptação e manipulação, ainda presente nas incipientes experiências de gestão social.

Tidying Up? ‘EU’ropean Regionalization and the Swedish ‘Regional Mess’

McCallion M. S. Tidying up? ‘EU’ropean regionalization and the Swedish ‘regional mess’, Regional Studies. The regional level of governance has been intensively discussed in Sweden since the 1980s. One of the reasons is that Sweden has an obvious national level of administration and an equally obvious local level of administration (with relatively independent municipalities). However, despite the debates regarding change, the county (regional/meso) administration level actually remained incoherent, meaning that the term ‘regional mess’ is frequently used to describe it. Drawing on empirical work, this article evaluates recent attempts to change regional governance in Sweden that have resulted from domestic and international (and especially ‘EU’ropean, i.e. European Union membership) pressures. In particular, the article focuses on the experimental reform at regional level – the development of Regional Pilot Project regions and, subsequently, the Regional Development Councils. It establishes the mix of domestic and European pressures that produced these changes, and argues that the result has been an exacerbation, rather than a cleaning-up, of the ‘regional mess’. McCallion M. S. Y mettre de l'ordre? La régionalisation dans l'Ue'rope et la ‘pagaille régionale’ en Suède, Regional Studies. On discute à fond du niveau régional de la gouvernance en Suède depuis les années 1980. Cela s'explique en partie par la présence en Suède d'un niveau d'administration national évident et d'un niveau d'administration local qui s'avère tout aussi évident (dont des municipalités relativement indépendantes). Cependant, malgré les débats sur la notion de changement, le niveau d'administration régional est resté en fait incohérent, d'où on fait allusion au terme ‘pagaille régionale’. Puisant dans des recherches empiriques, cet article cherche à évaluer les tentatives récentes de transformer la gouvernance régionale en Suède qui résultent des contraintes à la fois nationales et internationales (notamment celles qui résultent de son adhésion à l'Ue). En particulier, l'article porte sur la réforme préliminaire d'envergure régionale – le développement de Projets-pilotes régionaux et, par la suite, de Conseils Régionaux. On établit le mélange de contraintes nationales et européennes qui ont suscité ces transformations et affirme que l'on a fini par aggraver la ‘pagaille régionale’ plutôt que d'y mettre de l'ordre. Régionalisation Projet-pilote régional Niveau régional Suède Europe des régions Débat McCallion M. S. Aufräumarbeit? Die Regionalisierung durch die EU und das ,regionale Wirrwarr' in Schweden, Regional Studies. Seit den achtziger Jahren wird die regionale Ebene der Regierungsführung in Schweden intensiv diskutiert. Einer der Gründe hierfür ist, dass Schweden über eine klare nationale und über eine ebenso klare lokale Verwaltungsebene (mit relativ unabhängigen Gemeinden) verfügt. Ungeachtet der Debatten über eine Veränderung blieb die (regionale bzw. mittlere) Verwaltungsebene der Provinzen jedoch in Wahrheit inkohärent, weshalb diese Ebene auch oft mit dem Begriff ,regionales Wirrwarr' beschrieben wird. In diesem Artikel werden mit Hilfe empirischer Arbeiten die Versuche der jüngsten Vergangenheit zur Veränderung der Regionalverwaltung in Schweden bewertet, die durch den Druck aus dem In- und Ausland (und insbesondere durch das Drängen zum EU-Beitritt) verursacht wurden. Im Mittelpunkt des Artikels steht die experimentelle Reform auf regionaler Ebene: die Entwicklung der Regionen des regionalen Pilotprojekts und anschließend der regionalen Entwicklungsräte. Es wird das Gemisch aus inländischem und europäischem Druck identifiziert, der diese Veränderungen hervorgebracht hat, und es wird die These aufgestellt, dass das ,regionale Wirrwarr' hierdurch nicht aufgeräumt wurde, sondern sich im Gegenteil verschlimmert hat. Regionalisierung Regionales Pilotprojekt Regionale Ebene Schweden Debatte über das Europa der Regionen McCallion M. S. ¿Un arreglo? La regionalización europea y el ‘caos regional’ de Suecia, Regional Studies. Desde la década de los ochenta en Suecia se ha venido discutiendo intensamente sobre el nivel regional de gobierno. Una de las razones es que Suecia tiene un nivel obvio de administración nacional y un nivel igualmente obvio de administración local (con relativa independencia de los municipios). Sin embargo, pese a los debates sobre el cambio, el nivel (regional/medio) de administración en las provincias sigue siendo en realidad incoherente, por eso con frecuencia se describe como el ‘caos regional’. Basándonos en trabajos empíricos, en este artículo evaluamos cómo se ha intentado cambiar la administración regional en Suecia a raíz de las presiones nacionales e internacionales (y especialmente de la UE, es decir, para que Suecia se convierta en un miembro de la UE). En este ensayo prestamos especial atención a la reforma experimental a nivel regional: el desarrollo de las regiones del proyecto piloto regional y posteriormente los Consejos de Desarrollo Regional. Demostramos que estos cambios han sido posibles gracias a una combinación de presiones nacionales y europeas y argumentamos que esto lo que ha hecho es intensificar más el ‘caos regional’ en vez de arreglarlo. Regionalización Proyecto piloto regional Nivel regional Suecia Debate sobre la Europa de las Regiones