Territorial Inequalities Research Articles

Малые предприниматели региона-донора трудовых ресурсов как акторы развития человеческого капитала (на примере Поволжского региона)

This article, based on empirical material obtained in October-December 2018, examines the potential and current state of the human capital of the Povolzhye, which includes six districts of the Saratov Region. The Saratov Region is a typical example of a labor-contributing region. The outflow of workers (including highly skilled professionals) and the ageing population only exacerbate the economic problems of the region and deepen the territorial inequality of the Russian Federation. Raising human capital is the best solution to the problem of labor emigration. However, on the one hand, the difficulties in the development of human capital lie in the high demands of workers for wages and in their reluctance to engage in heavy physical labor. Employers, on the other hand, often seek to hire workers who do not require additional training. This empirical study provides recommendations to the regional authorities and the strategy for the development of human capital. The novelty of the approach lies in considering the local entrepreneurs as the main subjects of raising human capital. Interviews with businessmen in six districts of Saratov region showed the lack of opportunities for successful entrepreneurs to expand the business, increase staff, and invest resources and efforts in the development of human capital of local communities. Reflection of expert opinions and assessments of executive authorities and employers allows formulating practical recommendations and identifying factors for the development of human capital, focusing on the business potential of the region and social integration of the population. The positive factors for the development of human capital should be the following: creating an enabling environment for local business development; developing human capital of rural and regional businessmen; and increasing the cohesion of the municipal community.

Processes of Regional Configuration and Localities of Uruguay 1900-1960

The objective of the article is to describe the social structure of Uruguay at the beginning of the sixties, presenting the social differences that configured the level of urban centers or localities since the beginning of the 20th century. The willing is to identify what historical processes would have intervened to have institutionalized a highly heterogeneous distribution of welfare in the territory.BR The sources of information are four: (i) the population censuses of 1908 and 1963; (ii) the agricultural censuses of 1908, 1951, 1956 and 1961; (iii) the work of historical demography; and (iv) the indices published by the General Directorate of Statistics and Censuses in 1971 and 1989. Due to the lack of a dictionary of the localities, the authors matched these sources.BR The regional configuration processes analyzed here are: the departmentalization of the territory; the agriculturization; the industrialization and the balnearización. In each case, the regional and local impact of the political, economic and social transformation is analyzed. The article dedicate a wide space to describe the changes in the entity, the legal status, the territorial distribution and the wellbeing of the localities, marking especially those under 1500 inhabitants, which make up an important micro-urbanization of the country.BR The foundation of 70% of the localities occurred during the reformist period that locates that project as a type of “social democratic” State with its “Bismarkian” type traits. The institutionalization of these territories is based on their precarious and very poor character, the inequality in the most elementary welfare enjoyed by the established towns and cities increases.BR The processes of spatialization that reconfigured the territory during this time, contributed to the urbanization and population relocation, but in a framework in the political project of the “small model country” did not plan on the territory, the state have no special attention to correct the asymmetries in local welfare distribution structures.BR We finished with the hypothesis that beyond the social advances of the “Battlista” period, the territorial inequality of opportunities has grown between 1908 and 1963 because the lack of a public planification.

Territorial inequality, equalization transfers and asymmetric sharing of non-renewable natural resources in Latin America

Non-renewable natural resources (NRNR) contribute a large share of tax revenue in Latin American countries; and the fact that these resources are concentrated in just a few regions generates a high level of territorial inequality. This paper aims to analyse how NRNR revenues could be included in equalization grants, and how countries are implementing adequate equalization grant systems, or could do so. Based on fiscal equalization theory, vertical and horizontal systems are evaluated with reference to mid-level governments in Argentina and Peru. The study identifies a variety of political and economic costs for different NRNR revenue systems, where: (i) the provinces own the resources in question (Argentina); and (ii) NRNR revenues are collected and distributed by central government to a large number of subnational governments under a fully asymmetrical scheme (Peru).

Mapping feminist geographies in Spain

Based on our experience of years of research, teaching and academic administration, this text gathers reflections on the past, present and future developments of feminist geography in Spain. We first show how a gendered perspective was introduced into geography in the late eighties. We then reflect on what we call ‘the stage of consolidation’ alongside territorial inequalities at the turn of the century. And we finally present some notes what the current situation is and identify future challenges. Despite the difficulties, we offer a positive vision of a long journey that has no turning back.

Significado que otorgan las personas trans a sus experiencias en la atención en el sistema de salud chileno

En Chile, la atención de salud para usuarios/as transexuales se desarrolla en un contexto marcado por la desigualdad territorial en cuanto al acceso a servicios trans específicos del proceso de adecuación corporal. Por otro lado, las circulares sanitarias que regulan su trato en relación a la identidad de género no se cumplen a cabalidad, lo que favorece la discriminación y la transfobia. Las experiencias de salud de estos/as usuarios/as aún permanecen poco abordadas, por lo tanto también los impactos que esta tiene en su calidad de vida y bienestar. Objetivo: Conocer las experiencias de vida y el significado que un grupo de usuarios/as transexuales le otorga a sus experiencias derivadas del proceso de atención en el sistema de salud chileno, en relación al respeto que reciben por su identidad de genero. Material y método: Estudio cualitativo interpretativista de tipo exploratorio con enfoque fenomenológico. Entrevistas semi-estructuradas fueron llevadas a cabo con 8 personas transexuales, una muestra determinada por la saturación del discurso. El análisis fue hermenéutico del discurso. Resultados: Las personas transexuales en Chile suelen recibir una atención en el sistema de salud poco respetuosa de su identidad de género; sin embargo, participantes reportan que los cuidados que reciben en el Hospital Las Higueras de Talcahuano mejoran su calidad de vida. Conclusión: El modelo de atención de salud respetuoso de la identidad de género tiene un impacto positivo en la dignidad de las personas transexuales, por lo que es indispensable replicar este modelo de atención.

Sectoral Regional Growth and Convergence in Ecuador: An Analysis of the Intra-Distributive Dynamics of Productivity

The objective of this research is to examine growth and convergence processes in the provinces of Ecuador, considering sectoral productivity as an analysis variable. To do so, evidence of the productivity of the agricultural, secondary and service sectors is presented, and by applying the non-parametric method of density functions of the kernel, the complete distribution of the data is analyzed. The results obtained indicate that territorial inequality in Ecuador has very different behavior depending on the sectors of the economy. It is noted that inequality in terms of productivity is very high in the agricultural sector, it is at an average level in the secondary sector, and is less intense in the service sector. In the long-term, the overall balance is that sectoral inequality decreased among Ecuadorian provinces. However, there are two processes differentiated in time; in the first phase, inequality decreases more rapidly and in the second phase, it even increases in some sectors, as in the case of secondary sector returns.

How Resilient is Growth? Resilience Assessment of Austrian Municipalities on the Basis of Census Data from 1971 to 2011

Living conditions and development perspectives are influenced by territorial inequalities. In this study, an assessment of long-term local and regional resilience was conducted in order to understand the structural strengths and weaknesses in spatial development in Austria. To gain new insights into the known development patterns, a new resilience-oriented assessment was conducted. A growth-oriented assessment was carried out in parallel to provide a reference for interpreting the results. A set of criteria corresponding with each of the two assessment approaches was applied to obtain quantitative results. To determine the spatial dependency of the values’ characteristics, spatial statistics was applied. The reinterpretation of existing data and comparison of the results revealed a new level of insight into regional development and made it possible to determine the level of resilience of a region or municipality. The resilience could be evaluated relatively, by comparing the resilience of different spatial units within the study area. Similarities and differences between the results of the two approaches were revealed and discussed. The outcomes confirmed that the growth-oriented perspective is too narrow and further approaches are necessary in order to assess the sustainability and resilience of the local and regional spatial structures and development.

ANALYSIS OF THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN LATGALE AND UTENA REGIONS

It is widely acknowledged that border regions of the country are often economically "lagging" compared to more developed areas. The level of economic and social development is a key factor in the political, economic and social efficiency of any economic entity. In areas where development is slower, there is a decrease in economic efficiency in the private sector and deterioration in the effectiveness of political governance in the public sector. The research aim is to analyze and compare the development possibilities in Latgale and Utena regions. Main research methods are content analysis, statistical analysis of data. The planning and strategic documents were analyzed in order to study the situation in Latvia and Lithuania at national, regional and local level. Statistical analysis was performed using data from the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia and the Lithuanian Department of Statistics. An assessment of the extent and trends of territorial inequality could be a useful tool for developing adequate regional development strategies which seek to reduce economic and social imbalances.

Utilization indicators of balneotherapy in Hungary

The role of spa therapy is well defined and its importance has significantly increased in the healthcare but the utilization indicators of the implemented treatments are less known. The objective of our study was to analyze the utilization and the social insurance indicators of the healthcare publicly financed by health insurance in spa institutions. The data used for the analysis were derived from the funding database of the National Health Insurance Fund of Hungary. The period examined covered the years between 2009 and 2016. The spa treatment counts, social insurance expenses, the territorial inequalities in utilization, sex and age distribution of the treatments were examined. The treatment counts were the highest (7349587) in 2009 and they gradually decreased with 6558 204 treatments by 2012. 'Spa pool of medicinal water' treatment was the most common care in each year which incidence showed a downward trend during the past years: 2544 617 treatments were performed in 2009 but 2016 showed only 1898 338 treatments. We found the highest health insurance expenditures in 2016: 4.261 billion HUF or 13.8 EUR. In the previous years, there was a lower health insurance expenditure: in 2010 3.928 billion HUF (14.3 million EUR), in 2011 3.921 billion HUF (14.0 million EUR) and in 2012 3.875 billion HUF (13.4 million EUR). The utilization made the highest incidence of treatments in Csongrád county with 13174/10000 inhabitants and 8160 thousand HUF/10000 inhabitants of social security subsidy in 2016. The lowest utilization counts for treatments were found in Nógrád county with 3233/10000 inhabitants and 2192 thousand HUF/10000 inhabitants of social security subsidy. The highest utilization indicators were found in the age group between 60 and 69 in the distribution of population and genders. In the utilization of spa therapy funded by health insurance fund, no significant change has occurred during the past years but territorial discrepancies can be seen in sex, age, and county breakdown. Orv Hetil. 2019; 160(Suppl 1): 22-28.

Public policy provision from a subnational perspective: Context, institutions and spatial inequality

ABSTRACTThis article explores how demography – through the heterogeneous spatial distribution of demands – and institutions – via the spatial specialization of provision – generate inequality in the access to welfare policies at the subnational level. We stress that nationally designed policies may not be sufficient to overcome territorial inequalities rooted in demographic, economic, or social legacies. On the contrary, policies can reproduce or enhance such inequalities when they are not complemented or compensated by other measures explicitly tailored to deal with local variation in demography or economic resources. To explore these assumptions we use Brazilian social policies as a case study. We employ a geographical descriptive analysis of official data collected at the municipal level to assess territorial inequality in key demographic and policy provision indicators.

Review on “Dezvoltarea regională. De la teorie la practică” authored by Daniela ANTONESCU, LUMEN Publishing House

The volume Dezvoltarea regionala. De la teorie la practica (Regional Development. From Theory to Practice) authored by Daniela Antonescu, published by LUMEN Publishing House, aims to create an image on the process of regional development in Romania starting from the analysis of the evolution of territorial inequalities as well as of the economic convergence process that takes place under the impact of the cohesion policy of Europe 2020 strategy. The specific approaches to this volume are of a theoretical-methodological nature, with the aim of reviewing the entire range of recent theories in the field of regional sciences as well as the model of analysis of public policies, as well as a second direction aimed at the analysis of territorial cohesion as well as the economic and social inequalities that have emerged at regional level, both in Romania and at European Union level. (Antonescu, 2019, p. 14).

Damage trends in selected forest regions and a future period forecast

The research carried out in Serbia so far revealed an increase in forest damages from natural hazards, as well as increased share in total forest damages with their territorial inequality. This research aims to determine the trend in the number and area of damages, the area of damages per one harmful event, and the prognosis of damages caused by the harmful effects of water, wind and fire in selected forest regions of Serbia. A modelling method was used as a basic scientific method, with an application of trend regression and correlation analysis and other specific methods. The results of the research indicate that there are differences in the trends per harmful factor. An increasing trend is visible with the damages caused by the effects of water and wind but also in the extent of damages caused by all three detrimental factors. A decreasing trend is noticeable only for the damages caused by fire.

Editorial: Spatial Justice in Europe. Territoriality, Mobility and Peripherality

The discussion surrounding the impact of territorial cohesion policy, and the territorial prioritization of cohesion policy, can offer significant insights by problematizing spatial justice. The notions of territoriality, mobility and peripherality are presented and analyzed due to their relevance to territorial cohesion, but also because they may strengthen the concept of spatial justice. The main objective of this paper, and by extension of this issue, is to stress the relevance of spatial justice as a concept created to address socio-spatial and territorial inequalities and useful when framing policy strategies, articulating policy goals, implementing policies, or taking actions to mitigate socio-spatial inequalities. The paper is organized in four sections. The introductory section presents social and economic inequalities as signifiers of the (un)sustainability of the European project and stresses the challenges facing territorial cohesion policy. The second section includes a conceptualization of spatial justice which plays to both the analytical strength and normative rigour of the concept. Third, there is a brief discussion of the notions of territoriality, mobility and peripherality. The final section is dedicated to a description of the basic features of the six papers included in this issue.

Trend and inequality in the completeness of information on race/color in deaths of elderly in the Mortality Information System in Brazil, 2000 to 2015

The quality of information on race/color is a necessary condition for knowing the impact of inequality on mortality. This study aims to analyze the trend and inequality in completeness of race/color in death records of elderly in Brazil's Mortality Information System (SIM in Portuguese) from 2000 to 2015. The study analyzes the completeness of this variable according to different geographic areas, the race or color most affected by poor completeness of records, and the association between excellent completion of race/color and the municipalities' territoriality and socioeconomic status. Data on deaths of elderly individuals were obtained from the SIM and information on the population from censuses and Ministry of Health estimates. The study estimates the percent variation in the proportion of incompleteness. The percent variation of black and brown individuals was estimated from 2000 to 2010 from the SIM and censuses. Crude and adjusted logistic regression (95%CI) were used to estimate completeness of race/color as the outcome and territorial and socioeconomic characteristics as independent variables. We found a sharp improvement in quality of completion during the period, especially up to 2006, with an excellent average since 2007. The findings showed territorial inequality at the municipal level. Municipalities with low/medium HDI (with a high proportion of poverty and inequality) showed lower odds of excellent completeness. The adjusted model shows that the region and size of the municipality are characteristics that explain the excellent quality of the race/color variable. Municipalities in Northeast Brazil and small municipalities have the lowest odds of excellent completeness. In conclusion, race/color in the SIM has sufficient quality to be used in studies on inequality of mortality in the elderly, with exceptions at the municipal level.

Территориальная идентичность в индустриальных районах: культурные практики заводских рабочих и деятелей современного искусства

The article considers territorial identities formed around two Soviet-era enterprises, the Likhachev Automotive Plant (ZIL) in Moscow and the Ural Heavy Machine Building Plant (Uralmash) in Yekaterinburg. Using the example of these two cases we answer the question of how the territorial identity of industrial neighborhoods is created in post-Soviet Russia. We analyze cultural practices in both industrial neighborhoods and show how cultural actors contribute to the transformation of their territorial identities.The study reveals an increase in social inequality among residents of the neighborhoods, specifically between workers and representatives of other social groups. Against the background of neoliberal policy, new social actors come to the industrial neighborhoods and change the their social composition. Both cases of ZIL and Uralmash demonstrate the stratification of working- and middle-class identities and cultures. Thus, in the case of industrial neighborhoods we can speak of multiple territorial identities that are represented in the exercise of class-differentiated Soviet and post-Soviet cultural practices and the reproduction of old and new lifestyles.The role of cultural actors in the formation of multiple territorial identities of industrial neighborhoods is ambivalent. On the one hand, they contribute to the creation of a new cultural environment and try to transform the marginal image of industrial territories to make them more attractive to wider urban publics. On the other hand, due to this cultural expansion residents of industrial neighborhoods are becoming an invisible social group with no chance to speak publicly. Working-class culture, represented for instance in crafts, is devalued and not perceived as worthy. Therefore, cultural actors’ activity corresponds to general trends of gentrification and the displacement of workers from industrial territories and public spaces. The abovementioned processes indicate the reproduction of cultural, class, and territorial inequalities inside industrial neighborhoods. Article in Russian DOI: 10.25285/2078-1938-2018-10-3-4-34

The Moderating Effect of Government Policy on Strategic Leadership and Performance of County Governments in North Rift Region, Kenya.

The Constitution of Kenya 2010 reversed the centralized non - participatory governance paradigm by institutionalizing a devolved governance system. A total of 47 counties were created in the constitution. Each county was to receive funding from the National government and at the same time generate funds to sustain themselves. Devolution approaches tailored to sub-national, regional and local circumstances were considered better able to address the continuing problems caused by entrenched territorial inequities in growth, income and employment. These counties are streamlined under government polices where evaluation is done and planned early in the policy development cycle and embedded into all policies. The objectives of the study were to determine the moderating effect of government policy on strategic leadership and performance of county governments in North Rift region, Kenya. The study adopted mixed research design that targeted 539 county governments’ employees in the North Rift region. A sample size of 230 employees was determined and selected by use of stratified random sampling technique. The main study instrument was self-administered questionnaire and interview guide. Validity was determined by population and content validity. Reliability of instruments was tested by use of Cronbach’s alpha. Both descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were adopted. It was noted that government policy has a moderating role because in its presence, it accounts for 53% of the performance of county government while in its absence, the performance can only be attributed to 49.2%. The study concluded that government policy has a moderating effect with performance in the county government.

Fighting depopulation in Portugal: Local and central government policies in times of crisis

Abstract During one of the worst economic crises that Portugal has faced in the last decades, with a considerable debt to deal with, emigration, population loss, ageing and unemployment afflicted our economy and society, particularly in rural territories. The aim of this article is to access the main local and central government policies to fight depopulation and territorial inequalities, and their attempts at sustainable development. What remains in the Portuguese inland regions and how is it being addressed by the few who still believe in life outside the cities? What is the role of local government in the sustainable development of the territory? All over the country, and particularly in rural areas, there is an urgent need to attract people and investment (Almeida 2017a). What are the main issues addressed by the central government to deal with this problem? For this research, a database was built with the political programmes of the 308 mayors elected in 2013, which were subject to a thorough analysis, and the new socialist government recently approved National Programme for Territorial Cohesion, aimed at promoting a more balanced territorial planning. This article describes the demographic situation and compares the municipalities’ economic strategies. The results are yet to be observed, but these new local and central policies at least reflect a change of paradigm from the social-democrat coalition government (2011–15) and introduce a discourse of hope for inland regions, even if the political time of each government (four-year terms) is never enough to solve such complex issues.

Urban political strategies in times of crisis: A multiscalar perspective on smart cities in Italy

European cities are experiencing a mushrooming of a new urban imagery amid multiple types of crisis. In fact, the ‘smart city’ has become a widely spread vision used by a variety of powerful key actors as well as a top-down urban political strategy that is applied in order to promote new arrangements, models and technologies for almost all policy areas. By using the Italian case as a point of reference, this paper analyses how smart city strategies are institutionalized and embedded in times of crisis on different spatial scales. Therefore, the paper adapts a strategic-relational approach that provides a conceptual framework for understanding the spatial dimension of smart city strategies. It argues that smart city strategies reflect a set of multiscalar political strategies leading to new responsibilities and powers on a local scale, as well as the creation of new state territoriality. Smart cities in Italy are part of metropolitan reforms that strengthen the role of large cities while reproducing existing territorial inequalities. Furthermore, they are used to create new public–private partnerships and new investment opportunities on different spatial scales. In addition, a content analysis of smart city rankings and reports sheds light on the modes of representation of smart city strategies, analysing them as elements of policymaking in times of crisis.

A STUDY OF THE POPULATION’S ATTITUDE TO TELEMEDICINE TECHNOLOGIES ON THE EXAMPLE OF ONLINE MEDICAL CONSULTATIONS

The new law “on telemedicine” requires the population’s participation in its implementation. The expansion of new methods of medical consulting should take place in a science-based context. The goal of this research is to educe the attitude of the population to online consultation. 50 semistructured interviews were conducted, analysis was used in analyzing the scripts. Main results are the picture of population’s attitude to online medical consultation, and the structure of the barriers to development of ones. The population understands the imminence of such a format, but relegates it to “not really medical” services and has a narrow interpretation of the scope of online consultation application – in terms of expanding access to services, but not in terms of improving the quality of diagnosis, for instance, in attaining a “second opinion”. Survey participants saw the advantage of this format in reducing the time spent and in leveling the territorial inequality in access to medical aid. Medical online consultations often cause distrust and anxiety (anxiety of inaccurate diagnosis, cost-saving at the expense of quality and fear of fraud). We have indicated three groups of barriers: patient and doctor availability, technical and regulatory availability of the healthcare system, and digital inequality in terms of age and geography. The respondents give the principal role in overcoming the barriers to the state, which reflects the general paternalistic attitude of the population in matters of health.

Analysing the New Millennium Role and Place of Socio-economic Geography in Deepening Regional Economic Cooperation and Integration: The Case of South Africa and Zimbabwe

Proportional territorial distribution of productive forces historically determined the emergence of socio-economic geography. Deepening regional integration under scrutiny of socio-economic geography culminated in a system of economic regions. These economic regions were further used as special instruments on functional optimisation and management of productive forces guided by specialisation of labor. The process was influenced by scientific and technological advancements, which led to change from a single-sided to an integral multi-factor approach. In these circumstances socio-economic cultural regions emerged as functionally specialised territorial units presenting optimum combinations of productive and non-productive industrial sectors and enterprises. Within this context, the study analyses the role of socio-economic geography in better informing regional integration with reference to South Africa and Zimbabwe. New conceptual terms, such as socio-economic cultural disparities and territorial socio-economic cultural inequalities are proposed. Informed by transformation development theory, the study employs comparative methods of quantitative and qualitative data analysis. It analyses five aspects: (i) application of socio-economic geography to questions of regional integration; (ii) territorial differentiation, factors, forces and relations; (iii) Benefits of economic cooperation and integration for South Africa and Zimbabwe with global economy; (iv) essence of North-South and South-South dialogue; and (v) prospects of the role of socio-economic geography. The conclusions emphasise the role of socio-economic geography, using the newly defined concepts, in articulating a comprehensive theoretical and practical understanding of the processes needed to enhance regional integration.