Conference Description:

The aim of the conference is to disseminate research results among young and senior researchers in the international academic environment of the Central European region to share experience between researchers about the specific regional problems of the post industrial society and about its adaptation to global changes and to search ways as how to increase the competitive power of post-industrial society in the European environment.

Topics

The theme of the forthcoming conference is multilevel governance. The papers should ideally explore one of its following dimensions while addressing the general focus of the conference on environmentally-responsible social and economic development & regional policy.

1. Policy making and cross-sectoral strategies
This session will explore mechanisms through which the policies for social and economic development are designed and how they succeed or fail to reconcile different sectoral priorities. Besides traditional social and economic developmental priorities, this session will also host papers devoted to integral topics such as innovations in regions and image of regions. In all these authors are strongly encouraged to address the multiplicity of effects within the cross-sectoral policies. To sum up, the major task of this session will be to foster discussion on how to reconcile sectoral fragmentation within multilevel governance.

2. Vertical and horizontal relations within local governance
Incl. inter-municipal cooperation.
 Within the multilevel governance, the profound territorial and scalar fragmentation often poses a barrier to achieve developmental goals. This session should attempt to identify the key barriers in inter-municipal cooperation and scalar relations and opportunities to overcome them. Framed by institutional background, the papers may either provide a robust evidence or provide an individual qualitative case studies to illustrate the limits to local agency. Overall, the aim of this session will be to use municipal scale to facilitate discussion on the role of territorial fragmentation in multilevel governance.

3. Public participation and transition initiatives
Public engagement in public space is considered a cornerstone of effective multilevel governance. Papers submitted to this session should explore the two-way linkages between the individual and public initiatives, on one hand, and state / public administration, on the other. In addition, the session will also reflect on the private efforts (including social marketing, knowledge management, creative approaches) that may overlap with public and state initiatives. The session will address initiation of public participation and private engagement and their expected contribution to regional development as seen from the perspective of both the public and the administration. As a result the session will open a field for debates about fragmentation existing across the hierarchical levels represented by various stakeholders and institutions.

4. Session for young researches
Along with these conference topics, the conference traditionally provides a platform for young researchers (under 26 years old), who may submit their paper to this dedicated session. In their papers, they may address any of the aforementioned dimensions and issues related to multilevel governance.
5. Special Attention - Urban Mobility

Session based on the Erasmus+ project “S@mpler – Integrated education based on sustainable urban mobility projects” (TU Gdansk, TU Dresden, Jan Evangelista Purkyne University).

The main objective of the project is to increase teaching capability on the field of sustainable urban mobility management. This effort is focused on extension of student's practical skills by implementation of practical project-based teaching method. This method is aimed to provide a compliance with a real-world challenges by inclusion of Sustainable Urban Mobility (SUMP) implementation requirements, which are regarded by European Commission as a benchmark for urban mobility planning which is widely accepted by many European cities. Another objective is to foster knowledge and skills acquisition by students. To meet this requirement a common internet teaching platform will be established.

Keynote Speakers

Prof. Dr. Irene Ring (Technical University Dresden, International Institute Zittau, Chair of Ecosystem Services, Germany)

Dr. Nadir Kinossian (Leibniz-Institut für Länderkunde, Germany)