Regional Science Policy & Practice (RSPP)
Call for papers for RSPP Special Issue on “The Impact of European Integration in Western Balkan Countries”
Guest Editor
Jolta Kacani - University of Tirana, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Within the last twenty years most of the Western Balkan countries are diligently following the European Integration process. For the region this process is widely accepted as the main instrument for accomplishing sustainable growth, regional prosperity and a peaceful wellbeing of citizens. The European Integration agenda has been a long social, economic, political, financial, technological, judicial, and environmental commitment empowering great expectations of citizens in the Western Balkan countries. The European perspective of the Western Balkan countries has been confirmed on numerous occasions by the European institutions over the past twenty years, but in fact, the EU has experienced a gradual approach of its enlargement policy.
Economic and political integration into the EU is a challenging process for the Western Balkan countries, happening simultaneously with technological change, increased transaction with the EU market and blooming of agile enterprises. These new trends in economic development combined with the new and inclusive political agenda has created new bridges among the countries in the region and joint benefits deriving from the EU membership. This situation has contributed to some states to expand and increase their influence in the region.
The scientific journal Regional Science Policy and Practice (https://rsaiconnect.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/17577802) that belongs to Regional Science Association International (www.regionalscience.org) and it is committed to promote the development of Regional Science across the globe specifically through the promotion of special issues on nurtured by workshops is introducing a Special Issue call on “The Impact of European Integration in Western Balkan Countries”
The special issue on Regional Science Policy and Practice intends to promote r the EU Integration Agenda, exploring how it is shaping current regional policy research across the Western Balkan countries. The special issue intends to challenge current and highlight new research perspectives to regional development brought by European Integration commitment to promote an interdisciplinary exchange of ideas, knowledge, research, information and recommendations between scholars, professionals, policy makers and doctoral students. The organizers warmly invite inputs from researchers, policymakers and practitioners working in all areas related to regional development with particular focus on European Integration perspectives that relate to the following workshop themes and areas.
Special Issue Themes
- Inclusive growth and regional development
- Regional growth policies and strategies towards EU integration agenda
- Socio-economic inclusion in the region
- The EU’s role in sustainable development of the region
- Growth opportunities for inclusion in the EU market
- EU agenda towards green growth and energy efficiency
- Integrated territorial investments for resilient regions
- Strategies regional initiatives for sustainable tourism and cultural heritage
- Creative industries and regional development
- Transportation networks and accessibility
- Quality of education in Western Balkan countries, reforms, and challenges
- Agriculture and regional development
- EU Regional Policies and institutions
- Reducing regional disparities and improving regional wellbeing
- Knowledge transfer and
- Good governance in EU institutional reforms
- Regional cooperation in the management of EU funds
- Institutional transformation towards EU integration
- EU policy making and citizen’s participation
- The role of government in developing economic and integration policies
- Governance challenges in EU negotiation process
- Regional innovation, competitiveness and entrepreneurship
- Smart specialization and regional value chains
- Multinational enterprises and foreign direct investment in the region
- Industrial strategies for creation of regional innovative clusters
- Technological change and diversification
- Social innovation and resilient regions
- Regional digital transformation risks and challenges
- Digital skills and regional sustainability
- Effects of Covid-19 pandemic on regional digitalization
- E-commerce, E-learning, E-business for regional development
- Adaptive and resilient enterprises for faster integration in EU markets
- Structural transformation of operations in innovative enterprises
- Regional finance, investment and capital markets
- Efficiency and performance of regional financial institutions
- Internal controls and financial reporting for integration in EU markets
- Regional financial instruments for small and medium enterprises
- Effective public finance management for the EU integration agenda
- Sustainable financial analysis and auditing
- Challenges of financial reporting after the pandemic
- Free movement of goods and capital
- Demographic change, migration, and mobility behavior
- Challenges and opportunities of brain gain
- Internal migration and regional change
- The new geography of regional population clusters
- Structural change and resilience in labor markets
- Urban reorganization new opportunities for peripheral regions
- Networks, interactions and inequalities in cities
Manuscript submission information:
All submissions must be original and may not be under review elsewhere. All manuscripts will be submitted via the Regional Science Policy & Practice online submission system (https://www.editorialmanager.com/rspp/). Authors should indicate in the cover letter that the paper is submitted for consideration for publication in this special issue “The Impact of European Integration in Western Balkan Countries”, otherwise, your submission will be handled as a regular manuscript.
- Submissions open until December 31, 2024.