Working Group 1: What kind of multi-level governance arrangements should be put in place to ensure effective planning and programming for regional development?

Moderator: Stefan ElsingPanellists: Andrej Horvat, Sorin Maxim

Implementing Regional Development Policies:What are the key factors for success?

Introduction (1)

1. How can regional development strategies be aligned with sector strategies?

2. What are the optimal bottom-up and top-down institutional arrangements for regional planning and implementation?

3. Does an integrated and territorial place-based approach offer an effective response to the challenges of regional development?

4. How can we ensure greater accountability and transparency within multi-level governance relations in regional development?

Guiding Questions (GQ):

Introduction (2)

• Introduction– Overview of agenda – Presentation of workshop participants

• GQ 1 – Multi-level governance– Overview of findings (of the background paper) by the moderator– Presentation of key challenges, responses and lessons learned by

the panelists– Discussion of questions for debate

• GQ 2 – GQ 4 – As above

Agenda

Introduction (2)

• 180 Minutes– 20 Minutes break

• 160 Minutes– Approx. 40 minutes per guiding question:

• 10 minutes - Presentations of findings, key challenges, responses and lessons learned by the moderator and panelists

• 30 minutes discussion of the questions for debate

Good luck!

Agenda: Timing

Introduction (3)

• Mr Andrej HorvatFormer State Secretary for Development in Slovenia;Team Leader of the GIZ Project Support to EU Integration in Serbia

• Mr Sorin MaximDirector of RDA West, Romania

• Mr Stefan ElsingInternational Expert; Spatial, Regional and Urban Planner; Journalist

The Team

Guiding Question 1

How can regional development strategies be aligned with sector strategies?

Alignment of RD-Strategies with sector strategies (1)

• Institutions matter! • Similar set-up in different countries• Cooperation mechanisms between sectors at national and regional

levels are lacking or unclear• We do not see fully integrated regional plans, strategies and/ or

programmes under implementation. • A lot of analysis – but this needs to be followed by conclusions for

strategic planning and the formulation of a strategy• The roles of institutions, actors and the position of the RDS in the

planning hierarchy need to be defined and well communicated.• Overarching problem: insufficient capacities of RD-institutions

Some questions to discuss…

• Why do we see the same institutional set-up in all countries? • What are the precise roles of RD-institutions in harmonising

sector policies and approaches? • How can we overcome the well-known problems of weak

coordination and cooperation? • “Integrated plans – are they too much to ask for?”

Alignment of RD-Strategies with sector strategies (2)

Guiding Question 2

What are the optimal bottom-up & top-down institutional arrangements for regional planning and implementation?

Optimal bottom-up & top-downinstitutional arrangements for RD (1)

• Size matters! • Necessity of having RD-institutions at the regional level is questioned

in smaller countries• Centralisation remains strong; we mostly find top-down approaches

with just some participatory elements • Creation and establishment of parallel systems for EU Cohesion Policy

and national regional development (policy) should be avoided!• Inter-Municipal Cooperation (IMC) is used as a bottom-up/ top-down

approach• RD-Agencies’ function in the interplay of top-down and bottom-up

planning and programming

Some questions to discuss…

• How can we identify the most appropriate institutional arrangements (in relation to a country’s size and history)?

• What can a region be in a country like Romania, Serbia or Moldova?

• What would be different (in these countries) if a two-layer political and administrative systems would have been maintained and supported with the same amount of money and commitment instead of setting up, equipping, staffing and supporting capacity development of regional structures?

Optimal bottom-up & top-downinstitutional arrangements for RD (2)

Guiding Question 3

Does an integrated and territorial place-based approach offer an effective response to the challenges of RD?

• Location matters!• But there is little evidence that something like an integrated and

territorial place-based approach has ever been implemented • Smart specialisation strategies are now expected to advance• The main requirement is greater willingness from different levels of

government• Place-based through spatial planning at both national and regional

levels• RDSs are often not coordinated with the territorial or spatial planning

of the region

Place-based approach and effective response to the challenges of RD (1)

Some questions to discuss…• How can we make place-based development happen?

Are there good examples of integrated and territorial place-based approaches under implementation?

• Is it true that only regional and spatial policies are capable of integrating projects on a territorial and policy level? If this is the case, is it possible to link spatial planning and regional

development in order to use synergies? • How can we achieve “greater willingness from different levels of

government to co-operate and co-ordinate actions in order to achieve shared goals”?

Place-based approach and effective response to the challenges of RD (2)

Guiding Question 4

How do we ensure greater accountability and transparency within multi-level governance relations in RD?

• This question can be discussed here only theoretically, because there are no concrete experiences in the countries covered in this paper

• It is essential to clarify the functions of institutions and documents, plans, programmes etc. in the field of RD

• Public participation practices are weak and practically not developed• It is important to assess the quality of social partnerships• There are tested procedures of participation which need to be

institutionalised

Greater accountability and transparency within multi-level Governance

Some questions to discuss…

• How can we ensure greater accountability and transparency within multi-level governance relations in regional development?

Greater accountability and transparency within multi-level Governance

Thank you for your kind attention!

Stefan ElsingInternational Expert; Spatial, Regional and Urban Planner; Journalist

stefan@strategiekontor.de

www.cord2014.md