This Diploma Thesis analyzes the Brownfield issue in the Czech Republic. Relevant strategic documents are presented and constitute a framework for the Thesis study of regional development and funding concerning Brownfields. In addition, evolution of past and current approaches taken to deal with the Brownfield issue across regions of the Czech Republic has been studied. Consequently, a complex, holistic approach to Brownfield regeneration is described as a result of integration of current best practice, lessons learnt, optimal combination of Structural funding with Public Private Partnerships, risk management and other key success factors including references to examples from relevant Brownfield regeneration projects.

The aim of my diploma thesis is identify factors that affect migration and assessment of impact in selected area. In this thesis I will be processing of the analysis migration population in our country. In each chapter I will be studying migration in general, including basic terminology, I will analyze the reasons for migration, I will explain ways to measure migration and also selected migration theory. Analysis of internal migration in the Czech Republic from the 90th years to the present will be conducted according to the demographic and economic indicators. I will focus on one of the region from the Czech Republic, especially on the South region, in which I will do more detailed analysis. Primarily I will be interested in migration between local territorial unit, subchapters will capture migration between districts and urban area.

Tourism in recent years becomes a very important part of national economies. In many regions is tourism a major factor in regional development throughout the region. The aim of thesis is to determine whether tourism is a key factor in the development of area Decin. The theoretical part deals with defining the concept of tourism, examining the development of tourism and a description of its governing bodies in the Czech Republic. The practical part has been specifically focused on tourism in the area Decin, the main points of interest are the attractiveness of the territory, tourism infrastructure and tourism promotion by the public administration. The practical part contains a questionnaire, which aims to identify the causes of interests and the causes of unconcern in traveling to Decin. With the final SWOT analysis are plotted on the one hand, development opportunities and on the other hand, barriers to the development of tourism in Decin.

The main thesis of this study is that migration is an integral component of the major processes of structural change in a country. As such, migration should not be studied in isolation from the historical and evolving patterns of development of the country. In their specific forms and magnitudes, migration processes are patterned movements of human populations within and between territorial units. The important point to stress here is that these movements are a response to, and at the same time, conditions the economic and social forces which affect significant sections of a community.

This thesis focuses on regional strategic networks (RSNs). RSNs are used as a tool for regional development with a view to strengthening regional relationship-development and networking by forming regional groups of actors. The thesis aims to clarify the nature of RSNs and the value of geographical proximity in both theoretical and practical terms. Theories regarding effects of geographical proximity, regional agglomerations and networks are presented, and their possible application to RSNs is analyzed. Furthermore, findings from two case studies are reported. In the RSN study, the generally most highly valued outcome was the development of new relationships among the participants. Such relationships allowed for mutual learning and information exchange and also meant that for several participants the firms’ horizons were extended and their positions changed. Furthermore, internal marketing of training opportunities, in combination with financial subsidies, attracted several participants who attended training programmes on subjects that they would not otherwise have spent so much time on. However, few firms could state concrete results in terms of new business exchange or cooperative projects. The impact of structural factors on RSN outcomes is therefore discussed, in particular the impact of the membership composition of an RSN. Furthermore, important RSN-evaluation challenges are highlighted. The second study demonstrated that most R&D done by firms is characterized either by incremental, gradual technology development and low importance of geographical proximity to customers, suppliers and academic research organizations or by fast, step-wise technology development and high importance of geographical proximity to customers, suppliers and academic research organizations.

Innovation and regional development are two topics that were (separately) very much discussed by scholars, and in recent literature there have been attempts to combine and show how the former can contribute to the latter. At the same time, different types of regional agglomeration systems have been developed and discussed such as: clusters, hubs, innovation systems, technopolies, and knowledge cities. However, there is a significant gap in literature when it comes to innovation zones. As a result, there is a need to look into the role of innovation zones in regional development and examine the possible benefits (if any) that the innovation zones can provide to the region to which they are affiliated   . / MASTERS THESIS IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Aquesta tesi explora el creixement regional desigual, el desenvolupament de la xarxa urbana i l'evolució dels ferrocarrils Als Balcans, una de les regions més diverses i turbulentes d'Europa. Els Estats inclosos en l'estudi són Albània, Bòsnia i Hercegovina, Bulgària, Croàcia, Grècia, Macedònia, Montenegro, Romania, Sèrbia, Eslovènia i Kosovo. Durant els segles XIX i XX, els Estats dels Balcans es van sotmetre a diverses transformacions polítiques radicals que van alterar profundament el seu desenvolupament socioeconòmic. La hipòtesi de l'estudi és que aquests canvis també van afectar a la geografia econòmica i la distribució espacial de la població a la regió. Per això, endinsar-se en la història moderna dels Estats dels Balcans és una oportunitat valuosa per estudiar els principals determinants dels desequilibris en el creixement regional. Les correlacions entre els esdeveniments polítics i el desenvolupament territorial il·lustren i s'analitzen a través de la base de dades especialment creada per a aquest estudi. La base inclou informació històrica i geogràfica de transport: com la modificació de les fronteres nacionals i regionals, i el desenvolupament de la xarxa ferroviària, i dades socioeconòmiques com ara: l'evolució de les taxes d'urbanització i la densitat a nivell regional i el creixement de les ciutats. La creació de la base de dades permet l'establiment d'una visió integrada, a llarg termini sobre el desenvolupament espacial de la regió i facilita l'anàlisi dels canvis regionals i ajustaments espacials a finals del segle XIX i XX. L'anàlisi ofereix observacions importants sobre el mecanisme de formació de la geografia econòmica dels estats en construcció o en transició. La tesi s'estructura en cinc capítols escrits en forma d'articles. Els tres primers capítols ofereixen estudis nacionals sobre el desenvolupament regional i urbà de Bulgària, Romania i l'ex-Iugoslàvia i els seus estats successors en els últims 100-130 anys. Es van posar de manifest les notables similituds en la formació espacial de les noves economies nacionals després de la dissolució de l'Imperi Austro-hongarès i l'Imperi Otomà. El quart capítol analitza l'evolució espacial de tota la península durant el segle XX. I l'últim capítol es centra en la transformació estructural de l'economia de Bulgària. En general, l'experiència dels Balcans il.lustra com, en els Estats de recent creació o en procés de formació amb una economia preindustrial, les institucions polítiques juguen un paper important en la determinació del desenvolupament i les tendències de la desigualtat regional. En general, en els estats balcànics subdesenvolupats i majoritàriament centralitzats, la iniciativa privada ha jugat un paper secundari. Les fronteres polítiques i el marc institucional han estat els principals determinants sobre les desigualtats en el creixement regional. Aquesta conclusió es veu confirmada per les dades sobre els sectors d'ocupació de Bulgària. Els governs van ser capaços d'influir de manera significativa en el desenvolupament regional, mitjançant inversions relativament petites en la infraestructura del transport que van tenir importants efectes a llarg termini a causa de l'efecte dels rendiments creixents. Els petits avantatges durant el període pre-industrial, en forma d'importància política i administrativa o accés ferroviari, van tenir efectes duradors sobre la geografia econòmica. Més tard, les transformacions econòmiques i polítiques van tenir menor efecte sobre la geografia econòmica de les nacions balcàniques perquè els beneficiaris del creixement econòmic van ser principalment les ciutats i les regions ja desenvolupades. . / Esta tesis explora el crecimiento desigual regional, el desarrollo de la red urbana y la evolución de los ferrocarriles en los Balcanes, una de las regiones más diversas y turbulentas de Europa. Los países incluidos en el estudio son Albania, Bosnia y Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croacia, Grecia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Rumania, Serbia, Eslovenia y Kosovo. Durante los siglos XIX y XX, estos estados se sometieron a varias transformaciones políticas radicales que alteraron profundamente su desarrollo socioeconómico. La hipótesis del estudio es que estos cambios también afectaron a la geografía económica y la distribución espacial de la población en la región. Por ello, historia moderna de los Estados de los Balcanes es una oportunidad valiosa para estudiar los principales determinantes de los desequilibrios en el crecimiento regional. Las correlaciones entre los acontecimientos políticos y de desarrollo territorial se ilustran y analizan a través de lo creado especialmente para este estudio base de datos. La base incluye información histórica y geográfica de transporte: como la modificación de las fronteras nacionales y regionales, y el desarrollo de la red ferroviaria, y datos socio-económicos tales como: la evolución de las tasas de urbanización y la densidad a nivel regional y el crecimiento de las ciudades. La creación de la base de datos permite el establecimiento de una visión integrada, a largo plazo sobre el desarrollo espacial de la región y facilita el análisis de los cambios regionales y ajustes espaciales a finales del siglo XIX y XX. El análisis ofrece observaciones importantes sobre el mecanismo de formación de la geografía económica de los estados en construcción o en transición. La tesis se estructura en cinco capítulos escritos en forma de artículos. Los tres primeros capítulos ofrecen estudios nacionales sobre el desarrollo regional y urbano de Bulgaria, Rumania y la ex Yugoslavia. Se puso de manifiesto las notables similitudes en la formación espacial de las nuevas economías nacionales después de la disolución del Imperio Austro-Hungría y el Imperio Otomano. El cuarto capítulo analiza la evolución espacial de toda la península durante el siglo XX. Y el último capítulo se centra en la transformación estructural de la economía de Bulgaria. La experiencia de los Balcanes ilustra cómo, en los estados de reciente creación o en proceso de formación con una economía preindustrial, las instituciones políticas juegan un papel importante en la determinación del desarrollo y las tendencias de la desigualdad regional. En general, en los estados balcánicos subdesarrollados y mayoritariamente centralizados, la iniciativa privada ha jugado un papel secundario. Las fronteras políticas y el marco institucional han sido los principales determinantes sobre las desigualdades en el crecimiento regional. Esta conclusión se ve confirmada por los datos sobre los sectores de ocupación de Bulgaria. Los gobiernos fueron capaces de influir de manera significativa en el desarrollo regional, mediante inversiones relativamente pequeñas en la infraestructura del transporte que tuvieron importantes efectos a largo plazo debido al efecto de los rendimientos crecientes. Las pequeñas ventajas iniciales durante el período pre-industrial, en la forma de importancia política y administrativa o acceso ferroviario, tuvieron efectos duraderos sobre la geografía económica. Más tarde, las transformaciones económicas y políticas tuvieron menor efecto sobre la geografía económica de las naciones balcánicas porque los beneficiarios del crecimiento económico fueron principalmente las ciudades y las regiones ya desarrolladas. / This thesis explores the uneven regional growth, the development of the urban network and the evolution of the railroads in the Balkans- one of the most diverse and turbulent regions of Europe. The states included in the study are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Kosovo. During the 19th and 20th centuries, these states underwent several radical political transformations that altered profoundly their socioeconomic development. The hypothesis of the current study is that these changes also affected the economic geography and the spatial distribution of the population in the region, and therefore the modern history of the Balkans provides a valuable opportunity to study the main determinants for the uneven regional growth. The correlations between political events and spatial development are illustrated and analyzed with the use of the created for the purposes of the study database. It includes historical geographical and transport information: like the changes to the national and regional borders, and the development of the railway network, and socioeconomic data: such as the evolution of urbanization and density rates at regional level, and the growth of the cities. The final result is a database with internationally comparable historical and geographical information covering the entire Balkan Peninsula, which therefore permits, for the first time, the establishment of an integrated, long run vision over the spatial development of the states in the peninsula. The thesis is organized into five chapters written in the form of articles. The first three chapters present national studies of the regional and urban development of Bulgaria, Romania and former Yugoslavia during the last 100-130 years. The results revealed remarkable similarities in the spatial formation of the new national economies after the dissolutions of Austro-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire. The fourth chapter explores the spatial trends of the entire peninsula during the 20th century. The last chapter focuses on the structural transformation of the Bulgarian economy. Overall, the experience of the Balkans illustrates how, in newly established pre-industrial states or in those in the process of formation, political institutions can play a major role in determining the trends of the spatial inequality. By and large, in the underdeveloped and predominantly centralized Balkans, private initiative has played lesser role and political borders and the institutional framework have been the main determinants for the uneven regional growth. The governments were able to influence significantly the regional development; by making relatively small investments in transport infrastructure which had significant effects in long run due to the self-enforcing nature of increasing returns. The small initial advantages during the preindustrial period, in the form of political and administrative importance or railway access, had a lasting effect over the economic geography. Later economic and political transformations were followed by a visible increase of the regional and spatial disparities; however they had lesser effect on the economic geography of the Balkan nations, as the principal benefiters of the economic growth were the already developed cities and regions.

Abstract and summary The glocal province of competence. The regional building up of knowledge at Växjö University and its choice of home region. The aim of the study is to give views on knowledge and to describe and discuss which home region Växjö University has chosen as its context. Taking my point of departure in the literature and in examples, I illustrate, discuss and examine how three different disciplines at the university have chosen their home regions. The disciplines are history, economics and biology. The study covers the last 33 years. The empirical study, with its focus only on regional matters, is based on four sources. 1. Research and researchers 2. Education and the impact it has as shown by the papers written by students at bachelor and master levels. In all 459 papers have been classified 3. Interviews with the professors 4. The University’s annual report given by the board of directors. The study centres on the diverse and complex characteristics of regions which leads to a variation of regions used by different actors at the university. One aspect is the consideration of the relationship between formal and everyday knowledge. The three disciplines have different attitudes towards home region and towards how it is constituted. Generally speaking, historians see the home region more as territory with the emphasis on the southern part of the province of Småland. The economists concentrate on home region as a functional arena, even though examples and studies sometimes are found in Småland. The biologists, who are in a new discipline at the university, sometimes study the southern part of Sweden, but focus on general aspects. All three of them are interested in interdisciplinary methods and studies in order to build up knowledge connected to the home region. The board of directors has not chosen one specific region and varies its attitudes over the years. The interviews gave a broad perspective on knowledge and regions and with views on a local and global world. A glocal region. Keywords; home region, regional development, knowledge, higher education, university.

Historically, the regional policies have been changed greatly in Mainland China ever since 1949. Since the ¡§Egalitarianism¡¨ in Mao, the ¡§ladder-step doctrine¡¨ in Deng, and the ¡§Western Investment Policy ¡§ in Jiang, each one possessed its own unique regional developing models. However, it is worth to note that the change of the models had deeply influenced the policies to determine the developing priority between coastal and inner regions. This article will focus on three questions. First, how the three different regional developing models had influenced the policies? And how the regional development had been influenced by those policies? Second, how the market system has an impact on the regional development in Mainland China? Finally, what kind of relationship existed between statecraft and market? And how did they interact each other?

The framework of this research is based on comparative analysis between nation¡Bregions and provinces in order to discuss differences of investment structure in the three levels and their economic development. Regionally, I divided China into three regions: eastern region, middle region, and western region. About the choice of provinces, I choose the provinces in eastern and western region, the two regions which have the greatest differences in economic development. I choose Guangdong and Fujian as the provinces in eastern region, and Sichuan¡BYunnan as the provinces in western region to discuss the provincial difference both in regions and between regions. I will analyze the amount of investment¡Beconomic types of investment and the origin of investment in the three levels to discuss their investment structural differences. Also I put in investment policy change of nation¡Bregions and provinces to discuss how different regions and provinces respond to these changes, the power rise and fall between central government and local government, and also the relation between politics and diversifications of investment.