When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Europe in the beginning of 2020, a majority of countries reacted by closing their state borders. By drawing on concepts of border studies and border regional resilience, this thesis aims to examine the impact of the (im)mobility shock caused by the pandemic on two border twin cities in Europe. Through a qualitative approach, conducting semi-structured expert interviews and content analyses, the thesis attempts to identify (1) Which factors facilitated/obstructed the coping/adapting strategies to the problems caused by the pandemic induced state border closures; and (2) Which long-term effects the COVID-19 crisis will have on the future development of the border twin cities and whether their development path will transform into a more resilient one. The main finding of this thesis is that the crisis management on the local level was considerably limited by the restrictions enacted at the national level. To be better prepared for similar shocks, the border twin cities have already made plans based on their experience. However, it remains to be seen whether these strategies can contribute to the resilience of the cities. Nevertheless, coordination between the local, regional and national level is essential to plan and establish resilient border twin cities.

This paper documents macro-economic change in Swedish regional labor markets during the last great recession (2008). This is made by using Swedish macro-data and analyzing employment flows over the period 2003-2013. The findings point to the fact that there is great disparity in the geography both when it comes to how the regions resist crises and recoup in the aftermath (Resilience) and how the crisis effect the labor market and its momentum in the recovery phase (polarization). The findings indicate that the 2008 financial crisis affected the Swedish regional labor market in a polarized development. Regions that showed patterns of this behavior before the recession managed to go through the crisis and recoup well, whereas the regions that didn’t show a polarized pattern before 2008 had a much harder time recuperating after the crises. With these findings we can generate a more sophisticated knowledge how regional economies can resist and recoup after financial recessions and use this to reduce the impact of future recessions.

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Regional specialisation and economic volatility of Czech regions ABSTRACT This thesis deals with the assessment of the impact of regional specialization and regional diversity on economic performance of Czech regions by indicators of economic development: the growth of the average wage, employment growth, rising unemployment, increase in the number of patents and the GDP per person. The second aim is to assess the effect of types of diversity on regional performance. Finally, this thesis aims to assess the impact of diversity on regional resilience by analyzing the development of employment and GDP per person. Key words: Czech regions, diversity of industry, specialization, regional performance, regional resilience, related and unrelated variety, Jacobs' effects, Marshall's effects

Cette étude sociologique porte sur la Municipalité régionale de comté (MRC) Antoine-Labelle dans la région des Hautes-Laurentides au Québec. Historiquement, depuis le début des années 1900, la forêt a constitué la principale assise économique et sociale de la MRC. Depuis 2005, « la crise forestière » frappe durement cette région québécoise. Un mouvement de la transition s’est installé au sein de la communauté régionale. À l’intersection de la nature et de la culture, le terroir se présente depuis lors comme l’une des voies privilégiées de la résilience. À travers le terroir, c’est le « vivre de » et le « bien vivre ensemble » que les habitants cherchent à repenser dans leur région. Aujourd’hui, plusieurs initiatives mettant en valeur le terroir régional, notamment des projets d’agriculture biologique, sont repérables à l’ensemble du territoire des Hautes-Laurentides. Plus qu’une simple ouverture économique, le terroir est porteur de nouveaux récits sociaux et symboliques dans la région. Dans ce mémoire de maîtrise, notre objectif est précisément de mettre en lumière les représentations sociales du terroir de certains acteurs du domaine agroalimentaire de la MRC Antoine-Labelle. Nous cherchons à comprendre comment le terroir se construit, se pense, se vit et se raconte dans cette région. En interrogeant dix-sept acteurs, notamment des agriculteurs, des artisans du domaine alimentaire, des chefs, des restaurateurs et des représentants de la gouvernance régionale, ceux-ci montrent que ce concept est porteur de valeurs sociales et environnementales qui répondent à de nouvelles aspirations au sein de la communauté. Non sans difficultés, le terroir renvoie pour les acteurs interrogés à des valeurs d’autonomie, de qualité de vie, de convivialité, de conscience écologique, d’éducation et d’espoir pour la relève à venir. Cette étude sociologique du terroir dans les Hautes-Laurentides jette finalement un éclairage nouveau sur le bien-vivre en région rurale au Québec. / This sociological study is about the Regional County Municipality (RCM) of Antoine-Labelle in the Hautes-Laurentides region of Quebec. Since the early 1900s, the forest has been the main economic and social base of the MRC. Since 2005, "the forestry crisis" has heavily affected this region of Quebec. A transition movement has emerged within the regional community. At the intersection of nature and culture, the terroir has appeared as one of the preferred pathways toward resilience. Through the terroir, it’s the ideas of "living" and "living together" that inhabitants are sinking to rethink in their region. Today, several initiatives which highlight the regional terroir, including organic farming projects, have emerged throughout the territory of the Hautes-Laurentides. More than just an economic opportunity, the terroir brings with it new social and symbolic narratives in the region. In this master thesis, our goal is precisely to highlight the social representations of the terroir of some actors in this field of activity in the Antoine-Labelle RCM. We seek to understand how the terroir is constructed, conceptualized, lived and told in this region. By interviewing seventeen actors, including farmers, artisans, chefs and representatives of regional governance, we show that this concept carries social and environmental values that express new aspirations within the community. For the actors interviewed and not without its challenges, the terroir refers to values such as autonomy, quality of life, friendliness, environmental awareness, education and hope for the next generation. This sociological study of the terroir in the Hautes-Laurentides sheds new light on what is meant by “living well” in rural Quebec.