Baltic Region最新文献

{"title":"Prediction models and testing of resilience in regions","authors":"Charalampos Manousiadis, E. Gaki","doi":"10.18335/region.v10i1.449","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18335/region.v10i1.449","url":null,"abstract":"A significant amount of research has been conducted regarding the resilience of the regions and the factors that contribute to allow them to face challenges, crises, or disasters. The rise of promising sectors like Machine learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) can enhance this research using computing power in regional economic, social, and environmental data analysis to find patterns and create prediction models. Through Machine Learning, the following research introduces the use of models that can predict the performance of a region in disasters. A case study of the performance of USA Counties during the Covid19 first wave period of the pandemic and the related restrictions that were applied by the authorities was used in order to reveal the obvious or hidden parameters and factors that affected their resilience, in particular their economic response, and other interesting patterns between all the involved attributes. This paper aims to contribute to a methodology and to offer useful guidelines in how regional factors can be translated and processed by data and ML/AI tools and techniques. The proposed models were evaluated on their ability to predict the economic performance of each county and in particular the difference of its unemployment rate between March and June of 2020. The former is based on several economic, social, and environmental data -up to that point in time- using classifiers like neural networks and decision trees. A comparison of the different models' execution was performed, and the best models were further analyzed and presented. Further execution results that identified patterns and connections between regional data and attributes are also presented. The main results of this research are i) a methodological framework of how regional status can be translated into digital models and ii) related examples of predictive models in a real case. An effort was also made to decode the results in terms of regional science to produce useful and meaningful conclusions, thus a decision tree is also presented to demonstrate how these models can be interpreted. Finally, the connection between this work and the strong current trend of regional and urban digitalization towards sustainability is established.","PeriodicalId":43257,"journal":{"name":"Baltic Region","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90689125","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Italia di mezzo","authors":"A. Kercuku, Francesco Curci, A. Lanzani, F. Zanfi","doi":"10.18335/region.v10i1.397","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18335/region.v10i1.397","url":null,"abstract":"The Italian debate concerning the relationship between cities and inner areas polarized around a few dichotomous - and somehow simplifying - positions. On the one hand exists the rhetoric addressing the ``villages'', intended as remote places to re-inhabit, escaping from the pandemic. On the other hand is the narrative of the metropolis, envisioned as a place-fulcrum from which to start again -- following the already-known patterns of growth and concentration -- despite the fragilities made explicit by Covid. In order to overcome these juxtaposed approaches, our work wants to shed light on the importance of ``intermediate territories'' intended as priority places to rethink within a new geography of marginality. In Italy, such intermediate territories, named emph{Italia di mezzo}, occupy half of the national surface and host more than half of the population. Moreover, they embody extremely articulated geography: they include portions of twentieth-century urbanization (such as coastal settlements, industrial districts, various traits of ``città diffusa''), medium-sized cities with different administrative and functional centrality levels, sectors of metropolitan belts and a substantial share of rural areas in plains and hills. Faced with the radical risks and uncertainties that characterize the contemporary condition, it is essential to take care of these territories not only because they urgently need investments aimed at solving forgotten critical issues (from the necessary reconversion of production chains to the impact of climate change). These territories can also play a strategic positive role in the face of crisis phenomena thanks to their characteristics of elasticity and plasticity. If we look at them from a relational point of view - and not only from a topological one - these intermediate territories can play the role of two-sided ``intermediaries'' and ``hinges.'' On the one hand, they can be prepared to provide assistance and support to the inner and less densely populated areas; on the other hand, by taking advantage of their infrastructural and social capital, they can offer decongesting opportunities for most polluted metropolitan areas and more accessible living and working conditions.","PeriodicalId":43257,"journal":{"name":"Baltic Region","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77190793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Defining marginality in the periurban areas of Quito","authors":"Riccardo Porreca, Nadia Rodriguez.Pazmiño, Vasiliki Geropanta, Paola Bracchi","doi":"10.18335/region.v10i1.393","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18335/region.v10i1.393","url":null,"abstract":"In Latin America, marginality is a complex phenomenon involving various geographically significant factors, including the critical, physical, social, and human aspects. Bouldering areas of cities are often excluded from infrastructural interventions and social policies. In the case of Andean countries such as Ecuador, marginality affects not only rural lands but also in-transition areas between different geographical regions, as in the case of mountainous and coastal zones. These regions are characterized by a wide range of natural resources and climate conditions, and because of their diversity and relative proximity to the major cities, they offer potential for sustainable development. Nonetheless, the lack of infrastructure affects the accessibility of these periurban areas and critically limits their interaction. Drawing on these elements, the paper seeks to investigate whether periurban areas can be considered marginal and what tools can depict an encompassing image of local marginality, stressing its advantages for the local community. Following this idea, the paper focuses on the case of Lloa, a large rural parish in the Metropolitan District of Quito (DMQ), to determine which criteria can better capture its marginality, considering it as a periurban in-transition area. The paper suggests a cross-discipline methodology to push the limits of the field through the review of a significant body of literature and a thorough qualitative and quantitative analysis of the case study. Finally, the paper emphasizes the inadequacy of the current forms of planning to effectively define the marginality of periurban areas as a whole in the region by reflecting on the case study and through an analysis of the existing land use plans.","PeriodicalId":43257,"journal":{"name":"Baltic Region","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89096087","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Blockchain-Based Welfare Distribution Model for Digital Inclusivity","authors":"C. Tartan","doi":"10.18335/region.v10i1.434","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18335/region.v10i1.434","url":null,"abstract":"An unprecedented rate of technological advancement, compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, has expedited our transition to a fully digitalised society. Traditionally, digital inclusion focuses on an individual's ability to connect to and access information from the internet. The adoption of novel technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain is little distinguished in the literature from internet accessibility. While these digital solutions present novel opportunities, they may also perpetuate or exacerbate the existing hurdles faced by digitally excluded localities. However, these technologies could also be used to tackle the digital divide. Inspired by the design of Bitcoin, the current study offers a conceptual blockchain-based welfare model that adopts a two-pronged approach to enable the fair distribution of capital and resource allocation across the UK regions. The model offers transparency over institutional processes and improves their trustworthiness while preserving privacy. At the community level, the model assumes the application of economic incentives in order to promote digital inclusivity and stimulate cooperation and competition within local cultures. By mobilising both public institutions and communities, such a holistic model would assist the flow of information between the supply and demand side of the regional economy. This approach may not only help to dissolve the welfare losses arising from the digital divide, but also improve social well-being in all regions.","PeriodicalId":43257,"journal":{"name":"Baltic Region","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91319631","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Territorial Infrastructure Support Index (ISIT)","authors":"Arturo Orellana Ossandón, Ricardo Truffello, D. Moreno, H. Altamirano, M. Flores, Isidro Puig","doi":"10.18335/region.v10i1.392","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18335/region.v10i1.392","url":null,"abstract":"Through a review of the literature on infrastructure, a study of international experiences, expert knowledge, and the elaboration of a Territorial Infrastructure Support Index (ISIT), this paper provides a comparative analysis of the development conditions -- regarding infrastructure and services -- for the location of productive economic activities, at the regional and provincial level in Chile. The results show contrasts between regions and within them, revealing the state of the current situation for each of the six dimensions: Water, Energy, Telecommunications, Roads, Logistics, and Resilience, as well as for their synthetic indicator ISIT. The results of the ISIT have been contrasted with the recent definitions made by the Government of Chile regarding the definition of lag zones, finding important coincidences at the provincial level that allow validating the ISIT as a tool for the analysis of gaps in infrastructure and equipment for development of economic and productive activities in Chile.","PeriodicalId":43257,"journal":{"name":"Baltic Region","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83882627","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Productivity, Smart Specialisation, and Innovation:","authors":"Mirko Kruse, Cristina Somcutean, Jan Wedemeier","doi":"10.18335/region.v10i1.419","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18335/region.v10i1.419","url":null,"abstract":"The paper aims to enrich the discussion on the Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3) and ongoing development of macro-regions in the EU. EU macro-regions are defined as geographical related places that are considered to be socially, economically, and historically linked and, until now, make a blind spot in the discussion on Smart Specialisation and regional innovation. The empirical approach of this paper is to apply a simply pooled OLS-regression with productivity as an independent variable, various exogenous variables on Smart Specialisation, dummies on EU macro-regions, and time-fixed effects within NUTS2 regions between 2014 and 2018. From this, it can be concluded that Smart Specialisation has a significant dependency on productivity. Moreover, it was assumed that regions of a macro-region benefit from each other by co-location. The result is not perfect. This raises questions for the development of EU macro-regions.","PeriodicalId":43257,"journal":{"name":"Baltic Region","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72736285","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Geopolitical Security of Russia: Remarks on the Problem Statement","authors":"Yana A. Vorozheina, A. Klemeshev, Natalia A. Komleva, A. Druzhinin, V. Belozerov, G. Fedorov, K. Voloshenko","doi":"10.5922/2079-8555-2023-1-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5922/2079-8555-2023-1-9","url":null,"abstract":"This paper summarizes the results of the seminar “Geopolitical Security of Russia: Remarks on the Problem Statement”, held on August 26, 2022, at the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad. During the seminar, the Institute of Geopolitical and Regional Studies of the university announced an initiative to devise a system of monitoring the geopolitical (regional) security of Russia. The debate centred around the development of a conceptual framework and a geopolitical security model as a prerequisite for the system. The discussion also covered other relevant issues, including the definition of geopolitical security and geopolitical space as well as the types of geopolitical threats and vulnerabilities. Another topic on the agenda was the analysis of theoretical approaches applicable to monitoring the geopolitical security in Russia. A constructivist approach based on discursive practices was viewed as the most promising for tracking changes in geopolitical threats. In this work, the emphasis should be placed on regional issues, i. e. the situation in particular regions. Other promising avenues for further research are the operationalization of relevant concepts and the development of a set of indicators of geopolitical threats and vulnerabilities, which Russia has already faced and may face in the future.","PeriodicalId":43257,"journal":{"name":"Baltic Region","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71249632","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Swedish institute’s scholarship policy as a soft power instrument","authors":"German S. Ragozin","doi":"10.5922/2079-8555-2023-3-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5922/2079-8555-2023-3-4","url":null,"abstract":"This paper examines how soft power, nation branding and academic cooperation came together in the scholarship policy pursued by the Swedish Institute (SI) from 1995 to 2023. An investigation of the organisation’s materials, scholarship statistics and feedback interviews with SI programme alumni suggests that the implementation of the scholarship policy was erratic during the study period. A comprehensive analysis of the Institute’s efforts was carried out to describe the relationship between nation branding, soft power and education. The focus was on the principles and practices behind promoting Sweden’s image in an international educational setting, the evolution of the Institute’s scholarship policy and the effect of soft power and nation branding on a grantee’s academic track. Interactions between the SI and grantees during and after their stay in the country and scholarship distribution were examined to understand the dynamics behind the scholarship policy. The study draws on the concepts of nation branding and soft power to explore the corresponding elements in certain regional and national cases during the study period. It is concluded that the Institute is an effective tool of Sweden’s soft power, with its scholarship policy promoting the Government’s official position on global social, economic and political development. SI grantees complete their chosen programmes and get acquainted with the country’s social and political institutions. As of today, the educational component seems to be subordinate to nation branding and soft power.","PeriodicalId":43257,"journal":{"name":"Baltic Region","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135318414","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Economic development of Russia’s north-western regions and migration to the St. Petersburg agglomeration","authors":"Pavel V. Druzhinin","doi":"10.5922/2079-8555-2023-3-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5922/2079-8555-2023-3-6","url":null,"abstract":"This article aims to analyse the development of Russia’s North-Western Federal District (NWFD) regions between 1998 and 2021, based on data from Rosstat. It focuses on how the territories responded to migration to the St. Petersburg agglomeration in the early 21st century and compares their progress with the cores of the St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Helsinki agglomerations. For building the models, regions with similar development dynamics were divided into four sectors: St. Petersburg, the Leningrad region, three less advanced northern areas, and the more successful NWFD territories. Before the 2008—2009 crisis, St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region outperformed the other north-western areas. However, the crisis led to a sharp decline in economic growth rates across the federal district, with manufacturing, agriculture, and forestry replacing the service sector as the main drivers. St. Petersburg’s development slowed down, and it became less efficient compared to the Leningrad region and the other five territories, which excelled in manufacturing, agriculture, and forestry. Despite migration to the St. Petersburg agglomeration and an associated increase in employment, the city did not gain a significant advantage over the other NWFD regions due to insufficient investment and hindrance in the development of new economic sectors. Migration to the St. Petersburg agglomeration primarily involved younger people but did not significantly impact traditional industries, such as manufacturing, agriculture, and forestry, which remained at the core of NWFD regions’ economic success. St. Petersburg’s higher economic efficiency compared to Moscow and Helsinki was a result of greater investments in manufacturing.","PeriodicalId":43257,"journal":{"name":"Baltic Region","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135319423","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"France’s strategy in the Baltic region: military and political aspects","authors":"A. Chikhachev","doi":"10.5922/2079-8555-2023-1-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5922/2079-8555-2023-1-1","url":null,"abstract":"This article examines the current military-political strategy of France in the Baltic region. This area has not traditionally been among the main priorities of French diplomacy. However, under President Emmanuel Macron, France pays closer attention to the Baltic Sea due to the growing tension between Russia and the West. According to France’s key strategic documents, the government assesses the present-day situation mainly in a negative way, considering Russian actions as the main reason for the militarization of the region and expressing its readiness to show solidarity with NATO allies. On this basis, Paris is gradually increasing its military presence in the Baltic region, which now exceeds its contingents in the Middle East and the Sahel. For example, French forces still participate in the NATO air policing programme as well as in naval exercises, keeping the troops in Estonia within the Lynx mission. France’s further activity in the region includes enhanced cooperation with Sweden and Finland after they accede to NATO, an already planned increase in military contingent in the Baltic States in 2023, and the development of the European Political Community project. The author concludes that even if France’s presence in the Baltic does not yet pose a critical threat to Russian security, Paris’s policy is becoming more pro-Atlantic to the detriment of previous statements about ‘European sovereignty’ and dialogue with Russia.","PeriodicalId":43257,"journal":{"name":"Baltic Region","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71249482","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}