2024 RSA Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) Conference

Important Dates

• Special Session submission is closed.
• Abstract submission deadline 14th May 2024
• Registration to open soon

Central and Eastern European (CEE) regions continue to undergo substantial internal and external restructuring. New patterns of regional differentiation and development, alternative development pathways, and different political projects, are all impacting the internal dynamics of CEE. Integrating into European and global networks, positioning in relation to the geopolitical manoeuvrings of the US, EU, China and Russia, and responding to international crises (e.g. migration, environmental, health), are just some of the major external dynamics impacting CEE and its place in the world. Regional research often ‘looks in’ at regions and regional development within and across CEE, or ‘looks out’ to beyond CEE.

The RSA CEE Conference in Dubrovnik provides an opportunity for researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and students working in all areas related to regional policy, regional development and regional studies to come together and discuss the changing internal and external dynamics of CEE. The conference organisers warmly invite sessions and papers which look at CEE from the inside out and others which look at CEE from the outside in. We are particularly keen to see contributions from those whose research speaks to both. An example here might be research that explores the strategic location of CEE in China’s Belt and Road Initiative by examining which places or regions stand to gain or lose the most as a result.

Potential conference themes and topics include, but are not limited to:

Looking out – CEEs place in the world:

• The changing identity and external view of CEE
• The changing impact of CEE on the international political stage
• The position and role of CEE in the European project and further enlargement
• The influence of Russia, China, the EU and US on CEE
• CEE and the Global East
• Regional Cooperation in the Western Balkans, between CEE and SEE
• De-colonial and post-colonial approaches to CEE
• Contributions to theory production and innovation in methodological development
• CEE in a digital world
• CEE in a post-Covid world
• CEE and the climate change and energy crises
• CEEs role and position in global value chains, transnational cooperation, foreign direct investment

Looking in – places and regions in CEE:

• Winners and losers of economic transformation
• Hidden economies of everyday life and social reproduction
• Spaces of innovation and entrepreneurship
• Institutional change and the rescaling of power
• Spatial planning in the context of urban and regional policies
• Integrated territorial development and management of specific territories
• Climate change, green infrastructure, and civil protection
• Demographic shifts and changing social structures
• Healthcare, education and welfare
• Tourism, culture, creativity
• Transport, infrastructure, waste
• Housing, labour markets and work

Looking in, looking out:

• Comparing social, economic and political trends inside and outside CEE
• EU Cohesion Policy and its regional impacts in CEE
• Transnational, macroregional and cross-border cooperation inside and outside CEE
• Comparative approaches to researching CEE and non-CEE places and regions
• Spatial distribution and effects of foreign investment
• Integrating regional, national and international economies
• Liberalism, illiberalism, authoritarian within and beyond CEE
• Strategic location in China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the impact on places or regions in CEE
• (Im)mobilities and (im)migration of people from inside-to-outside or outside-to-inside CEE
• Placing the digital economy in CEE

The event is inclusive and offers networking opportunities for all in our field. The organisers welcome proposals for special sessions, themed workshops and innovative forms of networking and collaboration. If you would like to organise or offer a session to the conference, please contact Nicola Pilling at nicola.pilling@regionalstudies.org

This conference will be the fourth conference in the RSA’s CEE Conference Series and follows successful events in Leipzig, Germany in 2022, Lublin, Poland in 2019 and Cluj, Romania in 2017.

The 2024 conference is organised in partnership with the University of Dubrovnik and in association with the Croatian Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds and the Leibniz ScienceCampus Eastern Europe- Global Area (EEGA).

Submission Details:

Please submit your abstract (up to 250 words and text only) through the RSA conference portal by 14^th May 2024 the latest. Abstracts will be considered and reviewed by the Conference Committee against the criteria of originality, interest, subject balance and geographical spread.

We also welcome Special Session submissions (submission deadline 16^th April 2024). Please see the separate Call for Special Sessions.

Scientific Board:

• Jozsef Benedek, Babes-Bolyai University, Romania- RSA Ambassador to Romania
• Donatas Burneika, Lithuanian Social Research Centre & Vilnius University, Lithuania – RSA Ambassador to Lithuania
• Nataša Drvenkar, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University, Croatia
• Balázs Forman, John von Neumann University, Hungary – RSA Ambassador to Hungary
• John Harrison, Loughborough University, UK – RSA Board Member for Conferences & Events
• Elita Jermolajeva, Preili Municipality Council and Latvia University of Agriculture, Latvia- RSA Ambassador Latvia
• Ida Musiałkowska, Poznań University of Economics and Business, Poland – RSA Ambassador to Poland
• Janez Nared, Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Slovenia- RSA Ambassador to Slovenia
• Marjan Nikolov, Center for Economic Analyses & International Slavic University of Macedonia, Republic of North Macedonia – RSA Ambassador to North Macedonia
• Oliver Rafaj, University of Economics in Bratislava, Slovak Republic – RSA Ambassador Slovakia
• Suntje Schmidt, Leibniz Institute for Research on Society and Space (IRS), Germany –RSA Ambassador to Germany
• Nenad Starc, Institute of Economics, Zagreb, Croatia
• Viktor Varjú, Institute for Regional Studies, KRTK, HUN-REN, Hungary – Chair of the RSA’s Hungary Section

Academic Organisers: 

• Nebojša Stojčić, Vice Rector for Business Affairs, University of Dubrovnik, Croatia
• Marijana Sumpor, Member of City of Zagreb Assembly and Director at Euro ekspertiza, Zagreb, Croatia – RSA Ambassador to Croatia

RSA Conference Manager:
Nicola Pilling, nicola.pilling@regionalstudies.org +44 (0) 1273 698017