ESSPIN

Economic, Social and SPatial INequalities
in Europe in the Era of Global Mega-trends

The rapidly changing environment during the first two decades of the new century has been marked by the emergence of new drivers or dynamics that have exercised multiple pressures on welfare and socio-spatial cohesion in Europe and elsewhere and have raised new challenges for policy and collective action. The EU integration processes, the financial crisis, the pandemic, the digitalization of the economy, the unbalanced patterns of globalization, the refugee and migration crisis, and the climate change-related disasters and threats have increased vulnerability of significant social groups and places, triggered discontent and populism and raised new challenges to development and social policy.

The goal of the project is to re-examine the nexus of social, economic, and spatial inequalities in the EU as well as the various typologies, arrangements and mixes of policies to address them in the light of emerging and highly interacting mega-trends and challenges that threaten to increase pressures and make policy choices even more difficult. As new and older drivers of change are projected to create a rather unfavorable environment for balanced growth and socio-spatial resilience, this research will focus on the analysis of policy responses, aiming to make them more pro-active, inclusive, and effective.

EUROREG Team

Agnieszka Olechnicka

Mikołaj Herbst

Adam Płoszaj

Maciej Smętkowski

Katarzyna Wojnar

Publications

Herbst Mikołaj, Sitek Michał (2023) Education in exile: Ukrainian refugee students in the schooling system in Poland following the Russian–Ukrainian war. European Journal of Education, 58(4), pp. 575–594.

Smętkowski Maciej, Wojnar Katarzyna (2025) Wyniki uczniów szkół podstawowych a zróżnicowanie społeczno-przestrzenne Warszawy. Studia Regionalne i Lokalne, 1(99), pp. 29-46. (in Polish)

Chumachenko Artem, Olechnicka Agnieszka, Płoszaj Adam (2025) Bridging Europe’s Innovation Divide: How European Union Research Policy Drives Growth in Less Developed Regions. Stosunki Międzynarodowe – International Relations 2025, 5(11).

Herbst Mikołaj (2024) Differences in local resilience to COVID-19 in Poland. Endogenous determinants versus the aftermath of public policies. Working paper, pp. 19.

Lectures

Lecture on the territorial variation of the effects of the Covid pandemic in Poland with a Q&A session (in Polish)

Lecture on the persistence of socio-spatial differences and education in Warsaw with a Q&A session (in Polish)

Conferences

63rd ERSA Congress – Regional Science Dialogues for Peace and Sustainable Development (The impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on the European borderland universities, CP or CAP? Which policies are more effective in order to promote regional development and reduce socio-economic disparities in Poland, Territorial inequality in resilience to COVID. Evidence from Poland)

64th ERSA Congress (The impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on higher education and research institutions in the European borderland)

ATLC25 (The impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on higher education and research institutions in the European borderland)

64th ERSA Congress. 26-29.08.2025. Athens, Greece. Paper: The impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on higher education and research institutions in the European borderland).

ATLC25: 2025 Atlanta Conference On Science And Innovation Policy. 13-16.05.2025, Georgia, Atlanta. Paper: The impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on higher education and research institutions in the European borderland.

The 71st North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International. 14-16.11.2024. New Orleans, Louisiana. Paper: The impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on higher education and research institutions in the European borderland.

The 28th International Conference on Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators. Paper: The impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on higher education and scientific institutions in the European borderland.

63rd ERSA Congress – Regional Science Dialogues for Peace and Sustainable Development. 26-30.08.2024. Terceira Islands, Portugal. Papers: The impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on the European borderland universities, CP or CAP? Which policies are more effective in order to promote regional development and reduce socio-economic disparities in Poland, Territorial inequality in resilience to COVID. Evidence from Poland.

3rd International Conference of Science of Science & Innovation. 1-3.08.2024. Washington, DC, USA. Paper: The impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on higher education and research institutions in the European borderland.

Regional Studies Association Annual Conference: „Global Challenges, Regional Collaboration and the Role of Places”. Florence (Italy),11.06-14.06.2024, Paper: Cohesion Policy impact on poverty and social inclusion in EU Member States at regional level.

Regional Studies Association: Central and Eastern European Conference, Dubrovnik, Croatia, 11.09-13.09.2024, Paper: Cohesion Policy or Common Agricultural Policy? Which policies are more effective in order to reduce socio-economic disparities at the subregional level in Poland.

IV Interdyscyplinarna Konferencja Naukowa, „Warszawa w świetle badań naukowych”, 28-29 Listopada 2024 r. Referat: Jakość i dostępność szkolnictwa podstawowego a zróżnicowanie społeczno-przestrzenne postsocjalistycznej metropolii na przykładzie z Warszawy.

Discussions

Discussion on the social dimension of

spatial inequalities in Poland (in Polish)