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
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 (2025) Cohesion Policy impact on poverty and social inclusion in EU Member States at regional level. European Planning Studies, 1–20.
To be published:
Herbst M., Wójcik P., Local policies and territorial differences in resilience to COVID. Evidence from Poland.
Smętkowski, M.Cohesion Policy or Common Agricultural Policy? Which policies are more effective in order to reduce socio-economic disparities at the subregional level in Poland. European Urban and Regional Studies.
Smętkowski M., Wojnar K., Learning from Labour Market Policy Mismatch in Peripheral Poland: Economic, Social and Spatial Inequalities. Special Issue European Planning Studies.
Olechnicka A., Płoszaj A., Balancing excellence and inclusion: The MINIATURA Programme and structural inequalities in Poland’s research system. Special Issue European Planning Studies.
Olechnicka A., Płoszaj A., The impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on higher education and research institutions in the European borderland. Nature Human Behaviour.
Olechnicka A., An article summarizing the discussion on the impact of the war and the situation at the border on the activities of the Universities of Eastern Poland. Forum Akademickie.
Lectures and public debates
Lecture on the territorial variation of the effects of the Covid pandemic in Poland with a Q&A session. 21.12.2023, Warsaw, Poland. EUROREG Seminar.
25 participants.
Lecture on the persistence of socio-spatial differences and education in Warsaw
with a Q&A session. 3.04.2025. Warsaw, Poland.
20 participants.
Presentation of research results
at a meeting of the Science of Science Committee of Polish Academy of Sciences and a panel discussion of university rectors in regions bordering the conflict zone. 09.05.2025, Warsaw, Poland.
30 participants.
Discussion on the socio-spatial differences and inequalities in Poland. 3.04.2025. Warsaw, Poland.
20 participants.
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.
More
Agnieszka Olechnicka: 12 IDI interviews and 1 focus group interview on the functioning of the MINIATURA program of the National Science Center from the perspective of universities and the institutional environment, examining the effectiveness of policies in reducing inequalities in the science sector. 09.2024, Poland.
Maciej Smętkowski, Katarzyna Wojnar: Field study in Szydłowiec County, Poland, 09.2023.
Maciej Smętkowski, Katarzyna Wojnar: Focus interview with members of the Polish Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, trade unions, employers organisations and members of the Social Dialogue Council – Task Force for Labor Market Policy Reform 02.2024. Warsaw, Poland.
Agnieszka Olechnicka: Panel discussion on the future of cohesion policy and the territorial dimension. Regional disparities - addressing territorial inequalities and spatial concentration of development problems - lessons from the work of the OECD. 28.02.2024, Warsaw, Poland.
Dissemination in social media
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