Quo vadis regionalism? The subsistence of a conceptual and value system through the professionals

Abstract

Quo vadis regionalism? Two anniversaries in the year of this survey (2017) underline the relevance of this question: the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome and the European Social Fund, at the international level, and the recent 20th anniversary of the Act XXI of 1996 on Regional Development and Regional Planning and the mid-term evaluation of the 2014–2020 programming period, in the national context. The previous year (2016), an earlier government decision almost totally abolished the institutional system on the regional level in Hungary.

This survey did not aim to mourn the past or to explore and justify the motivations behind the government decision. It focuses on the individuals and their contribution to the professional community they formed during the existence of the regional-level administrative system. The demise of the system was hoped not to disrupt the close-knit professional community and the personal contacts it engendered.

A questionnaire-based survey was conducted within the circle of professionals formerly employed or contracted by regional development agencies. The objective was to determine whether the professionals were able to keep alive the idea of regionalism and the conceptual and value system of the European Union. This encompassed the basic principles of EU regional (cohesion) policy such as concentration, partnership, additionality, subsidiarity, an acquired mindset, strategic programming practices and the corresponding conceptual framework. To what extent were these elements embedded in the thinking of the individuals surveyed and applied in their daily routines? What had actually happened with the former colleagues at the terminated or transformed regional development agencies (RDAs)?

For the most part, the former staff of RDAs are still working in the same region, but now as employees of a wide range of organisations in the field of regional development. Finding employment was relatively smooth but the professionals still have strong emotions and nostalgia towards their activities at the RDAs. They consider the RDAs more efficient, coordinated and more professional compared to their current employment and institutional framework. They exhibit a definite and strong desire to maintain professional links. This survey not only fills an information gap but also serves to bridge past and future. Thus, it contributes to the self-repositioning of a middle-aged professional community that could significantly enhance the preparation of the post-2020 programming period and ensure an efficient and value-generating implementation of development programmes.