The document summarizes the discussion from a working group on regional development governance arrangements. It addresses four guiding questions: 1) How regional development strategies can be aligned with sector strategies through defining institutional roles and improving coordination between levels of government. 2) What the optimal bottom-up and top-down institutional arrangements are for regional planning, noting the need to avoid parallel systems and better define the roles of regional agencies. 3) Whether an integrated, place-based approach can effectively address regional development challenges through coordinated spatial and regional planning, though examples of implementation are lacking. 4) How to ensure greater accountability and transparency in multi-level governance, by clarifying institutional functions, improving public participation, and establishing

1. Working Group 1: What kind of multi-
level governance arrangements
should be put in place to ensure
effective planning and programming
for regional development?
Moderator: Stefan Elsing
Panellists: Andrej Horvat, Sorin Maxim
Implementing Regional Development Policies:
What are the key factors for success?

2. Introduction (1)
1. How can regional development strategies be aligned with
sector strategies?
2. What are the optimal bottom-up and top-down institutional
arrangements for regional planning and implementation?
3. Does an integrated and territorial place-based approach offer
an effective response to the challenges of regional
development?
4. How can we ensure greater accountability and transparency
within multi-level governance relations in regional
development?
Guiding Questions (GQ):

3. Introduction (2)
• Introduction
– Overview of agenda
– Presentation of workshop participants
• GQ 1 – Multi-level governance
– Overview of findings (of the background paper) by the moderator
– Presentation of key challenges, responses and lessons learned by
the panelists
– Discussion of questions for debate
• GQ 2 – GQ 4
– As above
Agenda

4. Introduction (2)
• 180 Minutes
– 20 Minutes break
• 160 Minutes
– Approx. 40 minutes per guiding question:
• 10 minutes - Presentations of findings, key challenges, responses and
lessons learned by the moderator and panelists
• 30 minutes discussion of the questions for debate
Good luck!
Agenda: Timing

5. Introduction (3)
• Mr Andrej Horvat
Former State Secretary for Development in Slovenia;
Team Leader of the GIZ Project Support to EU Integration in Serbia
• Mr Sorin Maxim
Director of RDA West, Romania
• Mr Stefan Elsing
International Expert; Spatial, Regional and Urban Planner; Journalist
The Team

6. Guiding Question 1
How can regional development
strategies be aligned with sector
strategies?

7. Alignment of RD-Strategies with sector
strategies (1)
• Institutions matter!
• Similar set-up in different countries
• Cooperation mechanisms between sectors at national and regional
levels are lacking or unclear
• We do not see fully integrated regional plans, strategies and/ or
programmes under implementation.
• A lot of analysis – but this needs to be followed by conclusions for
strategic planning and the formulation of a strategy
• The roles of institutions, actors and the position of the RDS in the
planning hierarchy need to be defined and well communicated.
• Overarching problem: insufficient capacities of RD-institutions

8. Questions for debate
• Why do we see the same institutional set-up in all countries?
• What are the precise roles of RD-institutions in harmonising
sector policies and approaches?
• How can we overcome the well-known problems of weak
coordination and cooperation?
• “Integrated plans – are they too much to ask for?”
Alignment of RD-Strategies with sector
strategies (2)

9. Guiding Question 2
What are the optimal bottom-up &
top-down institutional
arrangements for regional planning
and implementation?

10. Optimal bottom-up & top-down
institutional arrangements for RD (1)
• Size matters!
• Necessity of having RD-institutions at the regional level is questioned
in smaller countries
• Centralisation remains strong; we mostly find top-down approaches
with just some participatory elements
• Creation and establishment of parallel systems for EU Cohesion Policy
and national regional development (policy) should be avoided!
• Inter-Municipal Cooperation (IMC) is used as a bottom-up/ top-down
approach
• RD-Agencies’ function in the interplay of top-down and bottom-up
planning and programming

11. Questions for debate
• How can we identify the most appropriate institutional
arrangements (in relation to a country’s size and history)?
• What can a region be in a country like Romania, Serbia or
Moldova?
• What would be different (in these countries) if a two-layer
political and administrative systems would have been
maintained and supported with the same amount of money
and commitment instead of setting up, equipping, staffing and
supporting capacity development of regional structures?
Optimal bottom-up & top-down
institutional arrangements for RD (2)

12. Guiding Question 3
Does an integrated and territorial
place-based approach offer an
effective response to the challenges
of RD?

13. • Location matters!
• But there is little evidence that something like an integrated and
territorial place-based approach has ever been implemented
• Smart specialisation strategies are now expected to advance
• The main requirement is greater willingness from different levels of
government
• Place-based through spatial planning at both national and regional
levels
• RDSs are often not coordinated with the territorial or spatial planning
of the region
Place-based approach and effective
response to the challenges of RD (1)

14. Questions for debate
• How can we make place-based development happen?
 Are there good examples of integrated and territorial place-based
approaches under implementation?
• Is it true that only regional and spatial policies are capable of
integrating projects on a territorial and policy level?
 If this is the case, is it possible to link spatial planning and regional
development in order to use synergies?
• How can we achieve “greater willingness from different levels
of government to co-operate and co-ordinate actions in order
to achieve shared goals”?
Place-based approach and effective
response to the challenges of RD (2)

15. Guiding Question 4
How do we ensure greater
accountability and transparency
within multi-level governance
relations in RD?

16. • This question can be discussed here only theoretically, because there
are no concrete experiences in the countries covered in this paper
• It is essential to clarify the functions of institutions and documents,
plans, programmes etc. in the field of RD
• Public participation practices are weak and practically not developed
• It is important to assess the quality of social partnerships
• There are tested procedures of participation which need to be
institutionalised
Greater accountability and transparency
within multi-level Governance

17. Questions for a debate
• How can we ensure greater accountability and transparency
within multi-level governance relations in regional
development?
Greater accountability and transparency
within multi-level Governance

18. Thank you
for your kind attention!
Stefan Elsing
International Expert; Spatial,
Regional and Urban Planner; Journalist
stefan@strategiekontor.de

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