290166 VO Regional/Political Geography of East-Central EU (2006W)

Having defined the concepts of Central Europe and East-Central Europe (working defnition: Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Baltic states) and briefly looked into the historical foundations of the region (political-ecclesiastical affiliation to the European West, socio-spatial differentiation by free cities and plemenite rule, reformation, large empires, nation states, divergent Communist systems) major items of the current transformation process are addressed: economic transformation (privatisation, foreign direct investment, expansion of the service sector, tourism as an engine for development a.o.), social transformation (social polarisation, new elites, the new poor), political-legal transformation (adaptation of the legal systems, democratisation, party systems, decentralisation and regionalisation, position of minorities a.o.), spatial development processes (growing spatial disparities, rise of centres and decline of rural areas, suburbanisation a.o.), environmental sanitation. In addition national and regional identities and the roles the individual countries play in the European integration process are highlighted.