Rescaling Europe. Territories, Representation and Public Policy
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Aberdeen
Department Name: Sch of Social Science
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Michael Keating (Principal Investigator / Fellow) |
Publications
Keating M
(2014)
Class, Sector and Nation. Support for Minority Nationalism Among Peak Interest Groups in Four Western European Countries
in Territory, Politics, Governance
Keating M
(2012)
Political Autonomy and Divided Societies
Keating M
(2016)
Contesting European regions
in Regional Studies
Keating M
(2017)
Europe as a multilevel federation
in Journal of European Public Policy
Keating M
(2014)
Introduction: Rescaling Interests
in Territory, Politics, Governance
Keating M
(2019)
Is a Theory of Self-determination Possible?
in Ethnopolitics
Keating M
(2020)
Beyond the nation-state: territory, solidarity and welfare in a multiscalar Europe
in Territory, Politics, Governance
Keating M
(2014)
Regions with regionalism? The rescaling of interest groups in six E uropean states
in European Journal of Political Research
Keating M
(2020)
Rescaling Europe, rebounding territory: A political approach
in Regional & Federal Studies
| Description | The first contribution is conceptual. I have reconsidered the place of territory in political science, incorporating insights from other disciplines including geography, law, history, normative theory and sociology. Territory is presented not as a purely geographical concept but as a sociological one. Territory is not given but socially constructed and continually contested both as to its geographical boundaries and as to its social and political significance. Rescaling is not a new phenomenon but a permanent feature of the European state; it is a concept that can travel in time and space. Functional explanations for rescaling are not adequate; political agency is alwas present. The meso, or regional, level, is a key level of rescaling. I have taken the concept of rescaling from social geography and applied it systematically to the domains of history, function, politics, institutions and policy making. I have addressed the normative implications of rescaling, focusing on self-government and territorial equity. The second contribution is empirical. With my research fellow, I have undertaken field work in 16 regions in six states on the territorialisation of interest groups, focusing on peak groups of employers, trade unions, farmers and environmentalists. This has tested some common assumptions about regions and regionalism. The result is a work that is truly comparative but which also shows the variety among cases. I examine the effects of rescaling on interests groups on three dimensions of change: organizational, cognitive and relational. All groups are cross-pressured in response to rescaling. Territory, sector and class intersect in complex ways to determine the emergence and form of what I call territorial policy communities. The result is work with an impact across several social science disciplines and different countries. |
| Exploitation Route | The concept of rescaling can be used to analyse state transformations at multiple levels. It can be used by policy makers to think in new ways about the linkage between economic change and welfare. In my current ESRC project on Scottish constitutional change, this is a central theme. We are working with policy-makers in the Scottish Government on the future of taxation and welfare, using this framework. |
| Sectors | Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Description | Part of the project was about improving academic-practitioner links in Scotland. We have arranged seminars between academics and practitioners in 20011 and 2012. This programme on engagement continues. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2011 |
| Sector | Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Impact Types | Policy & public services |
| Description | Integrating Diversity in the European Union |
| Amount | € 2,000,000 (EUR) |
| Funding ID | 822304 |
| Organisation | European Commission H2020 |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | Belgium |
| Start | 01/2019 |
| End | 12/2022 |
| Description | Scotland and Europe: Looking Beyond the UK? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Panelist at the conference on 'Global Security, National Defence, and the Future of Scotland' at the University of Glasgow. The Glasgow Global Security Network had organised the conference which brought together leading practitioners and academics to discuss the Scottish independence referendum. Speakers at this conference were looking at the most pressing security issues that have emerged including those involving the EU, NATO, Nuclear Weapons and the RUK. They also discussed how an independent Scotland could establish its own Defence forces and Intelligence agency. The purpose and impact of this event was information sharing and knowledge exchange. During the run-up to the referendum, uncertainty about consequences for the defence sector was high and practitioners were looking for information about opportunities and risks. Academics came to the event in order to provide information on comparative examples and what options were available for Scotland under independence. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |