Naslov
ISLANDERS VS. THE STATE?: PARTICIPATION IN ISLAND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES IN CROATIA

Autori
Starc, Nenad ; Stubbs, Paul

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u zbornicima skupova, cjeloviti rad (in extenso), znanstveni

Izvornik
47th Congress of the European Regional Science Association - Local governance and sustainable development / - Pariz : European Regional Science Association, 2007

Skup
47th Congress of the European Regional Science Association - Local governance and sustainable development

Mjesto i datum
Pariz, Francuska, 29.08.2007. - 02.09.2007

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
island development; national development policy

Sažetak
The first programme to recognise the specificities of the Croatian islands was produced in 1986. In the context of transition, Croatia’ s development planning became heavily influenced by Western European approaches underpinned by commitments to participation and stakeholder consultation which, only sometimes, managed to move beyond mere rhetoric. Regardless of the nature of the economic and political system, the need to balance top-down and bottom-up planning processes, and the importance of development a national strategy sensitive to local conditions, often presented planners with insurmountable obstacles, not easily solved by simply adding on participatory planning methods. Over time, a number of national programmes and regulatory frameworks have been developed including the National Island Development Programme (1997), the Island Act (1999), and the Decree on Methodology of Island Development Programmes (2002). Until now, island development programmes have been completed but not yet implemented in 26 island groups covering the entire Croatian archipelago. The paper explores the political, institutional, technological and socio-economic factors impeding or impelling stakeholder participation in the preparation and implementation of island development programmes in Croatia. At the political level, the lack of transparency in expenditure choices, and their tendency to reflect over-politicised decision-making, tends to orient island leaders to emphasise formal and informal relations with central politicians rather than with their own local communities, with whom communication tends to be one-way. Most islands are divided between two or more units of local self-government without adequate mechanisms for joint planning and resolution of disputes. In addition, the institutional capacities of many islands in the context of out-migration, coupled with the lack of island identification by some stakeholders (such as business interests), also tends to inhibit the implementation of programmes. Crucially, technological issues and the problems of achieving economies of scale in large infrastructure programmes also tend to promote dependency on central decision-makers. Finally, socio-cultural variations appear relevant insofar as the level of participation in implementation of programmes correlates with the level of development of the islands

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Ekonomija

POVEZANOST RADA