Rural areas and the geography of discontent
-
Date:
1 Oct 2023 - 31 Jan 2024
-
Client:
-
Project duration:
01.10.2023 - 31.01.2024
-
Agnieszka Kulesa
Lead Social Sciences Researcher
Dr Agnieszka Kulesa is the Lead Social Sciences Researcher at CASE. She supports business development and oversees and contributes to research and analytical projects. Having joined CASE in 2018 as an economist, she served as Vice-President of the Management Board from 2021 to 2024. Agnieszka has authored or co-authored numerous publications, including peer-reviewed articles and reports for European institutions such as the European Commission (EC), the European Parliament (EP), the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC).
Projects from this author:
- Overview of policy and regulation on climate change and OSH in the European Union
-
“Cash for Rent” programs’ comparative analysis for the Shelter, Housing and Accommodation Sector coordinated by IOM Poland
The project evaluates the effectiveness of Cash for Rent programmes in Poland, which support refugees in transitioning from shared or collective accommodation to independent private housing. Such programmes are crucial in promoting self-reliance, stability, and social integration among displaced populations.
-
The future of UK-EU cooperation on Justice and Home Affairs from the perspective of Poland
This project examines the future of United Kingdom–European Union cooperation in Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) through an in-depth case study of Poland. It frames UK–EU relations as an evolving, practical partnership shaped by shared risks and operational needs rather than purely by post-Brexit institutional arrangements.
-
Martyna Gliniecka
Senior Social Sciences Researcher
Dr Martyna Gliniecka is a Senior Social Sciences Researcher at the CASE - Center for Social and Economic Research. At CASE, she specialises in social research and policy projects, with a focus on qualitative research, participatory methods, and equality, diversity and inclusion. She previously led and participated in research projects in the Young and Resilient Research Centre at Western Sydney University, aiming to better young people’s lives and their resilience in the domains of technology and health. She specialises in qualitative research methods, participatory methodologies, and digital research (e.g., digital ethnography). She is especially interested in online communities and their role in the growing domain of youth digital health.
Projects from this author:
-
Digital Resilience of Children and Young People in Rural Areas
The main objective of the project is to strengthen digital resilience among children and young people in rural areas. Experiencing online risks has become an inherent part of growing up today. Research shows that children and adolescents most often cope with such challenges on their own, without support from adults. As contact with digital risks is unavoidable, it is important to develop children’s digital resilience – including critical thinking, coping strategies, and the ability to seek help when needed.
- Future Forward. Futures-Inspired Educational Resources for Adult Learners’ Empowerment
- Study on Updating the CoR material on the Division of Powers – Armenia and Azerbaijan
-
Digital Resilience of Children and Young People in Rural Areas
-
Marek Peda
Vice-president of CASE Management Board
Projects from this author:
- Overview of policy and regulation on climate change and OSH in the European Union
-
How the EU should prepare for the enlargement in terms of governance, policies and investments: options and choices made from a territorial perspective
In its 2023 enlargement package, the European Commission recommended that the Council open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. Moreover, it recommended that the Council grant Georgia the status of candidate country and open accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, once the necessary degree of compliance with the membership criteria has been achieved. The … Continued
-
The means for cities and regions to support the energy transition in the Mediterranean
Since February 2022, the war in Ukraine has significantly reshaped the geopolitical landscape and exacerbated the multiple challenges and tensions in the Mediterranean region. The conflict has highlighted the vulnerability of traditional energy supply routes, and the need to reassess future energy development strategies in the Mediterranean region. Like the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical uncertainties … Continued
EU skepticism, anti-EU votes in EP, and national elections have increased over the past 10 years, mainly driven by a combination of long-term economic and industrial decline, low levels of education, and lack of local employment opportunities. Rural areas are often characterised by a combination of these factors.
The goal of the project commissioned by the Committee of the Regions is to provide data on voters’ choices in rural areas and the possibility of different voting patterns in those and in urban areas, building on the recent study by DG REGIO and taking into account a selection of subnational elections. The outcome of the study will contribute to the CoR’s key messages in the run-up to the EP elections 2024 with a view to shaping decisions on post-2027 support to rural areas and ways of involving rural citizens, and highlighting the possible contribution of LRAs to countering Euroscepticism and strengthening European democracy. The outcome of the study will feed into the European Commission’s report on the implementation of the Long-term vision for rural areas scheduled for early 2024. It will be also used for the follow-up to the Conference on the Future of Europe, notably concerning the proposals on European democracy, and for future EuropCom editions.
The study will analyse the data on elections from DG REGIO’s study, using the rural-urban regional typology to verify:
- whether there are specific voting patterns in rural areas compared to non-rural areas;
- how these voting patterns are likely to develop in the future if the development trap is not addressed in rural areas (analysis of alternative scenarios);
- what factors or combination of factors influence votes in rural areas with a high level of soft and/or hard Eurosceptic votes.
The study will also try to answer whether these voting patterns for European and national elections correspond to electoral choices in selected subnational (local and regional) elections. Reasons for differences in these voting patterns will be examined.
Client: Committee of the Regions
Project leader: Milieu Consulting
Project partner: CASE