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\"The rapid evolution of events in the European, Middle Eastern, and North African spheres has reinvigorated the debate on Euro-Mediterranean relations. Since 1995 these relations have operated under the auspices of the Barcelona Process, which laid the foundations for three initiatives that define European policy towards neighbouring states: the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, the European Neighbourhood Policy, and the Union for the Mediterranean. This book scrutinises these initiatives through a socioeconomic prism. Adam Yousef reviews how appropriate these initiatives have been in promoting socioeconomic development in North African states, projects the long-term implications of these policies and investigates whether they can reduce the gap in social outcomes across the Mediterranean Basin over time. Using Morocco as a case study, this book employs a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative data as well as economic theory. It reveals not only that the Barcelona Process has had a limited impact on promoting social outcomes in Morocco, but crucially that it is also unlikely to do so in the future, suggesting a new approach may be required\"--Back cover.

The EU's internal borders have become mostly invisible. Today, external borders are at the centre of controversy about an alleged 'fortress Europe'. Using different theoretical and methodological perspectives this book examines the challenges facing the EU's external borders, including Neighborhood Policy, migration issues and the diffusion of norms and values to other countries. Divided into two parts, the book first presents different theoretical approaches and empirical studies of the EU's external borders, mobility and security issues. It is an invaluable guide to border research within a framework of European Integration and Globalization Studies. The second part of this volume focuses on the analyses of the EU's Neighbourhood Policy, the approach to Eastern Europe and EU energy policy. Expert contributors collaborate to explore debates about migration, the EU as a normative, 'civil' power, energy security and the securitization of borders. Highly relevant and insightful, the text provides a timely assessment of EU borders in an increasingly globalized and integrated European neighbourhood. The EU's Shifting Borders will be of interest to students and scholars of European Union Politics and International Relations.

In light of their geographical proximity and crucial strategic importance, the European Union (EU) has long identified cooperation with the countries of the Mediterranean region a central priority of its external relations and has developed a complex set of policies and instruments. Yet, there is a certain academic consensus that EU external policies in the area did not live up to their original expectations, insofar as little progress was made to accomplish the proclaimed goals while the implementation of structural reforms proved to be extremely problematic. These deficiencies in EU Mediterranean policies are symptomatic of what is a greater challenge in EU external policy-making: the struggle for implementation. This book analyses the implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy in the Mediterranean, focusing on specific programs financed under the European Neighbourhood Policy Instrument in the years before and after the Arab uprisings. Building on a comparative analysis of two Maghreb countries, Tunisia and Morocco, it provides an in-depth investigation on the role of domestic actors in constraining or providing points of opportunity for the implementation of the ENP. The book presents new empirical data and, by focusing on the role of local actors in the neighbouring countries, it offers interesting insights not only into the ENPI complex processes of implementation, but also on the challenges of the E U in the region and the state of relations with the Southern neighbourhood. Through the prism of the European Neighbourhood Policy, the book provides a window into the internal politics and relevant issues of Maghreb countries. It will therefore be a valuable resource for students and scholars of European and Mediterranean Studies.

This book delves into the substance and legal nature of the good neighbourly relations principle established in public international law and traces its interpretation and application in various fields of EU law.

For decades, neighbourhoods been pivotal sites of social, economic and political exclusion processes, and civil society initiatives, attempting bottom-up strategies of re-development and regeneration. In many cases these efforts resulted in the creation of socially innovative organizations, seeking to satisfy the basic human needs of deprived population groups, to increase their political capabilities and to improve social interaction both internally and between the local communities, the wider urban society and political world. SINGOCOM - Social INnovation GOvernance and COMmunity building – is the acronym of the EU-funded project on which this book is based. Sixteen case studies of socially-innovative initiatives at the neighbourhood level were carried out in nine European cities, of which ten are analysed in depth and presented here. The book compares these efforts and their results, and shows how grass-roots initiatives, alternative local movements and self-organizing urban collectives are reshaping the urban scene in dynamic, creative, innovative and empowering ways. It argues that such grass-roots initiatives are vital for generating a socially cohesive urban condition that exists alongside the official state-organized forms of urban governance. The book is thus a major contribution to socio-political literature, as it seeks to overcome the duality between community-development studies and strategies, and the solidarity-based making of a diverse society based upon the recognising and maintaining of citizenship rights. It will be of particular interest to both students and researchers in the fields of urban studies, social geography and political science. 1. Social Innovation and Community Development: Concepts and Theories 2. Historical Roots of Social Change: Philosophies and Movements 3. ALMOLIN: How to Analyse Social Innovation at the Local Level 4. Kommunales Forum Wedding – Innovation in Local Governance in Berlin 5. Arts Factory, Rhondda Cynon Taff, South Wales 6. Social Exclusion/Inclusion and Innovation in the Neighbourhood of Epeule (Roubaix). The Case of the Association Alentour 7. The End of Social Innovation in Urban Development Strategies? Neighbourhood Development Corporations in Antwerp 8. How do you Build a Shared Interest? Olinda - a Case of Social Innovation Between Strategy and Organizational Learning in Milano 9. Centro Sociale Leoncavallo - Milan - Italy. A building-block for an Enlarged Citizenship in Milan 10. Associazione Quartieri Spagnoli (AQS) - Naples 11. New Deal for Communities in Newcastle 12. The Ouseburn Valley. A Struggle to Innovate in the Context of a Weak Local State 13. The Contradictions of Controlled Modernisation: Local Area Management in Vienna 14. Self-determined Urban Interventions as Tools for Social Innovation: The Case of City Mine(d) in Brussels 15. Creative Designing the Urban Future: Building on Experiences - A Transversal Analysis of Socially Innovative Case-Studies 16. Socially Innovative Projects, Governance Dynamics and Urban Change: A Policy Framework Frank Moulaert is Professor of Spatial Planning at the University of Leuven, Belgium, and Visiting Professor at Newcastle University (Planning Department) and MESHE (CNRS, Lille, France). Flavia Martinelli is professor of Analysis of territorial systems at the Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, Italy. She works on the dynamics of socioeconomic development and disparities – at the local, regional, international scale – and on actions to govern territorial transformations and support the development of depressed areas. Sara Gonzalez is Lecturer in Human Critical Geography at the School of Geography, University of Leeds and the Spanish editor of ACME. Her research focuses on issues around urban political economy, territorial governance and uneven development particularly in European cities. Erik Swyngedouw is Professor of Geography at Manchester University. He has published extensively on urban political economy and urban political ecology, urban governance, and socio-spatial theory.

This article considers whether the disparate socioeconomic circumstances of families in which white, black, and Hispanic children grow up account for the racial and ethnic gaps in school readiness among American preschoolers. It first reviews why family socioeconomic resources might matter for children's school readiness. The authors concentrate on four key components of parent socioeconomic status that are particularly relevant for children's well-being--income, education, family structure, and neighborhood conditions. They survey a range of relevant policies and programs that might help to close socioeconomic gaps, for example, by increasing family incomes or maternal educational attainment, strengthening families, and improving poor neighborhoods. Their survey of links between socioeconomic resources and test score gaps indicates that resource differences account for about half of the standard deviation--about 8 points on a test with a standard deviation of 15--of the differences. Yet, the policy implications of this are far from clear. They note that although policies are designed to improve aspects of \"socioeconomic status\" (for example, income, education, family structure), no policy improves \"socioeconomic status\" directly. Second, they caution that good policy is based on an understanding of causal relationships between family background and children outcomes, as well as cost-effectiveness. They conclude that boosting the family incomes of preschool children may be a promising intervention to reduce racial and ethnic school readiness gaps. However, given the lack of successful large-scale interventions, the authors suggest giving only a modest role to programs that address parents' socioeconomic resources. They suggest that policies that directly target children may be the most efficient way to narrow school readiness gaps.

In addition to expediting patient recovery, community gardens that are associated with medical facilities can provide fresh produce to patients and their families, serve as a platform for clinic-based nutrition education, and help patients develop new skills and insights that can lead to positive health behavior change. While community gardening is undergoing resurgence, there is a strong need for evaluation studies that employ valid and reliable measures. The objective of this study was to conduct a process evaluation of a community garden program at an urban medical clinic to estimate the prevalence of patient awareness and participation, food security, barriers to participation, and personal characteristics; garden volunteer satisfaction; and clinic staff perspectives in using the garden for patient education/treatment. Clinic patients (n = 411) completed a community garden participation screener and a random sample completed a longer evaluation survey (n = 152); garden volunteers and medical staff completed additional surveys. Among patients, 39% had heard of and 18% had received vegetables from the garden; the greatest barrier for participation was lack of awareness. Volunteers reported learning about gardening, feeling more involved in the neighborhood, and environmental concern; and medical staff endorsed the garden for patient education/treatment. Comprehensive process evaluations can be utilized to quantify benefits of community gardens in medical centers as well as to point out areas for further development, such as increasing patient awareness. As garden programming at medical centers is formalized, future research should include systematic evaluations to determine whether this unique component of the healthcare environment helps improve patient outcomes.

For over a century, automotive manufacturing has been a major source of stable, well-paying jobs for workers of all skill levels. It is economically, socially and politically important. It also exemplifies the challenges of structural change, like an ageing workforce and increasing automation. In 2007-08, these long-running changes collided with the global financial crisis. Especially in countries with relatively high labour costs, like the Nordic countries, the crisis was a “stress test” of states’ systems for responding to structural change.The most extreme case for testing those limits may be that of Saab Automobile AB. The Swedish car manufacturer employed over 3 000 people in the 55 000-inhabitant town of Trollhättan, Sweden, and indirectly created thousands of additional jobs in the region. In December2011, after a two-and-a-half year fight to save it, the company and subsidiaries closed for good. Thousands were out of work overnight in a town and region that had already been hard hit by layoffs in the preceding decade. However, it seems that the town has avoided the majoreconomic, political and social disruptions that many predicted. Much of the credit for the ensuing stability is due to aspects of the Nordic model.

The European Union and the Arab Spring: Promoting Democracy and Human Rights in the Middle East, edited by Joel Peters, analyzes the response of the European Union to recent uprisings in the Middle East. The past year has witnessed a wave of popular uprisings across North Africa and the Middle East which the Western media dubbed “the Arab Spring.” Demanding greater freedoms, political reform, and human rights, the protesters swept away many of the region’s authoritarian autocratic regimes. The events of the Arab Spring have been truly historic. They led to profound changes in the domestic order of Middle Eastern states and societies and impacted the international politics of the region. Additionally, these events necessitate a comprehensive reappraisal by the United States and most notably by the EU in their relations with the states and peoples of the region. This timely collection brings together nine leading authorities on European foreign policy and the Middle East, and investigates three central questions: What role did the European Union play in promoting democracy and human rights in the countries of North Africa and the Middle East? How did the EU respond to the uprisings of the Arab street? What challenges is Europe now facing in its relations with the region? Peters’ The European Union and the Arab Spring is at the forefront of scholarship on this historic socio-political shift in the Middle East and its wider implications for the West.