Network structures in regional development

Regional management is a key instrument for steering inter-municipal development processes. It is based on integrated cooperation between a wide range of public and private actors within a region. As a cross-cutting task, it involves different fields of action and levels of scale that jointly influence regional development.

An essential component of regional management is the development of a joint action plan and the establishment and coordination of network structures to implement this plan. These networks represent a separate, dynamic field of action and vary depending on the region and the actors involved.

These network structures are systematically examined as part of the research project. The aim is to develop a new method for identifying and analyzing such structures, particularly in the context of complex regions such as those that arise in regional management processes.

Various network analysis methods are used. Both semantic networks (on the role of network structures in regional development) and social networks (the real cooperative relationships between actors) are recorded.

The project focuses on cross-county regional management in northern Thuringia, with a particular emphasis on issues of economic development and cooperation.