The Baltic Sea Area Studies

Contents

I Participants
II Objectives
III Research Methods
IV Work Plan
V Organisation and Management
VI Training
VII Conclusion

I Participants

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II Objectives

In the project The Baltic Sea Area Studies: Northern Dimension of Europe the interrelationship of the concepts Baltic Sea region and Europe’s Northern dimension is investigated. The project seeks to ascertain the significance of the Baltic Sea region as a cultural, political, and economic factor in the development of a Northern dimension to Europe; it examines how Europe’s Northern dimension as a concept will in turn influence the development of the Baltic Sea region. Against this background, the project examines the preconditions and prospects for a further expansion of regional co-operation in the Baltic Sea region. It analyses the influence the European Union can exert in the political, economic, and cultural realms over aspirations of regional integration, and how nations with different historical experience, economic and social realities as well as different patterns of national identity can contribute to the specific development of the Baltic Sea region.

Since the research project is based on a socio-politically determined understanding of region, the Baltic Sea region is understood as a geographical space determined by political, cultural, and economic interdependencies and developments. The intensity of the mutual relationships can thus be understood as a measure of a nation’s affiliation to the Baltic Sea region, although beneath the nation-state level individual regions are included in the study (north-western Russia, Kaliningrad, Northern Germany, etc.). The study also considers the fact that even on the regional level trans-national entities are emerging, which decisively determine the regional developmental structures. Thus the transformation and modification of values and norms in the individual societies are to be analysed and the meaning of these processes for the emergence of a common (Baltic Sea) identity is examined. The proponents of new values and norms are particularly interesting as far as the diversity of their expression through the media is concerned.

Three research fields have been established:

1. the socio-cultural factors for the development of a regional identity in the Baltic Sea region
2. political institutions
3. economic transformation

The hallmark of this project is the integration of all three research fields, whereby the individually participating disciplines remain committed to their specific methodology. The project’s goal is to integrate all three research fields towards a prediction of possible future development. Achieving this goal can be guaranteed by the inclusion of the various disciplines in the respective fields of research.

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III Research Methods

The goal of the research project is to point at the multidimensionality of the development of the Baltic Sea region and to study the principal trends of this development. In view of the project’s complexity, the project has been broken down into three fields of research (regional identity, political institutions, economic transformation). The fields of research are linked through a common, praxis-oriented constructive research approach through which potential courses of action for decision-makers in politics, economics, and administration are to be generated. Through the analysis of cultural-normative, political and economic topics, the participating partners will attempt to do justice to the complexity of the developments under study. Thus the individual fields of research are supervised by research teams from different fields. These research teams will eventually prepare a common research report. In this way the participating scholars are involved in a project which, through the generation of knowledge, promotes the integration process in its own way.

The three research fields are linked by their sociologically defined regional research approach. Building upon a holistic perspective, the cultural-normative, political and economic factors subsumed in this analysis are linked together. Through the interaction between the research results of the respective research group and the results from the other research areas the multidisciplinary goal will be put into practice. This is vouched for through both the concluding reports after the second and third phase and the thematic workshops in the cross sections. The research teams work through a catalogue of questions prepared by the scientific co-ordinator in co-operation with the scientific board. This guarantees that despite the great variety of the topics under study the overall conception shall remain clear.

The methodological basis is a cultural science-constructivist approach which makes it possible to integrate political, economic and cultural-normative factors in the analysis through interpretation. This also enables the project to proceed in an empirical-descriptive manner.

1st Field of research:
The socio-cultural foundations of the emergence
of a regional identity in the Baltic Sea region
(regional identity)

The processes of the formation of a regional identity are examined through methods of analysis used in cultural studies, particularly through discourse analysis (in public media). Against the background of post-modern communications theories it will examine to what extent identity can be explained through speech acts. The meaning of language and symbols for the determination of common identity-forming values will be studied.
Building upon this material and in accordance with the methodology used in policy research, the project will then transform the results into a prognosis of future developments and a catalogue of corresponding success-oriented political suggestions.

2nd Field of research:
Institutions and region-building
(political institutions)

In the second field of research the regional approaches are set in relation to the findings of political science in institutional studies of international relationships. It examines the significance of regional institutions in regard to their function in the areas Implementation of Democratic Values, Minority Policy, and Environmental Policy. Cultural-normative and economic factors are incorporated into the analysis. Using as examples empirical studies of individual institutions and the decisions arrived at there, which are compared with the individual national goals as a point of departure, the decision-making processes of different regional institutions are analysed and compared. The result of this research project will be summarised in a discussion of future development perspectives for an institutionalised co-operation of the Baltic Sea nations and their role in the European context.

3rd Field of research:
Economic transformation
(economic transformation)

Within the framework of this task the potential of the three Baltic Republics and Poland to integrate themselves into the economic structures of Europe is analysed. On the basis of the economic models which follow the gravity approach, the flow of investments into these nations is analysed. Moreover, the regionally varying distribution of the FDI flows is explained through this approach.

This purely economic field of research is to be supplemented in the second phase by studies of the political preconditions of successful economic legislation. Corresponding to the approaches from transformation research and policy research, the legislative procedures in the individual nations will be considered. This will take place through the evaluation of the existing studies concerning the value preferences among the elites of these transformation states through empirical-descriptive methods.

The individual research tasks are conducted by different research teams. As a rule, at least two different disciplines participate in each field of research. Within the fields a leading team has been chosen to co-ordinate the practical research work. In this way both the individual tasks and the fields of research as a whole are to be approached from an interdisciplinary perspective.

The results of the research in the individual tasks are made available to the other project partners through work meetings and through electronic media. The co-ordinating partner has assumed the responsibility for this communication. Within the tasks the leading team is responsible for ensuring that in a half-year cycle interdisciplinary results are recorded and published. After two years, an evaluation of the research will be conducted (see work plan).

The thematic multidimensionality of the processes is guaranteed through the interdisciplinary work of the individual teams, which are committed to their own methodological approaches but integrated in clearly defined areas of research.

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Work Plan

Administrative structure of the research project

The entire project has been divided into three thematic fields of research (regional identity; political institutions; economic transformation). These fields of research are investigated in nine research tasks. The participation of each team in a research task is connected to its special competence. Every field of research is examined by the research teams in a joint and interdisciplinary effort. The entire project has been divided into three phases:

• 1st Phase: Analysis of present state of development in the three research fields.
• 2nd Phase: Determination and evaluation of the decisive factors influencing development in regard to the three research fields.
• 3rd Phase: Prediction of future development scenarios.

The following tasks have been planned:

Task 1: Identity Formation (Phase 1)
Task 2: Regional Institutions and Co-operation (Phase 2)
Task 3: Economic Situation (Phase 3)
Task 4: Institutions and Values in Transformation (Phase 1)
Task 5: Economic Transformation and Political Integration (Phase 2)
Task 6: Identity and Transformation Processes (Phase 3)
Task 7: The Integrative Force of Regional Identity (Phase 1)
Task 8: Political Integration and Northern Dimension of EU (Phase 2)
Task 9: Economic Prosperity (Phase 3)

The table below illustrates which teams operate in the individual fields of research, in the respective tasks and phases. It also shows which tasks are submitted to each field of research.

Cross sections
The research teams are connected through joint research groups, including members of all participating teams. These research groups work on selected cross section topics. These selected cross section topics touch upon central aspects of all individual fields of research and are meant to have a wide-ranging significance in regional development. Each cross section topic is to give rise to a workshop, at which prepared essays are to be discussed. These essays will be published as conference papers. Especially young researchers should benefit from these workshops, both learning about the methods in other disciplines and improving their presentation techniques.

The following cross sections have been planned:

a) Energy resources, energy policy and democratic development in the region
b) Russia and Europe’s Northern dimension: economic, political, and cultural pre-conditions in Russia for an integration in regional structures
c) The security implications of the EU membership of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia
d) The significance of the Euro-Regions for the development of Europe’s Northern dimension: the example of Öresund Region

The organisation of workshops is carried out by two teams (one of them leading), but scientifically they are prepared by the joint working groups, including members of all teams and especially young researchers.

The following table shows the time schedule of the workshops (the first team mentioned in category “teams responsible ...” bears primary responsibility for preparing the workshop).

Cross sections

The research teams are connected through joint research groups, including members of all participating teams. These research groups work on selected cross section topics. These selected cross section topics touch upon central aspects of all individual fields of research and are meant to have a wide-ranging significance in regional development. Each cross section topic is to give rise to a workshop, at which prepared essays are to be discussed. These essays will be published as conference papers. Especially young researchers should benefit from these workshops, both learning about the methods in other disciplines and improving their presentation techniques.

The following cross sections have been planned:

1. Energy resources, energy policy and democratic development in the region
2. Russia and Europe’s Northern dimension: economic, political, and cultural pre-conditions in Russia for an integration in regional structures
3. The security implications of the EU membership of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia
4. The significance of the Euro-Regions for the development of Europe’s Northern dimension: the example of Öresund Region

The organisation of workshops is carried out by two teams (one of them leading), but scientifically they are prepared by the joint working groups, including members of all teams and especially young researchers.

The following table shows the time schedule of the workshops (the first team mentioned in category “teams responsible ...” bears primary responsibility for preparing the workshop).

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V Organisation and Management

Organisational structure

The co-ordination of the entire project is situated at the Nordeuropa-Institut of the Humboldt University in Berlin. The network co-ordinator is Prof. Dr. Bernd Henningsen, director of the Nordeuropa-Institut.

The network co-ordinator is supported by responsible senior researchers in each field of research (Regional Identity, Political Institutions, Economic Transformation). They assist especially in co-ordinating the different tasks within each field of research.

Each national team has also named a team leader, who represents the partner institution within the network activities and who is also responsible for practical questions.

The workshops are being prepared by work groups. These work groups, organised around a common theme, encompass members of different national teams and largely communicate with each other by means of electronic media. These work groups, as defined by their topics, are led by a scholar with special expertise in the field in question. The network co-ordinator will also supervise the work of the thematic work groups.

Communication structures

Leaders of the national teams have formed a scientific board, which supports the network co-ordinator in monitoring the progress in research and the training efforts to be undertaken at each partner site. The board communicates via Internet. It meets once a year.

The scientific co-ordinator and the board will also prepare the intermediate reports and in this regard may delegate responsibilities to national teams.

After two years from the day the project has commenced a meeting is to take place together with representatives of the European Commission in order to evaluate the project’s progress.

At eight week intervals video conferences are conducted with the team leaders, which also help the scholars to gain proficiency with techniques of this kind. The necessary technical equipment is available at each university. Beyond the video conferences progress reports are sent to the project co-ordinator every two months. These are written by the designated local co-ordinators. In order to improve communication between the teams and to publish the findings more quickly, a fully interactive website is being set up for the project. It is supervised by the project’s scientific co-ordinator. All research reports and intermediate findings will be made available in English.

In the preparation of the thematic workshops all relevant matters are communicated directly between the co-ordinator of the work group and the project co-ordinator. Furthermore, the co-ordinator of the work group is expected to submit a conference plan with topics, a cost assessment, a list of participants and suggestions for their accommodation at least one month beforehand.

The evaluation of the conference and the publication of the results are the joint responsibility of the project co-ordinator and the leader of the work group. The project co-ordinator is in charge of the publication of the results of the entire project.

Publication of the research findings

The research findings will be published both on the Internet and in book form.

The findings of the research activity will all be published in English. The following will be published:

• Final reports on individual project components
• Conference papers for thematic workshops (final reports of the thematic work groups)
• Final research reports on the individual tasks
• Final report on the entire project
• Dissertations

All of the reports named here and designated for publication will be made available through the Internet. For this purpose a special home page is being set up on the server of the Nordeuropa-Institut. All the publications will be available there. Automatic links are set up between the homepages of the network’s other members and the project’s server.

All the reports named here and designated for publication will also be published in book form, to the extent that they are submitted to the co-ordinator in English within two years of the project’s completion (the young researchers are expected to write their concluding work in English). For this purpose the Nordeuropa-Institut intends to withhold the necessary funds for two years beyond the termination of the project.

The Nordeuropa-Institut will arrange the publication of the findings in the series Nordeuropäische Studien, Berlin Verlag, barring other arrangements.

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VI Training

The need for a special training network Baltic Sea Area Studies for post-graduate scholars arises from the special significance of this region for the European Union. Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Germany belong to the nations of the community with the highest per capita GNP. The integration of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland into the European Union raises the purely economic significance of the region even more. Added to this are political factors: Russia is a geographic part of the Baltic Sea region. Here there exists the possibility of reincorporating this country into the fabric of European foreign policy through regional co-operation. Even before their formal admission, Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland can integrate themselves into European contexts through co-operation with regional structures.

In view of the intended ‘return of these states to Europe’, a well-founded basis for decision-making is necessary in this region. Only a modern, innovative, and competent research network can provide this. Against this background, the training network Baltic Sea Area Studies recruits young researchers who in the future will determine the quality of Europe-oriented research in and about this region. Especially in the transformation states the personnel potential has grown thin since the departure of the older cadres from the academic scene. Thus this training network will lay the qualitative and professional foundation for a competent regional research capacity, which can explore the political, economic, social, and cultural conditions for further development.

The existing research contacts should, as in this case, be used in order to introduce young researchers to this field in a systematic manner. Through the establishment of a training network these researchers can be systematically and practically introduced to the complex relationships. The thematic breadth and interdisciplinary nature of this research could only be achieved through the financial assistance of the European Commission.

For the young researchers, job market opportunities through training in the network will improve noticeably. By achieving formal qualifications (Ph.D.) they will gain a definite advantage over other applicants competing for academic positions. In view of the efforts in all the nations of this area to develop regional focal points, this is likely to later lead to a main field of activity for graduates. This is observable both in regard to admission to state service, work in governmental organisations, or in government-related institutions.

In the private economy, the need for liberal arts scholars with additional expertise will rise over the coming years. Regional expertise will have particular importance for managerial activities. Since the training programme likewise demands facility with modern communications technologies and the young researchers gain experience both in presentation techniques and in teamwork, they will be able to familiarise themselves quickly with this field.

The minimum overall total of young researchers whose employment may be financed by the contract is 432 person-months.

Training programme

Through their participation in the training programme, the young researchers should be enabled

• to manage the interdisciplinarity of region studies in a scholarly manner
• to assume the scientific co-ordination of similarly oriented projects
• to make use of modern electronic communications media
• to develop regional expertise and language skills through research stays abroad
• to complete their doctoral dissertations within four years
  In order to attain these goals the training network ensures that
• the researchers from countries in this region other than their own conduct a long-term research stay in order to attain detailed knowledge of the country in question and language skills (20 months)
• the researchers work in interdisciplinary teams and acquaint themselves with interdisciplinary approaches within the framework of their own fields of research (dissertations)
• the researchers attain the necessary presentation techniques through the presentation and discussion of their thematic research findings in workshops
• the researchers are being introduced to the methods and tools of regional studies through obligatory seminars
• the researchers are to spend at least four months working with another team from the region.

Thematic workshops, for which the researchers prepare themselves through the preparation of a discussion paper (to be published later), are used as a training measure for the young researchers. During the preparation of the workshops, a course on ‘presentation techniques’ is offered at a designated university to which all participants are invited. Moreover, among the participants one invites also representatives from the political and economic spheres.

After the workshops, all young researchers meet to exchange and discuss their personal research progress. Through these regular meetings the young researchers are kept informed on the other tasks and exchange their experiences.

A 4-month training course on the methodology of regional research at Södertörns Högskola serves as preparation for the actual research work. A quarter of the course offerings deals with questions of scientific project management. All young researchers are required to attend this course.

Through intensive supervision the researchers will be familiarised with the management of complex problems of regional development in interdisciplinary teams.

By participating in the scholarly work of the individual teams, the young researchers are offered the possibility of preparing themselves for their future careers through on the job training and the gathering of experience. In this connection the network partners intend to employ them in teaching, to the extent that this complies with national regulations. By conducting a university course corresponding to their academic orientation, they will be placed in a position to develop their own course offerings and to conduct seminars.

The basis for the researchers’ future scholarly co-operation is prepared through the linkage of an individual specialisation phase in the training, with the transmission of general basic skills, and common scholarly approaches. All researchers will acquire the same regional studies expertise for their later activities, even if they come from different disciplines. Thus they receive a supplementary training that will distinguish them qualitatively from other researchers in their respective disciplines.

The young researchers take part in existing graduate programmes at the individual universities. Through this measure the integration of the young researchers into the local scientific community is being promoted.

Through the use of the network’s own communication channels the scholars are introduced to the progress of scholarly research in all the participating countries, above and beyond the national framework. The thematic breadth of the network and the linkage of the special expertise within the individual teams would not be attainable on a national basis in any of the nations in this region. Alongside language skills and national knowledge, this is an important element in the training of young researchers in the network. The use of modern communication media is emphasised to the same degree as an understanding of different scientific methods in the individual disciplines and universities.

The training of the participants has thus been promoted by their integration into national structures through an exchange of experiences within the network itself.

Multidisciplinarity in the training programme

The network links research teams of varying social and economic orientations. This composition not only stimulates each team’s own research, but also offers interested young researchers a wide range of different research approaches for their own activities. In the future, the growing developmental complexity in this region will make interdisciplinary research approaches the norm. The young researchers will be specifically prepared for this challenge through their participation in the network. By preparing their own research contributions to the above mentioned thematic workshops and through applied research in the individual research focal points, they become familiarised with interdisciplinary approaches. The methodology course at Södertörn University College enables them to apply these approaches in a scientifically meaningful way.

Links to industry and trade

The individual research teams are responsible for maintaining links to industry and trade in each country. These links are being established by the young researchers on an individual basis. Representatives from industry and trade are also invited to attend the thematic workshops. By linking dissertations to topics of practical relevance to industry and trade, we intend to ensure a closer co-operation with this area. In addition, through due allocation of small additional projects for doctoral students we intend to create personal contacts. Especially in the areas of industry and trade related interests (e.g. consulting firms) points of contact should be created through practical co-operation. Particularly significant in this connection is the teaching of Business English and regional language skills.

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VII Conclusion

In order to achieve the maximum output, the project worked with an integrative approach: interdisciplinarity and quality of research as a crucial factor, research training as a main tool and intercultural academic exchange as a key learning experience. This successful integrative strategy opened the possibilities for a vast prospect of synergetic effects which enhanced and broadened the projects activities far beyond the initial plans set out in the year 2000.

Through the various activities the BaltSeaNet has become a trademark for highly qualified research output. The scholars of the network are well-known among the regional and European scientific frameworks dealing with similar questions.

It is to be highlighted that the BaltSeaNet scholars not only master their disciplinary fields but they are used to working in an interdisciplinary manner. The initial labour pains of the project's interdisciplinarity were caused by the lacking tradition of such an approach in area studies addressing the transformation processes in the Baltic Sea region. Another problem was to bring about a dialogue between the applied social science, such as economics, and the more interpretative approach represented in the cultural studies. A similar problem existed for the dialogue with the political sciences, although the region-building concepts delivered by the study of international relations and European integration proved to offer a secure middle ground for both the cultural scientists and economists. These challenges were met with perseverance and commitment to the key idea guiding the interdisciplinary approach of the project: to enhance the possibilities for achieving research success in producing new, unique and multifaceted results.

The project was successfuly concluded in December 2004.

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