PSIA Holds Seminar on Europe’s Local Government Reforms in the Twenty-First Century

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YEREVAN, Armenia – On April 10, 2019, the American University of Armenia (AUA) Political Science and International Affairs (PSIA) program held a seminar titled Local Government Reforms in Europe in 21st Century. The seminar was led by Dr. Pawel Swianiewicz, Professor of Economics at the University of Warsaw, Head of the Department of Local Development and Policy at the Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies.

The seminar was moderated by PSIA Adjunct Senior Lecturer Arthur Drampian. It focused on mapping territorial administrative reforms in Europe after 2000. Dr. Swianiewicz discussed the dominant discourse of the reforms, explained the main arguments for their implementation, as well as analyzed the relationship between territorial boundary reforms and other dimensions of decentralization such as local autonomy. Dr. Swianiewicz also summarized what academic research can reveal about actual outcomes of the reforms, if they meet expectations of the reformers, as well as what methodological difficulties researchers encounter in assessing the actual impacts. His presentation reflected the results of his recent surveys and summarized his research over the past year.

The presentation was followed by a Q&A session, during which the audience had the opportunity to elaborate more on the given topic. The complete talk can be accessed here.

The AUA PSIA program equips students with advanced analytical reasoning, critical thinking, and communication skills through the study of political science and international affairs, emphasizing local and global perspectives and practical applications of theory. The program aims to provide world-class research and teaching, through which graduates can best contribute to the development of the nation.