The Mercosur in the midst of the crisis

Since 2016, the four States Parties to the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) - Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay - are experiencing internal political and economic crises that cannot be understood without observing the South American regional context. With the pandemic of the new coronavirus, the crisis also took on a health dimension, whose repercussions in 2021 made the celebration of the bloc's thirty years a moment of reflection on the effectiveness of the integration process, due to the absence of territorial management that addresses the Mercosur needs. The purpose of this text is to discuss the measures adopted in the context of Mercosur in the face of the current pandemic, economic and political crisis. The methodology used for the elaboration of the text included a bibliographic review on the regional integration process in Mercosur and the analysis of news about the situation and the measures adopted to contain the effects of the crisis in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Using UAV for Land Management during the COVID-19 Pandemic and its Post-Pandemic Potential

After more than a year since the first case of COVID-19 in Brazil, some public sectors are still looking for tools to adapt their activities to epidemiological recommendations that require social distancing. Urban planning and territorial management are indispensable activities to the dynamics of cities and, therefore, cannot be interrupted. In this context, this article aims to investigate the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) as a territorial management tool, focusing on the Urban Technical Registration and Urban Land Regularization. From the case study methodology, it was verified in the experiences and current legislations that features related to property (such as constructions and vertical typology), urban infrastructure (e.g., manholes, sidewalks, lighting poles, hydrants, etc) and environmental aspects (mainly related to vegetation and water resources) need to be mapped for such purposes. We also considered the possibility of acquiring georeferenced and altimetric data. Finally, the use of orthophotos from UAVs has proved feasible for application in public territorial management in the context of epidemiological restrictions of isolation and social distancing imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This tool was also promising in the post-pandemic scenario, as it presents itself as a less invasive solution for property mapping.

THE INTEGRATED MODEL OF TERRITORIAL MANAGEMENT: A BET FOR PUBLIC MANAGEMENT

The current context poses new challenges in public action, which leads to a grounded understanding of the territory, the stakeholders and territorial dynamics, and the adoption of contemporary models and tools that facilitate citizen participation; the articulation of stakeholders; collaborative work; transparency; ethics and public innovation. Based on literature review, this article presents the main postulates of the public management models that serve as reference for the proposal of an Integrated Model of Territorial Management (IMTM), which helps to visualize the territorial particularities and specificities in order to propose strategies and tools that promote a comprehensive development of the territories. It is concluded that public management models present interesting principles for territorial management, however, they are not a "straitjacket" because each territorial scenario presents its own characteristics, which should be taken into account when designing public policies and territorial management plans.

Territorial Management in 2021: New Approaches to Traditional Solutions

Key approaches to territorial management known in the world have been tried (tested) in Russia since the time of the Moscow Principality. It is almost impossible to propose new ones, but previous practices are becoming new in signifcance. In the specifc economic and political conditions of 2021, several initiatives were announced and serious decisions were made regarding territorial administration in the Russian Federation. This proposal is devoted to this article.

ADMINISTRATIVE-TERRITORIAL REFORM: TRANSFORMATION OF LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT IN THE REGIONAL CONTEXT (A CASE STUDY OF THE UDMURT REPUBLIC)

Within the framework of this article, the transformation of local self-government in the regional context (on the example of the Udmurt Republic) is considered with some reservations. Two main tasks of the administrative-territorial reform are identified: the unification of municipal districts into enlarged municipal districts; and the level-by-level reconfiguration of management processes based on functional optimization. It is proposed to create six enlarged municipal districts in the Udmurt Republic. Mixed municipal areas are identified as a result of the combination of urban settlements and rural areas. Excessive administrative-territorial management in relation to rural areas of the Udmurt Republic is revealed. An enlarged scheme of functional optimization of administrative processes of administrative-territorial management is proposed. Quantitative optimization and qualitative (functional) optimization of administrative-territorial management are distinguished. The necessity of a single digital management platform as the basis of administrative-territorial reform is shown. The transition from a fractal management system to an antifractal management system is proposed through the functional optimization of management processes, in relation to which administrative and territorial management should be built. The necessity of compliance of administrative-territorial reform with digital management is shown. Brief examples of functional optimization in relation to regional educational social processes and in relation to regional agricultural social processes are given. The possible reduction of budget expenditures by 5.8 billion rubles relative to the expenditures of the consolidated budget of the Udmurt Republic for 2019 is calculated, which is 5.99 % of this budget in the traditional version of the regional reconfiguration of management processes

The priority development area as a mechanism of regional management

В статье рассматривается один из видов территорий с особым экономическим статусом – территории опережающего социально-экономического развития (ТОСЭР) как механизм регионального управления в период реновации российской экономики. В качестве теоретико-методологической основы исследования выступает теория цикличности развития мирового хозяйства, в рамках которой раскрываются закономерности развития старопромышленных регионов. Переживая стагнацию и деградацию традиционных отраслей промышленности, такие регионы находятся в поиске новых импульсов развития, некоторые объявляются территориями опережающего развития. Научный подход, реализуемый в работе, основан на концепции поляризованного развития, которая предполагает выявление полюсов (точек роста) с высоким потенциалом и приложение адекватных усилий для их развития. В статье акцентируется внимание на роли территорий опережающего развития в качестве научной базы региональной политики и современного инструмента развития региональной социоэкономики. Динамический анализ условий формирования таких территорий выявил современные тенденции их продвижения с востока на запад. На примере ТОСЭР, созданных в «моногородах» Пермского края, раскрываются проблемы их становления. В качестве индикаторов эффективности прилагаемых усилий по формированию Чусовского и Нытвенского ТОСЭР использованы демографические показатели, анализ которых выявил, что социально-экономическая ситуация остается неблагополучной, естественная убыль населения сопровождается миграционным оттоком. Полученные результаты свидетельствуют о необходимости усиления региональной политики в целях сохранения и преумножения человеческого капитала. Механизм трансформации проблемных регионов в ТОСЭР может стать инструментом стратегического планирования и территориального управления, позволяющим сместить акцент на эффективную социальную ориентацию хозяйства. The article examines one of the types of territories with a special economic status - the territory of advanced socio-economic development (TASED) as a mechanism of regional management in the course of the Russian economy renovation. The theory of the cyclical development of the world economy serves as the theoretical and methodological basis of this study to reveal the development patterns of old-industrial regions. Experiencing stagnation and degradation in traditional industries, such regions are looking for new impulses for their development. Some of them are declared as priority development areas. The scientific approach implemented in the work is based on the concept of polarized development, which involves identifying “growth poles” (points) with high potential and applying of adequate efforts for their development. The main attention focuses on the role of the advanced development areas as a scientific basis for making regional policy and as a modern tool for the development of regional socioeconomics. A dynamic analysis of the TASED creation in Russia has revealed current trends in their formation mainly from east to west. The authors consider the problems in the TASED formation by examples of two mono-industrial urban settlements in the Perm region – Chusovoy and Nytva. The demographic data used as indicators to reflect effectiveness of the TASED formation show that the socio-economic situation remains unfavorable, and the natural population decline accompanied by a noticeable migration outflow. The obtained results indicate the need to strengthen regional policy in order to preserve and increase human capital. The mechanism of transformation of problem regions into TASEDs can become the instrument of strategic planning and territorial management to shift the emphasis on effective social orientation of the economy. At the first stage of forming the “growth poles” in mono-industrial towns of the Perm Region, it is necessary to solve the employment problem, to prioritize not economic, but social tasks. It also needs a creation of the conditions for any type of economic activity in order to prevent the social tension growth and labor forces outflow. It is advisable to form a “knowledge economy”, to create a system “science - business – power”. The local socioeconomic development requires long-term, painstaking and purposeful efforts, coordinating actions of regional and municipal authorities. TASED has prospects for becoming an effective mechanism in territorial management, a “growth pole” in the old industrial region.

The Most Meridional Border in Europe. Demographic and Environmental Changes

Between 38°50′30”N/7° 04’35 W and 37°10′13”N/7°23′38”W has located the southernmost border of Europe, which stands apart from Portugal and Spain, which separates part of Portugal and Spain, making it one of the furthest from the central European area. A feature of this Spanish-Portuguese border stretch is that it is closely linked to the Guadiana River, one of the major waterways that cross the Iberian Peninsula from east to west. In 1998, the Albufeira Convention was signed, promoting Iberian cooperation at a scientific and technical level to strengthen the links of communication and collaboration at the technical level - the challenge of shared management of the waters and international basins that affect both countries. The Convention presented challenges and objectives on which the competent administrations have been working since then. Another peculiarity of this territory, except in a few situations, is its low population density. Therefore, knowing the demographic and environmental changes of the municipalities bordering the ‘Raya’ (common name as the border is known in these areas) constitutes valuable information that leads to the territorial management of these peripheral areas.