Journal of Advanced Studies on Borders, Cooperation and Development

The pilot issue of the Journal of Advanced Studies on Borders, Cooperation and Development (ABCD Journal) appeared in 2024, highlighting lessons and reflections from the b-solutions initiative, a pivotal effort to address administrative and legal obstacles across Europe’s borders. Published by the UPS-CESCI Research Group on Cross-Border Cooperation and the University of Eastern Finland, and chief-edited by James W. Scott, this issue showcases innovative approaches to fostering integration and cooperation in Europe’s diverse border regions. With contributions from leading researchers and practitioners, it explores themes such as territorial governance, healthcare, labor mobility, and environmental collaboration, offering practical insights to enhance European cohesion and citizen engagement.

Content

(each article is downloadable by clicking on its title)

Caitriona Mullan, James W. Scott: b-solutions: Taking Down Border Barriers for a More Integrated Europe. Introductory Notes

Eduardo Medeiros: The contribution of EU b-solutions initiative to foster soft and hard territorial governance and how to assess its main cross-border impacts in the EU cross-border regions

Teemu Makkonen: Cross-Border Labour Mobility and Markets: Issues and Insights from B-solutions 

Caitriona A. Mullan: B Solutions as a Diagnostic Tool for Improving Cross border Health Systems, Access to Patient Services and Population Health: Insights from Published Cases

Péter Balogh: Cross-border health and emergency services (based on the results of b-solutions and beyond)

Juan M. Trillo-Santamaría, Roberto Vila-Lage, Valerià Paül: Environmentally Oriented b-solutions Cases: Towards the Implementation of the 2019 EU “Green Deal” in Cross-Border Contexts

Peter Ulrich: What does b-solutions indicate about the role of EGTCs in solving border obstacles and creating innovative models of collaboration

Sabine Zillmer: Legal Perspectives Supporting Multi-Level Governance for the Benefit of Citizens

Martin Unfried, Pim Mertens: A coordination point in practice: the “Flemish-Dutch
Schakelpunt” as a pilot for the Facilitation tool

Sara Svensson: Nordic Member State collaboration to Address Obstacles

Book reviews

Teodor Gyelník: Diener, C. A., & Hagen, J. (ed.) (2024). Invisible Borders in a Bordered World: Power, Mobility, and Belonging. Routledge.

Teodor Gyelník: Bencsík, P. (2022). Demarkációs vonaltól államhatárig: A határ menti társadalom és konfliktusai az 1920-as években (From Demarcation Line to State Border: Society at the Border and Its Conflicts in the 1920s). ELKH.