Renewal of strategic research, thinking and governance in spatial development of Serbia: mid-term priorities

There has been a crisis of strategic thinking, research and governance in Serbia for more than two decades, resulting in its more recent development impasse, paralleled by ‘institutional sclerosis’ with regard to new planning approaches. This process has further funnelled down with the outburst of global crisis in 2008. As the result of interplay of a number of factors, especially those having to do with the inadequate post-socialist transition reforms and negative role in which political and economic elites played a role, Serbia is lagging behind in almost all development characteristics. Major adjustments are needed to that end, particularly vis-à-vis predictable ’Europeanization of Serbia outside the EU and with its limited support, under the conditions of prolonged crisis’, in all key strands, that is, in the cluster of strategic planning proper, in the broader context of strategic governance, and with regard to reworking the existing strategic development documents. Some recent European trends may be of help here, especially those pertaining to: a striking balance between economic cohesion, social cohesion and territorial cohesion and the role of the concept of ‘territorial capital’ within it; integration of strategic projects; planning implementation and planning evaluation; and lessons from recent changes in the EU regional policy. However, Serbia will not be able to make decisive moves to improve its future development prospects without redefining the role of its political and economic elites, now carrying a poor modernising and transformative potential.Keynote paper presented at the 2nd International Scientific Conference “Regional development, spatial planning and strategic governance" - RESPAG, 22-25. May 2013, IAUS, Belgrad