Three Decades of Transformation in the East-Central European Countryside

Professor Jerzy Bański is a full professor of Human Geography at the Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization, Polish Academy of Sciences (IGSO PAS), Warsaw. His main research interests include: rural and agricultural geography, land use, regional policy, spatial organization and local development. Since 2008 he has been the Head of the Department of Rural Geography and Local Development at the IGSO PAS and from 2018 he is the Director of the IGSO PAS. From 2006 to 2012 was the President of the Polish Geographical Society, and from 2017 has been the Chair of the Local and Regional Development Commission of the International Geographical Union. Jerzy Bański is the author of 370 publications, including 21 books and more than 170 reviewed papers. He was the co-ordinator of 40 research projects and took part in 35 other national and international projects.

• Introduction (Jerzy Bański).- Part I: Transformation of the Rural Space.- Chapter 1. Spatial Differences of Transformation Processes in the East Central Europe Rural Areas (Jerzy Bański).- Chapter 2. Agrarian Development in Hungary after the Transition (Bálint Csatári).- Chapter 3. The Development of Agriculture in Czechia after Colaps of the Eastern Bloc in European context (Jiří Hrabák).- Chapter 4. Rural-urban Interactions Influences on the Development of the Suburban Rural Areas in Romania (Monica Dumitraşcu).- Chapter 5. Renewable Energy Development as a Driver of Rural Change: A case of the Czech Republic (Bohumil Frantál).- Chapter 6. The status and Trends of Human and Territorial Assets in Peripheral Rural Communities of Estonia (Garri Raagmaa).- Chapter 7. Continuing Peripheralization of Mountain and Border Areas in Bulgaria (Boian Koulov).- Part II: Demographic and Social Changes.- Chapter 8. Rural Migration Patterns in the Visegrád Group after the Political and Economic Transition - Common Trends and Country-specific Traits (József Lennert).- Chapter 9. Spatial Differences in Voting Behaviour Among Inhabitants of Rural Areas in Eastern Europe (Mariusz Kowalski).- Chapter 10. Social and Demographic Development of the Czech Countryside after 1990 (Antonin Vaishar).- Chapter 11. Position of Rural Areas in Transforming Migration Processes and Patterns in Slovakia (Ladislav Novotný).- Chapter 12. Changes in the Dynamics and Demographic Structures of the Romanian Rural Population. An Overview of the Post-communist Period (Ines Grigorescu).- Chapter 13. Functional Changes in Lithuanian Rural Areas: Demographic and Social Consequences (Donatas Bruneika).- Chapter 14. Territorial Disparities in the Social Development of Rural Areas with Focus on Social Disadvantages Areas (Bianca Mitrică).- Part III: New Development Challenges and the Future Perspectives.- Chapter 15. East-Central Europe Countryside Future – Three Scenarios (Jerzy Bański).- Chapter 16. Ambivalent Perception of Globalization Processes in Post-transition Rural Slovakia (Vladimír Székely).- Chapter 17. Perspectives and Challenges of the Agriculture on the Visegrad Countries Peripheries (Marcin Mazur).- Chapter 18. Contemporary Transformations and Challenges in the Rural Development of Bulgaria (Veselin Boyadjiev).- Chapter 19. Behind the Chaotic Micro-level Patterns of Transformation: Land Cover Changes in Hungary (Jenő Zsolt Farkas).- Chapter 20. Education - Paradigm Shift, Trends in Spatial Differentiation and Importance in Further Development of Polish Rural Areas (Konrad Czapiewski).- Chapter 21. Current Challenges and the Perspectives for Multifunctional Agriculture in Czechia (Vít Jančák).

“I would recommend the book to every reader who interested in rural areas, agriculture, local development, local societies and economies, and to all researchers and teaching staff whose interests are connected with post-socialist transition and/or Central and Eastern European region.” (Gabor Nagy, Eurasian Geography and Economics, October 28, 2019)