Economic growth is stimulated through learning. In "the learning economies" of those European regions that chose to develop their human and intellectual capital wisely, benefits have been visible. But this is a one-dimensional outlook in a multi-dimensional world. A "Learning Region" is an entirely different entity, pooling and…

In 2000, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) launched the programme "Learning Regions--Providing Support for Networks'" in cooperation with the Lander. It was co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF). Some 90 regions were selected and financially supported. After one year, 71 regions continued to build-up…

Case studies concerning the impact of the "traditional sector" of higher education and "nonformal" education upon regional development are presented. The interplay between education and regional developments, effects of education on aspects of cultural and social mobilization, and problems of control that result from…

Trends in vocational education and training (VET) within the European Union (EU) are examined from three viewpoints (education, geography, and industrial sociology) to determine whether policies have fostered the desired convergence of economies. Factors considered include pressures motivating VET reform, changes in national VET policies, and…

The social-educative and cultural districts established in the areas of Charleroi, Belgium are presented as an approach to solving educational disparities within a region between different social groups. (JMF)

A discussion of nonuniversity postsecondary education in Hungary, especially teacher training and postcompulsory secondary education, examines the relationships of labor force development, expansion, and a deteriorating educational system. New approaches to policy development and the emergence of the concept of institutional autonomy are…

The impact of establishing Belgium's Louvain Catholic University in a rural area is discussed in terms of: increased population and spending power; employment and economic activity directly and indirectly related to the university; and collective equipment and its repercussion on social-cultural evolution. (JMF)

An analysis of the changes in Western European higher education in the last decade focuses on three developments, all with origins in earlier periods: the increased pace of international exchange and cooperation, strengthening of regional cooperation and planning, and a reassessment of the role of government in educational planning and governance.…