Europejski kontekst wpływu współczesnych megatrendów na rozwój społeczno-gospodarczy. Ujęcie syntetyczne = the European context of the impact of contemporary megatrends on socio-economic development. a synthetic approach
Konecka-Szydłowska, B.; Churski, P.; Herodowicz, T.; Perdał, R.
Przegląd Geograficzny 91(2): 39-59
2019
ISSN/ISBN: 0033-2143 Document Number: 424356
The article aims to analyse the influence on socio-economic development of contemporary socio-economic changes, or – using terminology after John Naisbitt (1982) – main megatrends, primarily from the point of view of the situation and changes characterising the EU's Member States. The specifics of these processes in the capitalist countries of Western Europe and in the former countries of so-called "people's democracy" in East-Central Europe are the key element of this discussion. In the context of the spatial patterns identified, discussion centres around trends of: (1) transformation, (2) economic integration, (3) globalisation, and (4) postmodernisation. The first part presents a synthetic characterisation of megatrends distinguished, including as regards specific definitions and reasons for them to arise. The second, most important part of the work addresses the impacts of megatrends n socio-economic development and the specific nature of the process ongoing with the two spatial European patterns. The analysis conducted supports the contention that the megatrends described have played a key role in the shaping contemporary processes of socio-economic development. However, it is difficult to analyse the separate influences of each, given the way they interact in one bundle (external in relation to endogenous ocesses), permeating one another, and ensuring an influence exerted that is diversified both temporally and spatially. It is not easy to state that any specific social or economic changes result solely from one or other of the processes iscussed. Thus, the influence of these megatrends should be perceived synergically. More or less intensive processes of transformation are strengthened by economic integration and globalisation and give rise to a diversified range of postmodernisation changes. This perception is needed even more, as many researchers often consider these processes in a slightly different configuration (Dicken, 2015).