The CISAlpino Institute for Comparative Studies in Europe (CCSE) is an international, nonprofit and independent institute dedicated to the commercial, social and political relevance of the cisalpino regions. Having strong common historical roots, these regions have a great deal in common and play a leading role in their countries, strongly influencing the European development.

The CCSE is based on a co-operative agreement between the University of Bergamo and the University of Augsburg aimed at fostering scientific collaboration, also by intensifying the exchange of researchers. The agreement welcomes new partners willing to share the strategic view of the Institute and its purposes. Other universities in the cisalpino regions are expected to join, with the aim to act as a facilitator of high value-added relations among the organizations and institutions present in the territory.

The CCSE brings together academics, policy makers and practitioners from all over the world for discussions to exchange knowledge and ideas, to improve our understanding of European countries, recognizing the importance of cooperation among different communities. Being located in the heart of the European Union, the regions on the two sides exhibit the highest growth rates, welfare and well being in Europe. This makes the cisalpino region one of the most attractive and the CCSE, by fostering comparative studies within countries and regions in Europe, tries to improve our understanding both of the common features of these areas and of how and why countries and regions in Europe differ, how regions are shaped by these differences and how we can learn from each other to shape our common future in the best ways.

Guidelines

The guiding mission is to study the performance of markets and institutions in different Countries and regions within Europe and their interrelation within the context of a global economy. The comparative approach is the distinctive characteristic of the CCSE, with a prospective open to various competences and fields of study.

The CCSE applies a plurality of methodologies, with a clear focus on theory based empirical research, and favors cross-national comparison methodologies, which are advantageous in uncovering the unique features and unconscious assumptions that possess our vision when we study only a single Country.

Our goals

To conduct high quality applied research

The CCSE acts as an intermediary between university research and the general public by applying theoretical knowledge to practical policy based on high quality empirical research.

• To train junior researchers and students
  As a part of its academic research, the CCSE devotes great effort to the training of highly qualified researchers and students, providing mobility opportunities and access the international job market.

• To provide policy and managerial advising
  As regarding itself as a think-tank for politics, administration and economics, the CCSE aims to provide exceptional advising, consulting and/or guide-lines.

• To foster cooperation
  The CCSE stimulates cooperation opportunities at a broad level in the area of knowledge-based economy, higher education and researchers’ mobility.

• To substantiate knowledge transfer
  CCSE research findings are disseminated and distributed national and international wide. Knowledge transfer is guaranteed by publications in academic journals, workshops and conferences but also reports in the mass media.

Globalization and Regionalization are antecedents within the ongoing process of the increasing interrelation of markets, politics, institutions and society. Globalization leads to multilevel systems of interaction, whose actors are International organizations, the European Union, National and Regional governments. The role of non state and private actors is also noteworthy. While multinational enterprises drive globalization, their strategy is toward regionalization and entrepreneurial firms, hiring most of their employees within their host country or host region, operating on a multinational level. Global competition, indeed, takes place mainly among top regional and sub-national systems, that are better able to intercept and foresee the needs and expectations and to aggregate the strengths of the respective territories.

The most advanced large scale economic and social systems are often based on a few smaller scale systems, which drive their competitiveness matching local and global interests. In this context, "the role of regional economies appears to be a key factor in responding to the world economic and financial crisis as well as in designing new rules for governance and cooperation among leading countries" (World Region Forum, 2011). There is indeed an ongoing and irreversible trend towards a concentration of political decisions at the top of the European Union, which reduces the leeway of national governments and politics. At the same time as nations lose more and more autonomy towards a European perspective, regions within countries obtain more and more importance and are more and more involved in the decision-making process. Regions are therefore more and more expected to play a major role as a link between local actors and the national and international communities: global competition is about regional competition.

The CCSE tries to cope with these developments and changes. To improve regional competitiveness and growth, decision-makers in politics, economics and administration should be aware of how and why regions differ in their institutional arrangements, performance and endowments. The guiding mission is to study the performance of markets and institutions in different countries and regions within Europe and their interrelation within the context of a global economy.

The CCSE applies a plurality of methodologies, with a clear focus on theory-based empirical research. It closely co-operates with diverse scientific disciplines to address new research questions. In this context the CCSE distinguishes itself in the analysis of internationally comparable questions in the European context. In this sense the CCSE is concerned in the creation of data bases as an essential basis for scientific research on comparative empirical studies. The CCSE favors cross-national comparison methodologies, which are particularly advantageous in uncovering the unique features and unconscious assumptions that possess our vision when we study only a single country (Clark and Burton, 1983). The comparative approach is the distinctive characteristic of the CCSE, with a prospective open to various competences and fields of study. The shared view is that sustainable development encompass both economic, socio-cultural and environmental dimensions.