Cited by 18Urbanization and City PlanningSustainable Industrial EcologySustainable Supply Chain Management

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 50 of the 50 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 3 of the 34 sources its claims cite were checked for support.

Mapping the emergence of the circular economy within the governance paths of shrinking cities and regions: a comparative study of Parkstad Limburg (NL) and Satakunta (FI)

Open access
Marjanović, Marjan, Williams, Joanna·2024·Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society

Abstract

Abstract This paper studies the interplay between governance priorities concerning urban shrinkage and the circular economy (CE) agenda in the cases of Parkstad Limburg (NL) and Satakunta (FI), aiming to assess the potential of European circular imaginaries for creating novel development pathways in shrinking cities and regions. The findings reveal that the CE agenda emerges within specific sectors due to various influences, including European institutional frameworks, national policies and local initiatives. Notably, the advocacy of commercial actors plays an instrumental role in advancing the CE concept into policy. However, both regions also demonstrate differences arising from distinct regional characteristics. Satakunta harnesses its manufacturing legacy to pursue economic and demographic growth through an industrial CE. Meanwhile, Parkstad Limburg prioritises circular construction to facilitate spatial restructuring and secure public funding. Therefore, in shrinking contexts, CE operates as a unifying agenda for existing interests, upholding prevailing political priorities rather than opening novel governance avenues.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This comparative study traces how circular economy (CE) agendas emerged within the governance paths of two shrinking European regions, Parkstad Limburg (NL) and Satakunta (FI). It finds that CE became a unifying agenda for existing interests—industrial growth in Satakunta and circular construction/spatial restructuring in Parkstad—rather than opening fundamentally new governance pathways.

Key findings

  • CE emerged in specific sectors: Satakunta pursued an industrial CE tied to its manufacturing legacy and economic/demographic growth aims, while Parkstad Limburg prioritised circular construction linked to spatial restructuring and securing public funding.
  • Commercial actors were instrumental policy entrepreneurs, working under European institutional frameworks, national policies and local initiatives; in Satakunta this included industrial symbiosis at Kirkkokallio and the CIRCWASTE project, while in Parkstad it centred on SUPERLOCAL and IBA Parkstad.
  • Both regions formed discourse coalitions: Satakunta saw a growth coalition between municipal governments and recycling companies, while Parkstad saw a grant coalition between the regional government and architecture/construction operators; national instruments such as Dutch regional deals and Finnish ecosystem agreements enabled formal integration.
  • CE did not instigate fundamental governance change: prevailing discourses and power dynamics remained unchallenged, and CE reinforced existing governance priorities rather than introducing novel development pathways.

Methods

  • The study uses Evolutionary Governance Theory (EGT) and path mapping within a comparative case study of two “typical” shrinking European regions, following a most similar systems design.
  • Evidence base: 54 interviews with regional/local governments, businesses, educational institutions and civil society organisations; 26 regional policy documents; and 186 media articles, analysed through interpretive content analysis and narrative analysis.
  • Cases: Parkstad Limburg (population 257,660) and Satakunta (population 212,566), both post-industrial regions in social-democratic welfare states with proactive CE agendas.

Limitations

  • The paper describes itself as an exploratory study and notes that path mapping is not intended to provide a comprehensive collection of facts and events, but rather selects and describes key events that reshaped the governance path.
  • No formal limitations section is provided; evident constraints include the two-case comparative design, which limits generalisability, and reliance on interpretive content and narrative analysis of interviews, policy documents and media sources.
  • The authors note practical considerations such as language barriers in case selection, and the broader limitation that findings may be specific to the studied contexts rather than extrapolatable to all shrinking cities and regions.

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Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1093/cjres/rsae019

Cites

50 of 50 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

52 Own interpretation · 20 No basis given · 10 Not checked yet · 6 Sources not found · 3 Own result · 2 No full text of the sources · 1 Supported so far · 1 Partly supported · accuracy not yet measured

Verify all 6 references — free account

Show all 53 claims

  • Probably not a substantial claim. 12
  • It may state two separate claims as one. 33
42 of 42
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The conditions linked to shrinking cities and regions exert a considerable influence on the formulation of a CE agenda.

    “it is reasonable to assume that the conditions linked to shrinking cities and regions would exert a considerable influence on the formulation of a CE agenda.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Shrinking cities and regions have been overlooked in academic and policy discussions concerning the circular economy.

    “Shrinking cities and regions have been overlooked so far in the academic and policy discussions concerning the circular economy (CE)”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Governments in only a handful of shrinking cities and regions have decided to pursue a CE agenda.

    “However, governments in only a handful of shrinking cities and regions have decided to pursue a CE agenda.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The two regions, Parkstad Limburg and Satakunta, are comparable cases for studying the emergence of CE governance in shrinking contexts.

    “This exploratory study has revealed how CE develops into an object of governance in the context of urban shrinkage, using the example of two shrinking European regions.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The analyzed documents and news articles adequately represent the broader regional discourses on CE.

    “The broader discourse still primarily emphasised large-scale economic considerations focussed on economic growth.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The two studied cases (Parkstad Limburg and Satakunta) are sufficiently representative of shrinking cities and regions to support generalisations about CE adoption in other shrinking cities and regions.

    “These findings suggest that, notwithstanding the observed similarities between the two study cases, the adoption of CE in different shrinking cities and regions may be vastly diverse due to unique urban shrinkage patterns and their diverging implications on resulting governance processes.”
    “This observation implies the need to approach CE transitions in these contexts, and possibly broader urban and regional settings, as a political process shaping and being shaped by the contextual interplay of distinct configurations of actors, institutions and discourses.”
6 of 6

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

1 of 1

Citations

Cites

Show all 50 references

Research works printed but not linked: 8

  1. Beunen, 2016, Evolutionary Governance Theory
  2. Derks, 1996, Bevolking Limburg 1960-1995-2020
  3. Drisko, 2016, Content analysis
  4. Peet, 2013, Mijnsluiting en herstructurering, 528
  5. Rink, 2011, How shrinkage and local governance are interrelated across urban Europe: a comparative view
  6. Schepers, 2022, Regional Vision Parkstad Limburg, Opportunities for 5th generation district heating and cooling
  7. Smith, 2016, Narrative analysis, Analysing qualitative data in psychology, 2, 202
  8. Vartia, 2016, Satakunta industrial growth programme – Industrial Pilot – A proposal for the industrial growth programme in Satakunta

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Metadata

Authors
Marjanović, M., & Williams, J.
Affiliations
  • Institute of Advanced Studies Kőszeg (HU)
  • University College London (GB)
Corresponding author
Marjanović, Marjan
Venue
Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society
Published
2024-06-18
Volume
17
Issue
3
Pages
517-534
ISSN
  • 1752-1378 (ISSN-L)
  • 1752-1386
OpenAlex
W4399759775
Cited by
18
References
50
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 2
FWCI
5.84
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cambridge Journal of Regions Economy and Society (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Urban Studies › Urbanization and City Planning
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering › Sustainable Industrial Ecology
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Sustainable Supply Chain Management
Keywords
circular economy, shrinking cities, regional governance, Satakunta, circular construction, spatial restructuring, government funding

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Mapping the emergence of the circular economy within the governance paths of shrinking cities and regions: a comparative study of Parkstad Limburg (NL) and Satakunta (FI). https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1093/cjres/rsae019
The paper
Marjanović, M., & Williams, J. (2024). Mapping the emergence of the circular economy within the governance paths of shrinking cities and regions: a comparative study of Parkstad Limburg (NL) and Satakunta (FI). Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society. https://doi.org/10.1093/cjres/rsae019