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GLOBAL-LOCAL INTERPLAY IN THE BALTIC SEA REGION Pärnu, Estonia, October 1-4, 1998  David Rylander
The role of internet services in the interplay Abstract This paper deals with the changing cooperation pattern in the Baltic Sea region and the role internet services play in the context of globalization and regionalization. The competition of regions is becoming more evident on macro regional and global scale. The advancement of the processes of globalization and regionalization and the importance of information and communication technology, e.g. internet services, in this context, implies a gradually shift of the social structure from having being based on national space to being based on social networks supported by internet services. The territorial nation-state’s future role and the localities’ possibilities to respond to negative socio-economic consequences, and provide good preconditions for deepened democratization and vitalization of the economy, are related to the intricate interplay between the processes of globalization and regionalization. A new value structure characterized by globalism, multiculturalism, heterogeneity and postmodernism is gaining in importance. Internet services and other kinds of network services provide opportunities for mobilizing resources like education, skills and organizational and institutional capacity. These services are becoming more and more important as tools to link people together, twin local settlements, underpin cooperation networks and support businesses. Internet services therefore play a role in the further regionalization of the Baltic Sea region. The regional implications of the global-local interplay is discussed in this paper. What role do internet services play in the interplay between globalism and regionalism? |