Lectures at foreign universities
One of my activities is international popularization of strategic governance of the development of communes, cities, districts and regions as well as Polish achievements in this field. I do this by giving keynote speeches and guest lectures at foreign universities. Interest in this governance is particularly high in countries undergoing decentralization reforms and strengthening local and regional authorities. In these countries, the patterns of local development governance are sought, and Poland as a rapidly developing post-transition country with a developed self-governments, is a source of perfect examples. In turn, Polish unique local and regional development policies are interested for countries with a long tradition of self-government.
In addition, keynote speeches and lectures abroad give me opportunities to discover processes of local development and local government inspirations unknown in Poland, as well as to establish contacts with foreign scientists and local authorities. So far, I have given lectures and keynote speeches at the following universities (see reference letters):
- Brazil: University of Campinas, Campinas – São Paulo (2018).
- Brazil: Communitarian University of Chapecó Region, Chapecó (2019).
- Bulgaria: University of National and World Economy, Sofia (2016, 2018).
- Croatia: University of Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik (2024).
- Cyprus: P.A. College, Larnaca (2011).
- Cyprus: CIM The Cyprus Business School (2022, 2023).
- Czechia: Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, Ústí nad Labem (2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023).
- France: University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris (2019).
- Germany: Berufsakademie Sachsen Staatliche Studienakademie Bautzen, University of Cooperative Education, Bautzen (2016).
- Indonesia: University of Jember (2017).
- Ireland: University of Limerick, Limerick (2015).
- Italy: University of Bologna, Bologna (2013, 2014).
- Italy: University of Messina (2019).
- Malta: The University of Malta (2023).
- North Macedonia: Integrated Business Faculty, Skopje (2013).
- Portugal: University of the Azores, Ponta Delgada (2022).
- Portugal: University of Madeira (2024).
- Singapore: National University of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore (2019).
- Spain: University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019).
- South Africa: The University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg (2018).
- South Africa: The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (2018).
- South Africa: The University of Zululand, uMhlathuze (2018).
- South Africa: The North-West University, Vaal (2018, 2019).
- Sweden: Stockholm University, Stockholm (2014).
- Turkey: The Manisa Celal Bayar University, Manisa (2023).
- Ukraine: Ternopil National Economic University, Tarnopol (2011).
- Ukraine: Lviv University of Trade and Economics, Lwów (2017).
- Uruguay: The University of Republic, Montevideo (2019).
- United Arab Emirates: SP Jain School of Global Management, Dubai (2021).
- USA: University of Kentucky, Lexington (2022).
- USA: California State University Dominguez Hills, Carson – Greater Los Angeles (2022).
I am training my artificial intelligence model based on GPT-4o, whose task will be to advise municipal/city authorities in making strategic decisions.
Some municipal leaders (and not only them), when talking about implemented investments and other projects, often emphasize how much they cost or will cost, and ignore other aspects.
An interview with Leonel Correia da Silva, Mayor of Câmara de Lobos, one of the municipalities of Madeira, made me realize that the rapid influx of tourist traffic&investment can be a challenge even on remote, oceanic islands, as long as they are attractive to the world and sufficiently connected to it.
This time I trained in strategy the authorities and top management of the Pielgrzymka Commune. Welcoming, committed people, with whom I enjoyed working. And we had a good laugh at some examples from local government life 🙂 And how is development created here?
Training on the construction and implementation of the development strategy of communes, i.e. on the strategic governence of the development of communes, is the most important training for their authorities.
Thanks to my experience in local & regional development strategies, this year I was appointed for the second time as an expert of the European Research Executive Agency.
“Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!” said the Red Queen in “Alice in Wonderland” by L. Carroll, a lecturer of the Oxford University. And she was very right.
Work is underway on the Wroclaw Development Strategy for 2050. This is a SUPER-IMPORTANT plan that will determine not only the directions of Wroclaw’s development, but will also influence the development of the Wroclaw metropolitan area and even the region.
When in February 2023 I was finishing a two-day training on strategic governance of city development for the authorities and management of Miasto Jelenia Góra, the Mayor Jerzy Łużniak asked me: “Will you support us in building a new Strategy?”
Can public strategic governance be learned? Or do you have to be born with a talent for it?
We ALL need educated public authorities and officials, at all levels, from state to municipal. And it’s not about some education, but about good quality education, appropriate to the duties, real, modern, practical, solid and regularly updated. Private and professional life, prosperity, environment, space and safety of EACH OF US depend on it.
“Manage the public affairs as if you had no private interests” and “Liberty can not be sold for all the gold of the world”. These two mottos, visible (to this day) on historical buildings of the authorities of the Republic of Ragusa (today’s Dubrovnik), together with excellent strategic governance, brought it centuries of prosperity and undisputed power.
During the European Economic Congress Katowice, Poland, I will have the honor of presenting awards to the winners of TOP Municipal Investments. This is a Poland’s nationwide competition for the most pro-development, bold, strategic investments of municipalities, counties and regions. We, as the Consultative Board, have already chosen our favorites, but your opinion also counts
One of the conditions for developing a good strategy is to listen to residents and entrepreneurs, especially leaders and decision-makers.
I don’t just develop city development strategies. Mayors also let me review their projects. I’ve done two recently. The idea is that I find their imperfections, the authorities correct them and the strategy becomes better – for residents, business and the environment.
A draft amendment to the *Environment Protection Law* has just been submitted to the Polish Parliament, obliging the authorities of all 2477 communes to set not only social, economic and spatial strategic goals in their strategies, but also “climate and environmental” ones!
Roseto is a small city in the USA (PA) that surprised scientists in the 20th century. The mortality rate of its inhabitants, Italian migrants, was approximately 1/3 lower than the average. This phenomenon could not be explained for a long time.
The recent amendment to one of Polish legal acts determined that the MASTERPLAN takes into account in particular the spatial policy of the commune specified in the commune’s development strategy or the supra-local development strategy of communes.
As part of my travels in search of local development and inspirations for local & regional governments, I had the honor and pleasure of talking about Maltese local governments with the Acting President of Malta Prof. Frank Bezzina and with the Director General for Local Government in the Office of the Prime Minister of Malta, Natalino Attard
A lot is happening in politics, law, economy, technology, society, environment, etc. How can you find your way in this with your commune/city? What its development strategy you should develop, adapt and implement?