CONFERENCE 3

Rural and Territorial Development, Urban Development
18 MAY 2023 – BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA

The 3rd PROFEEDBACK Conference took place in Bratislava, Slovakia, on 18-19 May 2023. Hosted by the Centre for Social and Psychological Sciences of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, the conference focused on “Evaluation of Rural and Territorial Development and Urban Development,” attracting researchers and policymakers from across Europe.

This conference, part of the PROFEEDBACK COST-Action (PlatfoRm OF policy Evaluation community for improvED EU policies and Better ACKnowledgement), aims to foster collaboration within the policy evaluation community, enhance the visibility of evaluation research, and strengthen its impact on evidence-based policymaking. Building on the success of previous PROFEEDBACK conferences, this event explored regional development policies to uncover insights, share methodologies, and address emerging challenges in policy evaluation.

Discussions during the two-day event centered on key aspects of regional development policies, including:

• Factors influencing policy effectiveness at national and regional levels,
• Strengths and challenges of methodologies used to measure policy success,
• The short-term vs. long-term effects of social inclusion policies,
• The role and efficiency of social innovation in regional development, and
• The impact of global megatrends on achieving fair regional development.

The conference served as a vital platform for exchanging theoretical insights, practical tools, and innovative solutions to advance the evaluation of regional development policies in an increasingly complex policy environment. With participants from numerous European states, academic institutions, and research organizations, the event strengthened the network of professionals dedicated to improving policy evaluation practices.