Geographical and cultural limitations in the post-mining development strategy. Case study from the Jiu Valley coal basin, Romania

Coal mining regions traditionally offer limited access to other industries, and the transition from coal may lead to significant social dislocation in some of the affected regions, partly due to the lack of an anticipatory policy to accompany the transition. To achieve ‘just transitions’ it is important to identify which, and understand why, some regions will need special attention from government interventions. In this regard, perspectives from geography and political economy can contribute to the development of more insightful and richer understandings of the state, as we need to understand not only the role of a state but also to deepen the nature of the state in different contexts. Geographical location plays a decisive role in economic diversification, influencing the presence, absence and mixture of enterprises and industries. At the same time, the potential to attract highly qualified employees depends on the attractiveness of a region, hence several limitations when imagining post-mining scenarios. Anchored in lessons learned from the experience of other regions with similar features described in the literature, based on data collected from official reports as well as our own mixed methods of qualitative research, this paper delivers a case study in Jiu Valley, where Romania's largest coal resources are located, seeking to anticipate whether this region has the capacity to absorb the shocks caused by the impending coal phase-out.