From socialist unsustainable development to capitalist social underdevelopment. Post-communist evolution of two small cities: Aninoasa and Budesti

Abstract

In a recent Report of The World Bank (Stanculescu (coord.), 2014), that intends to describe in depth the urban marginalized areas, the small towns are presented as disadvantaged on all the dimensions of social inclusion (synthesized by the authors of the mentioned report in 3 categories: inhabiting, occupation on the formal labour market, human resources). On aggregated level, correlated with the low level of development operated on the three dimensions, the respective towns represent the highest percentage of population living in areas considered marginalized (for 5 towns, all from this category, more than one third of population lives in such marginalized areas). This article is focused on two of these five towns (Aninoasa, Hundoara County and Budesti, Calarasi County), from the perspective of the relation between economic development and social development. Both towns achieved the status of city in the last year of the communist regime,1989.Aninoasa is one of the mono-industrial towns created in the mining area of Valea Jiului and its postcommunism evolution is very affected by this statute. The town faced a socio-economic regress caused by the desindustrialization from the post-communist period that leaded to its official ruin. It is the first town in Europe in this situation. Even though the entire area was affected by the restructuring of the mining, there are significant differences regarding the development and the percentage of population living in marginalized areas among the towns of Valea Jiului. According to the mentioned above report, this percentage varies between 2,65% in Petrila and 47,16% in Aninoasa. Hence, in Aninoasa, almost half of the population lives in areas that are defined now as marginalized. Budesti was defined in 1989 as an agro-industrial city and the both dimensions which define this type of economic development have been affected by a major decline in the postcommunist period. The analysis of two different types of unsustainable development aims to present a common pattern of social underdevelopment.