Tranziţiile repetate ale Văii Jiului. Politicile publice de dezvoltare economică şi de valorificare patrimonială

This article analyzes the public policies implemented in the Jiu Valley starting with the second half of the 19th century, when coal mining began in the region, until contemporary times, when the coal economy was gradually replaced by less polluting development. The “recurrent transitions” of the Jiu Valley from agro-pastoralism to industry and from industry to consumerism, tourism and the promotion of local heritage reveal distinctive transformations. The Jiu Valley was, until the fall of the communist regime, intensively industrialized. In post-socialism, the region was heavily affected by public policies of developmental restructuring generated by the market and consumer economies. The area, labelled a former mining zone, was encouraged by the European Commission to implement economic and social projects alternative to the coal industry. This shift reflected Romania’s adherence to the 2015 Paris Summit on reducing CO2 emissions and the 2019 European Green Deal. The article describes various public policies implemented over time in the region as well as the reactions and perceptions of the locals towards these programs. I discuss social conflicts and the processes of construction, deconstruction or reconstruction of the local heritage, considered as a derivative of the dominant political economy.