ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with two accounts of events that occurred after 1980 and describes the broad field of marginality studies. Their subjects differ considerably, but the choice is intentional because the two examples illustrate how strongly regional problems are related to processes that occur both nationally and internationally. The first tale is located in the country that was the cradle of the Industrial Revolution. Between 1965 and 1985, the industrial region of Teesside passed from an industrial growth area to an unemployment black spot. The second story refers to political processes in Switzerland that are related to environmental protection. In order to appreciate them, people explain a particularity of the Swiss legal system. The people have the right to demand an amendment to the Constitution by formulating a text and supporting it with a minimum of 100,000 signatures of people with the right to vote.
