Call for Conference Papers and RSPP Special Issue on

Rethinking the Regional Development Opportunities and Challenges in Southern Africa

Regional Science Policy & Practice (RSPP)

Call for Papers Special Issue: Cost Benefit Analysis for Regional Sustainable Development Projects

The Young Scholars Initiative (YSI) and the European Regional Science Association (ERSA) are excited to announce the first “YSI- ERSA Workshop: Young Scholars At The Edge Of Regional Science”. This event will be held in-person on the 26th and 27th of August preceding the on-site part of the 63rd ERSA Conference (28^th – 30^th August, 2024), that this year will take place in the amazing scenario of Terceira Island, in Azores, Portugal.

Every year, the ERSA congress gathers around 800 participants from all over the globe, and it has become the largest academic congress in regional science worldwide. With this new joint collaboration between ERSA and YSI, the two associations aim to bring together a dynamic group of young scholars with common background (mostly Urban and Regional Economics, Economic Geography and related disciplines) and give them the opportunity to present and discuss their latest work while receiving useful comments and advices from both senior discussants and peers, thus creating a rare occasion of full confrontation and deep dialogue. By this event, ERSA and YSI contribute to reinforce a community of young scholars and future researchers able to learn from one another, to collaborate and to build an inclusive and supportive academic network.

Besides offering the opportunity to present their work and receive comments from renowned mentors and peers, the program includes lectures from guest professors on their latest researches, presenting to young participants an overview on the most cutting edge research in Regional Science.

ERSA dedicates its 63rd conference to “Regional science dialogues for peace and sustainable development”; accordingly, we encourage the submission of innovative contributions on sustainable and inclusive regional development and in particular on the following research themes:

• Peace, Regional and Urban Sustainable Development
• Segregation, Social and Spatial Inequalities
• Twin transitions (Digital & Green)
• Innovation and Regional Development
• Cities, Regions and Digital Transformations
• Climate Adaptive and Resilient Regions and Cities
• Regional and Urban Labour Markets and Entrepreneurship
• Urban-Rural Relationships
• Local and global impacts of conflicts
• Migration and Integration in a Global World
• Quality of government and rise of political discontent

and other related topics.

We particularly encourage the application from young scholars committed to interdisciplinary research, truly believing in the benefits of collaboration among different disciplines.

Application Process

Step 1: PhD Students and Early Career Researcher (5 years from PhD) are invited to submit an extended abstract (between 800 and 1200 words) of their research before 15th February 2024. Please submit your abstract via the application button on this homepage.

Abstracts will be selected based on clarity, relevance and originality, outlining the research question, method and (preliminary) results. We will inform selected applicants by mid-March and subsequently invite them to proceed to Step 2.

Step 2: The selected young scholars are expected to submit a full working paper version before June 1st, 2023 (via email, instructions will follow). Only participants who submit a full paper (draft version is okay) will be able to join the initiative.

Financial support

The workshop is free of charge. Moreover, YSI offers financial support for selected participants, specifically:

• Two-night accommodation in shared apartments or shared hotel rooms (August 26thto August 28th)
• partial travel support, co-financing your own resources.

Please note that admission to the pre-conference workshop does not include the participation to the main ERSA annual conference. We do however encourage workshop participants to exploit the opportunity to attend the main ERSA conference after the workshop. Abstract submission and registration to ERSA Annual Conference are available at this link: https://ersa.eventsair.com/ersa2024/call-for-abstracts

Further information: https://ysi.ineteconomics.org/event/ysi-ersa-workshop-young-scholars-at-the-edge-of-regional-science/

The 28th Pacific Conference of the Regional Science Association International (RSAI) will be hosted by the Korea Regional Science Association(KRSA) in partnership with the Regional Science Association International, at EXCO, Daegu, South Korea, on August 5-7, 2024. 

The overarching theme of the conference is: “Sustainability of the Region in the Era of Great Transformation”. This theme reflects the need to address the challenges and opportunities that arise from the Great Transformation in the region. The conference aims to explore ways in which the region can adapt and thrive in the face of these changes in a sustainable way. This includes examining the economic, social, and environmental aspects of sustainability, and identifying strategies and solutions that can contribute to the long-term well-being and resilience of the region.

The conference will bring together experts, scholars, and practitioners from various fields to share their insights and experiences, fostering meaningful discussions and collaborations to drive positive change. Together, we can work towards a more sustainable future for the region.

The conference committee calls for papers on various topics related to this overall theme in regional science for presentation at the conference. The committee will welcome papers on any aspect of regional science, and would particularly welcome papers reporting research or case studies on the following topics:

1. Regional economics and development
   2. Income inequality and regional disparities
   3. Infrastructure, basic utilities and regional management
   4. Public services and human development
   5. Trade, investment and economic growth
   6. Decentralization and regional fiscal policies
   7. Regional macro and financial policies
   8. Local government innovation and governance
   9. Economic shocks and social safety nets
   10. Culture, land and village development
   11. Environmental and climate change
   12. Big data, artificial intelligence, and regional analysis
   13. GIS and spatial econometrics

The paper abstract of about 500 words should be submitted online via this link by Mar 15, 2024:

https://prsco2024.krsa83.or.kr/

Abstract should consist of background, data and methodology, potential contributions, and keywords. Abstracts must be submitted in English. Paper sessions are seminar-style for each paper and given ample time for discussion so that participants may provide constructive feedback to authors. Paper presentations will be made in English.

Important dates:

Dec 1, 2023 : Abstract submission opening
Mar 15, 2024 : Abstract submission deadline
Apr 15, 2024 : Early bird registration open
Apr 15, 2024 : Notification of abstract acceptance
Jun 1, 2024 : Full Paper submission deadline
Jun 15 2024 : Early bird registration end
Jun 30, 2024 : Paper presenter registration deadline
Aug 3–4, 2024 : Pre-conference training
Aug 5–7, 2024 : Conference date

In Partnership with:

Regional Science Association International (RSAI)

Hosted and Organized by:

Pacific Regional Science Conference Organization (PRSCO)

Korea Regional Science Association (KRSA)

Daegu Policy Institute

Gordon Mulligan lunching in Squamish, B.C., in 2010 with WRSA's 52nd President, Warren Gill

The Western Regional Science Association is deeply saddened by the loss of Professor Gordon F. Mulligan, who passed away at home in British Columbia on November 12, 2023, after a short period of hospice care. Gordon lived a week and day past his 76th birthday, having been born on November 4, 1947.

Growing up in the company-owned mill town of Woodfibre, British Columbia, accessible to the outside world only by boat, Gordon's wide-ranging polymath attributes and mathematical acumen became apparent at an early age. He attended Howe Sound Secondary in the nearby central place of Squamish, B.C., where he excelled in both academics and sports.

As an undergraduate at the University of British Columbia (UBC) beginning in the mid-1960s, Gordon discovered the focus of his scholarly interests, economic geography and mathematical models, as well as a passion for academia. He loved UBC so much that he spent a full decade there. He produced a 1972 M.A. thesis, City Size Distributions: Foundations of Analysis, and a 1976 Ph.D. dissertation, Structure and Processes in the Christallerian System, that set the stage for a distinguished and prolific career in regional science. Following a pair of visiting positions at the University of Washington and Queens University, Gordon joined the faculty of the Department of Geography and Regional Development at the University of Arizona, Tucson, in 1978, where he taught until he retired in 2006.

Throughout his time in Arizona, Gordon remained personally connected to small-town British Columbia, returning each summer to visit his parents. The Woodfibre pulp mill, where his father had worked until shortly before his death and Gordon had held summer jobs, was closed by its owner, Western Forest Products, in 2006. The mill and townsite were razed and put up for sale. Today it is the location of Woodfibre Liquid Natural Gas, a large hydroelectric-powered facility. Its parent company plans to open it in 2027 to supply growing markets in Asia, touting the environmental benefits of displacing coal and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 

Post-retirement, Gordon moved back up to Squamish, where he kept up an active agenda as an independent scholar and continued on as Book Review editor of the WRSA's official journal, The Annals of Regional Science. An avid movie buff, he was also extremely well-read in fiction and literature. He segued from his long-time University of Arizona faculty-staff bowling career into throwing the rock on a senior curling team, and, as part of providing care for his aging mother, he no doubt raised the level of play of her bridge group.

Gordon's theoretical and empirical research contributions to regional science directly reflected the locational circumstances of his upbringing.  He listed his disciplines on ResearchGate as Transport Economics, Real Estate Economics, and Economic Geography, and among his skills and expertise, Regional Development, Regional Science, Regional and Urban Economics, Cities, and Place. The faculty group he joined in 1978 at Arizona was the last geography department at a major U.S. university to be housed within a business college. Gordon's research interests in the economic base of communities, settlement-size distributions, central place theory, transportation, regional development (in particular, the "chicken-and-egg" connections between economic and population growth), and the structure of small-town and micropolitan area economies, which were kindled in his childhood and in grad school, would be further enflamed and greatly expanded thanks to his career-long academic home base. 

As part of both its unique and highly popular business school undergraduate major in regional development (originally area development) and its geography master's degree, the University of Arizona's department offered a six-week summer traveling field camp course. Co-directed by Professors Richard Reeves (Gordon's closest Tucson personal friend) and Lay Gibson, the camp's unique curriculum featured and integrated projects in both physical and economic geography. Student teams each year carried out studies in Arizona's diverse ecosystems and in small, often remote, small-town communities. There student teams would census and then interview and assemble micro transaction and trade figures from all local businesses.  Gordon was fascinated by the potential of these nearly comprehensive data to expose the workings of functionally specialized economies and to benchmark models. Together with student and colleague collaborators, he deployed this unique Arizona community data base in a series of papers evaluating the accuracy and proposing extensions to traditional economic base multiplier methods.

In 1980–81, the Arizona department would add its third active regional scientist, David Plane from the regional science department at Penn, and in the subsequent year, under the tenure of Lay Gibson as Department Head, the geography department would leave the College of Business and Public Administration to join a fledging College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.   Gibson at this time was also assuming the leadership position (replacing Robert Monahan of Western Washington University) of the Western Regional Science Association, with Mulligan and Plane beginning what would become lifetime involvements with the Association.

In 1985, the departmental headship passed to Gordon. During his five-year term he would lay substantial groundwork for, and touch off the upcoming rise in prominence of Arizona as one of the U.S.'s top-20 geography doctoral programs and as a world-renowned center of regional science.  (Gordon would later come back to serve one-year stint as Acting Head). Gordon increased the visibility of geography and regional development on campus and externally by extending courtesy joint and adjunct faculty appointments to geographers and faculty with geographic expertise who had been hired in other units across the university.

During the 1990s, the core group of internationally active regional scientist scholars at Arizona was expanded with the hirings of University of Illinois Ph.D.'s, Adrian Esparza and Brigitte Waldorf in Geography and Regional Development, and University of Washington Ph.D., John Carruthers in the M.S. program in Planning, a group whose faculty also included Penn Regional Science Ph.D., Arthur Silvers.

The department's regional development undergraduate major numbers rose dramatically during Gordon's administration after the degree program was moved from Business and Public Administration to Social and Behavioral Sciences, and then during Plane's subsequent headships when it peaked at more than 300. Gibson, Mulligan, and Plane served as student faculty advisors and taught the majority the core curriculum. Gordon's staple, highly enrolled undergraduate courses were titled, Economic Geography, Urban Geography, Locational Analysis, and Regional Analysis. The 1980s and 1990s would also see Gordon mentoring and carrying out collaborative research with increasing numbers of graduate students.

After stepping down as Head in 1990, Gordon's extramural professional service commitments increased in 1994 when Plane was asked by longtime Journal of Regional Science Managing Editor, Ronald Miller, to move the journal's office from Philadelphia to Tucson.  Plane agreed, on the condition that Mulligan join him as Co-editor.  Their efficient working arrangement and happy tenure guiding the JRS would extend through 2002, when the editorial team reins were passed to Marlon Boarnet and Andy Haughwout.  Marlon recalls that, during the transition, Gordon told him that he and Dave had worked hard to maintain the JRS as a "classy" operation. 

Though Gordon formally retired in 2006, he did not stop his work in regional science or his devotion to it: he remained a prolific author and a stalwart mentor to junior members of the field. In February, 2010, a celebratory dinner and a series of special sessions were held in his honor at the WRSA's annual meeting in Sedona, Arizona, yielding a special (2012) issue of The Annals of Regional Science.

The year 2010 also saw Gordon's election as a Fellow of the Regional Science Association International.  Although this honor is usually conveyed at a major international conference, he chose to receive his plaque, presented by David Boyce, while hiking in Glacier National Park. The "Meet the Fellows" autobiographical article that Gordon wrote in 2015 for the RSAI Newsletter is a lively and interesting read, with the piece beginning: Imagine if you can an Allan Stilltoe novel set on a Norwegian fjord and you might have some idea about my childhood years!  

In recognition of Gordon's corpus of intellectual accomplishments and his four decades of contributions to WRSA, he was named a WRSA Fellow at the 2014 Annual Meeting in San Diego.

Up through last summer, Gordon continued to travel the globe and to present and participate at regional science conferences, in particular those of the WRSA and the British and Irish Section (BIS). At the July, 2023 BIS meeting in Newcastle, he gave a talk on the legacy and central place research contributions of John Parr in the Regional Science Academy's Great Minds session.

At the upcoming February 11–14, 2024, WRSA Annual Meeting in Monterey, California, Professor Neil Reid, University of Toledo, will present a Regional Science Academy, Great Minds in Regional Science talk on Gordon Mulligan's scholarship.

While Gordon gave talks and tended to various duties at academic meetings, he played another, very special role: he was a hub of activity, both socially and professionally. Whether it was the (late) morning, afternoon, evening, or wee hours of the night, he was with friends and colleagues, launching new projects and revisiting past explorations. His generosity with ideas was infectious, fun, and inspiring, particularly to junior colleagues. A man of tall stature, Gordon was informed and passionate about big concepts in all realms, not just those of geographic location and economic theory about which he was especially expert.

Like so many members of our field, Gordon loved models—especially gravity models and models of spatial equilibrium. It seems fitting, then, to end this description of his life and career with an analogy to a model. In the mid-1500s, the great mathematician Copernicus advanced a model of heliocentrism, placing, for the first time, the Earth and other celestial objects in orbit around the sun. A Copernican model of WRSA might well place Gordon at a central (albeit far from stationary!) location, with those of us lucky enough to be in his orbit drawn close by his gravity and warmed by the bright light of his intellect, humor, and enduring smile.

John Carruthers and David Plane

Call for Applications - Editor-in-Chief, Investigaciones Regionales – Journal of Regional Research

The Spanish Regional Science Association (https://aecr.org) seeks candidates for the position of editor-in-chief of the official journal of the association, Investigaciones Regionales / Journal of Regional Research (https://investigacionesregionales.org), starting June the 1st, 2024 for a three-year term.

Investigaciones Regionales / Journal of Regional Research is an international journal that publishes high quality papers in applied regional science. It is a well stablished paper, with high impact factor (Q2 in Scopus 2022, Q1 FECYT, and accredited with excellence by the Spanish Ministry of Science, and expecting Clarivate’s impact factor for the 2024 edition).

It welcomes papers from a range of academic disciplines including economics, political science, public policy, geography, planning, environmental science and related fields.

Candidates should be AECR members in good standing, with a wide knowledge of urban and regional phenomena as well as distinguished records of scholarly contributions internationally. Candidates should also possess strong intellectual vision, leadership and organizational abilities, and experience relevant to editing a journal in the field of regional science.

The editor’s primary responsibility is to continue to enhance the journal’s quality, reputation, and scholarship. The editor will be expected to strengthen the journal’s competitive position.

The editor will work with the existing Editorial Team of associate editors and potentially suggest some additional names. The candidate should propose also a strategy to renew the Editorial Board, both in terms of names and roles.

The Editor in Chief of Investigaciones Regionales / Journal of Regional Research reports to the AECR Council. Detailed information on responsibilities and on the process for applying for the editor-in-chief position is available below.

Letters of interest must be received within February 28th, 2024. Specific duties of the Editor-in-Chief

1. Maintaining and updating the aims and scope of the journal, editorial policies, and guidelines to authors.
2. Overseeing the manuscript peer review process through the publisher’s on-line submission portal (Open Journal System) in an unbiased, confidential, and timely manner.
3. Working with the editorial manager to check proofs and revisions to proofs.
4. Preparing and forwarding accepted manuscripts to the publisher’s production department.
5. Coordinating standards and practices across the Editorial Team and managing the workload of the Associate Editors.
6. Maintaining close and regular contact with the AECR on marketing and production matters.
7. Initiating and responding to correspondence with authors, managing editors, and reviewers.
8. Recruiting, selecting, and appointing members of the Editorial Team and Board that reflect the diversity of regional science and addressing any performance issues.
9. Appointing associate editors (to be approved by the AECR Council). The Editorial Team (editor and associate editors) will be comprised of AECR (or RSAI) members with high stature and respect in the community, and with the expertise to manage the breadth of regional science. Promoting young scholars to editorial positions is also welcomed.
10. Soliciting and managing special issues, selecting guest editors, and providing advice and assistance to guest editors.
11. Adhering to the page budget and financial structures set by AECR, and supporting the search of financial sustainability of the journal.
12. Serving as a non-voting ex officio member of the AECR Council and other governing bodies of the Association.
13. Reporting to the AECR Council through regular reports at Council meetings.
14. Reporting to the journal Editorial Board through board meetings held at least once a year.

Application process:

Interested individuals should submit an application package that includes:

• A letter of interest and qualifications;
• A vision statement for the next three to six years of publication of IIRR/JRR.
• A curriculum vitae;
• The names and contact information of three references.

All  requested  information  should  be  submitted  by  e-mail  to  the  Secretary  of  the AECR, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Call for Papers and Special Session Proposals

The APDR invites regional scientists, economists, sociologists, geographers, urban planners, policy makers, and researchers of related disciplines to participate in the 31^st APDR Congress with the theme "Regional Innovation Ecosystems and Sustainable Development" that will be held from 26th to 28th of June, 2024, at Polytechnic University of Leiria (School of Technology and Management), Leiria, Portugal.

In an era defined by dynamic global challenges, regional innovation ecosystems characterized by a strong collaboration between regional actors, both within and across regions, play a pivotal role in fostering sustainable development. As regions navigate the complex interplay between technological advancements, economic resilience, and environmental and digital transition, this congress provides a platform to discuss the diverse strategies employed across different regions to catalyze open and collaborative innovation, as a means to realize the full potential of the new opportunities available at the global level and to enhance societal well-being and sustainable development.

The call for papers and Special Session Proposals are open and your participation is very welcome!

Regular Sessions:

RS01 – Regional Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ecosystems

RS02 – Territorial Sustainability Strategies

RS03 – Natural environment, resources and rural development

RS04 – Demographic Challenges, Migrations and Integration

RS05 – Education, Skills, Labour Markets and Regional Development

RS06 – Regions and Global Value Chains

RS07 – Energy transition and Regional Development

RS08 – Digital Transition and Smart Cities

RS09 – Social innovation, integration, poverty and exclusion

RS10 – Territorial Cohesion and asymmetries

RS11 – Governance, Leadership and Regional Development

RS12 – Regional resilience and crises

RS13 – Tourism, culture, sports and sustainable development

RS14 – Territorial Responsible Marketing

RS15 – Quantitative and qualitative methods in regional science

Deadline for Special Session proposals: March 4, 2024. Proposals should be sent by email to the secretariat of the Congress (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). 

Deadline for Abstracts submissions: April 15, 2024. Authors should submit their abstracts through online submission system by following the link https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/APDR2024

All information at the congress website: http://www.apdr.pt/congresso/2024.

Looking forward to meeting you in Leiria, Portugal!

The Organizing Committee and the Board of APDR

31^st APDR Congress

The APDR invites regional scientists, economists, sociologists, geographers, urban planners, policy makers, and researchers of related disciplines to participate in the 31^st APDR Congress with the theme "Regional Innovation Ecosystems and Sustainable Development" that will be held from 26th to 28th of June, 2024, at Polytechnic University of Leiria (School of Technology and Management), Leiria, Portugal.

In an era defined by dynamic global challenges, regional innovation ecosystems characterized by a strong collaboration between regional actors, both within and across regions, play a pivotal role in fostering sustainable development. As regions navigate the complex interplay between technological advancements, economic resilience, and environmental and digital transition, this congress provides a platform to discuss the diverse strategies employed across different regions to catalyze open and collaborative innovation, as a means to realize the full potential of the new opportunities available at the global level and to enhance societal well-being and sustainable development.

The call for papers and Special Session Proposals are open and your participation is very welcome!

Regular Sessions:

RS01 – Regional Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ecosystems

RS02 – Territorial Sustainability Strategies

RS03 – Natural environment, resources and rural development

RS04 – Demographic Challenges, Migrations and Integration

RS05 – Education, Skills, Labour Markets and Regional Development

RS06 – Regions and Global Value Chains

RS07 – Energy transition and Regional Development

RS08 – Digital Transition and Smart Cities

RS09 – Social innovation, integration, poverty and exclusion

RS10 – Territorial Cohesion and asymmetries

RS11 – Governance, Leadership and Regional Development

RS12 – Regional resilience and crises

RS13 – Tourism, culture, sports and sustainable development

RS14 – Territorial Responsible Marketing

RS15 – Quantitative and qualitative methods in regional science

Deadline for Special Session proposals: March 4, 2024. Proposals should be sent by email to the secretariat of the Congress (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). 

Deadline for Abstracts submissions: April 15, 2024. Authors should submit their abstracts through online submission system by following the link https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/APDR2024

All information at the congress website: http://www.apdr.pt/congresso/2024.

Looking forward to meeting you in Leiria, Portugal!

The Organizing Committee and the Board of APDR

31^st APDR Congress