Elizabeth Mack, Indiana University, Selected to Receive the Tenth Annual Benjamin H. Stevens Graduate Fellowship in Regional Science
Elizabeth Mack, a doctoral student in geography at the Indiana University has been selected as the winner of the Tenth Annual Benjamin H. Stevens Graduate Fellowship in Regional Science. The Fellowship will provide a $28,000, one-year stipend to support Mack in her research entitled, “The Impact of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) on Knowledge Intensive Firm Location.” Mack’s research is a multi-scalar empirical evaluation of the relative importance of ICTs to firms in knowledge industries, with a focus on broadband technologies. The research will provide an understanding of how future innovations in space-time shrinking technologies, like broadband Internet connections, impact the locational advantages of regional economies and their subsequent future prospects for growth and development. Her research is supervised by Assistant Professor Tony H. Grubesic of the IU Department of Geography.
The Fellowship is awarded in memory of Dr. Benjamin H. Stevens, an intellectual leader whose selfless devotion to graduate students as teacher, advisor, mentor, and friend continues to have a profound impact on the field of regional science. Fundraising efforts to increase the Fellowship’s endowment are ongoing. Donations should be sent to: The Stevens Fellowship Fund, Busey Wealth Management, P. O. Box 260, Champaign, IL 61824-0260 USA. Checks should be drawn to The Stevens Fellowship Fund.
The 2009-10 Stevens Fellowship competition was judged by a Selection Committee composed of: Edward Feser, Urban and Regional Planning, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, chair; Brigitte Waldorf, Agricultural Economics, Purdue University; Edward Coulson, Economics, Penn State University; Cynthia Rogers, Economics, University of Oklahoma; and Lawrence Brown, Geography, Ohio State University. The Stevens Fellowship is administered by a committee on behalf of the North American Regional Science Council; David Boyce serves as Secretary and Michael Lahr as Treasurer.
The Committee thanks all students who entered the competition this year, as well as their thesis supervisors. Faculty at all North American Ph.D. programs are asked to encourage their best students to apply for the Eleventh Annual Stevens Graduate Fellowship, which will support the winning student’s thesis research in the field of Regional Science for the 2010-2011 year with a one-year stipend of $29,000. The application deadline is February 15, 2010. Full submission guidelines are posted at http://www.narsc.org/bapp.html
April 25, 2009

Steven Brakman joins the Journal of Regional Science Editorial Team

Steven Brakman has joined Marlon Boarnet and Mark Partridge as co-editor of the Journal of Regional Science. Matthew Kahn, co-editor since 2007, has left the editorial team to devote more time to his research and duties at the University of California, Los Angeles. Kahn will join past editors Andrew Haughwout, Walter Isard, Ronald Miller, Gordon Mulligan, and David Plane on the journal’s Advisory Board of Former Editors. The journal’s editorial offices will remain at UC Irvine.

Brakman provides an editorial presence in Europe, expanding the journal’s international reach. He is Professor of International Economics at the University of Groningen, and honorary Professor at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. He was born in the political capital of Holland, The Hague. He studied economics at the University of Groningen where he graduated in 1981. His first working experience was at the Research Department of the Central Bank of the Netherlands, working mainly on monetary issues. He returned to the University of Groningen in 1985 to work on his Ph D, which was finished in 1991. His work has been published in the Journal of Regional Science, Regional Science and Urban Economics, Journal of Urban Economics,Journal of Economic Geography, and Regional Studies. The second edition of his book The New Introduction to Geographical Economics (Cambridge University Press), co-authored with Harry Garretsen and Charles van Marrewijk, has just been published. His website is:  http://www.eco.rug.nl/~brakman/.

Since 1958, the Journal of Regional Science has been the premier outlet for regional science scholarship. TheJRS will publish its 50th volume in 2010. That volume will feature a Golden Anniversary issue, guest edited by Gilles Duranton, which will convene leaders in regional science and allied fields who will collectively assess emerging research opportunities and challenges. The journal publishes original analytical research at the intersection of economics and quantitative geography. This includes rigorous methodological contributions and seminal theoretical pieces. The JRS is one of the most highly cited journals in urban and regional research, planning, geography, and the environment. The JRS continues to publish work that advances our understanding of the geographic dimensions of urban and regional economies, human settlements, and policies related to cities and regions. Articles appearing in recent issues cover the full span of topics within regional science, and submissions on all regional science topics are welcomed.

The 2008 Impact Factors have just been released and we are delighted to report that Papers in Regional Science has a 2008 Impact Factor of 1.259, which ranks it 23rd of 51 journals in the Geography category and 18th of 58 in Environmental Studies. This is a 119% increase on last year's Impact Factor, 0.576. Many congratulations to editor Jouke van Dijk and his editorial team, including the Blackwell production and marketing team.

The European Investment Bank (EIB)- European Prize in Regional Science was created to recognize the outstanding contribution of scholars to the advancement in regional science and in related spatial area studies. The EIB-European Prize in Regional Science is awarded on the recommendation of an independent jury of six eminent regional scientists, four from Europe, one from the Americas and one from the rest of the world.

The European Prizes in Regional Science were awarded since 2003. Prize winners were Peter Nijkamp, Jean Paelinck, Ake Andersson, Martin Beckmann, Jacques Thisse and Tony Venables.

The jury has decided that the 2009 prize will be awarded to Paul Cheshire, Professor Emeritus of Economic Geography, at LSE, London, for his contributions to among others the economics of land markets, and European urban and regional development.

The awarding ceremony will take place in August 2009 at the ERSA annual Congress in Lodz (Poland).  RSAI would like to add its congratulations to Paul. 

The RSAI is pleased to announce that the 2009 ISI Impact Factor data has been released and we are delighted to report that the Impact factor for Papers in Regional Science (PIRS) has increased from 1.259 to 1.397, placing the journal 23/61 in the Geography category, (vs 23 of 51 in 2008). PIRS is also now ranked 22/66 in the Environmental Studies category and 21/95 in the Public, Environmental & Occupational Health category. As you can see, the geography category has grown for 2009, and so the result for Geography is all the more impressive.This is a great result - congratulations to all the production team, especially Jouke van Dijk and his editors!

Graduate students enrolled in Ph.D. programs in North America are encouraged to apply for the Twelfth Benjamin H. Stevens Graduate Fellowship in Regional Science, administered by the North American Regional Science Council of the Regional Science Association International (NARSC-RSAI). This Fellowship, in support of thesis research in Regional Science, is awarded annually in memory of Dr. Benjamin H. Stevens, an intellectual leader whose selfless devotion to graduate students as teacher, advisor, mentor, and friend had a profound impact on the field. Regional Science is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the theory and method of urban and regional phenomena. Regional Scientists apply theoretical and empirical frameworks and methods of the social and other sciences, as well as develop new ones specifically for regional analysis and policy.

Eligible students should have completed all degree requirements except for their dissertation by the time the Fellowship commences. A requirement of the Fellowship is that the recipient has no duties other than dissertation research during the Fellowship, though the recipient may hold other fellowships concurrently. Applications from students working in any area or any Ph.D. program are welcome as long as their dissertation research addresses a question in Regional Science.

The Fellowship consists of a stipend in the amount of $30,000 (U.S.), paid over a twelve-month period.
Applications for the 2011-2012 Fellowship should be sent electronically by the applicant to the Selection Committee Chair, Professor Cynthia Rogers This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and received by February 15, 2011. An application consists of the following materials:

1. A curriculum vita of no more than two (2) pages in length.

2. A statement in ten (10) pages or less explaining the questions and issues to be addressed, the approach to be used, and the product expected from the thesis research, preceded by a summary (1-page maximum) describing the intellectual merit of the proposed research, and the broader impacts that may result. The 10-page limit is inclusive of references, but exclusive of tables and figures. This text should be in 12 point or larger font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins; references may be single-spaced.

3. Copies of the candidate’s transcripts for all graduate study. Unofficial copies are acceptable.

In addition, the thesis supervisor shall provide a confidential letter sent separately as an attachment from her/his email account with the student’s name in the subject line to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. In the letter the supervisor should assess the quality and significance of the proposed dissertation research, specify the current state of progress toward the candidate’s degree and provide a commitment by the thesis supervisor to obtain a tuition waiver for the candidate for the year of the Fellowship. A condition of the Fellowship is the granting of a tuition waiver for the year of the Fellowship by the university, or equivalent payment of the student’s tuition.

Applications should be emailed to Professor Cynthia Rogers This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Questions may also be sent to her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For information about NARSC, go to  http://www.narsc.org/newsite/. For information about RSAI, go to http://www.rsai.org.

SRUC (Scotland’s Rural College) is a widely respected higher education institute dedicated to producing specialist research, delivering high quality education and providing comprehensive consultancy services in the rural sector within the UK and beyond. An organisation unique in Scotland and one of the largest organisations of its kind in Europe; we aim to lead the way in innovation and sustainable development in the agriculture and rural sectors at local, national and international levels. Due to the expansion of our research capacity in the area of Rural Society, we are looking to make a new appointment based within our Land Economy and Environment Research Group in Edinburgh. This appointment will be at Senior Researcher or Researcher level, or – in the case of an exceptional candidate – at Professorial level. 

The Rural Society Research Team focuses on the changing rural social and economic landscape of Scotland, with links also to comparative international research. We provide evidence and policy guidance relating to the resilience, vibrancy and sustainability of Scotland’s rural communities. The team is recognised by its client-base as being rigorous, high-quality in its processes and outputs, policy-relevant and engaged with pressing rural issues. The team also actively publishes in peer-reviewed journals as well as engaging with stakeholders through regular Knowledge Exchange events. The new post-holder will explore: low carbon rural economy; regional economic development; spatial development and planning; and socio-economic trends and their implications for rural and regional areas. Such research will be situated within the wider context of policy and practice in Scotland and internationally, thus generating research outputs and outcomes which enhance the sustainability of rural economy and society. Specifically, we are looking someone to complement the strong and dynamic research skill-set which already exists in the team. We therefore require a rural/regional economist who brings specific skills in spatial econometrics and spatial data analysis, whilst being willing to work in a multi-method way. Duties will include: designing and developing research for the Scottish Government; bidding for, conducting and managing contract research; engaging in Knowledge Exchange, including through the Rural Policy Centre; and working within a multidisciplinary team. The successful applicant will have a PhD and several years of research experience, and be able to demonstrate an ability to win research funding. It is essential that the post holder can present information to a variety of audiences and be computer literate. 

Interviews will be held in Edinburgh on May 6th and 7th 2013. 

Apply online at http://www.sruc.ac.uk. If you do not have access to the Internet, you may request an application pack by contacting Human Resources on 0131 535 4277. Please note that CVs will not be accepted without a completed application form. 

Closing date: 12 noon 26th April 2013. Please quote: R/LE/956/13

More information: 

https://atsv7.wcn.co.uk/search_engine/jobs.cgi?SID=b3duZXI9NTA2MjgyNyZvd25lcnR5cGU9ZmFpciZqY29kZT0xMzIxNTUwJnZ0X3RlbXBsYXRlPTE0MjMmc2hvcnRfZGlzcGxheT0xJnBvc3RpbmdfY29kZT0wJnJlcXNpZz0xMzYzNjg1NDU5LTAyYmMwNjM1NzU3NmFmODYzYjIxZGFiMGFjNmEyYzdlZDE3N2Y4Mzg

Is open the call for papers of the XXXIX edition of the Spanish Regional Studies Meting which is being organized in Asturias under the auspices of the Spanish Regional Science Association and will take place in Oviedo the 21^st-22^nd November, 2013.

The theme of this edition of the conference is Smart regions for a smarter growth strategy: new challenges of regional policy and potentials of cities to overcome a worldwide economic crisis, with the intention being that the conference provides a forum for discussion and debate between academics and professionals about the potential of cities and regions in national economic development. In the context of the present global crisis, studies at local, urban and regional levels become even more necessary and important. This is due not only to the fact that crises have effects that are heterogeneous across space but also to the possibility that regions and cities provide the initial impulse to dynamizing national economies.

The lines between “geographic” and “economic” approaches to regional issues have blurred and economists and geographers have come closer and closer together to contribute to the understanding and development of what is now denominated “economic geography.” Something similar is being experienced with urban issues, with urban science, urban sociology and urban economics becoming increasingly intertwined. Econometric modeling has also contributed to the analysis of spatial economic issues, with spatial econometrics providing researchers with an ever-expanding tool-kit. All in all, regional science is increasingly multidisciplinary in nature and meeting in the field necessarily bring together, among others, economists, geographers, urban scientists, sociologists and legal scientists.

1. organizing committee comprises the members of the Regional Economic Analysis Laboratory of the University of Oviedo – REGIOlab, a group of researchers with an increasing presence in academic forums and which is working towards amplifying its international visibility. REGIOlab also shares a strong vocation for bringing its work at the Universidad to society at large and all these aims provide the motivation for organizing the XXXIX Conference of Regional Studies.

The Scientific Committee is responsible for selecting the contents (presentations, debates, round tables, etc) of the conference and guaranteeing their quality. It is presided by Prof. Rafael Myro and comprises academics from external universities and institutions.

1. languages of the XXXIX Conference of Regional Studies are Spanish and English, and the conference will take place on the 21^st-22^nd November. TheConference Site is the Exhibition and Congress Centre “Ciudad de Oviedo”.

On behalf of the Asturian Regional Science Association, the Organizing Committee and the Scientific Committee, we would like to give special thanks to all the sponsors of this event. We would also like express our wish that this edition of the conference - which like its predecessors provides the opportunity to discuss the main issues in regional science in the presence of old and new colleagues - will prove to be a valuable forum from academic and professional perspectives and in terms of its social impact.

Call for Papers
6th Summer Conference in Regional Science
Dortmund, June, 27 – 28, 2013

The “Gesellschaft für Regionalforschung” (GfR), the German speaking section of the Regional Science Association International (RSAI), the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) and the Faculty of Spatial Planning of the University of Dortmund are pleased to announce the 6th International Summer-Conference in Dortmund.

Keynote Speakers:
Luc Anselin (GeoDa Center, Arizona State University)
Joachim Möller (Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung - IAB)

Theme:

„New Approaches in Regional Impact Analysis“

Objectives:
The conference consists of two strands of presentations. One is related to the main topic of the conference and deals with new concepts and methods of impact analysis in the area of regional promotion of economic growth, employment and innovation. The second strand is more general by sharing results of new unpublished research in the broad field of regional science such as:
- Regional Economic Development,
- Innovation and New Technologies,
- Agglomerations, Regional Clusters and Networks,
- Regional Policy on European and National Level,
- Labor Market and Labor Market policies,
- Sectoral Changes and New Markets,
- Methods of Spatial Analysis,
- Institutional Change and Interregional Relations,
- Environmental Policies on the Regional and Urban Level,
- Demographic Change and Migration,
- Regional Impacts of Globalization and the Financial Crisis.

Publication:
Participants are invited to submit papers to the „Jahrbuch für Regionalwissenschaft/Review of Regional Research“, the journal of the GfR, which is interested in publishing papers from the Summer Conference.
Participants: The seminar is open for any scholar in Regional Science.

Scientific Committee:
Franz-Josef Bade (Universität Dortmund, local organizer)
Uwe Blien (Universität Bamberg, IAB)
Johannes Bröcker (CAU Kiel)
Roberta Capello (Politecnico di Milano)
Stefan Fuchs (IAB)
Georg Hirte (TU Dresden)
Jens Südekum (Universität Duisburg-Essen)
Franz Tödtling (Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien)

Deadlines:
Submission of abstracts: April, 5, 2013 (Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Notification of acceptance by April, 22, 2013
Registration and submission of full paper till June, 1, 2013.

The conference fee is 60 Euro.

There will be a small budget to cover travel and accommodation expenses for speakers who do not have other financing possibilities. If you want to apply for a refund, please inform us about the approximate amount of travel costs when submitting your paper.
Presentations should be about 25 min. The conference languages will be English and German.

Further information will be announced at http://gfr.ersa.org/.
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS) is pleased to announce the 2013 Research Award to Luc Anselin of Arizona State University and the 2013 Education Award to Ken Foote of the University of Colorado at Boulder.

The Research Award is given to the creator(s) of a particularly outstanding research contribution to geographic information science. The main criterion for choosing the awardee(s) is impact of the research achievement on the theory and/or practice of GIScience, or on research using GIS, or on geographic information technology.

The Education Award is presented to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to GIScience education. The award is intended to recognize a career of professional contributions of both national and international significance to GIScience education.

Luc Anselin, the Walter Isard Chair and Director of the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at Arizona State University (ASU), is one of the world’s leading scholars in spatial econometrics. Amongst a stream of influential articles, his book “Spatial Econometrics: Methods and Models” first published 20 years ago has been cited over 6,000 times. Almost single-handedly he has blazed the path of spatial econometrics through a succession of highly cited articles which deal with both theory and method and with relevant and timely applications to public policy such as crime, health care, pollution, economic development, and demography. Not only have his writings had made a major impact on the geographical sciences, the research groups which he has built up from his time at Santa Barbara to his current position in ASU have sustained this impact and have focused his research on the very best blend of theory and practice that exists in the social sciences. One of his principal academic achievements has been his contributions to moving the discipline of spatial econometrics which was marginal in 1988 to current acceptance in mainstream econometrics, thereby advancing the economic foundations of the geographic information sciences. The impact of his work is seen in his H index which is 64, the highest by far of any scholar in the geographical information sciences. He also founded and directs the GeoDa Center for Geospatial Analysis and Computation at ASU which develops, implements, applies, and disseminates spatial analysis methods.