3rd European Congress of Local Governments to be held  27-28^th March, 2017 in Krakow (attached the outline and the promotional video).

The conference will be organized jointly with the City of Krakow. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG_tz1ccTRA

The December 2016 issue of the newsletter of the North American Regional Science Council is now available online at http://www.narsc.org/newsite/?page_id=417.

Regional Research Frontiers - Vol. 2

Methodological Advances, Regional Systems Modeling and Open Sciences

Editors: Jackson, Randall, Schaeffer, Peter (Eds.)

Identifies methodological advances as well as trends and future developments in regional systems modelling and open science. Covers research areas such as interindustry modelling, computable general equilibrium models, exploratory spatial data analysis, geographic information science, spatial econometrics. Builds on recent methodological and modelling advances, as well as on extensive policy-analysis experience.

Handbook of Social Capital and Regional Development

Edited by Hans Westlund and Johan P. Larsson

The role of social capital in regional development is a multifaceted topic which is studied all over the world using various methods and across numerous disciplines. It has long been evident that social capital is important for regional development, however, it is less clear how this works in practice. Do all types of social capital have the same effects and are different kinds of regions impacted in the same way? This book is the first to offer an overview of this rapidly expanding field of research and to thoroughly analyse the complex issue of social capital and regional development.

Argues for the importance of measuring incidence-basis indirect economic effects, showing that dynamic and spatial simulation models currently popular in regional science are useful. Clarifies intrinsic points of contradictory conclusions by H. Mohring and J. Tinbergen with the introduction of generation-basis and incidence-basis economic effects. Shows that the argument by J. Tinbergen is correct within a real setting in which the Marshallian type of external economies exists.

Presents a joint treatment of spatial econometrics and spatial interaction modelling. Evaluates the suitability of spatial econometrics for the use of areal data in flow-data modeling. Includes empirical applications from tourism, interregional trade and migration, as well as residential relocation.

Regional Development in Rural Areas

Analytical Tools and Public Policies

Authors: Torre, André, Wallet, Frédéric

This book intends to provide analytical and policy tools for investigating the question of the development of rural and peri-urban areas. The aim is to shed some light on this topic and in particular to contribute to a better understanding of the link between issues of regional or territorial development and issues of rural development. The text addresses the question of the disputed notions and definitions of rural development in rural and regional studies, examines the literature of regional and territorial development and the policies of regional development and planning. It also presents scenarios for the future of rural areas, with a focus on European territories.

Impact Assessment in Tourism Economics

Editors: Matias, Álvaro, Nijkamp, Peter, Romão, João (Eds.)

This book presents a series of studies on the socio-economic impacts of tourism, with a special focus on the determinants of tourism competitiveness at the destination level. The authors offer a systematic overview of this important issue, presenting relevant empirical studies from different parts of the world, based on modern theoretical approaches and adequate analysis tools, in the context of their policy or managerial implications.

The Regional and Urban Policy of the European Union

Cohesion, Results-Orientation and Smart Specialisation

By Philip McCann

Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Global Economy

Knowledge, Technology and Internationalization

Edited by Charlie Karlsson and Sofia Wixe

Innovation and entrepreneurship are the prime drivers in the global economy. This scholarly book identifies some of the key forces behind innovation and entrepreneurship at the same time as it closes the gap between science and technology R&D, innovation, entrepreneurship, productivity growth, and internationalization. The expert contributions explore the underlying forces and add substantial theoretical and empirical knowledge to the current state-of-the-art in several research fields including the economics of innovation and entrepreneurship, regional economics, economic geography and international economics.

The Rise of the City

Spatial Dynamics in the Urban Century

Edited by Karima Kourtit, Adam Mickiewicz, Peter Nijkamp and Roger R. Stough

This book examines urban growth and the dynamics that are transforming the city and city regions in the 21st century focusing specifically on the spatial aspects of this process in the “Urban Century”. Forces that are driving city growth include agglomeration spillovers, concentration of innovation and entrepreneurship, diversity of information and knowledge resources, and better amenities and higher wages. These benefits produce a positive reinforcing system that attracts more people with new ideas and information, fuelling innovation, new products and services and more high-wage jobs, thereby attracting more people. Such growth also produces undesirable effects such as air and water pollution, poverty, congestion and crowding. These combined factors both impact and change the geography and spatial dynamics of the city. These transformations and the public policies that may be critical to the quality of life, both today and in the future, are the substance of this book.

Regional Science Matters

Studies Dedicated to Walter Isard

Editors: Nijkamp, Peter, Rose, Adam, Kourtit, Karima (Eds.)

​This volume is a collection of fresh and novel contributions to regional science. They commemorate the scientific inheritance of the founding father of regional science, the late Walter Isard. All papers are written by well-known scholars in the field and serve to highlight the great importance of regional science theory and methodology for a better understanding of current spatial and environmental problems throughout our planet. The book showcases a multidisciplinary panorama of modern regional science research and presents new insights by applying regional science approaches.

Handbook of Regional Science

Editors: Fischer, Manfred M., Nijkamp, Peter (Eds.)

The Handbook of Regional Science is a multi-volume reference work providing a state-of-the-art knowledge on regional science composed by renowned scientists in the field. The Handbook is intended to serve the academic needs of graduate students, and junior and senior scientists in regional science and related fields, with an interest in studying local and regional socio-economic issues. The multi-volume handbook seeks to cover the field of regional science comprehensively, including areas such as regional housing and labor markets, regional economic growth, innovation and regional economic development, new and evolutionary economic geography, location and interaction, the environment and natural resources, spatial analysis and geo-computation as well as spatial statistics and econometrics.

Knowledge, Innovation and Space

Edited by Charlie Karlsson, Börje Johansson, Kiyoshi Kobayashi and Roger R. Stough

Regional economic development has experienced considerable dynamism over recent years. Perhaps the most notable cases were the rise of China and India to emergent country status by the turn of the millennium. With time now for hindsight, this book identifies some of the key forces behind these development successes, namely agglomeration, clusters and entrepreneurship.

Regional Development and Proximity Relations

Edited by André Torre and Frédéric Wallet

Technology and Industrial Parks in Emerging Countries

Panacea or Pipedream?

Authors: Rodriguez-Pose, Andres, Hardy, Dan

Industrial and technology parks are commonly regarded as a policy panacea. They tend to be considered as the ideal instrument to alleviate an assortment of institutional, political, economic, social and ultimately, technological weaknesses and often form the centrepiece of development strategies. Yet, the real impact of industrial and technology parks, especially in emerging countries is still poorly understood. Focusing on examples from Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, the book represents a first approach to understand the potential and reality of industrial and technology parks in emerging countries. It is argued that although some parks have been successful in addressing a range of key problems, including underdevelopment, unemployment and a lack of investment, the majority have failed to deliver, rendering the promise of many parks little more than a pipedream.

Spatial Econometrics

From Cross-Sectional Data to Spatial Panels

Authors: Elhorst, J Paul

​This book provides an overview of three generations of spatial econometric models: models based on cross-sectional data, static models based on spatial panels and dynamic spatial panel data models. The book not only presents different model specifications and their corresponding estimators, but also critically discusses the purposes for which these models can be used and how their results should be interpreted.

Applied Regional Growth and Innovation Models

Editors: Kourtit, Karima, Nijkamp, Peter, Stimson, Robert (Eds.)

Modern spatial-economic systems exhibit a high degree of dynamics as a result of technological progress, demographic evolution or global change. In the past decade, an avalanche of new regional economic growth and innovation models has been put forward. This volume contains a unique collection of operational models of a strong applied nature that may be seen as original landmarks in the rich tradition of spatial-economic growth modelling. The contributors are recognized experts from different parts of the world. ​

CRUISE-Statistics South Africa Urban and Regional Science Conference 2017

Date

July 3-5, 2017

Location

STIAS, Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

Organization

The 3rd Biannual ISIbalo CRUISE Urban and Regional Science Conference is jointly organised by the Centre for Regional and Urban Innovation and Statistical Exploration (CRUISE) and Statistics South Africa in conjunction with the Regional Science Association International.

Aim

The conference is aimed at bringing researchers from academia, the private and public sectors and non-governmental organisations together in an effort to present and debate prevalent urban and regional evelopment issues and to share knowledge, viewpoints, methods and research outcomes around six main themes:

Theme 1 – Social, economic and structural change in cities and regions

Theme 2 – Clusters / corridors / declining / lagging areas

Theme 3 – Formal / informal business growth / decline

Theme 4 – Mobility / migration / commuting trends and issues

Theme 5 – Urban growth / housing trends and issues

Theme 6 – Governance / policy issues

Researchers in the fields of Economics, Planning, Geography, Sociology and related Social Sciences are encouraged to participate.

CONFERENCE PARTICIPATION

Participation in the conference requires an oral presentation of 20 minutes. The conference is organized in panels of 4 papers each. Presentations are selected on content and appropriateness to the conference themes.

ABSTRACTS

• Interested researchers should submit an abstract of around 250 words by e-mail not later than February 24, 2017, to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• Enquiries: Arul Naidoo, E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• Successful participants will be informed by March 31, 2017.

PUBLICATION

Opportunities will be given for publication of collections of approved papers for publication in journals after the conference (publication plan to be announced during the conference).

NETWORKING

The conference is an opportunity for researchers to meet and to discuss future joint research initiatives and opportunities.

REGISTRATION

• Conference fee:

Non-RSAI members: Early Bird registration180 Euros before April 15; 250 Euros after April 15.

RSAI members: Early Bird registration 150 Euros before April 15; 200 Euros after April 15.

Participants from Africa: Early Bird registration RZA 1000 before April 15; RZA 1500 after April 15.

• Conference fee includes participation in the conference, programme and abstracts in digital format, Wi fi, secured parking, coffee-breaks and lunch.

• Downloadable registration forms: http://www.statssa.gov.za/?page_id=9282

IMPORTANT DATES

• Submission deadline for abstracts: February 24, 2017.

• Notification of abstract acceptance: March 31, 2017.

• Early bird registration and payment: 1 - 15 April 2017.

• PowerPoint Presentation.

• Full paper for publication: date to be announced during the conference.

CONFERENCE CONVENOR & ORGANIZATION

Manie Geyer

Centre for Urban and Regional Innovation and Statistical Exploration

Stellenbosch University

Stellenbosch, South Africa

http://www0.sun.ac.za/cruise/

Arul Naidoo

Statistics South Africa

Pretoria, South Africa

CONFERENCE VENUE

STIAS Centre

Stellenbosch University

Stellenbosch, South Africa

CONFERENCE E-MAIL & WEBSITE

Conference e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Conference website: http://www.statssa.gov.za/?page_id=9282

ACCOMMODATION

http://www.booking.com/city/za/stellenbosch.html

http://www.stellenbosch.travel/stay-us

PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME

July 3, 2017 Monday

08:00 to 09:00 Conference registration

09:00 to 09:15 Welcome and Housekeeping

09:15 to 09:45 Address: Minister

09:45 to 10:30 Address: Member of University Executive

10:30 to 11:00 Keynote Address

11:40 to 17:20 Presentations

July 4, 2017 Tuesday                                    

09:00 to 16:00 Presentations 

July 5, 2017 Wednesday

09:00 to 14:40 Presentations

14:40 to 15:30 Publication Strategy Meeting 

See attachment.

The Association for University Business and Economic Research (AUBER) is once again reaching out to regional scientists who would like take the next step and learn the nuts and bolts of operating a university research center.  AUBER has established the Polzin Prize of $500 for the best paper presented at its fall conference October 21-24, 2017, in Albuquerque. Paul Polzin was the 30^th President of WRSA in 1990 and was active in the SRSA in the mid-to-late 1990s. For more information about AUBER go to www.auber.org.

The 2016 winner of the Polzin Prize was Prof. Carl Bonham of the University of Hawaii.  His paper it titled “Forecasting in a Mixed-Up World: Nowcasting Hawaii Tourism.”

Eligibility:  To be considered for the Polzin Prize:

• The paper’s lead author must be an individual AUBER member at the time of the Fall Conference or be employed at an AUBER member unit whose membership is in good standing; (Fall Conference registration fees include a one-year membership for non-AUBER members who submit papers for consideration)
• The paper must be presented on a panel at the Fall Conference;
• The paper should be prepared in academic format (APA or other commonly accepted scholarly style);
• Because the purpose is to encourage new work, submissions should not have been previously published or accepted for publication. 

Process:  Each eligible paper will be read by all members of an evaluation committee (the three most-recent AUBER Past Presidents) and evaluated against the criteria below. Committee members must decline to judge papers if they have the following special relationships with the author(s) of the papers submitted: relatives, students, colleagues, or co-authors. The winner will receive a $500 cash award during the Fall Conference Awards breakfast.

Submission Deadline:   September 1, 2017

Submit one copy of your paper by email as a PDF attachment, without identifying author information, to Kathy Deck (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by the deadline. The winning paper will be announced at the AUBER Fall Conference.