Regional Science Policy & Practice (RSPP)

Call for Papers Special Issue: Rethinking the Regional Development Opportunities and Challenges in Southern Africa

At the Department of Architecture, Built Environment, and Construction Engineering of Politecnico di Milano, the regional and urban economics research group is looking for two research fellows. The two fellows will join our research activities in the field of regional and urban economics, with particular reference to the themes of the spatial aspects of digital transition and the reconfiguration of global value chains. Appreciated skills include a keen interest in learning, in a possible higher education experience abroad, and in a career in research. The selection is related to the activation of an annual research grant, with the possibility of renewal, through a public selection.

For any request of information, please write 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 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We are saddened to announce that Attila Varga passed away at the age of 66, on 23 October 2023, after a long illness.

Attila Varga was born on 18 June 1958 in Tatabánya, Hungary, where he completed his primary and secondary education. He began his university studies in 1979 at the JPTE Faculty of Economics, Pécs, where he graduated in 1983 and obtained his doctorate in 1989. He received his PhD degree from the Department of Economics, University of West Virginia (USA) in 1997. From 1998 to 2001, he worked at the Austrian Academy of Sciences and was a Senior Research Fellow at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration. After his return to Hungary, he habilitated and received a doctorate from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 2006 and was appointed as a university professor.In 2019, he became the member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

His academic career took off in the United States in the 1990s, where his main research area was knowledge flows, the spatial diffusion of innovations from universities and research institutes. His highly cited articles have been published in leading journals, and the book version of his doctoral thesis "University research and regional innovation: a spatial econometric analysis of scientific technology transfers" has been a great success. Since the 2000s, he has been focusing on the spatial determinants of economic growth in Hungary, the European Union and Turkey, using a large scale spatial economic impact analysis model developed under his leadership. The results of his research have been used in economic policy, with suggestions focusing on R&D and human capital development, entrepreneurship and innovation network policies, investment support for smart specialisation and infrastructure development. To date, he is one of the most cited Hungarian economists. His work has been recognised with the 2018 Academic Prize of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Order of Merit of Hungary. In 2023 he recieved the prestigious ERSA Prize in Regional Science.

As a university professor, he contributed significantly to the development of his alma mater, the University of Pécs. Between 2006 and 2012 he was the director of the Department of Economics and Regional Sciences at the Faculty of Business and Economics, UP and founded the Regional Innovation and Entrepreneurship Research Center. In 2010, he took over the leadership of the Doctoral School of Regional Politicy and Economics, which he has developed into a prestigious programme with many international connections. Under his leadership, this research center and the doctoral school became the background of a vivid academic community that contributed significantly to the Faculty of Business and Economics as well as the Hungarian and international regional science community. This community has launched and supported the academic careers of many researchers over the years.

Attila has always been renowned for his commitment to scientific discovery and has never been deterred by hard work. His absence is already felt by friends, close colleagues, students and colleagues. We will cherish his memory as one of the leading researchers in regional science, a great professor, mentor and friend. Shall he rest in peace.

Dr. Tamás Sebestyén
Department of Economics and Econometrics
University of Pécs, Hungary

Assistant/Associate Professor position in Geospatial Health Analysis at UNC Charlotte

The Department of Geography and Earth Sciences (https://geoearth.charlotte.edu/) in the College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte invites applications for a tenured or tenure-track appointment at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor specializing in Geospatial Health Analysis to begin on August 15, 2024. We are seeking a dynamic and broadly trained geospatial health scientist whose expertise focuses on health disparities, challenges and/or solutions from a geographic perspective.

Requirements for this position include a Ph.D. degree in Geography, Geographic Information Science, Urban Planning, a health-related field, or another discipline related to geospatial health analysis, awarded by the date of appointment. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate their ability (1) to contribute to the department's undergraduate, masters, and Ph.D. focus areas in geography, urban and regional analysis, human-environment interactions, and geographic information science and/or geospatial health; (2) to build a cutting-edge, externally funded research program in geospatial health analysis; (3) to engage in interdisciplinary collaboration; and (4) to effectively teach undergraduate and graduate courses in geography, geographic information science, and/or their area of specialization. Applicants at the Assistant Professor level are encouraged to demonstrate how their academic and/or professional experience have prepared them for sustainable success in the above four areas. Applicants at the Associate Professor level should demonstrate a record of sustained excellence in the above four areas.

Candidates should submit the following to https://jobs.charlotte.edu/ [Position Number 6905]: (1) cover letter; (2) research statement; (3) teaching statement; (4) a curriculum vitae; (5) one to three representative publications, and (6) contact information (including email addresses) for at least three professional references. Review of applications will begin on December 1, 2023 and will continue until the position is filled. 

More details are attached. For more information, contact search committee chair Dr. Colleen Hammelman, (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Dear WRSA Members and Friends,

The Fall 2023 Newsletter is attached and contains everything you'll need to start planning our 63rd Annual Meeting in Monterey, California from Feb 11th, 2024 to Feb 14th, 2024. For those who want the information now, here are the key details:

Paper Submission: Papers should be submitted to the WRSA website by the extended due date, November 30. Only full papers (draft format acceptable) will be accepted. The program review committee will review and invitations will be sent to the accepted papers. Draft papers are sufficient for the November deadline, so long as we have a complete version in hand by January 15th 2024. 

Hotel Reservations: Our negotiated daily room rate is $229 plus applicable taxes and a waived resort fee ($33 of the resort fee is waived for our group). Some perks of the hotel stay include free self and valet parking, complimentary standard wireless wifi in guestrooms, and access to the 24-hour Fitness Center. The hotel is honoring our special room rate three days prior to and three days following our meetings (Feb 8th through Feb 17th), based on availability. The room reservation can be made via this link, or by calling 831-372-1234 and asking for the Western Regional Science Association 2024 group rate (Group code: G-WR24). 

Please note: After January 10, 2024, or as soon as our block fills, the hotel will no longer honor our special room rate! Be sure to book early!

Student Conference Assistants: WRSA is seeking several students to assist with meeting registration. In exchange for 8-10 hours of volunteering at the registration desk, students will receive a full refund of their registration fees (worth $150, to be processed following the meeting) and potentially discounted staff rooms at the conference hotel. Student volunteers should stay at the conference hotel during the WRSA annual conference. Email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you're interested.

Session Chairs and Paper Discussants: Planning to come to Monterey but won’t be presenting a paper? We are always VERY happy to assign you a session chair or paper discussant duties if you’re willing. Just email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to let me know of your preferences and availability.

Please feel free to contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with any questions. 

And please do circulate/post the attached Call for Papers! 

Let your colleagues know what a great meeting WRSA is...

The Way Academic Life Should Be...

All the best,

Jaewon Lim

Program Chair, 2024 Annual Meeting

Executive Director, WRSA

Investigaciones Regionales - Journal of Regional Research has published the 57^th Issue, the third volume corresponding to 2023.

Below you will find the summaries of the papers published in this volume, which can be accessed at https://investigacionesregionales.org/en/revista/issue-57/ 

We invite authors to submit papers at https://investigacionesregionales.org/en/envio-de-articulos/submission-of-papers-and-others-contributions/

Issue 57

European Regional Policy

Marcos Aurelio Díaz Ramírez, Lukas Kleine-Rueschkamp, Paolo Veneri

Does European Cohesion Policy affect Regional Business Dynamics?

This paper assesses whether European Cohesion Policy funds from the 2007-2013 programming period affected business dynamics in European regions. Using a regression discontinuity approach, the analysis shows that regions receiving more funds experienced higher firm births, without statistically significant firm deaths, resulting in positive net firm creation and growing firm-related employment. In addition, this study confirms previous findings in the literature according to which regions receiving more funds show higher increases in gross value added per worker. Finally, funds have a significantly higher effect on net business employment creation in regions with lower levels of perceived corruption, although this is not necessarily conductive to higher levels of labour productivity in those regions.

Keywords: Regional Policy; cohesion funds; business dynamics

Articles

Mariana Bianchini Galuk, Aurora Carneiro Zen, Vitor Klein Schmidt, Bruno Anicet Bittencourt

Shared Resources and Cluster Life Cycle: A study in the footwear sector in Brazil and Italy

Clusters are considered sources of competitive advantage. A cluster is understood as a set of resources; however, it is noted that these resources vary according to their trajectory. Thus, this paper seeks to analyze the relationship between shared resources in the life cycle of the cluster. We conducted a cross-country study with two clusters in the footwear industry: Brazil and Italy. We present two main contributions. First, the competitiveness of clusters is sustained by their ability to renew and change their dependent trajectory. Second, we propose five elements that positively influence cluster competitiveness. These elements also help us understand the trajectory of clusters.

Keywords: Regional clusters; cluster life cycle; strategic resources; competitiveness; cross-country study

Francisco Cellone, Joaquín Córdoba, Lucas Bilbao, Eleonora Carol

Community Organizations for Water and Sanitation Services in rural areas of Argentina. A survey of their structure, organization, internal operation and problems and challenges in water management

The aim of this work is to carry out a survey of rural Community Organizations of Water and Sanitation Services (OCSAS) in Argentina, of the legal and institutional framework that supports them, as well as their structure, organization, and internal operations. Also, to study what are the criteria used by these organizations to define adequate water management and the problems and challenges they face. The results reflect that OCSAS territorial representation is majoritarian, while the problems they face are varied and include legal, institutional – normative, technical, quality, financial and gender aspects.

Keywords: Community Organizations of Water and Sanitation Services; Rural Water and Sanitarian Services; Rural water management

Leopoldo Cabrera Rodríguez, Felipe Rosa González

Religious Identification by Regions in Spain: Results over 394,906 individuals: 2013 to 2022

Regional studies on religiosity are non-existent in Spain and infrequent or non-existent in the Europe regional sphere, but not between countries. This article shows the regional variability in Spain of people who identify themselves as believers. It is argued that religious identification (believers) in Spain is regionally heterogeneous and that the regional effects associated with religiosity are altered by other ascriptive variables, gender, age, and educational attainment. 124 barometers have been merged, files from the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS) of Spain from January 2013 to May 2022, monthly, except Augusts, obtaining a sample size of 402,868 interviewees (394,906 identify themselves as religious or non-religious).

Keywords: Religious identification; believers; regional inequality; Spain

Rosa Ferrentino, Luca Vota

A mathematical contribution to the economic growth theory. Evidence on the relationship between wages and output from the Italian regions

In this manuscript, the authors empirically assess the impact of an increase in the wage per worker on the GDP per capita of the Italian regions. To achieve this research aim, the authors carry out a panel data regression analysis, relying on an identification strategy based on the standard Neoclassical model of economic growth. The authors’ results suggest that, on average, the output effect of an increase in the wage per worker is positive, with a substantial difference between the Northern and Center-Southern regions. The authors’ policy implication is that wage moderation does not represent a remedy to the economic stagnation that the Italian regions have been experiencing since the second half of the 1990s.

Keywords: Wage-led economic growth; wage per worker; regional development; Neo-Kaleckian economics; Neoclassical economics

Juan de Lucio, Raúl Mínguez, Asier Minondo, Francisco Requena

The importance of the top exporter in regional exports

We use Spanish firm-level data over the period 1998-2018 to examine the importance of the top exporter in each province (NUTS-III) exports. We find that: (1) the top exporter in each province represents about one fifth of total exports per year; (2) it contributes significantly to province´s export growth whilst on its way towards the top position; and (3) shocks to the top exporter of a province explain the fluctuations in aggregate exports growth.

Keywords: Top exporter; export concentration; export growth; granularity; Spanish provinces

Check other articles from the issue Issue 57 or from other issues.

Please see below four PhD studentship opportunities that may be of interest to you or your networks. For more information and contact details please click on the links below.

Economy-wide, distributional & policy analysis of the low carbon transition: implications for a sustainable economy, jobs and equity

The University of Strathclyde’s Centre for Energy Policy (CEP) is offering a number of exciting and funded PhD projects which align with CEP’s current research. CEP investigates the economy-wide and societal outcomes of different pathways and actions to reach net zero.

The four projects are:

1. Developing a mixed methods approach to support the dual ambition of delivering the low carbon heat transition and eradication of fuel poverty in Scotland
2. Understanding the economy-wide implications of different policy actions to address barriers to and improving the outcomes of adopting energy efficiency improvement measures
3. Assessing the international trade, jobs and skills of the future international hydrogen market | University of Strathclyde
4. Policy Response Analysis of Fuel and Transport Poverty in the Transition to Low Carbon Systems

We're interested to support the development of a range of methodological approaches, including computable general equilibrium (CGE) modelling involving applied scenario development, systematic review of existing evidence, system dynamics and other energy systems modelling approaches, and/or analysis that supports wider public policy decision making through an understanding of the political economy.

This is an opportunity for four PhD candidates to join a growing team of researchers, academics and knowledge exchange professionals at the University of Strathclyde’s Centre for Energy Policy (CEP). CEP was part of the School of Government and Public Policy’s submission to the Research Excellence Framework (REF), which Times Higher Education has ranked as number 1 across the UK in the Politics and International Studies Unit of Assessment.

Virtually all of the School’s research outputs were rated as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ and 100% of the impact of this research, which included a CEP impact case study, was rated as outstanding (4*). At CEP, the students will have access to a team of researchers working across the Net Zero space and would benefit from interaction with them, as well as access to personal development training fund which is provided centrally from the University. These funds could support, for example, attendance at conferences and participation in relevant training.

Successful candidates will undertake a PhD project that will contribute to expanding the evidence base and providing policy and decision-makers with the necessary evidence to effectively address the challenge of transitioning to a prosperous, sustainable, and more equitable net-zero economy in the UK.