ERSA Summer School 2020
Regions in transition, what implications for tourism and manufacturing?
14-19 June 2020, University of Lausanne – Sion site,  Switzerland

The European Regional Science Association is pleased to announce in collaboration with The tourism research group of the Institute of Geography and Sustainability (University of Lausanne) the 33rd ERSA Summer School which will be held  from 15 June to 19 June 2020 at the University Campus of Sion, Switzerland

The summer school programme will feature the theme “Regions in transition, what implications for tourism and manufacturing?”.

ERSA Summer School aims to gather young researchers (PhD and post-doctoral students) from Europe with direct training in regional science. Sustainability transition is a new significant challenge for regional science with several issues, needs, opportunities but also threats for regions specialized in tourism or/and manufacturing. Production, innovation and consumption systems, labour markets, transport and mobility are just few examples of elements that are evolving face to this challenge. Therefore, this year’s edition of ERSA Summer School intends to focus on the most relevant concepts as well as analytical models and frameworks to be able to understand implications of transition for tourism and manufacturing.

Within this umbrella, the ERSA Summer School 2020 will particularly address the interaction between empirical, theoretical and policy analysis related to the following classic topics of regional science:
– Regional and urban development, labour markets, policy and governance;
– Regional competitiveness, innovation and productivity;
– Change in location of economic activity;
– Segregation, social, environmental and spatial inequalities;
– Transport, land use and accessibility;
– Population, migration and mobility behaviour;
– Regional finance, fiscal issues, investment or capital markets.

The Summer School will be organised in an intense week of lectures and participants presentations. The pedagogical approach is structured in four moments:

1. Young researchers sessions which are devoted to doctoral and post-doctoral students’ presentations of their work to participants and senior researchers (professors and lecturer).
2. During the morning ex-cathedra lectures are offered by invited Professors. Lectures cover a large variety of issues regarding to recent advances in theory and applications in regional science especially in the particular umbrella theme of the School. They will be structured in four categories of lectures. The first is the “ERSA Award 2019 Lecture” given by Philip McCann – the lecture will be followed in the evening by a Master class given in a relaxed atmosphere where he will talk about his research itinerary. The second category “Hot topic Lectures” will be conducted by confirmed senior scholars from Europe with high reputation on the topic of the Summer School: Marie Delaplace (to be confirmed) from University of Marne-la-Vallée (France), Alessandra Faggian from Gran Sasso Science Institute (Italy), João Romão from University of Algarve (Portugal), Bernhard Truffer University of Bern (Switzerland). The third category, “Regional Science fundamental Lecture”, will address classical themes of regional science. It will be given by Olivier Crevoisier from University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland). The fourth and last category consists in a “Methodological workshop” that will be given by Céline Rozenblat from University of Lausanne (Switzerland). Attention has been paid to gender and regional balance when building the program.
3. A field visit is organised.
4. Great importance is given to informal discussions, which are precious ground for experience sharing and network expanding. Within participants but most of all with invited Professors who are asked to stay a few days precisely for that purpose. The organisation aims at creating moments for get-together activities (shared meals, field visits, get-together dinner, thematic walks, serious game session, etc.).

Link to the Summer School website