Dear all,
 
Please see below a Call for Papers for a Special Session at this year's ERSA Congress in Cork:
 
S27 Doing regional science with new sources of big data
 
Convenors: Emmanouil Tranos, Daniel Arribas-Bel, Franciso Rowe
 
The availability of good quality, granular and longitudinal data has traditionally shaped how researchers do Regional Science. During the last 5-10 years more and more new sources of, sometimes, diverse data have become available. Although these data can be called “accidental” as they have not been designed or curated to support urban and regional analysis. They have the capacity to expand the analytical boundaries of regional science. These data tend to be georeferenced; have high level of spatial and temporal granularity; and, involve large population samples. The use of these data does not come without challenges. For instance, although sample sizes may be large, they can also suffer from biases that are difficult to control for; or, they may include noise as they have not been designed to capture urban and regional socio-economic processes. The characteristics of these data, such as their large size and unstructured nature, impose analytical challenges as more traditional methodologies are not always equipped in dealing with these peculiarities. Moreover, there is a growing hype around 'big data', and therefore researchers and policy makers may find themselves under pressure to utilise such data in a rather uncritical manner.
 
This call for abstracts for a Special Session during the ERSA 2018 Conference aims to exemplify applications, but also the challenges of using new sources of big data for urban and regional analysis. Specifically, we welcome submissions around the following points:
- Empirical applications of the of new sources of big data in regional science.
- Studies bridging the gap between traditional sources of (small) data (e.g., censuses) and new sources of (big) data
- Applications and experiences in which big data is used to inform policy decisions
- Studies that quantitatively explore the strengths and weaknesses of big data for spatial economic analysis.
 
Registration details: https://ersa.eventsair.com/QuickEventWebsitePortal/58th-ersa-congress-cork-28-31-august-2018/ersa2018/ExtraContent/ContentSubPage?page=2&subPage=3
 
Abstract submission deadline: 28th February
Abstract submission: https://ersa.eventsair.com/PresentationPortal/Account/Login?ReturnUrl=%2FPresentationPortal%2F58th-ersa-congress-cork-28-31-august-2018%2Fsa
 
Special Session: https://az659834.vo.msecnd.net/eventsairwesteuprod/production-ersa-public/3f4e19a775124b588ede218c9c08dedd
 
Best regards,
Emmanouil, Dani and Franciso

Seminário | Da Ciência Regional à Medicina do Território

No dia 19 de fevereiro, realiza-se o seminário " Da Ciência Regional à Medicina do Território", pelas 15h00, na sala Novo Banco. 

Entrada gratuita, sujeita a pré-inscrição em www.tinyurl.com/cienciaregional 

Cartaz (pdf) 

Dear All,

Please let me draw your attention to 2 lectureships in Statistical Science (Education and Research) at the University of Exeter.

Job title Lectureship in Statistical Science (Education and Research) Job reference P57874 Date posted 06/02/2018 Application closing date 13/03/2018 Location Exeter Salary The starting salary will be from £34,520 up to £42,418 on Grade F, depending on qualifications and experience Job category/type Academic Job description These new full-time posts are available immediately on a permanent basis.

The University of Exeter is a member of the prestigious Russell Group of research-intensive universities. We combine world-class teaching with world-class research, with 98% of our research rated as being of international quality in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework. The University of Exeter has over 22,000 students and 4600 staff from 180 different countries, and achieved a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework Award 2017. The University is making significant investment in data intensive research. In addition to these posts, and a new professor of Statistical Science to be appointed this year, the University has established an Institute of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence with the recruitment of eight new academic staff across statistics and computer science. The University has also recently become a member of the Alan Turing Institute.

Statistical Science at Exeter, a core component of the Department of Mathematics, is renowned for developing and applying methodological research to address some of today's most important societal challenges, including climate change, environmental risk, weather forecasting, air quality and global health. There is a strong record of enhancing the impact of research through engagement with external partners, both within the UK and internationally. Examples include the UK Met Office, the World Meteorological Organization, the World Health Organization, and leading financial organisations such as Willis Towers Watson.

We are seeking to appoint two lecturers in Statistical Science, specialising in the application of methodological research in environmental modelling and/or environmental health.

These posts will be based in Exeter and/or at our Penryn Campus, near Falmouth, taking account where possible of your preference. The posts come with additional funding for travel to enable the post holder to interact with researchers at both campuses and with The European Centre for Environment & Human Health (www.ecehh.org) which is located in Truro, close to the Penryn campus. Between the posts there will be teaching responsibilities at both the Exeter and Penryn campuses.

https://jobs.exeter.ac.uk/hrpr_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC107GF.open?VACANCY_ID=244027KqZy&WVID=3817591jNg&LANG=USA

The Stan Czamanski Prize 

Deadline:  March 31, 2018 (contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

The Stan Czamanski Prize is awarded by the Regional Science Association International in memory of Professor Stan Czamanski, an early recipient of a Ph.D. in regional science (1963), a member of the University of Pennsylvania regional science faculty (1963-1966), a member of the regional science faculty of Cornell University (1966-1988), and a past-president of the Regional Science Association (1975-1976).

 The annual prize is awarded to author of the best Ph.D. dissertation proposal judged to exemplify the philosophy and approach of Professor Czamanski, as described below.

1. The US$1,000 prize is awarded to the student and a plaque to the student’s advisor.
2. The selection will be made by a panel of three persons: a senior and long-standing member of the regional science community, a representative of the field of Regional Science at Cornell and a member of the RSAI Council. 
3. Students writing dissertations on problems in regional science from around the world are invited to enter the competition, in the spirit of Stan’s all-embracing philosophy.

 To be eligible, the dissertation proposal must have been defended and approved during the past 12 months.

Each applicant will submit the following:

1. A statement in six pages or less that clearly sets out the research question(s) and issues to be addressed, approach to be used, and product expected from the dissertation research. The six-page limit is exclusive of references, tables and figures. This text and references should be in 12 point or larger font and single-spaced. In addition, a summary (maximum one page) describing the intellectual merit of the proposed research and why the proposed approach may be regarded as implementing Professor Czamanski’s philosophy and approach, as described below.
2. A curriculum vita of no more than two pages.
3. Copies of the candidate’s transcripts for all graduate study. Unofficial copies are acceptable.
4. A separate, confidential letter from the dissertation supervisor assessing the quality and significance of the proposed dissertation research.

Philosophy and Research Approach of Professor Stan Czamanski

In his Introduction to Regional Science (Prentice-Hall, 1975, p. 2), Walter Isard wrote:

“In brief, regional science as a discipline concerns the careful and patient study of social problems with regional or spatial dimensions, employing diverse combinations of analytical and empirical research.”

Professor Czamanski’s research exemplified the analysis of social and economic problems with regional and spatial dimensions. In doing so, he chose judiciously the right combination of analytical and empirical research methods from his tool box to address the specific issue at hand.  

Dissertation proposals submitted for the Stan Czamanski Prize will be judged with regard to how the student proposes to bring an appropriate combination of analytical and empirical methods to bear on a social and economic problem with spatial or regional dimensions, and how this combination of methods is expected to deliver greater insights into the problem in question.

Description:

The objective of the course is to provide a (not so short) introduction to spatial econometrics. Students will learn how to model and incorporate spatial dependencies into their empirical analyses. The course will cover basic as well as more advanced concepts ranging from the different typologies of spatial data, through the definition of connectivity in space (spatial weights matrices), to a comprehensive treatment of various spatial econometric models, both cross-sectional as well as panel. Estimation methods presented will include MLE (maximum likelihood), GMM (generalized method of moments), GLS (generalized least squares), and GS2SLS (generalized spatial two-stage least squares). The latter part of the course will deal with special topics such as panel data models, and various testing procedures.

Instructor:

Gianfranco Piras, Associate Professor of Economics, The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.

Organization:

The courses are organized into a format that includes morning (theoretical) lectures and afternoon computing lab and applications sessions. 

Material:

Suggested readings include: Kelejian H.H. and Piras G. (2017) “Spatial Econometrics, 1^st Edition”, Academic Press.  Additional readings will be provided during the course. 

Applications:

Application Period Opens:  January 8, 2018                          

Extended Application Deadline:  April 23, 2018   

Acceptance Notification:  Two days after application received

Confirm Participation by April 27, 2018

Important Dates:

Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae and a brief statement of interest to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Applicants will be screened for suitable levels of preparation and background, and placed into the course on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Fees:

Course fees are $3,000. Fees cover course tuition, lunches and course material. Submitted fees will be non-refundable. Accommodation and other living expenses are not included. A block of rooms will be reserved at nearby hotels at a discounted rate.

Location:

The course will be hosted by West Virginia University’s Regional Research Institute located at 886 Chestnut Ridge Road, Morgantown, WV, United States 26506.

Course information can also be found at the RRI website at: http://rri.wvu.edu/.

A course flier is attached for distribution to others you know who might be interested.

West Virginia University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution.
West Virginia University is governed by the West Virginia University Board of Governors and the West Virginia Higher Education Policy
Commission. E. Gordon Gee is the 24th president of West Virginia University

Graduate students enrolled in Ph.D. programs in North America are encouraged to apply for the Eighteenth 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 dissertation 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, although 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 research 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 2018–2019 Fellowship should be sent electronically by the applicant to the Selection Committee Chair, Professor Mario Polèse, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by the deadline of February 15, 2018.

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 dissertation 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 dissertation 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 Professor Mario Polèse. 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 dissertation 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 Mario Polèse at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Questions may also be sent to him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For information about the North American Regional Science Council (NARSC), go to www.narsc.org. For information about the Regional Science Association International (RSAI), go to www.regionalscience.org.

15th PRSCO Summer Institute 2018 
July 4-6, 2018, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
1801 Universitaria Avenue, San Miguel, Lima, Perú.
Reception of abstracts until Monday, March 12, 2018
http://summerinstitute2018.org

Synopsis

The Regional Science Association International (RSAI) aims to hold a world congress at least once every four years. Unfortunately, the last two planned congresses – in Bangkok in 2014 and in Istanbul in 2016 – had to be cancelled due to security concerns in the host cities at the time. The World Congress in Goa 2018 is expected to be a great success with more than 600 abstracts submitted so far. RSAI considers world congresses an important instrument for furthering its mission of global advancement of regional analysis and in Goa we would like to announce the World Congress for 2020. RSAI therefore calls for proposals to host a world congress in 2020. Potential hosts are RSAI Supra-Regionals, Sections or Members that have a proven track record of hosting conferences and related events. A world congress may be held concurrently with another event or as a standalone event. Proposals must be submitted by Tuesday July the 31, 2018, 23:59 GMT.  Proposals are evaluated by a Committee of RSAI Council. Based the Committee’s recommendation, Council will make a decision in the Council Meeting of Cork. This document outlines the application process, organisation and expected outcomes regarding the 2018 world congress.

4 May 2018

Preamble

The World Congress of the RSAI was initiated in 1980, at a time when the organization had already established a tradition of annual supra-regional conferences in North America, Europe and the Pacific Rim through the North American Regional Science Council (NARSC), the European Regional Science Association (ERSA) and the Pacific Regional Science Conference Organization (PRSCO) respectively.  The purpose of the world congress is twofold: firstly, to create an opportunity for bridging the networks established by the supra-regional organisations (which since 2016 also includes the Latin American and Caribbean Regional Science Association, LACRSA), and, secondly, to provide a scientifically and socially attractive event for first entry into the RSAI networks for postgraduate students and scholars from parts of the world where the supra-regionals and their constituent sections have little or no representation.

RSAI congresses until 2012 have been held four-yearly since 1980 (with the exception of the one held in Israel in 1989 rather than 1988). The years and venues have been:

1980 1st – Cambridge Mass. (Harvard University), USA

1984 2nd – Rotterdam (Erasmus University), Netherlands

1989 3rd – Jerusalem (Kibbutz Ramat Rachel), Israel

1992 4th – Palma de Mallorca, Spain

1996 5th – Tokyo (Rissho University), Japan

2000 6th – Lugano, Ticino, Switzerland

2004 7th – Port Elizabeth, South Africa

2008 8th – Sao Paulo, Brazil

2012 9th – Timisoara, Romania

In 2012 Council appointed a working party, chaired by the then RSAI President Jean-Claude Thill, to review the world congress policy.  The working party made a number of recommendations, including holding the world congress every two years. Consequently, a 2014 world congress was organised to be held May 26-30 in Bangkok, Thailand. However, this congress had to be cancelled due to a military coup taking place just before the congress dates. Similarly, a 2016 world congress was organised to be held April 25-28 in Istanbul, but had to be postponed initially – and subsequently cancelled – due to safety concerns linked to terrorist activity in Turkey. It is clear that this very unfortunate sequence of events was impossible to foresee during planning of the last two congresses, given that both host cities had a longstanding reputation of being safe destinations for global events.

To meet its objectives and to ensure that its membership receives the services it expects from the organization, RSAI is now committed to running a successful world congress in 2018 in Goa and a World Congress each two years.

Criteria for a successful 2020 world congress

1.  Most importantly, the world congress should aim to have significant participation from members of Sections of all four supra-regional organisations – ERSA, LACRSA, NARSC and PRSCO.

2. The conference should also endeavour to attract regional scientists resident in countries in which no RSAI Section has yet been established. Subsidies may be available to selected applicants for participation through RSAI’s “Building Bridges” programme.

3. RSAI’s long-run objective is to organise a world congress with 1000 participants or more preferably every four years. There is the  expectation that the congress in Goa will have more than 500 participants.

4. The 2020 World Congress may be held as a standalone event. Alternatively, proposals may suggest to organise it jointly or “back-to-back” with another event. Such a joint or back-to-back event could be an RSAI Section meeting, a supra-regional congress, or an event held jointly with other organisations with similar objectives or networks.

5. The proposed dates of the congress must be such that they do not clash with other events that aim to attract the same regional science community, unless a joint conference is envisaged. Therefore, if the proposed location is within or very close to the territory of one of the supranationals, the proposal should include a statement that this supranational supports the nomination.

6. The conference should be held at an easily accessible location in a globally accessible city.

7. Accommodation should be available at the conference venue (when the conference is held at a hotel or convention centre). Alternatively, a range of affordable accommodation should be available within 15 minutes walking from the venue.

8. The congress should include plenary sessions of interest to the global scientific community. The overall conference theme and the selection of keynote speakers should reflect this. Of course, local perspectives and concerns may be interwoven with global perspectives and concerns.

9. Proposals should include initiatives to encourage participation from developing countries and from other countries in which no RSAI Sections have yet been established. RSAI can assist financially in meeting this objective through its “Building Bridges” programme but other funding initiatives (e.g. subsidies for participating postgraduate students) are also encouraged.

10. The programme should include one or more workshops for professional development of emerging scholars and postgraduate students, who may not be in a position to contribute a full paper to the formal scientific programme.

11. The working language of the congress is English but proposals may include arrangements for simultaneous translation of plenary sessions where this is deemed to be desirable.

12. Proposals should include a risk assessment regarding contingencies that could impact on the viability and success of the congress. Ways in which potential risks can be managed should be outlined.

Conference Organisation

1. RSAI establishes a 2020 World Congress Executive Committee (WCEC20) which will have oversight over all aspects of the world congress. In accordance with Article 5, Section 3 of the RSAI Constitution, this committee is chaired by the RSAI Executive Director. Other members of WCEC20 are the chair of the Local Organising Committee (see below), the President of RSAI, who chairs of the Scientific Programme Committee (see below), and two other Council members. WCEC20 co-ordinates the various tasks and has overall responsibility for the scientific and financial success of the congress.

2. WCEC20 will establish a Scientific Programme Committee (SPC), which will be chaired by the President of RSAI. Besides the chair, the five-person SPC will consist of one senior scholar from each of the four supra-regionals. SPC will select offered papers and ensure the scientific quality of the programme. This committee may call upon a much larger number of RSAI scholars to assist in selecting papers for presentation.

3. The RSAI Supra-Regional, Section or Member submitting the world congress proposal will appoint a Local Organising Committee (LOC) and appoint its chair. The LOC is responsible for all logistical aspects of the congress and arrangements with local suppliers. The RSAI Office and the LOC will draw up a full budget for the congress and recommend a schedule of registration fees to WCEC18.

4. RSAI Office will provide the website on which all congress information can be found and downloaded, and the portal through which abstracts, papers, registrations and the programme can be managed.

5.  For the services it provides, RSAI Office charges a commission equal to 20% of all registration fees received. The remaining registration revenue is transferred to the legal entity representing the LOC. Any anticipated sponsorship monies will be included in the budget.

6. The RSAI supra-regional, section or member institution which makes the world congress proposal underwrites the financial viability of the congress. The disbursement of any funds held by the LOC after the congress has been held is a matter of negotiation between the parties concerned, with negotiations being co-ordinated by WCEC20.

7. All arrangements for the organising of the World Congress will be formalised in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU will be signed by the President of RSAI, the Executive Director, the Chair of the LOC and the person representing the legal entity through which the LOC operates.

Application Process

1. Proposals should address each of the 12 criteria for hosting the 2020 world congress outlined above. However, it is understood that some of the information provided by the congress proposers (such as names of suggested keynote speakers, sponsorship, etc.) will be tentative at the time the proposal is submitted. 

2. Proposals should include a list of the key people involved in organising the congress, a draft congress plan (including dates, location and schedule), a detailed draft budget (including a schedule of registration fees) and a suggested range of accommodations and charges.

3. The acceptance of a proposal by RSAI Council does not constitute a binding agreement between the two parties. The subsequently drawn up MOU, which is guided by the proposal, will constitute a binding agreement.

4. Proposals should be submitted by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  by Tuesday July the 31, 2018, 23:59 GMT.

5. A decision regarding the 2020 World Congress will be made by Council at Cork.

Dear colleagues,

We invite you to submit abstract to the 21^st Uddevalla Symposium 2018 that will take place in Luleå Sweden 14-16 June 2018  and be hosted by Luleå University of Technology.Few universities in the world are so exotic and situated so far north out near the polar circle with midnight sun and with very bright nights.

The overall theme is: Diversity, Innovation, Entrepreneurship –  Regional, Urban, National and International Perspectives.

Although we have received several abstracts we are aware of that there may be even more research aspects to considered. Therefore deadline for abstract submitting has been extended to February 5^th, 2018.  Please see attached Call for Paper!

On behalf of the Organizing Committee

Iréne Bernhard, PhD

CARMA 2018 - Call for Papers

Internet and Big Data in Economics and Social Sciences

2nd International Conference on Advanced Research Methods and Analytics

July 12 - 13, 2018. Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, Spain
http://www.carmaconf.org
twitter: @carmaconf

Research methods in economics and social sciences are evolving with the increasing availability of Internet and Big Data sources of information. After the great success of the first edition, the CARMA Conference has become a leading forum for researchers and practitioners to exchange ideas and advances on how emerging research methods and sources are applied to different fields of social sciences as well as to discuss current and future challenges.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Internet and Big Data sources in economics and social sciences
  • Social media and public opinion mining
  • Google Trends and Search Engine data
  • Web scraping
  • Geospatial and mobile phone data
• Big Data methods in economics and social sciences
  • Sentiment analysis
  • Internet econometrics
  • Information quality and assessment
  • Crowdsourcing
• Internet and Big Data applications
  • Official statistics
  • Tourism forecasting
  • Business analytics with social media
  • Social behavior and mobility patterns
  • Consumer behavior, eWOM and social media marketing
  • Politics and social media
  • Bibliometrics and sciencetometrics
• Digital transformation and global society
  • Privacy and legal aspects
  • Electronic Government
  • Smart Cities
  • Industry adoption
  • Gender bias

If you are interested in organizing a special session as part of CARMA 2018, please contact the organization at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Important Dates

Submission deadline: 23 March, 2018
Acceptance notification: 11 May, 2018
Camera ready due: 28 May, 2018
Conference: 12-13 July, 2018

About the venue

Valencia is the third largest city in Spain and is located on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It embraces culture and tradition from the past combined with singular architecture, exciting gastronomy, nightlife, and beautiful white sand beaches. Valencia is the capital city of the Comunitat Valenciana region, which is major tourist destination in summer. More info at:

http://www.visitvalencia.com/en/home

Submission guidelines

Authors from all over the world are invited to submit original and unpublished papers or extended abstracts, which are not under review in any other conference or journal. All submissions will be peer reviewed by the program committee based on their originality, significance, methodological soundness, and clarity of exposition.

Submissions (extended abstracts or full papers) must be written in English and should be in PDF format. They must follow the instructions in the template file, available in Microsoft Word format at:

http://www.carmaconf.org/template.docx

Full-paper length must be between 4 and 8 pages (A4 size), incorporating all text, references, figures and tables. Extended abstracts (which will not receive a DOI) should not exceed 3 pages.

These guidelines are strict: papers failing to adhere to the guidelines (by being more than 8 pages, altering margins or not following the template) will be rejected without consideration of their merits. Submissions imply the willingness of at least one author to register, attend the conference, and present the paper.

CARMA 2018 is using the OCS platform of UPV Press to manage the submissions. In order to submit your paper, you must first create an OCS account. OCS will provide you with a submissions homepage where you can register your paper submission and make appropriate changes. The submission website is:

http://www.carmaconf.org/submissions/

The organizing committee looks forward to welcoming you all to a fruitful conference with open discussions and important networking to promote Internet and Big Data research across Economics and Social Sciences.