Prof. Luc Anselin, University of Chicago, USA, is awarded the 2025 edition of the Jean Paelinck award!

The Jean Paelinck committee, made up of Roberta Capello (chair), Budy Resosudarmo (PRSCO), Eduardo Haddad (LARSA), Juan Ramon Cuadrado Roura (ERSA), and Kara Kockelman (NARSC), provided the following motivation:

Luc Anselin is awarded the 2025 Jean Paelinck Award. The commission recognises Luc's outstanding contribution to regional science, especially in the field of spatial econometrics methods and techniques. Luc has marked a truly innovative pathway in his research activities, pioneering the formal integration of spatial dependence into econometric models at a time when such approaches were still marginal. His seminal work laid the foundations for what is now a thriving field of spatial econometrics, setting methodological standards that have since been adopted across a wide range of disciplines, from regional science and economics to political science, epidemiology, and environmental studies. Luc’s scholarship has been instrumental in transforming how we conceptualize and measure spatial processes, particularly through his development of local indicators of spatial association (LISA) and his rigorous treatment of spatial lag and error models.

Luc’s influence extends well beyond academic publications. He has empowered generations of scholars and practitioners through the creation of accessible, open-source software platforms like SpaceStat, GeoDa, and PySAL. These tools have democratized spatial analysis and enabled users worldwide to apply cutting-edge techniques in spatial econometrics with transparency and rigor. His intellectual leadership has been matched by a deep commitment to community-building, serving as director of key research centers, mentoring young scholars, and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration. Luc Anselin embodies the spirit of Jean Paelinck through his relentless pursuit of methodological clarity, his devotion to spatial analytical thinking, and his enduring impact on the scientific infrastructure of regional science.

Regional Science Policy & Practice Volume 17, Issue 8 , August 2025

Articles

Book Review

9th Central European Conference in Regional Science (CERS)
Sustainability-driven territorial development.  Challenges for CEECs
27-29 November 2025, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

The Romanian Regional Science Association is pleased to announce that the 9^th CERS – Central European Conference in Regional Science – “Sustainability-driven territorial development.  Challenges for CEECs” –  will take place in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, on 27-29 November 2025, being hosted by the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Faculty of Civil Engineering.

The conference is co-organized with the European Regional Science Association – Romanian Regional Science Association, Polish Section, Hungarian Regional Science Association and Slovak Section of the ERSA.

Further details and the Call for Papers will be announced in due course.

Keynote speakers:

More Information at https://www.cers.rrsa.ro/

Vol.19, No.1, Summer, Issued June 2025

All articles are downloadable

Economic and political dependencies in cultural voting: A gravity model analysis of Eurovision ● pp. 1-19

by Alina M. Schoenberg, IMC Krems University of Applied Sciences, Austria, Dimitrios G. Ierapetritis, IMC Krems University of Applied Sciences, Austria and Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, Athens, Greece, Chiara Foramitti, IMC Krems University of Applied Sciences and Austrian Integration Fund, Austria, Christopher Schwand, IMC Krems University of Applied Sciences, Austria

A new composite index of social inequalities in Romania ● pp. 20-50

by Mihai Antonia, Bucharest University of Economic Studies and Institute of National Economy, Zizi Goschin, Institute of National Economy, Romania

A NUTS 3 level socio-economic analysis using multivariate methods ● pp. 51-86

by Krisztián Ritter, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Institute of Rural Development and Sustainable Economy, Department of Rural- and Regional Development, Gödöllő, , Orsolya Varga, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Doctoral School of Economics and Regional Sciences, Gödöllő, Hungary

Criminality and apartment prices: A study for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ● pp. 87-120

by Luiz Andrés Ribeiro Paixão, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), Brazil

Comparative sustainability and resilience assessment in the EU27 countries ● pp. 121-146

by Alexandra-Nicoleta Ciucu (Durnoi), Institute for Economic Forecasting and Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Carmen Beatrice Pauna, Institute for Economic Forecasting, Romania

BOOK REVIEW

Sébastien Bourdin, André Torre and Eveline van Leeuwen (Editors),  Regions, Cities and Circular Economy: Theory and Practice, Edward Elgar, 2024 ● pp. 147-150

by Claude Lacour, Université de Bordeaux, France

Regional Science Policy & Practice Volume 17, Issue 7 , July 2025

Articles

Book Review

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our fellow Regional Scientist, Oleg Smirnov. Oleg passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, June 8, 2025. Oleg was 62 years old.

Oleg was from Russia and completed his B.S. in Economic Cybernetics from Novosibirsk State University in 1985. He then came to the United States for graduate school and completed his M.A. in Economics at West Virginia University in 1992. Oleg stayed at West Virginia for his doctoral work and completed his PhD in Natural Resource Economics in 1998. His dissertation was titled “Computational Aspects of Spatial Data Analysis” under the mentorship of Professor Luc Anselin.

Upon completion of his PhD Oleg held several positions including Research Associate in the Bruton Center for Development Studies, at University of Texas at Dallas, Senior Research Associate in the Regional Economics Applications Laboratory, at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and Lecturer in both the Departments of Geography and Economics at San Diego State University.

In 2006, Oleg attained a tenure-track position in the Department of Economics at The University of Toledo, where he worked until his untimely death. At the time of his death, Oleg was Chair of the Department of Economics. At The University of Toledo, Oleg taught courses in Econometric Models and Methods, Regional Economics, Advanced Spatial Data Analysis, and Advanced Microeconomic Theory. He was also a key faculty member in Toledo’s interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Spatially Integrated Social Sciences (SISS), where he taught several of the required courses and served as dissertation advisor to many of the program’s students. As a mentor, Oleg cared deeply about the students he advised. He dedicated a lot of his time to meet with them, give them extensive and thoughtful feedback on drafts of their work, and pushed them to challenge themselves in terms of learning new skills.    

Oleg also cared about the field of spatial econometrics and geographical analysis. It was not uncommon for him to raise his hand during conference presentations to challenge the presenters about the way in which they went about their analyses and always offered constructive feedback for them to improve their methodological framework. He was a helpful reviewer that, as an editor, you could turn to ensure that technically difficult papers received a fair and constructive review. While often critical, he was always constructive—with students and fellow scholars alike.

As for his own research, Oleg made significant contributions in terms of new methods to estimate spatial econometric models, including spatial discrete choice and large spatial autoregressive models. He also wrote a very insightful article challenging the epistemological and broader philosophical principles of geographic space published in the Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers where he uses set theory to define concepts related to geographic space; an article worth including in an any advanced geographical analysis and geographic theory course. Oleg published his work in leading Regional Science and Geography journals, including Regional Science and Urban Economics, Geographical Analysis, Journal of Transport Geography, Papers in Regional Science, and Journal of Regional Science. Oleg was also a regular attendee at the North American Meetings of RSAI.

Oleg will be greatly missed by all who knew him, particularly his colleagues at the University of Toledo, his former students, and collaborators.

Neil Reid, The University of Toledo

Isabelle Nilsson, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte