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. RSAI considers world congresses an important instrument for furthering its mission of global advancement of regional analysis and related spatial and areal studies for the benefit of society. RSAI therefore calls for proposals to host a world congress in 2018. 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 Friday December 16, 2016, 23:59 GMT.  Proposals are evaluated by a Committee of RSAI Council. Based the Committee’s recommendation, Council will make a decision by Friday January 20, 2017, 23:59 GMT. This document outlines the application process, organisation and expected outcomes regarding the 2018 world congress.

28 October 2016

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.

Criteria for a successful 2018 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 at least once every four years. However, given the limited planning time available of 12-20 months before the 2018 congress, there is no expectation of such a large congress in 2018 (although proposals with that goal will be considered). Instead, the event is expected to attract 300-500 participants.

4. The 2018 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.

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 2018 World Congress Executive Committee (WCEC18) 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 WCEC18 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. WCEC18 co-ordinates the various tasks and has overall responsibility for the scientific and financial success of the congress.

2. WCEC18 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 WCEC18.

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 2018 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 Friday December 16, 2016, 23:59 GMT.

5.  A decision regarding the 2018 World Congress will be made by Council on or before Friday January 20, 2017, 23:59 GMT.

The Regional Science Association International (RSAI) seeks candidates for the position of editor-in-chief of the official journal of the association, Regional Science Policy & Practice (RSPP). RSPP is an international journal that publishes high quality papers in applied regional science that explore policy and practice issues in regional and local development. It welcomes papers from a range of academic disciplines and practitioners including planning, public policy, geography, economics and environmental science and related fields. Papers should address the interface between academic debates and policy development and application. RSPP provides an opportunity for academics and policy-makers to develop a dialogue to identify and explore many of the challenges facing local and regional economies.

Candidates should be RSAI members with a wide knowledge of urban and regional phenomena as well as distinguished records of scholarly contributions internationally. Candidates should also possess strong intellectual vision, leadership and organizational abilities, and experience relevant to editing a journal in the field of regional science. The appointment will start in early 2017 and continue for a three-year renewable term.

The editor’s primary responsibility is to continue to enhance the journal’s quality, reputation, and scholarship. The editor will be expected to strengthen the journal’s competitive position in support of RSAI’s worldwide mission.

The editor will recommend an international team of associate editors and a book review editor to help administer the peer review process, promote excellence in content and advance editorial initiatives.

The RSPP editor reports to RSAI through the RSAI Council.

Detailed information on responsibilities and on the process for applying for the editor-in-chief position is available below.

Letters of interest must be received by December, 19th 2016.

Specific duties of the Editor-in-Chief and journal editorial office include:

1. Maintaining and updating the aims and scope of the journal, editorial policies, and guidelines to authors.
2. Overseeing the manuscript peer review process through the publisher’s on-line submission portal in an unbiased, confidential, and timely manner.
3. Checking proofs and revisions to proofs.
4. Preparing and forwarding accepted manuscripts to the publisher’s production department.
5. Coordinating standards and practices across managing editors and managing the workload of each member of the editorial team.
6. Maintaining close and regular contact with the publisher on marketing and production matters.
7. Initiating and responding to correspondence with authors, managing editors, and reviewers.
8. Recruiting, selecting, and appointing RSPP board members that reflect the diversity of regional science and addressing any performance issues.
9. Soliciting guest issues, selecting guest editors, and providing advice and assistance to guest editors.
10. Adhering to the page budget and financial structures set by RSAI. RSAI and the publisher are responsible for managing production, layout, printing, subscriptions, pricing and funding initiatives for society publications.
11. Appointing associate editors and a book review editor (to be approved by RSAI Council). The editorial team (editor and associate editors) will be comprised of RSAI members with high stature and respect in the community, and with the expertise to manage the breadth of regional science.
12. Serving as a non-voting ex officio member of RSAI Council and other regional science governing bodies.
13. Reporting to RSAI Council through regular reports at Council meetings.
14. Reporting to the journal editorial board through board meetings held at least once a year.

Application process:

Interested individuals should submit an application package that includes:

A succinct letter of interest and qualifications, containing an indication of the editorial team;

A vision statement for the next three to six years of publication of RSPP.

A curriculum vitae;

The names and contact information of three references.

All requested information should be submitted by e-mail as a single PDF file to Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., copying Elisabete Martins, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., in the e-mail.

RSAI Dissertation Award

Review panel

Professor Eveline Van Leeuwen from VU University Amsterdam; Professor Turała Maciej from University of Lodz, Poland; and Professor JiYoung Park from University at Buffalo

Winner:

Michiel van Meeteren

Graduated from Ghent University, Belgium

Title: From Polycentricity to a Renovated Urban Systems Theory: Explaining Belgian Settlement Geographies

Advisor: Ben Derudder        

Runner-ups:

Zhaoya Gong

Graduated from University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Title: Multiscalar Modeling of Polycentric Urban-Regional Systems: Economic Agglomeration, Scale Dependency and Agent Interactions

Advisor: Jean-Claude Thill

Elco Koks

Graduated from VU University Amsterdam, Netherlands

Title: Economic Modelling for Flood Risk Assessment

Advisor: Jeroen Aerts

Volume 57, Issue 2-3, November 2016

Special Issue on Agent Based Models

We are pleased to announce the 2^nd Call for abstracts for the II International Conference ICSR Mediterranean Knowledge entitled «Mediterranean Cultures and Societies: Knowledge, Health and Tourism»,which will be held on 4-5 May 2017, at the University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal.

We welcome the submission of abstracts to the overall theme of the conference or to one of the topics below:

- Europe and the Mediterranean

- History, cultures and heritage

- Knowledge and education processes

- Migrations and interculturality

- Political trends              

- Mediterranean diet and well-being

- Tourism and leisure

- Identity, body and sexuality

- Media and communication

- Art and literature

- Other topics

The abstracts should be submitted no later than November 30, 2016 in electronic form to the following address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For additional information please see the CFP attached or visit conference’s website: http://cieo15.wixsite.com/medcult2017

Please feel free to forward this information to any colleagues you feel may be interested in this Conference. Thank you.

Best regards,

The Organizing Commission

II International Conference ICSR Mediterranean Knowledge

Mediterranean Cultures and Societies. Knowledge, Health and Tourism

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

http://cieo15.wixsite.com/medcult2017

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Department of Geography and Earth Sciences is recruiting a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Urban Geography with expertise in one of the following areas at the intra-urban/suburban scale: (1) population and immigration, (2) ethnicity and race, and/or (3) health geography. The position will begin August 2017. Required qualifications include: (1) PhD in Geography or related field; (2) the ability to develop and maintain an externally funded research program; (3) the ability to contribute to undergraduate and graduate programming consistent with departmental needs; (4) ability to contribute to the department’s interdisciplinary teaching and research missions. Because we embrace diversity, evidence of cultural competency is highly desired. We encourage applications from candidates whose experience in teaching, research, and community service has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to learning across difference, active student support and academic excellence. UNC Charlotte is an AA/EOE and ADVANCE institution.  Applications from minorities, women and other underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged. A full description of the position and application details can be found at http://jobs.uncc.edu.Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. For more information, contact Dr. Harrison Campbell at 704-687-5997 orThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or view our department website at http://www.geoearth.uncc.edu/.

1)      The School of Geography and Development at the University of Arizona, tenure-  track Assistant Professor of urban geography

The School of Geography and Development at the University of Arizona invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of urban geography who can contribute diverse perspectives on cities to the School’s research, teaching, and engagement. The School of Geography and Development is among the top ranked geography departments in the United States and offers faculty numerous opportunities for cross-disciplinary scholarship. The University of Arizona is a Research One, land-grant university and is committed to enhancing its inclusive scholarship and impact. We welcome candidates whose experiences in research, teaching, and community service have prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity and excellence.

Please note that if invited to a campus interview, candidates will be asked whether it is permissible to video or audio record their research talk and to post it on a limited-access account to ensure that voting eligible members of the relevant unit have access to information in the event they are unable to attend the presentation(s). Any recordings that are made will be subject to the university retention schedule and will be accessible only to authorized university personnel.

Outstanding UA benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; state and optional retirement plans; access to UA recreation and cultural activities; and more!

Accepting a new position is a big life step. We want potential candidates and their families to be able to make informed decisions. Candidates who are considering relocation to the Tucson or Phoenix area, and have been offered an on-site interview, are encouraged to use the free services offered by Above & Beyond Relocation Services (ABRS)<http://www.aboveandbeyondrelo.com/package.asp>.Ask your department contact to be introduced to ABRS prior to your visit.

The University of Arizona has been recognized on Forbes 2015 list of America’s Best Employers in the United States and has been awarded the 2015 Work-Life Seal of Distinction by the Alliance for Work-Life Progress!

Review of applications will begin on December 1, 2016.  Please submit letter of application along with a CV, statement of teaching, statement of research interests, statement addressing past and/or potential contributions to diversity and inclusion through research, teaching, and/or service/outreach, up to three sample publications as well as the names of three references into the UACareer Track system. For a full position description and application information, please visit https://uacareers.com/ (Posting # F20714).  Contact search chair: 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.<mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>.

Requirements

The Assistant Professor of Urban Geography will conduct research and provide teaching that would enhance our offerings and should address one of the following areas:

•        Urban development

•        The complexity of human lives within cities

•        City economies, cultures, or politics

Substantively, research and teaching might focus on (but is not limited to):

•        Social justice as related to transportation, food, housing, or environmental change

•        Processes of racialization or ethnicization and their effects

•        The implications of financial markets on urban growth and change; migration and acceptance of refugees

•        The role of religion and faith in cities; contentious politics

We seek a scholar with a strong research record and a promising agenda for future work. A Ph.D. in Geography or a related field is required by the time of appointment. Applicants in related fields should demonstrate that their research is sufficiently geographical to fit within a multi-faceted Geography department.

2)      University College Dublin – Various positions in Economics and Geography

UCD are advertising a number of posts in Economics and in Geography that may be of interest to the forum. Please see the link below for further details.

http://www.ucd.ie/socscilaw/newsandevents/newpostsadvertised-assistantprofessororassociateprofessor/

Closing dates for applications is 5pm (local Irish Time) on Wednesday, 30 November 2016.

Application form and further information (including application procedures) can be obtained from:

www.ucd.ie/jobvacancies