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.

Regional Science Policy & Practice

© RSAI
Volume 9, Issue 4 Pages 229 - 321, November 2017

The latest issue of Regional Science Policy & Practice is available on Wiley Online Library

ISSUE INFORMATION

Issue Information (pages 229–230)
Version of Record online: 30 JAN 2018 | DOI: 10.1111/rsp3.12082

ARTICLES

Natural disasters as stress-tests for housing systems. Vulnerability and local resistance to the 2012 earthquake in Italy (pages 231–249)
Enrico Giovannetti and Francesco Pagliacci
Version of Record online: 15 JAN 2018 | DOI: 10.1111/rsp3.12110

Migration and gender in South Africa: Following bright lights and the fortunes of others? (pages 251–268)
Dieter von Fintel and Eldridge Moses
Version of Record online: 17 JAN 2018 | DOI: 10.1111/rsp3.12106

Public capital investment, economic growth and poverty reduction in South African Municipalities (pages 269–284)
Werner Ruch and Hermanus Stephanus Geyer Jr
Version of Record online: 8 JAN 2018 | DOI: 10.1111/rsp3.12104

Agricultural land-use change and its drivers in Terceira Island, Portugal (2008–2013) (pages 285–300)
João Reis and Ana Rodrigues
Version of Record online: 14 DEC 2017 | DOI: 10.1111/rsp3.12101

Localization of manufacturing industries and specialization in Mexican states: 1993–2013 (pages 301–315)
Manuel Gómez-Zaldívar, Marco T. Mosqueda and J. Alejandra Duran
Version of Record online: 30 JAN 2018 | DOI: 10.1111/rsp3.12111

BOOK REVIEW

Graduate Migration and Regional Development: An International Perspective. Edited by Jonathan Corcoran and Alessandra Faggian. Edward Elgar, 2017. Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, MA, USA. $135.00, Hardback, xiv, 251pp, ISBN 978-1-78471-215-0. (pages 317–319)
Gordon F. Mulligan
Version of Record online: 30 JAN 2018 | DOI: 10.1111/rsp3.12108

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO REFEREES

Acknowledgement to referees (page 321)
Version of Record online: 30 JAN 2018 | DOI: 10.1111/rsp3.12112

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Department of Geography and Earth Sciences
9201 University City Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28223-0001

The UNC Charlotte Department of Geography and Earth Sciences is accepting applications for a Doctoral Graduate Assistant to work on a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded study entitled Rail Transit, Residential Mobility, and Income Segregation. The purpose of this research is to investigate the role that public investments in rail transit play in shaping urban income segregation. This mixed-methods study asks the following research questions: (1) Are low-income residents more likely to move out of neighborhoods following the placement of a new transit station than other residents? (2) Do they then relocate to neighborhoods of a lower socioeconomic composition? and (3) What are the motivating factors that drive re-location decisions both into and out of transit neighborhoods? Finally, to measure how these individual-level behaviors ultimately shape economic segregation, we assess (4) where and for which income groups have residential economic segregation trends changed since the new transit system was put into place? The project will generate knowledge that will inform key debates surrounding transit-induced gentrification and displacement, the causes of rising levels of urban income segregation, and will serve as a platform for linking local residents with city officials in identifying policy solutions to the findings.
Graduate Assistant responsibilities include:

? Attending regular meetings with the study principal investigators (Drs. Elizabeth Delmelle, Isabelle Nilsson and Claire Schuch).
? Acting as the Teaching Assistant for the Applied Research in Geography course associated with this study.
? Recruiting survey, interview and focus group participants.
? Conducting, entering and analyzing survey, interview and focus group data.
? Engaging and building relationships with community partners.
? Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
? Admission into the UNC Charlotte Geography PhD program.
? A high degree of independent thinking, excellent organizational skills, and ability to work as a member of a team are important.
? Community-based and qualitative research knowledge and experience desired.
? Knowledge of urban inequalities and/or urban planning desired.
? Community service experience in underserved communities desired.

Compensation: This is a 9-month contract for 20hrs/week at $21,000/year, starting in the Fall of 2018. In addition, tuition is fully covered. Funding is guaranteed for two years and likely to continue contingent on satisfactory performance and university funds.

Application: Please send resume or vitae, a letter of interest, and contact information of three references to Dr. Claire Schuch (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by February 15, 2018.

Call for Abstracts and Special Session Proposals

It is our pleasure to announce the 25th APDR Congress, to be held at the Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas da Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal, from July 5 to July 6, 2018.

Theme of the Conference:
Circular Economy, Urban Metabolism and Regional Development: Challenges for a Sustainable Future

The call for papers and Special Session Proposals is open and your participation is very welcome!

Themes of specific interest are:

RS01 - Conceptualisation and models in regional development
RS02 - Territorial development policies for circularity
RS03 - Strategies of Circular Economy
RS04 - Technological innovation, new products and business models
RS05 - Regional innovation, clusters and ecosystems
RS06 - Reverse cycles and innovation in logistics
RS07 - Sectoral policies and circularity
RS08 - Circular Economy and labour markets
RS09 - Circular Economy and promotion of territories
RS10 - Management of urban and peri-urban metabolism

RS11 - Energy production and consumption for a sustainable future
RS12 - Urban regeneration, real estate markets and Circular Economy
RS13 - Cities and spatial planning in the Circular Economy
RS14 - Management of resources and natural systems
RS15 - Conserve and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources
RS16 - Production, consumption and food waste in the context of the Circular Economy
RS17 - Circular Economy and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

Deadline for Special Session proposals: March 31th, 2018. Proposals should be sent by to the secreta-riat of the Congress (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Deadline for Abstracts submissions: May 6th, 2018. Abstracts should be submitted electronically, using the platform available on the Conference website: https://events.digitalpapers.org/apdr2018/

All information at the congress website: http://www.apdr.pt/congresso/2018/

Looking forward to meeting you in Lisbon!

The Organizing Committee and the Board of APDR
25th APDR Congress

VERY GOOD NEWS FROM PIRS AND RSPP

An increase of 10k download likely to be attributed to the publication of articles in the Brexit special issue of PIRS.

RSPP exceeded 10k downloads for the first time in 2017. We must follow the example of PIRS responding on time to the emerging issue of the territory.

Call for Papers - Conference on Rural-Urban Linkages for Sustainable Development:  An Economic Geography Perspective

Sponsored by the International Geographic Union (IGU), Commission on the Dynamic of Economic Spaces, July 19 – 21, 2018 Innsbruck (Austria)

More information available at https://www.uibk.ac.at/congress/igu-rural-urban-linkages/

Southern Regional Science Association
2018 Barry M. Moriarty Graduate Paper Competition
Papers due by February 15, 2018

(Authors must also meet the January 16, 2018 abstract submission deadline).

If you did not make the January 16th abstract submission ACT TODAY!

The Southern Regional Science Association (SRSA) awards an annual cash prize to the graduate student submitting the best paper in Regional Science. In 2018, the prize is $1,000.
Papers on any Regional Science topic may be entered into the competition. Papers should represent original research. Maps, illustrations and other audio-visual materials should be designed or constructed by the author.
The following qualifications apply:

• The student must be enrolled full-time at an accredited academic institution for some or all of the year following March 2018. The graduate student must still be enrolled at the time his or her paper is submitted;

• The student must be the sole author and must be sponsored by a member of SRSA; and

• The winning student must present the paper at a session of the 57th Annual Meeting of the SRSA, March 15 - 17, 2018, in Philadelphia, PA, using the award to defray costs of attending.

Papers should be double-spaced, no more than 25 pages in length, and written in the style of the SRSA’s Review of Regional Studies. A cover page should include the paper's title and abstract and, for both the author and the sponsor, full names, addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses.
A copy of the paper must be submitted via e-mail to Steven Deller (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), 2018 Graduate Paper Honors Chair.

Deadline for submission: February 15, 2018.
(Authors must also meet the January 16, 2018 abstract submission deadline).

Please share with others who might be interested.

Information on the Southern Regional Science Association is available at: https://www.srsa.org/

  2018SRSA Conference
March 15 – 17, 2018 
Philadelphia, PA

RPER n.º 47 is available online!

Content

"Regional Convergence and Productive Structure in Iberian Regions: A Spatial Approach"
Elías Melchor-Ferrer

"Presión Demográfica Sobre el Recurso Hídrico y Su Relación Con la Sostenibilidad de los Destinos Turísticos. Un Análisis Para el Sur de Ecuador"
Priscilla Massa-Sánchez, Juan Arteaga-Marín, Christian Viñán-Merecí, Valentín-Alejandro Martínez-Fernández

"Principales Causantes de la Actitud de los Residentes: Comparativa entre Dos Destinos de Playa"
José Ramón Cardona, Daniel Álvarez Bassi, María Dolores Sánchez-Fernández

"Promoção Turística nos Websites Municipais: O Caso da Região do Douro (NUT III)"
Gonçalo Mota, Nieves Losada

"A Financeirização das Famílias e a Desigualdade Socio-económica e Territorial em Portugal"
Raquel Ribeiro, Ana C. Santos

"Redes de Inovação Territoriais na Região de Aveiro - Os Instrumentos de Apoio da Agência de Inovação (ADI)"
Ricardo Fernandes, Rui Gama, Cristina Barros

http://www.apdr.pt/siteRPER/numeros/RPER47/RPER47.pdf

http://www.apdr.pt/siteRPER/PT/revista.html