2026 RSAI World Congress | Request for Proposals

The Regional Science Association International (RSAI) aims to hold a world congress at least once every two years. The last edition has recently been held in Kecskemét, Hungary, with a vast representation of many Countries and all supranational sections of the RSAI. 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.

The RSAI calls for proposals to host a world congress in 2026. 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 Monday, July 1, 2024, 23:59 CET.  Proposals are evaluated by the RSAI Council. A decision will be made at the RSAI Council meeting to be held in Terceira, during the annual ERSA meeting; depending on the quality of the proposals received, the RSAI reserves the right not to organize a congress in 2026, or to  postpone the decision, so that a potentially interesting proposal can be fine-tuned. This document outlines the application process, organization and expected outcomes regarding the 2026 world congress.

Prior RSAI World congresses

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

2018 10^th Goa, India

2021 11^th Marrakech, Morocco (online only)

2024 12^th Kecskemét (John von Neumann University), Hungary

Criteria for a successful 2026 world congress

1. The world congress should aim to have significant participation from members of Sections of all four supra-regional organisations – ERSA, LARSA, NARSC and PRSCO.
2. The conference should also endeavor 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. The 2026 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 organizations with similar objectives or networks.
4. 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. The organizers will consult with the RSAI President and the RSAI Executive Director in order to identify a mutually acceptable schedule for the event.
5. The conference should be held at an easily accessible location in a globally accessible city.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. The programme could also 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. A detailed financial plan providing details on the economic aspects of the congress should also be submitted along with the candidature.

Organization of the congress

1. 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.
2. All arrangements for the organization of the World Congress will be formalized 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 2026 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 organizing 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 the Executive Director (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; cc: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by Monday, July 1, 2024, 23:59 CET.
5.  A decision regarding the 2026 World Congress will be made by RSAI Council during the meeting to be held at the forthcoming ERSA congress in Terceira, Açores.

Call for Candidates to be Nominated as the New Executive Director of the Regional Science Association International

As the position of the Executive Director of the Regional Science Association International (RSAI) will become vacant by the end of 2024, RSAI is launching a call for RSAI members who wish to be nominated as candidates in the election of the Executive Director of RSAI for the next three-year term starting 1 January 2025.

Any RSAI members who wish to be nominated as a candidate for the Executive Director of RSAI should send the following items to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by July 1, 2024:

• A two-page statement outlining the reasons for your interest in becoming the next Executive Director of RSAI and your strategy in managing the day-to-day operations of the Association;
• A two-page CV with a picture.

According to Article V, section 3 of the RSAI Constitution, the Executive Director shall serve a three-year term of office. She/he shall be the chief executive officer in charge of setting and managing programs. The Executive Director shall be the chief operating officer in charge of implementing the Council’s policies, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Association, and establishing contacts with new regional science organizations throughout the world. The duties of the Executive Director shall encompass those normally associated with the positions of Secretary but would have joint authority with the Treasurer for the finances of the RSAI and issuing cheques to cover the Association’s operating expenses and the preparation of a financial statement to be submitted, by March 31 of each year, to the Council’s standing Finance Committee, in charge of financial planning and budgeting. The Executive Director shall oversee the production and distribution of a newsletter to the membership, shall maintain the roll of members and the association’s website, shall oversee the collection of annual dues and the conduct of elections, and shall serve as international conference coordinator, keeping a calendar of regional science meetings and events throughout the world, providing advice on their scheduling, and monitoring the dates of other meetings to minimize scheduling conflicts. The Executive Director shall also have responsibility, as designated by the Council, for the organization and operation of the World Congresses of the Association. General responsibilities of the Executive Director can be seen here (ED_Responsibilities.pdf).

In order to help the Executive Director organize the association and its meetings around the world, the RSAI will provide € 7,500 in travel costs and € 10,000 for secretarial assistance and accounting yearly.

The Nomination Committee for this election consists of Andrea Caragliu, Tomaz Dentinho, Eveline Van Leeuwen, and Hiroyuki Shibusawa. After receiving applicants, the Nomination Committee will nominate the candidates to be voted by the Members of the RSAI Council. The results will be diffused through RSAI News and on the RSAI webpage.

Please see the link for a 12-month Research Fellow post in the Department of Economics (University of Sheffield). The successful candidate will work on a multi-institutional ESRC funded research project on the drivers of local prosperity differences in the UK.

The deadline is May 28.

Drs. Sandy Dall’erba (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) and Dawn Thilmany (Colorado State University) are inviting submissions for the 2025 NARSC (North American Regional Science) session at the AEA meeting (American Economic Association). The AEA meeting is one of the world’s largest meetings for Economists and in 2025 it will take place in San Francisco, CA: https://www.aeaweb.org/conference/future-annual-meetings

The theme of the 2025 NARSC-AEA session will be “Preparing today’s agrifood supply chain to the challenges of tomorrow”. All sectors, issues, techniques and applications related to this theme are welcome.

If interested, please submit your paper or long abstract (1-2 pages) including authors’ name, affiliation and contact information to Sandy Dall’erba at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by May 10, 2024. 

There is no fee for submission. A fee is to be paid to AEA once your paper is selected.

We look forward to seeing you at the 2025 NARSC -AEA session!

With best regards,

Sandy Dall’erba and Dawn Thilmany

THE NEW ISSUE OF REGIONAL STATISTICS IS ALREADY AVAILABLE!

We are pleased to inform you that a new issue of the Regional Statistics has been released and now it’s available online.

https://www.ksh.hu/terstat_eng_current_issue

REGIONAL STATISTICS, 2024, VOL 14, No 2.

STUDIES

Dear Readers,

We are pleased to say that the 2/2024 issue of Regional Statistics has been published and available online!

CONTENT

Dalma Schmeller – Dávid Sümeghy: Is the rival city always greener? An analysis of the indicators for European Green Capital Award shortlisted and applicant cities, 2010–2024

http://www.ksh.hu/statszemle_archive/regstat/2024/2024_02/rs140201.pdf

Imran Hussain – Ramesh Chandra Das: Interlink between human capital and income in Indian States: An empirical investigation for the period 1998–2019

http://www.ksh.hu/statszemle_archive/regstat/2024/2024_02/rs140202.pdf

Slavomír Ondoš – Žofia Sinčáková – Oto Hudec: The re-emergence of left-behind regions: The end of spatial equity and the rise of dynamic movements in Slovakia, 1990–2020

http://www.ksh.hu/statszemle_archive/regstat/2024/2024_02/rs140203.pdf

Éva Kiss – Annamária Uzzoli: Spatial patterns of the Hungarian Healthcare Industry Support Program in connection with Industry 4.0 technologies during the Covid-19 pandemic

http://www.ksh.hu/statszemle_archive/regstat/2024/2024_02/rs140204.pdf

Nikolett Vágó – Sándor Winkler – Gábor Hajnal: The impact of automotive industry investments on local property prices – The case of Mercedes-Benz in Kecskemét (Hungary), 2010–2017

http://www.ksh.hu/statszemle_archive/regstat/2024/2024_02/rs140205.pdf

Gábor Dávid Kiss – Sabri Alipanah – Dóra Sallai: The relevance of network effects on the Central-Eastern European (CEE) stock market indices, 2008 Q1–2022 Q1

http://www.ksh.hu/statszemle_archive/regstat/2024/2024_02/rs140206.pdf

Federico Dubois – María Florencia Zabaloy – María María Ibáñez Martín: Modeling energy consumption to measure energy poverty in households in Buenos Aires (Argentina), 2017–2018

http://www.ksh.hu/statszemle_archive/regstat/2024/2024_02/rs140207.pdf

Tibor Elekes – Péter Gyenizse: The historical Szekely Land and its present-day spatial division

http://www.ksh.hu/statszemle_archive/regstat/2024/2024_02/rs140208.pdf

Join us to our social networking sites:

https://www.facebook.com/RegionalStatistics

https://ksh.academia.edu/RegionalStatistics

Dear RSAI members,

I hope this email finds you well.

I am writing you to forward you all great news - our European supranational section, ERSA, has just launched a brand new journal, entitled "Global Challenges and Regional Science". Please find below a letter from the ERSA President, Prof. Roberta Capello, introducing you all the new journal.

I am confident the global regional science community will support and join the launch and life of this new and important publication outlet.

Thank you in advance for your attention,

Kind regards,

Andrea Caragliu

Associate Professor of Regional and Urban Economics

Politecnico di Milano, ABC Department

RSAI Executive Director

Summer Institute on Exploring ‘X-Factor of a City’

The Summer School in Košice, Slovak Republic, promoted by RSAI (the Regional Science Association International), is organized by Ulysseus, the European University Alliance. This program offers a unique, interactive opportunity to acquire new knowledge and explore the X-factor that enhances city well-being. The week-long program, running from July 8 to July 12, 2024, will be conducted in-person at the Faculty of Economics, Technical University of Košice, Slovakia. To prepare participants, a hybrid Summer Institute kick-off will be held at the beginning of June to distribute factsheets, data, and essential information.

This interactive program warmly welcomes PhD students and young scientists who are keen to explore urban dynamics and engage with innovative methodologies and big data integration in a dynamic learning environment. It will also feature high-quality keynote speakers, and experts in urban development, who will provide valuable insights and foster stimulating discussions.

Organized by Ulysseus, the European University Alliance—Technical University of Košice (Slovakia), University of Seville (Spain), University of Côte d'Azur (France), and University of Genoa (Italy).

Website: https://summerinstitute.tuke.sk/

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

Investigaciones Regionales - Journal of Regional Research has published the 59^th Issue, the second volume corresponding to 2024.

Below you will find the summaries of the papers published in this volume, which can be accessed at https://investigacionesregionales.org/en/revista/issue-59/ 

We invite authors to submit papers at https://investigacionesregionales.org/en/envio-de-articulos/submission-of-papers-and-others-contributions/

Issue 59

European Regional Policy

Julián Moral-Carcedo, Carlos Llano-Verduras

How integrated regional financial markets are in Europe? A first gauge based on active securitised loans

Little is known about the degree of integration of financial markets at subnational level in the EU. This article provides new evidence on interregional loan flows within Europe. Building on the “Loan Level Initiative” launched by the ECB, with more than 35 million active loans, we built a georeferenced dataset of securitised loans, covering the period 2014-2018 and the 166 European NUTS 2 regions for which data exists. After reviewing the complex nature of the dataset, we explored its geographical dimension, and conduct an econometric analysis focused on explaining the regional demand for such loans, using different explanatory variables related to the geographic and the socio-economic features of the regions, and alternative panel data specifications (classic versus spatial econometric ones).

Keywords: Capital flows; loans; securitized loans; European financial integration

Articles

Víctor Hugo Torres Preciado, Pablo Mejía Reyes

Dynamic interaction between permanent and temporary employment across manufacturing labor markets in the Mexican states: A structural panel VAR approach

México’s implementation of several labor market reforms aimed to stimulate the flexibilization of labor relationships have brought long-standing concerns among scholars and governmental authorities about a displacement process of permanent by temporary jobs. In this regard, this manuscript aims to respond whether the dynamic interaction between permanent and temporary employment across Mexican states describe a substitution or complementary relationship. By means of implementing a structural panel vector autoregressive model, our estimation results demonstrate that a combination of both types of interaction, substitutive and complementary ones, prevail across manufacturing labor markets at state level. Moreover, a marked heterogeneity among estimated dynamic responses suggests that incentivizing permanent employment would induce stronger substitution effects on its temporary counterpart than, for example, substitution of permanent job positions arising when incentivizing temporary employment.

Keywords: Permanent employment; temporary employment; regional labor markets; México; structural panel VAR

Rudy Fernández-Escobedo, Begoña Eguía-Peña, Leire Aldaz-Odriozola

Cluster mapping in Spain: Exploring the correlation between industrial agglomeration and regional performance

This paper presents a quantitative cluster mapping methodology for traded industries, adapted for the Spanish case; also explores the correlation between the existence of clusters and regional performance. The study is made at NUTS-2 level, and a total of forty-seven out of eighty-eight 2-digits codes for CNAE-2009 are analyzed; ICT Index and Industry 4.0 Index are also designed and computed. A six-step methodology is applied departing from cross-industry linkages and implementing clustering algorithms; one set of clusters is elected and mapped over territory. The correlation analysis shows that a high number of clusters based on absolute employment data is positively correlated with variables associated with competitiveness, education, ICT adoption, and Industry 4.0, while no significant correlation is found for GDP per capita nor earning per worker.

Keywords: Cluster analysis; agglomeration economics; Industry 4.0; classification methods; industrial agglomeration

Sylvina Porras-Arena, Ángel L. Martín-Román, Diego Dueñas Fernández, Raquel Llorente Heras

Okun’s Law: The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the temporary layoffs procedures (ERTEs) on Spanish regions

Official statistics indicated a break in Okun’s law in all the Spanish regions due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, herein, evidence of the validity of the law is shown. The temporary layoff procedures (ERTEs) allowed many workers to maintain their jobs. From the productive point of view, the law remained in effect in the regions, showing a strong relationship between idle labour resources and economic activity, and from the social point of view, the apparent breakdown of the law can be interpreted as the implementation of a policy that mitigated the dramatic impact of the economic crisis.

Keywords: Okun’s law; ERTE; expanded unemployment rate

Angel Aronés Cisneros, Anna Badia Perpinyà, Jordi Nadal Tersa, Vivien Bonnesoeur

Forest fires in ecosystems of the humid puna in the Andes of Ayacucho, Peru

This research analyzes the extent and frequency of forest fires in the humid puna ecosystem from 2013 to 2021, identifying the affected areas and determining the causes in order to improve fire management in the department of Ayacucho (Andean region). from Peru). The methodology combines cartographic analysis, satellite images and semi-structured interviews to identify the causes, consequences and mitigation alternatives of the fires. The results show that the areas affected by the fires during the 9 years are very differentiated, with 2020 being the year with the largest burned area, reaching 2,836 ha, which represents 14.89% of the humid puna of the study area. In addition, the most frequently burned areas are repeated between 7 and 9 times in different years, with an average of 182 ha burned recurrently. The causes of the fires are clearly of anthropic origin caused by the (i) opening of new fields or burning of stubble; (ii) ichu burning for pasture regrowth and (iii) for cultural reasons. It is concluded that the combination of cartographic analysis methodology, satellite images and semi-structured interviews provide information that allows understanding the dynamics of the territory and improve the management and implementation of territorial policies in the mitigation of fires.

Keywords: Forest fires; satellite images; Andes; humid puna

Serafín Ojeda Casares, Joaquín Valverde Martínez, Ana Ramírez Torres, Iria Enrique Regueira

The statistical grid as a unit of observation and analysis: Andalu-sia, Spanish region case study

Units of observation with reduced dimensions and regular geometry have been increasingly generated in a recent, albeit already steady, trend towards further territorial data disaggregation. In this line of research, the present study reports the results of using the spatial distribution of population data and built-up areas at a high level of territorial data disaggregation with reduced dimensions and with a homogeneous observation unit by applying a regular grid consisting of 250-m square cells. The main objective was to show the results and advantages of working at a high level of spatial data disaggregation. This approach provides a more comprehensive knowledge of the territory and allows for a more accurate analysis of spatial patterns in the different variables under study, thereby enhancing the quality of decision-making processes.

Keywords: Grid; population; cadastre; building; dwelling

Angela Caro, Julia De Haro-García

The waiting times distribution of public hospitals using a GAMLSS approach: the case of Andalusia (Spain)

Patients’ waiting times are caused by the imbalance between the available supply and the existing demand in the health sector. Exceeding maximum waiting times may worsen diseases and entail additional costs to public health systems. This paper studies the theoretical probability distribution that best fits the average waiting times for non-urgent surgeries and first outpatient consultations for Spanish public hospitals in the region of Andalusia. For doing this we apply Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale and Shape, which cover a wide range of probability distributions. We propose the final selected models as a tool to be considered by health authorities for a better management of waiting times/lists.

Keywords: Model selection; GAIC; GAMLSS; waiting lists; waiting times

Pablo Galaso, Fernando Masi Fadlala, Santiago Picasso, Adrián Rodríguez Miranda, María Belén Servín Belotto

Collaboration networks, support organisations and innovation in Paraguayan clusters

This article examines the role of support organizations (SOs) in promoting innovation and competitiveness in Paraguayan companies. Six important clusters in the country are analyzed: meat and derivatives, dairy, ceramics and construction, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals. Collaboration networks are reconstructed using data from interviews with companies and SOs. Network analysis, econometric regressions, and qualitative analysis of the interviews are employed. The results reveal how companies access external resources to enhance their competitiveness and foster innovation through cluster SOs. In the context of a developing country, cooperation between these organizations in cross-sector and crossterritory networks is crucial.

Keywords: Industrial clusters; social network analysis; regional development; support organisations; Paraguay

Manuel Gómez-Zaldívar, Fernando Gómez-Zaldívar, José Luis Carrillo Ramírez

Calculation of Complexity Indices for Mexico: Proposal for a more periodic and robust estimation

The Economic Complexity Index (ECI) and Product Complexity Index (PCI), proposed by Hidalgo and Hausmann (2009), are measures that quantify the sophistication of productive knowledge that economies (industries) posses (require to produce). These indexes have been frequently used in the economic geography and economic development literature for the optimal design of industrial strategies. In the original study, these authors calculated these measures for countries and products using data on the value of their exports. Since then, various studies have estimated them at the subnational level using other variables such as: employment, patents, technologies, salaries, etc. This article presents a proposal for a more periodic and robust estimation of the indices in Mexico using a different variable, the number of establishments or economic units by type of activity, this variable is obtained from the National Statistical Directory of Economic Units (DENUE, its Spanish acronym).  The results are consistent, both formunicipalities and for industries, and present a better fit compared to those of previous studies. We consider that our proposal is pertinent because it allows for the design and more periodic evaluation of industrial strategies and subnational public policies in the area of economic development.

Keywords: Economic Complexity Index; Product Complexity Index; DENUE