Call for Papers for Special Issue in Regional Science Policy & Practice (RSPP)

Title: "Migrant Integration Challenges and Policies"

Guest Editors

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

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

Immigration is expanding all over the world, driven by conflicts, and fueled by declining populations, the availability of jobs and a relatively good welfare state in developed places, as well as the poverty and social instability in less developed territories.

Measured through employment and education, the integration of migrants into more developed communities has improved (OECD, 2023). However, the integration process is not the same everywhere, especially when all aspects of integration are considered more relevant for second generation migrants.

The assumption is that integration is part of migration and important for the economy, peace and the development of people and places. The principle is that connection and belonging constitute basic human rights, contributing to social justice and equity (Litevsky et al., 2023).

However, there are several integration models that involve different forms and combinations of cultural maintenance, cultural adaptation and cultural convergence. Immigrant integration needs to be deployed over several dimensions: economic integration (such as employment and entrepreneurship); social and cultural Integration (such as language and community participation); institutional Integration (access to public services housing, etc.); and civic and political Integration (such as civic rights and engagement). These processes, according to (Bloemraad et al., 2023), are historically contingent, mediated by institutions and politically constructed, opening paths for certain groups of immigrants, while erecting barriers for others.

The objective of this special issue of RSPP is to gather knowledge that reports, analyzes and evaluates evidence of the integration of migrants in relatively more affluent cities and places that are relatively more attractive than others.

References

• Bloemraad I, Isso VM, Kymlicka W, Zhou Y-Y (2023) Unpacking immigrant integration: Concepts, mechanisms and context. Background paper to World Development Report 2023: Migrants, Refugees, and Societies.
• Haim-Litevsky D, Komemi R, Lipskaya-Velikovsky L (2023) Sense of belonging, meaningful daily participation and well-being: Integrated research. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(5), 4121.
• OECD/European Union (2023) Immigrant Integration Indicators 2023, OECD Publishing, Paris

All manuscripts will be submitted via the Regional Science Policy & Practice online submission system (https://www.editorialmanager.com/rspp/). Papers should have between 6000 and 8000 words. Authors should indicate in the cover letter that the paper is submitted for consideration for publication in this special issue “MIGRANT INTEGRATION CHALLENGES AND POLICIES”, otherwise, your submission will be handled as a regular manuscript. Regional Science Policy & Practice is a gold open access journal. This means that articles accepted for publication will be subject to the payment of an Article Publishing Charge (APC). Standard fees are described in detail on the journal home page.

Submission deadline: December 31 2025

In 2025, science, local public administration, and strategic sectors are coming together ? to collaborate with academia, local governments, the business community, international cooperation agencies, and civil society under the theme 

✅ The Ecuadorian Regional Science Network (RECIR) invites researchers, professionals, and the wider community to participate in the 2025 RECIR Regional Science Workshop, to discuss topics around "Regional Science and its Contribution to Spatial Development."

This event will be held at the National University of Loja in October 16–17, 2025.

Call for Papers Open!

Submission Deadline: August 31, 2025

Apply here: https://forms.gle/c4tMK6YGx3XF18sw6

Invited senior researcher: Patricio Aroca, Ph.D, Universidad Nacional Andrés Bello, Chile.

Training courses: Metodología de Investigación con Inteligencia Artificial by Patricio Aroca and Metodologías de medición de accesibilidad espacial by Ergostats. 

Don’t miss this opportunity to share your work, exchange experiences, foster collaboration, and align efforts toward sustainable territorial development across the region sponsored by RSAI.

More info at: https://recir.ec/

? In 2025, science, local public administration, and strategic sectors are coming together ? to collaborate with academia, local governments, the business community, international cooperation agencies, and civil society under the theme 

✅ The Ecuadorian Regional Science Network (RECIR) invites researchers, professionals, and the wider community to participate in the 2025 RECIR Regional Science Workshop, to discuss topics around "Regional Science and its Contribution to Spatial Development."

This event will be held at the National University of Loja in October 16–17, 2025.

? Call for Papers Open!

? Submission Deadline: August 31, 2025

? Apply here: https://forms.gle/c4tMK6YGx3XF18sw6

Invited senior researcher: Patricio Aroca, Ph.D, Universidad Nacional Andrés Bello, Chile.

Training courses: Metodología de Investigación con Inteligencia Artificial by Patricio Aroca and Metodologías de medición de accesibilidad espacial by Ergostats. 

? Don’t miss this opportunity to share your work, exchange experiences, foster collaboration, and align efforts toward sustainable territorial development across the region sponsored by RSAI.

More info at: https://recir.ec/

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