RSAI-GSSI Workshop on

“Regions in-between the green transition and the digital transformation” June, 3-4, 2021, GSSI-Virtual Premises

The RSAI-GSSI Virtual Workshop on “Regions in-between the green transition and the digital transformation” is organized by the Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI), Social Sciences Unit, in cooperation with the Regional Science Association International (RSAI) and is going to be held on 3-4 June 2021.

The workshop aims at building bridges between emerging research on the green transition and the digital transformation at the regional level. It will provide academic training and stimulate debates about the extent to which the digital transformation can be harnessed by regions for the development of green technologies and the adoption of  more environmentally sustainable models of  development. The workshop will also address the implications that the intersection between the two transitions (green and digital), which may lead to contrasting implications in terms of social inclusion and justice, will have on the spreading of regional and interregional inequalities. The workshop will also focus on the impact that the socio-economic shock and recession brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic could have on the unfolding of the digital and the green transitions, and on whether it has been contributing to create an overlap or a mismatch between the respective trajectories of change.

The event is addressed and open to PhD students, post-docs and early-career researchers willing to meet and exchange ideas with scholars of different fields, in particular, but not only, between regional science and transition studies, innovation studies and environmental economics, economic geography and urban studies. Presenting completed research papers is advisable, but applicants could also submit for discussion early drafts or structured proposals of their research work.

The workshop is intended to be inherently multi-disciplinary as much as multi-focused on the wide set of regional domains in which the green and the digital transition can focus, including, among the others, those of the focal research tracks of the GSSI: “i) inner areas and peripheral development; ii) disasters and regional resilience; iii) human capital, migrations and local labour market; iv) cultural heritage, tourism and regional urban development; v) business, innovation and environmental sustainability within and across regions”.

Consistently with the spirit of the RSAI Building Bridges program, the workshop intends to facilitate connections between students and scholars of several parts of the world, counting on the crucial role that sharing heterogeneous experiences and backgrounds – in particular between core and peripheral areas - has for the success of the workshop. Students and researchers from low-income and lower- middle-income economies are particularly welcome and invited to apply.

How to apply

Applications should be sent by April 25, 2021 (12.00 CET) to the following email address:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Applications should include:

1. A short CV of the
2. A cover page with title and authors of the proposed paper or research
3. A one-page abstract containing:
   1. A statement of research objectives.
   2. The positioning in the related literature.
   3. A brief illustration of the research method and of the expected
4. A full paper, in case this is already

Applications will be evaluated by the Scientific Committee of the Workshop (see below), on the basis of the originality, the theoretical and empirical contribution, and the scientific rigor of the proposal. The Scientific Committee will select up to a maximum of 20 participants, among PhD students, post-docs and early-career researchers.

Program

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions the event will be held remotely through the Zoom platform, in a GSSI channel that will be timely communicated to the participants. The workshop will host two key- note speeches, by Professor Lars Coenen (The Mohn Center for Innovation and Regional Development, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences) and Professor Elisa Giuliani (Responsible Management Research Centre and University of Pisa, Italy). It will be articulated in a set of topical sessions, within which each  participant will  have 30 minutes available: 20 minutes for  the  presentation, and  the remaining 10 minutes for discussion, questions and answers. An interactive round table with the members of the Scientific Committee will conclude the program.

Prize

At the end of the workshop, a prize amounting to 400 € will be awarded for the best paper/research proposal and presentation, to a participant researcher under 35 years old. The selection will be carried out by the Scientific Committee.

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Scientific Committee: Roberta Capello (Polytechnic University of Milan and AISRE), Andrés Barge Gil (Universidad Complutense de Madrid), Andrea Caragliu (Polytechnic University of Milan and RSAI), Valentina De Marchi (University of Padua), Alessandra Faggian (GSSI), Claudia Ghisetti (Catholic University of Milan), Camilla Lenzi (Polytechnic University of Milan), Giovanni Marin (University of Urbino), Sandro Montresor (GSSI), Massimiliano Mazzanti (University of Ferrara), Francesco Quatraro (University of Turin), Mabel Sanchez Barrioluengo (University of Manchester), André Torre (University Paris-Saclay and ESRA), Elvira Uyarra (University of Manchester).

GSSI Organizing Committee: Andrea Ascani, Maria Giovanna Brandano, Fabiano Compagnucci, Alberto Marzucchi, Marco Modica, Sandro Montresor, Alessandro Palma, Ugo Rossi, Giulia Urso.