Call for papers 

REGIONS BETWEEN INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY:
THE CHALLENGES FOR DEVELOPMENT POLICIES

Florence, June 24-26, 2026

The Italian Association of Regional Science (A.I.S.Re), the Italian section of the Regional Science Association International (RSAI), announces its 47th Annual Scientific Conference.
The conference, which welcomes contributions from national and international scholars across a variety of disciplines related to regional science, will be held at the Dipartimento di Scienze per l’Economia e l’Impresa, Università di Firenze, Polo delle Scienze Sociali di Novoli (Address: Via delle Pandette 9, 50127 Firenze).

The main theme of the conference will be exploring how territories can face the profound economic, social, and environmental transformations currently underway. Innovation and sustainability today represent inseparable dimensions of regional development: on the one hand, technological and organizational innovation opens new opportunities for growth; on the other, environmental and social sustainability requirements set essential constraints and goals for the future of local communities.
Digital and organizational innovation is reshaping production systems and labor markets. New technologies offer the potential to increase the competitiveness of regions, improve access to advanced services, and stimulate diversification processes. At the same time, however, they generate new challenges for employment and social cohesion. Automation, artificial intelligence, and new work models are transforming the skills required, increasing the risk of inequalities between territories and social groups. Social sustainability, therefore, requires that these processes be accompanied by targeted policies for training, inclusion, and the strengthening of local capacities.
At the same time, environmental sustainability is an essential condition for the future of territories. Climate change, the energy transition, and the shift toward circular production models are redefining regional development paths. Companies are called upon to reorganize supply chains, processes, and governance models, facing the costs of reconversion and operating in a context of tensions related to tariffs, trade barriers, and geopolitical risks that can alter policy priorities and reshape the timing and nature of international cooperation. At the same time, opportunities are emerging through the creation of new sectors and “green” jobs, which require policies capable of guiding and supporting these transformations, balancing economic growth, social inclusion, and environmental protection.

In this context, public policies play a decisive role in strengthening the ability of territories to adapt, innovate, and reduce inequalities—reconciling economic development, social cohesion, and ecological transition. The conference aims to foster an open and interdisciplinary debate on how to rethink regional development policies in light of the challenges posed by innovation and sustainability, contributing to shaping visions and strategies for a fairer and more resilient future.
Besides the main theme, the A.I.S.Re conference encourages discussion on the major topics in regional science. Thus, A.I.S.Re invites all those interested to present original scientific works on the following themes:

A. Governance, regional and territorial public policies, European programming
B. Growth, decline, and regional disparities
C. Globalization, value chains and local production systems
D. Methods of territorial analysis and spatial econometrics
E. Labor, welfare, personal services and social policies
F. Tourism, culture and local development
G. Urban planning, real estate market and city development processes
H. Infrastructure, transport, mobility and local development
I. Wellbeing, sustainability, and local development
L. Urban development and agglomeration economies
M. Development and local entrepreneurship
N. Innovation, creativity and local development
O. Policy evaluation methods

HOW TO JOIN THE ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE

There are two ways to participate in the Conference:

• With the organized sessions. Participants can propose themselves as session organizers (no more than two sessions per organizer) on specific themes. The proposal can be submitted directly from the login area of the website, by entering the name of the scientific manager, the session title, and the tentative number of presentations. The deadline for the submission is December 5, 2025.
• with individual papers. Those interested should submit an abstract by January 15, 2026, directly from login area of the website. The detailed instructions for presenting authors on the editing of papers are available at the conference website (link here).

IMPORTANT DEADLINES

AWARDS
AISRe promotes the diffusion of studies in regional science by awarding young scholars with:
• Best PhD Dissertation Award
• Best young scholar paper
The call for candidatures and their instructions are available on A.I.S.Re. website. The deadline for the application is March 3, 2026.

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION AND MEMBERSHIP

Registration and participation in the Conference is subject to A.I.S.Re. membership, as individual, corporate or young member, available in the login area. The membership in the Italian Association of Regional Science will be valid for the 2026/2027 social year. Registration and membership fees are available at this link. A.I.S.Re. membership benefits include:

• the subscription to Scienze Regionali (Il Mulino) for the following calendar year;
• the volume of the AISRe E-book (Donzelli Editore);
• the registration to the Regional Science Association International (RSAI), which includes an online subscription to the journal Papers in Regional Science and Regional Science Policy and Practice, for the following calendar year, the opportunity to pay a reduced fee at the Annual Conferences of the European Regional Science Association (ERSA) and the Regional Science Association International (RSAI).
• Young scholars have also the opportunity to participate to the Summer/Winter Schools of AISRe.

Local Organising Committee

• Annalisa Caloffi, Università degli Studi di Firenze (Chair)
• Mario Biggeri, Università degli Studi di Firenze
• Marco Bellandi, Università degli Studi di Firenze
• Francesco Capone, Università degli Studi di Firenze
• Stefano Clò, Università degli Studi di Firenze
• Andrea Ferrannini, Università degli Studi di Firenze
• Lucia Ferrone, Università degli Studi di Firenze
• Niccolò Innocenti, Università degli Studi di Firenze
• Federico Martellozzo, Università degli Studi di Firenze
• Stefania Oliva, Università degli Studi di Firenze
• Maria Grazia Pazienza, Università degli Studi di Firenze
• Filippo Randelli, Università degli Studi di Firenze
• Giorgio Ricchiuti, Università degli Studi di Firenze

Scientific Commitee

• Mario Biggeri, Università degli Studi di Firenze
• Marco Bellandi, Università degli Studi di Firenze
• Annalisa Caloffi, Università degli Studi di Firenze
• Giulio Cainelli, Università degli Studi di Padova
• Francesco Capone, Università degli Studi di Firenze
• Stefano Clò, Università degli Studi di Firenze
• Andrea Ferrannini, Università degli Studi di Firenze
• Lucia Ferrone, Università degli Studi di Firenze
• Niccolò Innocenti, Università degli Studi di Firenze
• Federico Martellozzo, Università degli Studi di Firenze
• Marco Modica, Gran Sasso Science Institute
• Stefania Oliva, Università degli Studi di Firenze
• Maria Grazia Pazienza, Università degli Studi di Firenze
• Eleonora Pierucci, Università degli Studi Roma Tre
• Filippo Randelli, Università degli Studi di Firenze
• Giorgio Ricchiuti, Università degli Studi di Firenze

Executive Board A.I.S.Re.

• Stefano Aragona, INBAR Sezione Lazio
• Giulio Cainelli, Università degli Studi di Padova
• Annalisa Caloffi, Università degli Studi di Firenze
• Andrea Caragliu, Politecnico di Milano
• Viviana Celli, Università di Roma La Sapienza
• Augusto Cerqua, Università di Roma La Sapienza
• Camilla Lenzi, Politecnico di Milano
• Marco Modica, Gran Sasso Science Institute
• Eleonora Pierucci, Università degli Studi Roma Tre
• Pietro Pizzuto, Università degli Studi di Palermo
• Paolo Postiglione, Università degli Studi “G. d’Annunzio” Chieti-Pescara
• Domenico Scalera, Università del Sannio
• Lisa Sella, IRCrES-CNR – Istituto di Ricerca sulla crescita economica sostenibile
• Daniela Storti, Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l’analisi dell’economia agraria (CREA)
• Gaetano Vecchione, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II.

Secretary AISRe
Diana Sarmiento, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.