24-05-2010.
to 26-05-2010
Indeed this interest in actors, institutions and organisations in regional development needs to be properly grounded in the wider contexts of global change in economic imperatives, transnational working and cooperation and environmental concerns. To some regions, these contexts provide favourable and timely frameworks for action and initiatives. Other regions may find these contexts increasingly challenging and threatening. Taken together, understanding better these broader contexts can provide important insights into regional development potential, planning and practices and establish the agenda for research and policy.
RSA welcomes papers from all – academics, students and those working in policy and practice. The event is inclusive and offers major networking opportunities for scholars. As well as the conference abstract volume, opportunities for publication are strong with anthologies, special editions of journals and other publications often following from these sessions. Formal networking and collaboration meetings to promote journals, the development of applications for transnational programmes and other partnerships are being encouraged in Pécs. All abstracts are usually accepted provided that they address the conference themes and meet quality thresholds and we reserve the right to enter into discussion with the authors about possible revisions to the focus and approach of any paper in order to improve its fit within the session or its overall quality.
The Association seeks an active engagement with the research, policy and practice communities through this conference and invites everyone to play a role in the event. In addition to submitting a paper and presenting at this event you would be welcome to:
The Association introduced an award in Leuven 2009 for the ‘Best Paper’ at the conference. We are repeating this in 2010. All full papers submitted by Sunday 4th April 2010 (except commissioned papers) will automatically be entered and the winner will be announced during the second plenary on Tuesday 25th May 2010.
All participants will need to register and pay for the conference when submitting their abstract via our secure online conference portal at: www.regional-studies-assoc.ac.uk – Abstracts should be between 200 and 400 words and will form the submission to the conference abstract volume which carries an ISBN.
Abstract submission and speaker registration deadline – Sunday, 14th February 2010
Full paper submission for entry to the Best Paper Competitions expires Sunday 4th April 2010
Non-speaker, Early Registration Fee deadline – Sunday 7th March 2010
Late registration fees applicable to all as of Monday 8th March 2010
Papers which are collaborative, international or multi-disciplinary are especially welcome. Specifically, this conference calls for papers in the following interrelated themes:
Gatekeepers:
Firms, embeddedness, and regions
Knowledge transfer and networks of firms in regional clusters and industrial districts
Entrepreneurship, new firm formation, and their impacts on regional development
Technology, innovation, and regional trajectories
Human resource development, labour practices and labour market dynamics
Globalisation and economic restructuring – firms and sectors, social aspects of change and the interface with governance and actors
FDI and regional development, including the South and East European dimension
The role of SMEs in local and regional development
Gatekeepers:
The dynamics of local and regional labour markets
The future of labour unions in regional development
Work, employment, and labour management practices in regions
Upgrading, skills development and utilisation and regional futures
The role and future of labour organisations in local and regional politics
Jobs and joblessness: brain drain, outsourcing, training and education policies
Migration and commuting across borders
Gatekeepers:
Equity, ethics, and welfare in regional development
Social responsibility and regional development
NGOs and CSOs: regional identities and formations
Local and non-local dynamics of NGOs and CSOs, social enterprises, cooperatives and communities
Civil society and governance in cities and regions
Gatekeepers:
Regional planning and its relevance in the global economy
Strategic regional policies and changing scales of governance
Multi-level governance, territorial politics and city regions
Devolution in political systems
Comparative analyses of political systems
Competition and cooperation in inter regional governments initiatives
Policies and practices: what works in different regions?
Poverty, exclusion and social policy
Market transition and the relevance of regional policies
Public management vs. democratic governance: direct or representative democracy in regions?
Gatekeepers: John Bachtler, University of Strathclyde, Scotland;
Reshaping the EU budget
Evaluation of EU cohesion policy
The role of Structural Funds in responding to the economic crisis
Post-2013 reform of Cohesion Policy
EU support for rural development
Whither territorial cohesion?
EU programmes for cross-border, transnational and inter-regional cooperation
Regional dimensions of EU policies for research and innovation
Regional problems of Southern and Eastern Europe from the aspect of European cohesion
Regional challenges for Central, South and East Europe
Gatekeepers:
Citizenship and social participation in regional and urban development
Public-private partnerships and local/regional leadership
Social capital, civic space, and regional identities
Democracy, collective action, and changing governance in regional development
The role of culture in regions
Impacts of social structures on regional economic development and innovation
Heritage, local identities and regional development: experience economies, place branding and public policy
Exclusion, health and wellbeing: sustainable development and health
Demographic pressures, migration, ageing and mobility
Gatekeepers:
The regional nature and the origins and impacts of the global financial crisis
Global financial systems and regional trajectories
Alternative finance: how do actors and institutions in regions cope?
Regional cooperation in times of financial crisis
Fiscal policy? Local and regional public finance
The specific impact of recession and credit crunch on central, south and eastern Europe
Gatekeepers:
Regional and transnational cooperation in development: a role for mega-regions?
Borderland regions and economic cooperation
Peripheral spaces, marginal communities and future trajectories
Institutions and organisations for regional cooperation
Sustainability of cooperation in regional development
Urban and city networks
Gatekeepers:
Theorising regional development in an era of global environmental change
Environmental sustainability of local and regional development
Impact of global environmental change on trajectories of regions
Environmental initiatives: actors, institutions and organisations
Implementation beyond Copenhagen: local and regional initiatives
Gatekeepers:
Comparative regional case studies
Institutional and evolutionary approaches to regional studies
Spatial analysis and regional economics: developments in theory and methodology, regional economic models, input output, GIS
Comparative research: theoretical and methodological contributions
Policy evaluation research, theory and practice
Politics and practice in regional studies
The market transition approach in regional studies: relevance to Eastern European regions
Global production networks and its contributions to politics and practice
Gatekeepers:
Planning strategies, urban regeneration and evaluation, settlement design; strategic planning at different scales; cities and social cohesion; spatial information; liveability and the environment; managing growth; strategic planning for housing
The role of space and place/tourism and development policies: arts; cities of culture; sports; heritage; local identities, regional development and public policy;; experience economies and place branding at local, city and regional level; creative and social innovation.
Transport, connectivities and mobilities: commuting patterns, network connectivity, recessionary effects on business travel, airline transport for leisure, road expansion, the “access poor” in rural or peripheral areas.
Reflecting our choice of venue the Association will welcome proposals for papers and sessions reflecting upon the particular cases of Southern, Central and Eastern Europe. These papers will be placed in the most relevant gateway listed above. Themes likely to be of interest may include, but are not limited to:
The conference will be hosted in the European Capital of Culture 2010 Pécs in Southern Hungary. Pécs is characterised as a multicultural city without borders which acts as the meeting point for western and eastern parts of Europe.
Pécs has 160,000 inhabitants living in what is called the Mediterranean City of the East which dates back to ancient times. It is close to the Croatian and Serbian borders and is the regional seat of the Southern Transdanubia region. Its cultural layers are many with early Roman and Christian roots leading to the establishment of the university in medieval times. In the 17th Century it was Turkish and German and Latin at the end of the 18th Century becoming Hungarian in the 20th Century. The city boasts its own UNESCO site of World Heritage – the early Christian Necropolis.
Pécs is the intellectual birthplace of regionalism in Hungary. The leading institution for regional research, the Centre for Regional Studies of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Hungarian Regional Studies Association are both headquartered in Pécs. The first training courses and doctoral school in regional development and policy of Hungary were established at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Pécs.
Sally Hardy MeRSA, Chief Executive,
Regional Studies Association, PO Box 2058, Seaford BN25 4QU, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1323 899 698 Fax: +44 (0)1323 899 798
Mobile: 07980 831 282
www.regional-studies-assoc.ac.uk
Regional responses and global shifts: Actors, institutions and organisations
An increasingly complex array of actors is involved in today’s regional development agendas. They range from private firms and labour organisations to government and non-government institutions. Despite the growing awareness in the public and academic domains of the multi-actor nature of regional development, we still often struggle to fully comprehend the mutually interactive strategies and practices which cut across regions and countries. In light of recent upheavals in the global economic and financial system, such an understanding will be critical to future studies of regional development.Indeed this interest in actors, institutions and organisations in regional development needs to be properly grounded in the wider contexts of global change in economic imperatives, transnational working and cooperation and environmental concerns. To some regions, these contexts provide favourable and timely frameworks for action and initiatives. Other regions may find these contexts increasingly challenging and threatening. Taken together, understanding better these broader contexts can provide important insights into regional development potential, planning and practices and establish the agenda for research and policy.
RSA welcomes papers from all – academics, students and those working in policy and practice. The event is inclusive and offers major networking opportunities for scholars. As well as the conference abstract volume, opportunities for publication are strong with anthologies, special editions of journals and other publications often following from these sessions. Formal networking and collaboration meetings to promote journals, the development of applications for transnational programmes and other partnerships are being encouraged in Pécs. All abstracts are usually accepted provided that they address the conference themes and meet quality thresholds and we reserve the right to enter into discussion with the authors about possible revisions to the focus and approach of any paper in order to improve its fit within the session or its overall quality.
How you can be actively involved
The Association seeks an active engagement with the research, policy and practice communities through this conference and invites everyone to play a role in the event. In addition to submitting a paper and presenting at this event you would be welcome to:
- offer a workshop session/s on a theme of your choice (perhaps to showcase recent research programme results) where you would invite colleagues to register for the conference and present their work
- offer to act as a theme gatekeeper thereby gaining access to forthcoming research results and helping to shape the conference
- offer an innovative session – do you want to host a session on the research findings of your recent project or programme or hear a debate on a topical issue? Could you run a practical workshop to solve problems on key issues; or would you like to hear from a recognised authority in the field? Talk to the conference team about your ambitions and we will try to help you realise them – lisa.bibby-larsen@rsa-ls.ac.uk .
Best paper competition
The Association introduced an award in Leuven 2009 for the ‘Best Paper’ at the conference. We are repeating this in 2010. All full papers submitted by Sunday 4th April 2010 (except commissioned papers) will automatically be entered and the winner will be announced during the second plenary on Tuesday 25th May 2010.
All participants will need to register and pay for the conference when submitting their abstract via our secure online conference portal at: www.regional-studies-assoc.ac.uk – Abstracts should be between 200 and 400 words and will form the submission to the conference abstract volume which carries an ISBN.
Conference timetable
Abstract submission and speaker registration deadline – Sunday, 14th February 2010
Full paper submission for entry to the Best Paper Competitions expires Sunday 4th April 2010
Non-speaker, Early Registration Fee deadline – Sunday 7th March 2010
Late registration fees applicable to all as of Monday 8th March 2010
Papers which are collaborative, international or multi-disciplinary are especially welcome. Specifically, this conference calls for papers in the following interrelated themes:
1. Innovative strategies and practices of firms in regional development
Gatekeepers:
Firms, embeddedness, and regions
Knowledge transfer and networks of firms in regional clusters and industrial districts
Entrepreneurship, new firm formation, and their impacts on regional development
Technology, innovation, and regional trajectories
Human resource development, labour practices and labour market dynamics
Globalisation and economic restructuring – firms and sectors, social aspects of change and the interface with governance and actors
FDI and regional development, including the South and East European dimension
The role of SMEs in local and regional development
2. Labour organisations and their continued relevance for regional development
Gatekeepers:
The dynamics of local and regional labour markets
The future of labour unions in regional development
Work, employment, and labour management practices in regions
Upgrading, skills development and utilisation and regional futures
The role and future of labour organisations in local and regional politics
Jobs and joblessness: brain drain, outsourcing, training and education policies
Migration and commuting across borders
3. Non-governmental Organisations (NGO) and Civil Society Organisations (CSO): facilitators of regional development?
Gatekeepers:
Equity, ethics, and welfare in regional development
Social responsibility and regional development
NGOs and CSOs: regional identities and formations
Local and non-local dynamics of NGOs and CSOs, social enterprises, cooperatives and communities
Civil society and governance in cities and regions
4. Regional policies: government and quasi-government initiatives
Gatekeepers:
Regional planning and its relevance in the global economy
Strategic regional policies and changing scales of governance
Multi-level governance, territorial politics and city regions
Devolution in political systems
Comparative analyses of political systems
Competition and cooperation in inter regional governments initiatives
Policies and practices: what works in different regions?
Poverty, exclusion and social policy
Market transition and the relevance of regional policies
Public management vs. democratic governance: direct or representative democracy in regions?
5. Reassessing EU Regional Policy
Gatekeepers: John Bachtler, University of Strathclyde, Scotland;
Reshaping the EU budget
Evaluation of EU cohesion policy
The role of Structural Funds in responding to the economic crisis
Post-2013 reform of Cohesion Policy
EU support for rural development
Whither territorial cohesion?
EU programmes for cross-border, transnational and inter-regional cooperation
Regional dimensions of EU policies for research and innovation
Regional problems of Southern and Eastern Europe from the aspect of European cohesion
Regional challenges for Central, South and East Europe
6. People in regions: leadership, collective action and regional development
Gatekeepers:
Citizenship and social participation in regional and urban development
Public-private partnerships and local/regional leadership
Social capital, civic space, and regional identities
Democracy, collective action, and changing governance in regional development
The role of culture in regions
Impacts of social structures on regional economic development and innovation
Heritage, local identities and regional development: experience economies, place branding and public policy
Exclusion, health and wellbeing: sustainable development and health
Demographic pressures, migration, ageing and mobility
7. Financing regions: global financial crisis and its future?
Gatekeepers:
The regional nature and the origins and impacts of the global financial crisis
Global financial systems and regional trajectories
Alternative finance: how do actors and institutions in regions cope?
Regional cooperation in times of financial crisis
Fiscal policy? Local and regional public finance
The specific impact of recession and credit crunch on central, south and eastern Europe
8. Cooperation across borders
Gatekeepers:
Regional and transnational cooperation in development: a role for mega-regions?
Borderland regions and economic cooperation
Peripheral spaces, marginal communities and future trajectories
Institutions and organisations for regional cooperation
Sustainability of cooperation in regional development
Urban and city networks
9. Global environmental change and the future of regional development
Gatekeepers:
Theorising regional development in an era of global environmental change
Environmental sustainability of local and regional development
Impact of global environmental change on trajectories of regions
Environmental initiatives: actors, institutions and organisations
Implementation beyond Copenhagen: local and regional initiatives
10. Theory and research in regional studies
Gatekeepers:
Comparative regional case studies
Institutional and evolutionary approaches to regional studies
Spatial analysis and regional economics: developments in theory and methodology, regional economic models, input output, GIS
Comparative research: theoretical and methodological contributions
Policy evaluation research, theory and practice
Politics and practice in regional studies
The market transition approach in regional studies: relevance to Eastern European regions
Global production networks and its contributions to politics and practice
11. Spatial planning in cities and regions
Gatekeepers:
Planning strategies, urban regeneration and evaluation, settlement design; strategic planning at different scales; cities and social cohesion; spatial information; liveability and the environment; managing growth; strategic planning for housing
The role of space and place/tourism and development policies: arts; cities of culture; sports; heritage; local identities, regional development and public policy;; experience economies and place branding at local, city and regional level; creative and social innovation.
Transport, connectivities and mobilities: commuting patterns, network connectivity, recessionary effects on business travel, airline transport for leisure, road expansion, the “access poor” in rural or peripheral areas.
12. Regional policy and development in Southern, Central and Eastern Europe
Reflecting our choice of venue the Association will welcome proposals for papers and sessions reflecting upon the particular cases of Southern, Central and Eastern Europe. These papers will be placed in the most relevant gateway listed above. Themes likely to be of interest may include, but are not limited to:
- The implementation of cohesion policy in pre-accession and member states
- The role and relationships of urban networks and regions
- Decentralisation of power and the dissemination of innovative regional driving forces
- Institutionalisation of cross-border co-operation
- Infrastructure and spatial planning
- Culture and the experience economy as a regional development force
- Regional Studies and Regional Science in Higher Education
Venue – Pécs, Southern Hungary
The conference will be hosted in the European Capital of Culture 2010 Pécs in Southern Hungary. Pécs is characterised as a multicultural city without borders which acts as the meeting point for western and eastern parts of Europe.
Pécs has 160,000 inhabitants living in what is called the Mediterranean City of the East which dates back to ancient times. It is close to the Croatian and Serbian borders and is the regional seat of the Southern Transdanubia region. Its cultural layers are many with early Roman and Christian roots leading to the establishment of the university in medieval times. In the 17th Century it was Turkish and German and Latin at the end of the 18th Century becoming Hungarian in the 20th Century. The city boasts its own UNESCO site of World Heritage – the early Christian Necropolis.
Pécs is the intellectual birthplace of regionalism in Hungary. The leading institution for regional research, the Centre for Regional Studies of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Hungarian Regional Studies Association are both headquartered in Pécs. The first training courses and doctoral school in regional development and policy of Hungary were established at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Pécs.
Contact
Sally Hardy MeRSA, Chief Executive,
Regional Studies Association, PO Box 2058, Seaford BN25 4QU, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1323 899 698 Fax: +44 (0)1323 899 798
Mobile: 07980 831 282
www.regional-studies-assoc.ac.uk
