Networks Categories: Research Network

Established in 2015, this research network brings together scholars, policymakers and practitioners across Europe and beyond to provide a forum for debating current and emerging issues on European economic migration as well as fostering collaboration and expanding research opportunities. In its first phase (2015-2018), the MICaRD network focussed on labour mobility within the EU and […]

You can watch the recording of the webinar  – How do we talk about ‘other’ geographies in/of Europe? 23 September 2020 here: This research network, established in 2020, connects scholars and practitioners whose work focuses on Central and East European (CEE) geographies and who are interested in postcolonial and decolonial perspectives in and on the […]

The Gender and Regional Studies network is a research network whose purpose is to bring together researchers and research perspectives on the topic of gender in regional studies. The network organises activities such as workshops, special sessions, book projects, conferences etc. in various locations throughout the globe – all with the shared purpose of pushing […]

Polycentric Urban Regions Research Network ‘Polycentric urban regions’ (PURs) have become a key concept in regional studies, both as an analytical framework to capture empirical realities as well as part of normative visions and goals in regional development policies. Nevertheless, PUR research and policy-making is built on surprisingly limited comprehensive evidence and hampered by the […]

This research network intends to bring together scholars, regional specialists, activists and experts from civil society to offer alternatives to these perspectives by attending to the historical, socio-spatial and religious underpinnings of displacement that complicate notions of universal humanity and bounded citizenship. Have a look at our past activities and events: Final Summary – https://www.regionalstudies.org/news/final-summary-of-the-rsa-research-network-on-politics-of-displacement-identity-and-urban-citizenship-in-migratory-contexts/ […]

We are a network of academics and practitioners that aims to bridge the practice research divide across humanitarian emergency management – from preparedness to response, recovery, and back to development. We enable knowledge exchange between academic experts and governments, civil society organisations, humanitarian emergency responders, recovery personnel, and development actors. Linking these groups is vital […]

The outcome of this network – a book Regional Economic Development and History has been published recently. Through a selection of accessible theoretical, methodological and empirical chapters, this book explores the connections between regional development and history. Drawing on the expertise of scholars in several disciplines, it links history to topics such as behavioural geography, […]

Coastal areas, despite only occupying a relatively small percentage of the Earth’s land-surface, provide more than one third of the globe’s value of ecosystem services. Coastal areas are also increasingly at risk due to changing environmental conditions as well as human development pressures. These factors, coupled with the large-scale failure of contemporary governance approaches to […]

The manufacturing sector is changing and a new manufacturing model is emerging. Recent scholarly debate has unpacked this ‘production organisation revolution’. It is therefore timely to understand what form this new manufacturing model will take in both Europe and the United States how it can contribute to regional economic development.  Indeed, the core of this […]

The Regional Studies Association (RSA) Research Network on Smart City-Regional Governance for Sustainability aims to explore the meaning and practice of ‘smartness’ in city-regional governance, as it seeks to balance the competing quests for urban international competitiveness, national economic development and societal and territorial cohesion. This competition sits under the discursive umbrella of sustainability as the overarching concept guiding this […]

The final report of the Cohesion Policy Research network is available here. Report on the RSA Workshop on EU Cohesion Policy in Eastern and Southern Europe: Taking Stock and Drawing Lessons for the Future is available here: https://regions.regionalstudies.org/ezine/article/report-on-the-rsa-workshop-on-eu-cohesion-policy-in-eastern-and-southern-europe-taking-stock-and-drawing-lessons-for-the-future/ EU cohesion policy remains one of the most prominent and hotly debated of EU policies, while being a […]

We are delighted to announce the launch of www.fingeo.net, the website of the Global Network on Financial Geography (FinGeo). You can read the report on the 5th Global Seminar & 1st Spring School of the RSA research network The Global Network on Financial Geography (FinGeo) here: https://regions.regionalstudies.org/ezine/article/report-on-the-5th-global-seminar-1st-spring-school-of-the-rsa-research-network-the-global-network-on-financial-geography-fingeo/ The key aim and ambition of the RSA Research Network […]

Read more about our past activities and events: The final report of the Leadership and Urban and Regional Development Research network is available here. Report on the Workshop Combining State and Non-state Partnerships for Effective Place Leadership of the RSA Research Network Leadership and Urban and Regional Development is available here: https://regions.regionalstudies.org/ezine/article/report-on-the-workshop-combining-state-and-non-state-partnerships-for-effective-place-leadership-of-the-rsa-research-network-leadership-and-urban-and-regional-development/ The purpose of this […]

Recognising that definitions of the illicit vary over time, space and cultures, there has long been strong evidence that a range of illicit actors, including, but not restricted to, those engaged in organised criminal activity, have been involved in the processes and institutions of regional governance and development across a diverse, international terrain. This has […]

EU cohesion policy remains one of the most prominent and hotly debated of EU policies, while being a test bed for a range of new policy approaches and ideas. This innovative policy provides assistance to disadvantaged regions and localities through a unique multi-level, rationalised and partnership-based approach and the use of a constantly evolving set […]

The question of how to shape regional policies to incubate, support, and sustain emerging manufacturing technologies and spur job creation has become the subject of extensive debate in the wake of the global recession. This research network proposal, Rethinking Regional Manufacturing Policy, engages scholars studying recent developments in manufacturing policies in advanced industrialized countries including […]

The aim of this Research Network is to compare and contrast the development of the Low Carbon Vehicle (LCV) sector in three regions in which the participating partner institutions are located – Piedmont, Italy, Upper Silesia & Małopolska, Poland and the West Midlands, UK. By examining a range of key factors impacting on the sector […]

Regional economic development is facing a range of challenges around Europe due to budget restrictions and austerity measures. The current economic crisis and the lack of investment in regional infrastructure appear to reinvigorate the North-South divide instead of promoting convergence. However, this environment presents opportunities for new initiatives and regional planning and policy. Although austerity […]

Central and Eastern Europe has a rather recent interest in the modern, democratic local government studies. This trend is mostly explained by the developments of the political studies and the research on local political issues occurred not earlier than the beginning of the 1990s. In this context, the RSA RN POL-LOC will be linked to: […]

Whilst mega-events often highlight urban development they also punctuate and accelerate longer term urban regeneration and growth. Despite their high cost and risk (e.g. security) – financial, social environmental – cities and increasingly regions, look to major events and related infrastructure to lever inward investment, improve image and raise citizen morale, and generate a legacy […]

Although there has been structural change in European regions e.g. in political or cultural terms, there have also been areas of convergence. Since the seventies, economic development in Europe has been marked by a de-industrialisation process and tertiarisation. As part of its actions to support the growth of the European economy and its competitiveness, one […]

The key aim of the network is to promote a dialogue between researchers interested in geographies of finance and scholars concerned with post-socialist transformations in East-Central Europe and the former Soviet Union. The network aims to foster synergies between the two research strands and to explore possibilities for new exciting research avenues emerging from such […]

The purpose of the network is to co-ordinate and promote research on the metropolitan regions in western Europe, bringing together research from a range of disciplines including spatial planning, housing, property and construction, social and economic geography,  and government and political studies. A key aim of the group will be to bring together academics and […]

The RSA Research Network on Acquiring Community Assets – the role of social capital in enterprise, energy and sustainable economic development will investigate the issues which arise when ‘communities’ have been given the opportunity to manage and/or purchase resources for ‘development’ purposes. The resources can be anything from land and physical structures, such as a […]

The aim of this Research Network is: To extend and deepen the conceptual development of the concepts of peripherality and marginality. To develop and explore the theoretical underpinnings to analyse these concepts within, though not exclusively, northern Europe. To identify gaps, initiate studies and promote collaboration in empirical research and other investigations into peripherality and […]

The aim of RSA Research Network “The impact of global economic crisis on capital cities” was to look at various cases of capital cities’ reactions in the wake of global economic crisis and at different dimensions of mitigating the consequences: government policies, business adjustments, social and human innovations, perceptions and brands of the cities – […]

This Regional Studies Association Research Network is a renewal of the initial Research Network on Tourism, Regional Development and Public Policy It is our great pleasure to announce the on-line publication of Alma Tourism vol. 8, n. 7, 2017, Special Issue: Beyond the Great Beauty: Rescaling Heritage and Tourism: https://almatourism.unibo.it/issue/view/614 The Special Issue represents one of […]

The RSA Research Network on Transition and Resilience for Post-industrial Agglomerations in Central Europe is searching for the specific driving forces and capabilities explaining the economic resilience of post-industrial agglomeration regions in Central Europe under the particular circumstances of their transition during the last two decades. A special focus will be laid on those post-industrial […]

Regional innovation policy has grown in prominence and scope during recent years, with a realm of action that increasingly stresses the demand side (or the doing, using, interaction (DUI) mode of innovation) alongside a supply side innovation policy based on science and technology. This expansion of the accepted (or aspirational) realm of action for innovation […]

The RSA Research Network on Effectiveness, added value and future of EU cohesion policy intends to bring together academics investigating the issues of effectiveness, impacts, and added value of EU cohesion policy, as well as practitioners working with this policy. This will allow for promoting dialogue and synergies between the two communities, exploring new exciting […]

Based on the successful work undertaken for the first seminar series, this RSA Research Network aims to develop further issues and research questions which have emerged from the discussions and presentations therein. It also seeks to widen its remit and audience. One issue emerging from the first seminar series has been the need to reconcile […]

There is a rapidly growing interest in better understanding the contribution of (formal and informal) leadership to the continuing shaping and re-shaping of cities and regions. This 2nd Phase (2010/2011) of the RSA leadership research network aims to incorporate leadership and related concepts within the wider urban and regional development studies debate(s). The suggestion is […]

This Research Network aims to focus on the role of place, spatial narratives and identity in the leisure, culture and experience economy and planning, and the spatial development potentials of these economies and intends to coordinate, produce and disseminate front line research on the spatial dimensions of the emerging leisure, culture and experience economy.

This research network is established with the aim of analyzing and discussing interregional networks involving regional actors belonging to different countries and their implications for theory and policy. In particular the hypothesis of a “virtualization” of the space for collaborative policies should be put to test.

The proposal has three central aims: To conceptualise the varieties of neoliberal adjustment that have impacted on regional and urban restructuring and performance over the last 30 years. To consider the implications of the current crisis on these neoliberal adjustment processes and what it means for the future of regional and urban economic and social […]

This RSA Research Network looks at the dynamics in the spatial organisation of regional urban systems and how urban spatial structure affects the performance of (firms and households in) cities in economic, social and environmental terms. In this, the main goal is to provide a more thorough assessment of how and why the spatial organization […]

In a modern, learning-based economy the primary task of industrial and innovation policies should be to promote innovative interactions between economic sub-systems, organisations and individuals (Lundvall, 1992). KIBS are particularly important in these processes not only because of the significance of their own growth and innovativeness, but also because of their systemic role in influencing […]

This Research Network explores similarities in experiences of industrial restructuring in western and central Europe, focusing on how ‘industrial knowledge’ has become a factor driving stability, regeneration and growth in these areas.

This Research Network considers the theoretical underpinnings of topical concepts in regional studies, particularly those that have emerged under the label of ‘New Regionalism’.

This Research Network aims to analyse regional evolution in production and use of ‘Green’ inputs and their consumption, including with reference to governance and policies by: Defining the field that contains ‘Green Industry’ activities such as sub-sectors of agriculture, materials, manufacturing, energy, transportation and waste management & recycling Analysing the dynamics of the multi-level governance […]

While much attention has been paid to the patterns and impacts of foreign direct investment in general, there has been less focus on the outsourcing of services, which now constitute a considerable proportion of foreign investments, contributing to an emerging European shift in the distribution of business services provision. The Research Network aims to build […]

The Housing and the Regions network has been in existence since 2006. There has been a lull in our activity, owing to other research commitments. But given the continuing housing supply crisis in the UK, and the recent change of government, with its radically different view on how this crisis will be resolved, we believe […]

This research network will examine the diversity of tourism in Europe and its implication for socio-economic development and public policy. Three meetings will be held focusing on particular types of tourism: organised leisure tourism in the south (Izmir, Turkey, Spring 2008); developing tourist destinations (Aalborg, Denmark, Autumn 2008); business and cultural tourism in metropolitan areas […]

This Research Network aims to address trends and issues around the development of the creative and cultural industries at the regional level in UK, fostering a multi-disciplinary debate among researchers, practitioners and policy makers in the field. Topics for this Research Network have emerged for research that the three organisers have been doing in the […]

This research network aims to develop a better understanding of how regional development is interlinked; how regions can develop based on inter-regional or sub-national collaboration and the impact of the national regulations on collaborative networks.

In co-operation with HARED Working Group led by Markku Sotarauta (RSA Finland), this Research Network is launching a series of research studies and international workshops (in Budapest, Prague, Bratislava), with a view to further developing our understanding of human agency in the current practice of regional development.

This Research Network aims to look at the sharing and documentation of leading practice in the targeting, implementation and evaluation of regional support for enterprise and innovation in the UK. It also looks at the regional knowledge base to enable meaningful policy objectives to be defined, the mechanisms which drive regional development – and particularly […]

While there has been much research and attention paid to the regions in the core of Europe – and especially to cities, city-regions, old industrial areas, border regions and to some of their underlying characteristics – such as clusters, agglomeration phenomena generally, regional innovation systems, the specific features of peripheral and marginal regions have been […]

This Research Network aims to examine the role of local culture on regional economic development in the Mediterranean and Balkan periphery. The first workshop was held on 25th – 27th October 2007 in Romania. The topic of the workshop was ‘Is tourism enough for local development? High expectations and real impact in the periphery of […]

This Research Network aims to look at the important and relevant gaps in knowledge over how to lead the vital change processes in local and regional regeneration to the benefit of all stakeholders, particularly within the context of the introduction of Local Area Agreements (LAAs).

This Research Network aims to investigate and explain regional differentials in unemployment and migration flows between European states.

This Research Network aims to expand a fledgling network of local and regional policy makers and academics (members and non-members of the RSA) and embrace less involved cities and urban regions – not so much as a primary result of geographically defined ‘distance’ than one of network-based marginalisation and peripheralisation.

This Research Network aims to examine the government’s liveability agenda and aims to contribute to the debate on ‘liveable’ residential environment. The Housing and the Regions Working Group was established to explore the English regional housing debate, notably government’s attempt to create ‘sustainable communities’, drawing on wider Europe experience in managing growth and dealing with […]

In 2006, the Regional Studies Association (RSA) founded a new Research Network on ‘Employability and Labour Market Policy in International Perspective’, hosted at the Employment Research Institute at Napier University, Edinburgh. The Network’s activities centred around two international seminars, which sought to build upon the success of a previous ‘Employability and Labour Market Policy’ seminar […]

1st Seminar, 15-20 August 2004 – IGU, Glasgow ‘Regions and Demographic Change’ Session strand in ‘One Earth, Many Worlds’ At the recent Glasgow meeting of the IGU the RSA Demographic Ageing Working Group organised two sponsored sessions, which attracted over 50 delegates. Papers in the two sessions explored regions and demographic change. 2nd Seminar, London […]