2025 RSA Annual Conference Special Sessions
As part of the 2025 RSA Annual Conference, there will be a number of Special Sessions running throughout the academic programme. Click here to submit your abstract.
Session Organisers:
Nayara Albrecht, Newcastle University, UK
Session Details:
In today’s rapidly evolving world, making informed, data-driven decisions is becoming increasingly crucial for policymakers. As regions face complex and unique challenges, ranging from economic disparities to environmental concerns, integrating data into policymaking offers a powerful tool for crafting targeted and effective solutions. This session will delve into the growing relevance of data in shaping policies that are not only evidence-based but also finely tuned to the specific needs of different regions. The session will explore a variety of papers and contributions that demonstrate how data can enhance decision-making, enabling policymakers to tackle pressing regional issues such as economic development, environmental sustainability, and social equity with greater precision and impact. It invites a multidisciplinary approach, encouraging insights from diverse fields that can enrich the discussion on data-driven policymaking. Participants are encouraged to present case studies that showcase the successful implementation of data-driven strategies in various regions, while also acknowledging the challenges that come with integrating data into policy frameworks. Among the key challenges discussed will be issues of data accessibility, privacy concerns, and the critical need for building the capacity of policymakers to effectively utilise data. Ultimately, this session emphasises the importance of collaboration between governments, the private sector, and academic institutions. Such partnerships are essential for overcoming the hurdles associated with data-driven policymaking and fully realising its potential in fostering regional development and addressing local challenges.
Session Organisers:
Emma Ormerod, Newcastle University, UK
Lynette Washington, University of South Australia, Australia
Session Description:
Place-based leadership (PBL) studies has drawn on traditional leadership models, but importantly breaks from these to emphasise agency, the sharing of power, collaboration, informal networking, connectivity, and transformational rather than transactional leadership. Coming largely out of work within the Regional Studies Association, such research has been significant in understanding the development (and divergence) of places: who is leading, in what ways, and how this shapes local and regional place-making. Whilst the study of PBL is now relatively well established, there have been calls for scholarship to pay closer attention to issues of power, diversity and inclusion (Hambleton, 2015; Montero and Medina-Garzon, 2021; Ormerod, 2023; Sotarauta and Beer, 2021). Scholars in critical leadership studies have drawn on a range of perspectives such as feminist, intersectional and decolonial thinking to shed light on unequal leadership (Klenke, 2017; Liu, 2021; Sheridan et al, 2011). How might these and other approaches help shape the future of PBL studies? How can more attention be paid to power relations and systems of oppression across different forms of PBL and different geographies, thus encouraging places to draw on the skills, perspectives and abilities of those who have been excluded? What concepts, theories, methodologies and methods can we use? In this Special Session we welcome submissions that consider the ways in which we might open space to think about future directions in PBL studies. How might we draw on more inclusive practices and thinking that mobilise all members of the community to make visible a range of ongoing inequalities, and think about more equitable futures?
Session Organisers:
Andrea Belmartino Università degli studi di Sassari, Italy
Pablo Galaso UDELAR, Uruguay
Sergio Palomeque UDELAR, Uruguay
Session Description:
Digitalisation and decarbonisation are two of the main strategies for countries to move towards sustainable and inclusive development, impacting the way goods and services are produced and distributed, as well as lifestyles around the world. Both strategies are driven by digital and green technologies. On the one hand, the digital transition infrastructure depends on critical minerals. On the other hand, the green shift paradigm, based on renewable energy technologies, is a turning point compared to previous technology paradigms, based on fossil fuel power generation technologies, as it requires not only significantly larger quantities of critical minerals and minerals, but also a wide range of them. The Latin American region concentrates a high proportion of the world’s production of some of the minerals needed for both transitions, which may open windows of opportunity that will depend on local capabilities and access to knowledge flows.
This session seeks to open a space for discussion on these opportunities for Latin America, and will therefore mainly accept papers dealing with the following topics:
- Just Transition
- Twin transition
- Innovation and sustainability
- Innovation and inequality
- Development of 4.0 technologies
- Green and digital transitions
- Theoretical debate under sustainable transition literature
Session Organisers:
Sonia De Gregorio Hurtado, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
Piotr Idczak, Poznan University of Economics and Business, Poland
Session Description:
The urban axis of the Cohesion Policy has been strengthened in the last budget period, earmarking 8% of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in each Member State for urban actions implemented by local entities. This economic reinforcement operates through urban instruments that from 2007 opened gradually the spectrum of projects that municipalities can carry out, based on the guiding concept of “Sustainable Urban Development (SUD)”, counting with the discursive complement of the Urban Acquis (especially the New Leipzig Charter), the contribution of the Joint Research Center, and still “waiting” for an Urban Agenda for the European Union that does not find the necessary mechanisms and policy support to become a significant route map.
Along with an interesting and rich array of “urban actions”, this scene shows a certain level of policy incoherence and fragmentation as well as inertia to evolve the “sustainability” vision to urban matters so that EU cities can contribute to address local/European challenges. Beyond this, this policy action is being carried out in a context of reflection on Cohesion Policy that aims to “update” EU regional policy, so that our continent achieves the demanding objectives of the European Green Deal. By leveraging their position as economic, social, and cultural hubs, cities can directly support the goals of EU Cohesion Policy through fostering innovation ecosystems, encouraging digitalization, targeting marginalized communities, bridging digital divides, implementing green infrastructure, promoting the circular economy, creating synergies across sectors, and more.
Following this, it is clear that cities are also at the forefront of realizing the objectives of the European Green Deal. They are essential players that can drive the twin just transition at the local level. In a highly complex and uncertain context, when action in cities is emerging as crucial for Europe, this session proposes a reflection on this issue and analysing the potential of the urban axis of the Cohesion Policy post 2027.
The session will feature an introduction by the moderators, and then will give the floor to the contributors. It will be closed with a debate with the audience.
This session is organized in synergy with the Jean Monnet Chair RegenEU- EU urban regeneration to achieve the EGD objectives- (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid) and the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence Transform EU (Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny w Poznaniu).
Session Organisers:
Ida Musialkowska, Poznan University of Economics and Business, Poland
Anabela Santos, European Commission, JRC
Francesco Molica, European Commission, JRC
Andrea Conte, European Commission, JRC
Laura Polverari, University of Padua, Italy
Ugo Fratesi, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
Oto Potluka, University of Basel, Switzerland
Session Description:
The impact of the European Union’s cohesion policy has long been the subject of extensive debate at both academic and policy-making levels. Looking ahead, the evolving socio-economic and environmental context and its impact on spatial disparities present significant challenges for policy evaluation. Addressing these will require the discussion of new, multifaceted and mixed approaches and the definition of new narratives that could best adapt the policy design to the fast changing geography of disparities. Rising inequality, the housing crisis, demographic changes, the impact of climate change and automation are just some of the pressing issues that need to be addressed to ensure that cohesion policy continues to deliver effectively.
This special session invites researchers to present their insights and innovations on the evaluation of cohesion policy in the context of these emerging challenges. We seek papers that address evaluation from both perspectives, quantitative and qualitative. Contributions that critically analyze the policy’s impact on reducing regional disparities, improving social inclusion and promoting sustainable development are particularly welcome.
Key topics:
• New methods for assessing the impact of cohesion policy: big data and artificial intelligence (AI) applications
• Evaluating the effectiveness of cohesion policy in addressing economic and social disparities
• Sustainability and climate change considerations in cohesion policy evaluation
• Evaluating the role of cohesion policy in fostering digitalization and closing infrastructure gaps
• Challenges in measuring governance of cohesion policy and its implication
• Synergies between funding instruments and the integrated use of Cohesion Policy with other EU funds (e.g., Horizon Europe, NextGenerationEU)
• Assessing coordination mechanisms between different levels of government
• The role of public and private partnerships in enhancing the effectiveness of cohesion policy
• Comparative and case studies on cohesion policy outcomes across different EU regions
We encourage contributions from a wide range of disciplines, including economics, regional development, public policy, urban planning and environmental studies. This session aims to foster an interdisciplinary dialogue that will contribute to refining and advancing the evaluation of cohesion policy to ensure its continued relevance and effectiveness in the face of future challenges.
There will be a Best Paper Award for early career researchers, with the prize being an invitation to present the winning paper at a JRC seminar in Seville, Spain. Early career researchers are defined as PhD students or those who have completed their PhD after 1 January 2020. Applicants for the Best Paper Award must submit their full papers by the end of March 2025 into their profile on the RSA website and include in the title of the submission “BEST_PAPER_APPLICATION”.
Session Organiser:
Cal Innes, Jisc, UK
Session Description:
Explore key concepts, emerging trends, and practical strategies for reducing the environmental impact of digital practices in this insightful session on digital sustainability. This workshop will provide actionable guidance for organisations seeking to implement sustainable digital initiatives.
Topics will include:
– Defining digital environmental sustainability
– Managing energy consumption and digital carbon footprints
– Tackling e-waste challenges
– Positive contributions of digital technologies to sustainability
– Enhancing energy efficiency in digital systems
– Practical solutions for minimising e-waste
With extensive expertise as a digital sustainability advisor across tertiary education in the UK, Cal will offer practical recommendations and best practices, making this session ideal for those aiming to create greener, more efficient digital operations.
Session Organiser:
Katy Shaw, Northumbria University, UK
Session Description:
The culture of a region is more than just the icing on the cake: it can offer a unique connection between its past, present and future, while the cultural and creative industries can position a region at the forefront of innovation, design, and investment on a global stage. This is important, because UK devolution is not just about moving central government power and money to a local level; it’s about creating investable propositions for the future. The case that a place puts forward for investment must be credible, and culture and creativity are uniquely placed to shape and catalyse growth.
As devolution rolls out across England, we are witnessing the biggest shift in power from the centre to the regions in our living memory. For the new mayoral combined authorities (MCA) onboarding new powers has budgets, the challenge is how to harness culture and the creative industries to foster authentically inclusive models of growth, driving not only headline economic performance but developing self-determination in models of innovation and prosperity. This panel will explore the role of culture and creativity in delivering effective devolution in twenty first century England. It will feature three speakers from English MCAs – academic, civil service, and creative – to offer a 360 perspective on how harnessing the power of people and places can deliver new decentralised agency at a local level to unlock the economic as well as the social benefits of creativity and culture for everyone.
Session Organisers:
Igor Tupy, IPEA, Brasil
Simone Grabner, Austrian Institute for SME Research, Austria
Tasos Kitsos, Aston University, UK
Session Description:
Regions at the age of polycrisis and megatrends are faced with the dual challenge of being resilient whilst transforming. It is now well understood that sub-national geographies are not uniformly impacted by shocks. Disrupted local value chains, reduced economic diversity, and intensifying de-industrialisation are just some examples of the long-term negative hysteretic effects that can put a region into a vicious cycle of underdevelopment. The existing research has been effective in documenting these trends and uncovering different resilience factors in, largely, short-term settings, constrained by longitudinal quantitative and qualitative data availability. Going forward, it is clear that there is a need for more research into the mechanisms, drivers, and policy levers of long-term resilience capacity. These are expected to lead to novel conceptualisations and operationalisations of resilience and invite approaches that trespass academic and methodological boundaries, linking the macro to the micro-level.
This session is the first special session of the Research Network on Transformative Regional Resilience and has a dual aim. Firstly, we aim to bring together researchers interested in regional resilience and discuss the latest theoretical and empirical research in order to better understand the formulation of policy at the subnational level. Secondly, we aim for this to be our inaugural in-person gathering that will establish a thriving network of researchers and stakeholders in transformative regional resilience.
As such, we invite contributions that focus (but not limited) on the broad themes:
– New conceptualisations of economic resilience
– New measures and data of transformative regional resilience
– Qualitative and quantitative empirical evidence of resilience determinants
– The short vs long-term nexus of resilience
– Resilience policies and practices
Session Organisers:
Franziska Görmar, Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography, Germany
Max Roessler, University of Greifswald, Germany
Maximilian Benner, University of Vienna, Austria
Session Description:
In recent years, scholars in regional studies have increasingly turned their attention to ideational concepts such as narratives, visions or imaginaries (Benner 2024). It is assumed that by narrating the past, envisioning or imagining (alternative) futures, agents promote specific, often normative understandings of regional development and legitimise their actions in the present (Görmar 2023). They tie past, present and future into coherent storylines, thereby enabling specific development options that fit these storylines to be realised and others to be foreclosed (Görmar & Kinossian 2022; Roessler 2024).
Narratives and visions can be seen as discursive vehicles used by regional development agents to achieve specific strategic goals (Roessler et al. 2024). Yet, collectively shared narratives and imaginaries, which are part of cultural repertoires, also decisively shape agents’ room for manoeuvre (Miörner 2022). This may be particularly relevant for ongoing transformations such as the green and digital transitions, which are driven by strong normative underpinnings (Benner 2024).
While ideational concepts have been studied for at least two decades in various disciplines such as planning, political science or organisational studies, the debate on an emerging ideational turn in economic geography has only just begun. Many questions are still open, including those about terminological differentiations, definitions and possible typologies of narratives, visions and imaginaries, the different ontological and epistemological underpinnings of the concepts, and suitable methodological approaches to capture them.
With this session, we aim to push this debate further. We welcome both empirical and conceptional papers from diverse geographical and disciplinary backgrounds which give answers to the following questions:
– How can we define and distinguish between different ideational concepts in regional development such as narratives, visions and imaginaries?
– How do such discursive or ideational devices shape regional development?
– How do narratives and imaginaries intersect at different scales?
– What methodological approaches are useful for understanding the emergence and evolution of imaginaries, visions and narratives, as well as their consequences?
– What could a focus on imaginaries bring to current debates on transformation, normativity and directionality in regional policy?
– How can different disciplinary perspectives contribute to our understanding of the role of narratives, visions and imaginaries in regional development?