We are happy to announce that the Best Book Award 2021 has been awarded to:
- Cities and Regions in Crisis – The Political Economy of Sub-National Economic Development – MARTIN JONES, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Designate, Staffordshire University, UK
Joan Fitzgerald, Northeastern University, USA and the Editor-in-Chief of the RSA’s Regions and Cities Book Series awarded the 2021 Award virtually:
Offering a geographical political economy analysis, this book explores the mechanisms, institutions, and spaces of subnational economic development. Martin Jones innovatively examines how policy-makers frame problems and offer intervention solutions in different cities and regions. Drawing on different approaches to state intervention, neoliberalism, crisis and contradiction theories, and notions of depoliticisation, this book explains policy failure and how it is impacted by flux surrounding economic development. With constant changes to legislation, institutional initiatives, and ministerial responsibility, local and regional economic development is shown to be at a critical crossroads. Theoretically innovative and empirically focused, this timely book is a must-read for researchers and policy-makers of urban geography, regional development, political economy and public policy.
Professor Martin Jones is Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Designate at Staffordshire University. He previously held the position of Director of the White Rose Social Science Doctoral Training Centre (WRDTC) and Professor of Urban and Regional Political Economy at the University of Sheffield, and was Pro-Vice Chancellor at Aberystwyth University. Martin is the originator and co-editor of the journal Territory, Politics, Governance and plays an active role in the Regional Studies Association. Martin is an interdisciplinary researcher, working in the broad area of society and space, and specifically on the interface between economic and political geography.
The winner was voted by our members in an online survey. Eligible books from two categories are shortlisted by the series editors: the categories are those books that have been published in the Regions and Cities Book Series; and the books reviewed in Regional Studies.
The Editors of the Book Series are interested in hearing from members about innovative ideas for new books, whether authored or edited collections. We encourage all members to consider submitting to the series, and the editors would like to extend the diversity of authors and editors, across nationality, gender, geography, and career stage. Please contact the series editor, Joan Fitzgerald (jo.fitzgerald@neu.edu) if you are interested in submitting a proposal. She and the Editorial Board are eager to work with authors throughout the writing process.