Urban and Regional Studies

Policy Link

2010-06-11T11:15:00.002+01:00

Another interesting project by the Orlando, CA based community action group Policy Link. They asked a number of people what did they promise to do for their neighbourhood. The result can be seen in this video.

On equity

2010-06-09T23:49:00.003+01:00

I'd like to highlight a couple of websites focusing on equality, although at least one of them isn't new. The Equality Trust was created in 2008, after Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett secured a deal to publish the book "The Spirit Level: Why Equality Is Better For Everyone'>The Spirit Level: Why more equal societies almost always do better". The aim of the trust is to bring to the public knowledge about the 'social illnesses' caused by inequality and help develop the political will to tackle this issue.

The second one, called Demand Equity Now, was created by Policy Link, a very innovative and engaged think-thank / community organisation based in Oakland, California (a post-industrial city located near Berkeley). It is a platform to coordinate the efforts of advocates for a more equal world.

Both are very interesting for people who would like to be more active in this field, while being also a good source of information.

Map of the BP oil spill

2010-06-02T21:06:00.001+01:00

In this link you can visualise the spread of oil along the US coast, and also get more information about what is happening.

Some interesting articles

2010-06-02T11:03:00.007+01:00

I'd like to suggest a few interesting articles. This one, published in The Atlantic (where else?), discusses the constant longing for the authentic city that probably never existed. It focuses on New York, but a similar argument could be made for almost any other place where people constantly speak about a supposed magnificient past in contrast to the seemingly decadent present.

This one, written by the Stanford economist Paul Romer, suggests that better than giving aid to poorer nations, rich countries should unite to build better cities for them. His argument is that since most of the developing world's population will move into cities over the next decades, the best way to increase their living standards is to invest in the quality of the urban infrastructure.

On a different note, this article reviews a new compilation of Charles Dickens' travel writing. Travel writing was to a great extent where Geography as a discipline started, as explorers and others went around the world describing the different cultures that they found. Charles Dickens was particularly good at this, because as the author of this review points out: "Travel is not that interesting. People are. Stories come alive only when there are people in them."

Local and regional government in the UK

2010-05-20T15:21:00.003+01:00

The new UK Government has published its program today and there are several references to the future of local and regional government. Under the heading 'Business' it is said that Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) will be replaced by Local Enterprise Partnerships. Further down, under 'Communities and Local Government' the new powers of local government and communities are established.

It is to a great extent what the Conservative party had been announing it would do all along, so there aren't really a lot of surprises. One of the big questions however was what was going to happen to the RDAs in places such as the North East. I don't think this document really clarifies much, although it does mention that the Partnerships "may take the form of the existing RDAs in areas where they are popular." We'll have to wait for more details.

The Atlantic

2010-05-19T12:39:00.002+01:00

The magazine The Atlantic has a section devoted entirely to the future of cities. I find this particularly interesting: it's a collection of stories about cities that were published in the magazine over the last 150 years. Take for example a story published in 1906 wondering if New York would ever compare to Paris!

Ranking of European cities

2010-05-19T09:39:00.003+01:00

In New Geography among many interesting articles I found this unscientific and completely subjective ranking of European cities. It is nevertheless a fun read. It's just a pitty (for personal reasons obviously) that Lisbon wasn't included...

Florida debunked

2010-05-06T09:44:00.006+01:00

I often link in this blog to articles by Richard Florida, even though I disagree with his style of pop economic geography, and his simplistic assumptions about economic development. So as a counter argument I would suggest two articles published in mainstream outlets (i.e. not scientific journals) that debunk Florida's work. The first is a few month's old but very interesting. It was published in the American Prospect in January, although I ounly found it today, and it reflects on how the cities that took his advice are still waiting for a turning point. You can read it here. There is one paragraph that I find particularly funny, as a former manager of Richard Florida talks about his 'rock star' tours after publishing The Rise of the Creative Class:

"There was a tremendous money-generating aspect to Richard's work," Frantz says. "We did it in a grand way. We traveled in style. We stayed in boutique hotels in most of the places we were working." But it is wrong, he says, to see any conflict in Florida's dire pronouncements on the places that bankrolled this success, because he hadn't promised prosperity in the first place. "He wasn't really making prescriptions," Frantz says. "This wasn't Jesus Christ throwing the money men out of the temple; this was an academic. He was a fucking college professor, and you're hoping to resurrect Canton, Ohio? Yeah, good luck with that."

The second was published in a magazine called Fast Company. It's a review of his most recent book The Great Reset. Equally very well written, by someone that is clearly familiar with some of the academic debates. It's available here.

Two articles

2010-04-28T10:04:00.003+01:00

Edward Glaeser explains in simple terms the synergies between dense, diverse cities and dynamic labour markets.

Richard Florida discusses spatial variations within the USA in terms of homeownserhip. This is a debate that matters in other countries as well, such as the UK. A very interesting fact is cited right at the beggining: "Yale University's Robert Shiller, the world's leading student of bubbles, housing, and otherwise, found that from "1890 to 1990, the rate of return on residential real estate was just about zero after inflation." Makes you think twice about buying a house!

Spending cuts in the UK

2010-04-28T10:01:00.003+01:00

Katie Schmueker from the IPPR North reflects in this article on the regional targeting of public spending cuts in the UK. According to David Cameron, the Conservative leader, the public sector is too large in areas such as Northern Ireland or the North East of England. However Katie argues that if we look instead at public spending per capita London is ahead of all other regions!

Fragmented local government in the US

2010-04-27T09:28:00.003+01:00

Bruce Katz, of the Brookings Institution, has a very interesting piece on the Wall Street Journal about the costs of fragmentation in local government. This is an old discussion that has emerged over the years. Planners and Geographers tend to favour a more rational organisation of local government, with a view to making them more efficient in delivering services and managing local and regional economies. However a different version, supported by the notion popularised by Charles Tiebout that citizens vote with their feet, is that fragmented local authorities have the effect of increasing competition between constituencies and therefore promoting greater fiscal responsibility and better local government.

Bruce Katz clearly supports the former and he provides a solid body of evidence as to why it is the best option. His approach of justifying it first as something that makes sense from an economic point of view is probably a good way to convince people that would otherwise not care much if he mainly refered to better governance. The key issue now is whether the Obama's administration emphasis on urban policy will provide the necessary support to introduce sweeping reform. I wouldn't be surprised if reforming local government would lead to as much or even more anger and political opposition than the Health Care bill.

BRICs and the new global economic geography

2010-04-27T09:16:00.004+01:00

This article from the Huffington Post talks about the emergence of a new global economic geography as a result of the growing importance of the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China). It is not the most accurate piece, since the article recognizes that these countries have different interests, while at the sime time predicting that they will become the next global, rival superpower. It is difficult to conceive how 4 different countries, located in different regions of the world, with different political cultures and with deep rooted suspicions of each other can ever become a superpower. The EU is composed of countries that in theory are closer to each other culturally and is yet to become a strong political entity, particularly in matters of foreign policy. It is nevertheless a topic to bear in mind in the future.

Krugman

2010-04-27T09:07:00.002+01:00

Paul Krugman addressed the Association of American Geographers two weeks ago to reflect on the last 20 years of the New Economic Geography (or Geographical Economics, if you prefer). The paper on which his presentation was based is available online here.

For those who didn't attend his presentation it's a good read as it tackles the issue of Economics vs. Geography, with Krugman providing a sensible analysis of the limitations of both disciplines.

New Geography

2010-04-12T15:48:00.002+01:00

I should have probably noticed this magazine earlier, but it has only come to my attention now.

New Geography is an excellent source of information for people interested in urban and regional studies. Definitely worth bookmarking!

Wal Mart's growth

2010-04-07T16:45:00.002+01:00

You can see here an amazing visual representation of Wal Mart's growth in the USA. It is part of a website called Flowing Data, where you can find many more examples of data visualisation. It is definitely an excellent resource for anyone working with GIS.

A case for the return of geography

2010-04-06T14:43:00.002+01:00

An article on Geography's contribution to the expansion of knowledge by a Nigerian professor.

IMF seeking advice

2010-03-31T11:06:00.002+01:00

The International Monetary Fund is rethinking its role in a is a post-crisis world and is seeking advice from Governments, civil society and academics. You can read more about it here.

The type of advice that they want is very specialised, so probably many Economic Geographers will not have the expertise that they are after. Nevertheless this is an opportunity to engage with a much berated institution, provided they are really listening.

Geography lesson from the Ethiopian Review

2010-03-24T10:30:00.001Z

Why Internet Retailers Should Pay Attention to Where Potential Customers Live

Online courses

2010-03-11T15:03:00.003Z

At the Open Culture website you can find hundreds of podcasts on all sorts of topics, including free e-books, old films, and courses on several topics. Among the latter there are courses that relate to the content of this blog, such as one on the Economic Geography of the Industrial World, thaught by Richard Walker from the University of California Berkeley.

'New Global Economic Geography'

2010-03-09T16:30:00.001Z

Report from the States, where Robert Hormats, Undersecretary of State of Economics, Energy and Agricultural Affairs in the US, looks ahead to the future of energy and what he calls "Global Economic Geography."

IMF Survey Magazine

2010-02-25T10:21:00.002Z

The recent IMF survey magazine has some interesting articles, covering topics such as the recovery of Haiti or how to reestablish growth in Europe's emerging economies. The institution may be tilted towards a particular view of the world, but its access to a wide breadth of knowledge means the magazine allways offers interesting insights.

High Speed Rail

2010-02-25T10:12:00.002Z

There has been a lot of discussion recently about high-speed rail in the US, (check for instance this webpage on the NY Times) following the agenda of President Obama and the strategy implemented in countries such as Spain. But a study published recently shows that it would also benefit the UK economy and generate revenues for the Treasury in the long run.

Blogs

2010-02-23T17:19:00.003Z

Here are two blogs that can be interesting for people wanting to know more about economic geography and regional development. The first is by Richard Florida, who is now a regular contributor to the magazine The Atlantic. I must say that I am not a big fan of Florida's creative class thesis, but this blog talks about much more than that and provides a lot of interesting information.

The second is a collective blog linked with the website of the NY Times, that includes contributions by Edward Glaeser, an economics professor at Harvard who does work on Economic Geography.

As you will probably notice these are blogs based in the USA. I have tried to find similar ones based in Europe, but I haven't been able to. If you know of any please contact me.

Economic Geography trickling down

2010-02-18T16:56:00.004Z

This story is an interesting example of how the Economic Geography jargon of recent decades is trickling down to influence local development. Notice the implicit references to the creative class thesis, and the notions of regional innovation systems.

Job creation map in the US

2010-02-12T16:11:00.002Z

Here you can find an interesting map with job creation rates for the 50 US states, and a brief commentary by Richard Florida.

Is Paris becoming uglier?

2010-02-10T18:20:00.004Z

These people seem to think so.

Also an article measuring levels of happiness in the 50 US states concludes that people living in sunny states are happier! So much for regional development policies trying to address quality of life...

Democracy Journal

2010-02-06T19:08:00.002Z

The Democracy Journal, available here, has several interesting articles on topics that could be of interest to Economic Geographers, Planners and Regional Scientists. For instance, this one, talks about policies implemented in the US in the 1960s to deal with pockets of inner city deprivation and asks what can be done to emulate them today.

OECD publication

2010-02-04T16:49:00.000Z

'Cities, Towns and Renewable Energy - Yes In My Front Yard'

This book includes several case studies chosen to illustrate how enhanced deployment of renewable energy projects can result from local policy regardless of a community’s size or location. More information here.

Planning Studies news from Routledge

2010-02-04T16:44:00.001Z

The following journals are all celebrating their anniversaries with free article downloads:

15th anniversary of The Journal of Architecture. Download 15 free articles here

25th anniversary of Planning Practice & Research. Download 25 free articles here

30th anniversary of Transport Reviews. Download 30 free articles here

Routledge are also offering 30 days free access to the complete back file of Transport Reviews in July. To receive the free access voucher code on 1 July please email: Alexandra.Dann@tandf.co.uk

An interesting chat

2010-02-04T13:53:00.002Z

The National Post from Canada had an interesting chat with three experts on creative economies and what can be done to win job-creating investment. You can read it here.

World Economic Outlook by the IMF

2010-02-04T13:38:00.001Z

The International Monetary Fund just published it's World Economic Outlook update. The title is: 'A Policy-Driven, Multispeed Recovery' and the synopsis starts with the sentence: "The global recovery is off to a stronger start than anticipated earlier but is proceeding at different speeds in the various regions". More here.

Working papers

2010-01-29T10:50:00.004Z

In case you have never heard of this, you can subscribe to a mailing list here that regularly sends information about working papers in Economic Geography from around the world. It is an excellent way to keep in touch with what a lot of people are doing in this field.

The Economic Geography mailing list is edited by Steve Ross, from the University of Connecticut. If you go here you can also have access to many others in a diverse set of areas within Economics.

The Geography of bosses

2010-01-28T18:04:00.002Z

Accordind to this story from the BBC the perspective of Davos' participants regarding the evolution of the economy depends on their geographical location and industry.

Europe's biggest cities

2010-01-26T23:19:00.002Z

Want to know which are Europe's 500 largest cities? You can check here. Spoiler alert: the biggest is Moscow and the second biggest is London.

The world is not flat!

2010-01-26T23:09:00.002Z

According to this news story manufacturing in the US is going through a resurgence. Naturally the question with matters like these is if the return of some firms is enough to eclipse off shoring. Nevertheless it presents a series of interesting elements.

Summer Institute in Economic Geography

2010-01-26T23:06:00.001Z

The next edition of the summer institute in Economic Geography will be next Summer in Vancouver. It's open to PhD student and early career academics. More information here.

Changing shape of American cities

2010-01-26T22:57:00.002Z

Through Planetizen I found a very interesting interview with the urban planner Ken Greenberg discussing the changing shape of American cities. It's worth a read. This interview was made for the Metropolis Magazine.

Map

2009-07-20T11:27:00.002+01:00

This is a very interesting map of the world, with data on demography and CO2 emissions.

http://www.breathingearth.net/

Cities in America

2009-05-12T16:27:00.005+01:00

Interesting things are happening to American cities. Even though I don't tend to appreciate the kind of mega-trend science, where people make careers out of announcing the arrival of a new era, the changes identified by Christopher Leinberger in US real estate patterns are highly relevant. Sprawl in the US has reached a level that is hardly sustainable if oil prices go up again (as they are likely to, when the recession eases). The problem is not only the dependence on automobiles but also the rising costs of heating and global warming.

Another story I read recently was about Flint, Michigan, popularized by Michael Moore in his documentaries. The city has been hard hit by deindustrialization and population decline over the last few decades and it is hard to believe it will soon regain its economic vitality. City officials, in an attempt to manage its decline have come up with an idea, not completely new: shrink it! Even though at first sight it might seem a bit brutal, it could turn out to be a great idea. Follow the link above to read the story.

Evolutionary Economic Geography

2009-04-28T17:22:00.003+01:00

The April edition of the Economic geography journal was dedicated to the emerging branch of evolutionary economic geography. Worth a read.

OECD reports

2009-04-28T17:03:00.002+01:00

OECD Regions at a Glance 2009

"Well over one-third of the total economic output of OECD countries was generated by just 10% of OECD regions in 2005. This means the performance of regional economies and the effectiveness of regional policy matter more than ever. OECD Regions at a Glance is the one-stop guide for understanding regional competitiveness and performance, providing comparative statistical information at the sub-national level, graphs and maps. It identifies new ways that regions can increase their capacity to exploit local factors, mobilise resources and link with other regions. Measuring such factors as education levels, employment opportunities and intensity of knowledge-based activities, this publication offers a statistical snapshot of how life is lived – and can be improved – from region to region in the OECD area."

This new report can be downloaded for free here.

---------------------------------------

Governing Regional Development Policy The Use of Performance Indicators

This report examines both the challenges and the opportunities associated with designing and using indicator systems as a tool for the governance of regional development policy. It draws on the experiences of a number of OECD countries and provides an in-depth look at the cases of Italy, the United Kingdom (England), the United States and the European Union. It builds on previous OECD work on the governance of regional development policy by extending lessons about contractual relations among levels of government to performance indicator systems.

This one has to be bought. Available here.

Irony?

2009-03-31T20:57:00.002+01:00

The title of this report by the IMF sounds ironic in the current climate:

Reaping the Benefits of Financial Globalization

Electoral map in the USA, progressivism and economic geography

2009-03-19T20:27:00.005Z

Ruy Teixeira, from the Centre for American Progress, has been arguing for years that due to changes in demography, geography and attitudes the USA is heading towards a progressive majority. His latest report can be found here.

It would appear that the years between 2000 and 2008 were a refutation of his theories, but on the other hand the election of Barack Obama could indicate that these changes are finally having an impact on voting patterns! The issue however is that certain political values are likely to be more contingent than what Ruy and others have said. In the past there has been a similar discussion around post-materialism and the work of sociologists who claimed that there was a direct correlation between cultural values and economic development. The critics argued that cultural values are unstable and subject to changes in political and economic context and threfore cannot be directly correlated with development.

The interesting point nonetheless is that several polls have indeed shown that the majority of Americans believe in progressive ideas, but then classify themselves as either conservatives or moderates. This says a lot about the effectiveness of conservative propaganda but also about the failure of liberals to promote their political project. This is odd, because people already believe in progressive ideas, but are reluctant to vote for progressinve parties unless they shift to the right.

Unfortunately Economic Geographers have in my opinion been all too happy to engage in lenghty abstract discussions that say very little about how to develop a viable alternative. Deconstruction of everything and everyone certainly won't produce it. And the constant turns and twists towards new paradigms before the 'old' ones are stabilized won't either. It is probably time for a careful analysis and discussion about how our theories and models can inform a different type of policy making.

As an excellent example about how to move this reflection forward, take this article by Ron Martin on Geography and Public Policy.

World Band and Economic Geography

2009-03-19T19:53:00.008Z

The latest World Bank development report, that focused on Economic Geography, has been making some waves around the world. One of the main issues is that the World Bank experts have been advising countries that policies promoting the spatial distribution of wealth may hinder growth. Instead they have been arguing for policies that promote its concentration.

See as examples of reactions the following news stories:

Spreading out economic activity can hurt growth (Nepal)

Govts must promote economic integration (Nepal)

The world is not flat (India)

Governments must promote mobility of people: World Bank (India)

In news.google.com you can search for more as this is only a sample.

Also I add a story not directly linked with this report but still reflecting on the new geography of work in India and the importance of urbanization:

India's new geography of work

If you prefer academic work The Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society published a special issue entitled: 'The World is not Flat; Putting Globalisation in its Place' in November 2008. It can be accessed here, although you'll need a subscription to read the articles.

Conference

2009-03-11T02:57:00.001Z

The Spatial Economics Research Centre is holding its first annualconference at the London School of Economics on 7th/8th May 2009, withthe first half of the programme being devoted to selected papers by postgraduates working in this field.

Submissions (of 500 word abstracts) are invited now, to I.R.Gordon@lse.ac.uk, for receipt by 3rd April. The selected presenters will be invited to both days of the conference, with financial supportfor travel/accommodation.

More information here.

The geography of a recession

2009-03-04T14:17:00.001Z

In the New York Times today, a map with the unemployment rates across the USA.

Congress on the Geography of Europe

2009-03-02T18:53:00.002Z

The Slovak Geographical Society, Faculty of Sciences, of the Comenius University in Bratislava and the Institute of Geography of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava organise the EUGEO 2009, the second Congress on the Geography of Europe. The aim of the EUGEO 2009 is to attract geographers and related professionals from around Europe and create a forum stimulating discussion about research, education, accomplishments, and developments in geography.

The EUGEO Congress 2009 will be held on August 13 - 16, 2009 in Bratislava, Slovakia. More information on http://gis.fns.uniba.sk/eugeo2009.

The changing fame of economists

2009-03-02T18:38:00.002Z

It'll be interesting to see whether current changes in economic fashion will remain after the crisis, or if after a few years all will have been forgotten and the 'Friedmanites' will take control again. But for the moment it is reinvigorating to see the rebirth of 'old fashioned' economists. John Keynes and Hyman Minsky were among the first to be remembered, but others are now coming to the fore. Notice for instance this article on James Tobin, the famous proponent of the 'Tobin Tax' on financial markets.

OECD website

2009-02-26T19:56:00.002Z

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has setup a website with plenty of information on the current financial and economic crisis.

Articles

2009-02-26T19:41:00.004Z

Two interesting articles:

One by Richard Florida reflecting on how the current financial crash will reshape America's economic geography.

Another by Robert McMahon about America's failing infrastructure and how the current stimulus package could be used.

Futures of old industrial regions

2009-02-24T16:52:00.003Z

Under the current credit crisis there is reason to wonder if peripheral regions will be especially hit hard, particularly when measuring the impact of the troubles in the financial sector on the "real economy". Those regions that were witnessing a certain level of success in "transforming" themselves, may see their efforts evaporate as public spending is cut and credit is restrained. Looking at the same issue from an international perspective, developing countries, initially believed to be relatively insulated, are also witnessing an economic downturn. It is therefore a pressing issue to discuss the futures of peripheral regions and how will they emerge of this crisis.
The Smith Institute is organising a discussion on the future of the North East of England on Thursday 12th March 2009, accompanying the launch of a monograph of essays on the future of the North East, edited by Professor John Tomaney (Executive Director, Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies).

More information on the Smith Institute here.

RGS postgraduate forum searching for volunteers

2009-02-24T16:50:00.003Z

CALL FOR COMMITTEE MEMBERS 2009-2010

THE CURRENT POSTGRADUATE FORUM COMMITTEE WOULD BE GRATEFUL TO RECEIVE EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST FROM GEOGRAPHY POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS WHO WOULD LIKE TO BECOME INVOLVED IN THE WORK OF THE PGF COMMITTEE.

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS TO FILL THE FOLLOWING POSTS:

Chair and/or Chair Elect

Mid-Term Conference Organiser/s 2010

Annual Conference Sessions Organiser 2010

Treasurer

Equal Opportunities and Accessibility Officer

Webmaster (for http://www.pgforum.org.uk/)

IF YOU ARE A GEOGRAPHY POSTGRADUATE STUDENT AND ARE INTERESTED IN TAKING ON ANY OF THESE ROLES OR WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE CURRENT PGF CHAIR ROSA MAS GIRALT AT: r.masgiralt06@leeds.ac.uk

Call for papers

2009-02-18T14:32:00.001Z

CALL FOR PAPERS
Geographical Localization and Economic Activity

2nd workshop of the Regional Studies Research Network on Geographical Localisation, Intersectoral Reallocation of Labour and Unemployment Differentials (GLUNLAB)

May 14th- May 15th , 2009, University of Bologna, Rimini, Italy

Conference themes are listed below, however, quality papers in all areas in relation to the overarching theme of the workshop are welcome.

Intersectoral Reallocation of Labour
Unemployment Differentials
Migration Flows between European states
Spatial factors of Job Creation and Destruction
Industrial Geographical Localization
Regional well-being, job satisfaction, subjective happiness and economic growth
Spatial Divisions of Unemployment, Poverty and Wealth

Keynote speakers: Gerald A. Carlino (Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia) Giles Duranton (University of Toronto and Rimini Centre of Economic Analysis)

More information on how to apply here.

Path-dependency

2009-02-16T16:56:00.003Z

AAG 2009 Las Vegas: Roepke Lecture in Economic Geography and Inaugural Reception

Ron Martin, Professor of Economic Geography, and Professorial Fellow of St Catharine's College, University of Cambridge.

Tuesday, 3/24/09, 5:20 PM - 7:00 PM in Grande Ballroom G, Riviera Hotel, 1st

Speaker: Ron Martin

Paper Title: Rethinking Path Dependence

Discussant: Amy Glasmeier - Massachusetts Institute of Technology

----

Ron Martin together with Peter Sunley have a very good paper on path-dependence, talking about its history and examining some of its main flaws. It's highly recommended to anyone wishing to study this concept. I can be accessed here.

Antipode - Free articles

2009-02-13T20:51:00.001Z

Antipode is 40 years old in 2009!

To celebrate this anniversary the journal offers free access to a range of key articles published in Antipode from 1969-2009. Some of the most influential social scientists have published in the journal - such as David Harvey, Mike Davis, Doreen Massey, Neil Smith, Linda McDowell and Cindi Katz - and its average citation impact over the last decade places it within the top 7 journals in Geography and the Environmental Sciences.

Available here: www.wiley.com/go/antipode40

Fellowships

2009-02-11T17:53:00.000Z

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

20 Research Fellowships open to all disciplines

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München awards 20 Research Fellowships as of 1 July 2009. These fellowships are open to excellent postdocs in all disciplines. Applicants must have completed their doctoral studies in any field, having graduated no more than three years ago with outstanding results. Candidates must be able to design a research project and successfully carry it through to completion. The project must be supported by a professor of LMU Munich. The fellows will also be associated with the Center for Advanced Studies and be able to make use of its services.

The fellowships come with an attractive award (of up to € 60,000 per year). For carrying out a research project at LMU Munich, an additional € 25,000 may be applied for as start-up funding, as well as up to € 10,000 per year as material and travel expenses. Also, in the first two years following completion of their research stay, the fellows may be provided with up to € 5,000 for continuation of cooperative efforts with LMU Munich.

The fellowships are initially limited to two years. An extension of two years may be granted upon a positive academic evaluation.

You will find all information about the conditions of application at:
www.lmu.de/excellent/research-fellowships

Article

2009-01-26T21:31:00.004Z

There was an article in the New Yorker last week about health care reform in the USA that used the concept of path-dependency to argue for an improvement of existing policies rather than a complete overhaul of the system. It's a very valuable point, especially considering that a complete overhaul could lead to temporary disruption until the new institutions start working properly; and because we are talking about health care, any disruption, even if it is temporary, would literally kill people. On the other hand if the system is dysfunctional it is difficult to argue for simple improvements. Therefore what could be a good solution is to establish a long-term goal of deep reform that would be achieved by small incremental steps, built on the existing path-dependencies. It would still be necessary to respect the US context but on the other hand it would attempt to resolve the fragmentation that leads to such high costs.

Referees

2009-01-26T17:50:00.002Z

The European Urban and Regional Studies journal is searching for referees. If you are at least Post-doctorate and willing to referee articles for the journal please send your name, institutional affiliation and 6 key words to the journal administrator Kathy Wood at: Eurs.Journal@durham.ac.uk

Geographical visualisations

2009-01-09T16:10:00.003Z

After a period of inactivity related with the holiday season, I return to suggest a very good blog collecting images, maps, videos and other visual resources to illustrate how geography and human activity interact. I will add a permanent link on the right, under miscellaneous.

Jobs and fellowships

2008-12-16T12:31:00.003Z

I had been advertising here several jobs and fellowships but it's probably better to indicate the links where they are available so that people can do their own searches. Therefore I have created two new links sections, on the bottom right. There is a list of sites where you can find information about academic positions in different countries. Some of these sites are better than others. For instance Jobs.ac.uk, for jobs in the UK, and the Era Careers websites for other european countries, tend to be very compreensive. On the other hand Higheredjobs.com, specialized in the US, is much less so, since there are many jobs in our field that aren't advertised there. A good alternative is to go to the AAG website where they have a list of geography departments across the US and do an individual search.

If you know any other good alternatives for job searches, especially in other countries, please let me know so that I can add the links.

Article

2008-12-16T11:58:00.003Z

The new issue of the IMF magazine 'Finance & Development' is out. As you would expect most of it is about the financial sector and the current crisis. But there is also an interesting article called: 'The Economic Geography of Regional Integration'. You can access it here. It's an interesting read and could probably be very usefull as a teaching material, since it summarizes how trade has affected the concentration of economic activity and vice-versa.

Fellowships

2008-12-10T16:38:00.003Z

Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the Institute for Economic Research on Innovation (IERI)

Faculty of Economics and Finance
Tshwane University of Technology
http://www.jobs.ac.uk/jobs/TR028/

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Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Dublin City University Business School

Dublin City University
http://www.jobs.ac.uk/jobs/MD515/

Books

2008-12-10T16:33:00.001Z

Personal Wealth from a Global Perspective
Edited by James B. Davies

This volume looks beyond the distribution of income by examining the assets, debts, and net worth of individuals and households to create a global picture of wealth, its distribution and concentration. Unlike previous studies, this study includes material on a number of transition and developing countries as well as high income OECD countries.

For more details, visit: www.oup.com/uk/catalogue?ci=9780199548897

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Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2009: Overcoming inequality- why governance matters
Co-Published by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

Gaping inequalities confront education today. This global report maps the complex and multiple facets of inequality by providing a rich evidence-based assessment of the provision of education globally. Based on specialized commissions, extensive consultations and multiple research sources the report provides an authoritative, comparative reference.

For more details, visit: www.oup.com/uk/catalogue?ci=9780199544196

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Social Economy of the Metropolis: Cognitive-Cultural Capitalism and the Global Resurgence of Cities
Allen J. Scott

This book is about the renaissance of cities in the twenty first century and their increasing role as centers of creative economic activity. Allen Scott is one of the world's foremost thinkers on globalization and the economies of modern cities, and in this book presents a concise introduction to his innovative and insightful perspective.

For more details, visit: www.oup.com/uk/catalogue?ci=9780199549306

Jobs

2008-12-05T12:16:00.002Z

The University of Houston-Clear Lake invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Human Geography beginning August 2009.

Online App. Form: https://jobs.uhcl.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=51791

More information about the Geography Program and the University can be found at http://www.uhcl.edu/hsh/geography.

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Columbus State Community College: The department invites applicants to teach various Geography and Interdisciplinary Social & Behavioral courses.

Online App. Form: http://jobs.cscc.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=50364

Publishing for begginers

2008-12-04T15:18:00.002Z

If you feel that you could use some help with the publication process, here is a book that might suit you.

Publishing in Geography

Also you might want to check this article written by Thom Brooks, with some good advice for graduate students. It's broader than the book above because it doesn't focus on one single discipline.

Job

2008-12-04T14:39:00.001Z

Post-Doctoral Research Assistant
The Centre for Sustainable Urban and Regional Futures (Surf)
University of Salford
http://www.jobs.ac.uk/jobs/FJ092/

Job announced through: www.jobs.ac.uk

Centre for European Studies, University of Twente (NL)

2008-12-02T11:38:00.001Z

The Centre for European Studies at the University of Twente hosts a European Summer School, entitled Modes of European Integration, in summer 2009.

The European Summer School offers a week programme for students at the Master’s or PhD level and junior policy makers who are studying or working in: European higher education, European energy policy or European safety governance. The programme offers scientific reflection and discourse on key policy issues in European higher education, European energy, and European safety governance by key European academics and public officials.

Further details for the 2009 European Summer School will be available on the following website from mid-December 2008; www.utwente.nl/cheps

Graduate Teaching Assistantships

2008-12-01T17:01:00.001Z

Every year the University of Salford offers a number of Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs) for suitably qualified candidates wishing to study for a PhD. Applications are now invited for scholarships based in the European Studies Research Institute (ESRI) starting in October 2009. The scholarships are worth £13,290 per annum over three years and are open to UK/EU students.

Subject areas include: EU/European Politics; Middle East politics; Political Parties and Elections; Gender; emocratisation; Political Communication Political theory/Radical analysis/International Political Economy Military/International/Political History; International Relations/IR Theory; Intelligence; Security/Strategic Studies; US Foreign Policy; Translation and Interpreting Studies; Theoretical and Descriptive Linguistics; European Literature and Culture.

For details on how to apply please visit: www.esri.salford.ac.uk

2008-11-17T23:44:00.000Z

The World Development Report 2009:

* Documents how production becomes more concentrated spatially as economies grow.

* Proposes economic integration as the principle for promoting successful spatial transformations.

* Revisits the debates on urbanization, territorial development, and regional integration and shows how today's developers can reshape economic geography.

For more information on economic geography and the World Development Report press here.

European Spring Institute 2009

2008-11-17T22:48:00.002Z

The Prague's Centre for Public Policy (Centrum pro verejnou politiku - CPVP) is pleased to announce the forthcoming European Spring Institute 2009 (ESI 2009) on the Future of Europe: Lobbying in Brussels. In Prague, Czech Republic. March 28 - April 4, 2009

More information here: http://esi.cpvp.cz/esi/to

Conferences

2008-11-07T16:40:00.001Z

Regional Studies Association Conference 2008
Monday 1st December 2008

GO-EAST - Cambridge: Migration and Migrant Workers in the UK and an Enlarged European Union

Please register online at: www.regional-studies-assoc.ac.uk

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WINTER CONFERENCE 2008
Working Regions

Friday 28 November 2008
London Voluntary Sector Resource Centre
356 Holloway Road London N7 6PA

OECD report on inequality

2008-11-06T11:57:00.001Z

Income inequality and poverty rising in most OECD countries, according to the new OECD report. OECD’s "Growing Unequal?" finds that the economic growth of recent decades has benefitted the rich more than the poor. In some countries, such as Canada, Finland, Germany, Italy, Norway and the United States, the gap also increased between the rich and the middle-class. Countries with a wide distribution of income tend to have more widespread income poverty. Also, social mobility is lower in countries with high inequality, such as Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States, and higher in the Nordic countries where income is distributed more evenly. Launching the report in Paris, OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría warned of the dangers posed by inequality and the need for governments to tackle it. “Growing inequality is divisive. It polarises societies, it divides regions within countries, and it carves up the world between rich and poor. Greater income inequality stifles upward mobility between generations, making it harder for talented and hard-working people to get the rewards they deserve. Ignoring increasing inequality is not an option.” Read more.

Book

2008-11-06T11:54:00.000Z

Decentralized Authoritarianism in China

http://www.cambridge.org/uk/9780521882354

Pierre F. Landry examines how the Chinese Communist Party's management of local officials perpetuates a decentralized authoritarian regime.

Encouraging a positive local / regional entrepreneurial climate

2008-11-06T11:51:00.001Z

Spark, a Dutch NGO, has undertaken some effective initiatives to help launch promising small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Western Balkans. By establishing local Business Start-Up Centers (BSCs) in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia as well as creating a pan-region Southeast European Network of Start-Up Centers and Incubators (SENSI) Spark is aiming to build an enabling environment for entrepreneurs under 35 years old.

To enhance regional coordination, these Incubators and BSCs are linked together by SENSI (www.sensi.biz). For more information, please contact: Aleksandra Milenkovic BukumirovicHead of SPARK Belgrade office and Project Manager SPARK (formerly known as ATA) Dobracina 22/13, 11000 BelgradePhone/Fax: +381 (0)11 2189-585Phone: +381 (0)11 3286-053 www.spark-online.org

2008-11-06T11:40:00.000Z

Good jobs, nae jobs, bad jobs: Skills, workfare and struggles over work

Alternative Economy Strategy seminar, Friday, 13 February 2009, STUC, Woodlands, Glasgow

Please send an abstract to one of the organisers by 20 December 2008: Andy Cumbers (Andrew.Cumbers@ges.gla.ac.uk); Gesa Helms (g.helms@lbss.gla.ac.uk); or Geoff Whittam (Geoffrey.Whittam@uws.ac.uk)

The Political Economy of Labour Market

2008-11-06T11:36:00.000Z

We are now inviting potential paper-givers to submit abstracts for our workshop 'The Political Economy of Labour Market Reforms in Advanced CapitalistDemocracies' (for more information:http://www.ecpr.org.uk/lisbon/documents/ws22_000.pdf)

It will take place in the context of ECPR Joint Sessions 2009 inLisbon on April 14-19 (for more information,http://www.ecpr.org.uk/lisbon/academic_programme.html).

The deadline for abstract submission is 1 December 2008

Regional Studies Association Research Networks

2008-11-06T11:31:00.002Z

Green Regional Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Governance (GRIEG) Climate Change & Eco-Innovation: Regional Perspectives12th November 2008 - Aalborg, Denmark

Leading Citizen-Driven Governance: Collective Regional and Sub Regional Leadership in the UK and Beyond 24th November 2008 - Liverpool, UK. Second Workshop
Date: Monday 24 November 2008Venue: The Foresight Centre, University of Liverpool

Tourism, Regional Development and Public Policy
26th - 28th November, 2008 Aalborg, Denmark.
Second Workshop

The role of Old Industrial Knowledges in Economic Development of Post-Industrial Regions
15-17 February, 2009 Monchengladbach, Germany

Creative industries, scenes, cities, places: idiosyncratic dimensions of the cultural economy.
22nd and 23rd of April 2009 at the University of Cardiff.

More information about these networks can be found here: http://www.regional-studies-assoc.ac.uk/

Briefing

2008-11-06T11:28:00.000Z

How Will a New Administration and Congress Support Innovation In An Economic Crisis?

A briefing sponsored by the Economic Policy Institute, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, Breakthrough Institute, University of California Washington Center, and Ford Foundation

Monday, December 1, 2008 - Washington D.C.

More information here: http://www.burnesscommunications.com/new/new_rsvp.htm?doc_id=716291

4th Hellenic Observatory PhD Symposium

2008-11-06T11:24:00.000Z

Please find below the call for papers for the 4th Hellenic Observatory PhD Symposium that will take place on 25-26 June 2009 at the London School of Economics. More information about the 4th PhD Symposium and the Hellenic Observatory can be found at: http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/hellenicObservatory/

Student paper award: AAG 2009

2008-10-22T09:57:00.000+01:00

The Developing Areas Specialty Group (DASG) is seeking papers for the 2009 Student Paper Competition. An award in the amount of $200 will be provided to a graduate student (M.A. or Ph.D.) who provides a single-authored, original paper dealing with development studies, development geography, or geographic research in a developing country. The paper needs to be presented at the AAG Annual Meeting but does need to be part of a DASG-sponsored session. Paper submissions will be evaluated by three Directors of the specialty group and the winner will be announced in advance of the Annual Meeting. In order to be considered, students need to send an electronic copy of their paper by March 1st to Brian King, DASG Chair at bhk2@psu.edu.

Job

2008-10-22T09:53:00.002+01:00

The following position is currently being advertised at Macquarie University (Australia).

Lecturer in Human Geography Urban/Population Geography

More information here: http://www.es.mq.edu.au/humgeog/

Post-Doc

2008-10-21T11:41:00.005+01:00

Announcement for 1-2 positions as RESEARCHER / POST-DOC on the topic of DEVELOPMENT OF REGIONAL INNOVATION SYSTEMS at The Dahmén Institute.

The announced position is for half time or full time employment at the Dahmén Institute, with placement in Gothenburg and localities at the University of Gothenburg. The position is initially limited to one year, with possibilities of extension.

For further information, please contact Annika Rickne, Associate Professor and Director of Research at the Dahmén Institute: annika.rickne@dahmeninstitutet.se.

For the Dahmén Institute: http://www.dahmeninstitutet.se/

Research seminars - 'Places with People'

2008-10-21T11:38:00.001+01:00

A new series of eight research seminars addressing the theme of ‘Places withPeople’ will start on the 29 October 2008.

Professor Tim Butler (King’s CollegeLondon) will open the series with a presentation entitled: Gentrification in EastLondon.

Date: 29 October 2008
Time: 12.30pm - 1.30pm
Venue: C-Scaipe debating chamber
Kingston University London

For further details:
e-mail: Dr Silvia Gullino s.gullino@kingston.ac.uk
Telephone: +44(0)20 84177177

Lecture series

2008-10-20T13:15:00.001+01:00

Reflexive Methodology - a lecture series on doing qualitative, post-positivist research

Featuring:

Prof. Andrew Sayer, on critical realism (12-14 November 2008)
Dr. Mike Crang, on doing ethnography (25-28 November 2008)
Prof. Annemarie Mol, on actor-network theory (5-6 February 2009)
Prof. Jacob Torfing, on post-structural discourse theory (16-20 March 2009)

For details see: www.ru.nl/socgeo/humboldt

Nobel Prize

2008-10-14T16:31:00.002+01:00

Paul Krugman won the Nobel Prize. Even though many economic geographers call his theories geographical economics, due to its firm rooting in traditional economics, it is still good that work on the intersection between space and the economy has been granted this award. Congratulations!

Call for papers - EU Cohesion Policy Workshop

2008-10-14T15:28:00.000+01:00

EU Cohesion Policy: Research Opportunities and Policy Challenges

Friday 5 December 2008, 10am-5pm

European Policies Research Centre, University of Strathclyde

EU Cohesion policy accounts for over 35 percent of the EU budget. The negotiation and implementation of policy involves multiple tiers of institutions, as well as the private and voluntary sectors. The institutional/policy contexts and relationships have evolved over time, potentially requiring previous assessments of Europeanisation and multi-level governance to be re-evaluated. The 2006 revision of the Cohesion policy Regulations aims to promote sustainable development, innovation and employment, opening the way to explore how these objectives are implemented in practice. The policy is also central to debates on EU budget reform, with fundamental questions being asked about its performance, governance, policy coordination and evaluation. This creates significant opportunities to advance research in different disciplines, as well as interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research. Against this background, the EPRC is organising a workshop to discuss ongoing research, exchange ideas, explore new opportunities for collaborative research and establish a network of researchers on Cohesion policy.

http://www.eprc.strath.ac.uk/eprc

Job

2008-10-14T14:44:00.001+01:00

Human geography vacancy at University of Wisconsin-Madison

http://geoguwmadison.wordpress.com/

2008-10-09T10:30:00.001+01:00

Communities of Practice: Community, Economic Creativity, and Organization

Edited by Ash Amin and Joanne Roberts

'Communities of practice', like 'social capital' and 'networks', is an idea that has been widely adopted in the social sciences, particularly in discussion of innovation and creativity. This book evaluates the concept and its uses, and will be an essential guide for students and researchers.