The Annals of Regional Science - Regional Disparities in the 21st Century: Evolution, Causes and Perspectives
The 21st century has proven to be anything but a quiet era. Instead, it has emerged as a period marked by remarkable turbulence, not only on a macro scale in national economies but also at the meso level encompassing regions and urban agglomerations. Despite witnessing a general rise in welfare worldwide, one striking phenomenon has been the growing prominence of spatial disparities, both within countries and between them. However, it is important to emphasize that these disparities do not follow a uniform pattern; rather, they exhibit a significant degree of inequality.
The far-reaching economic crisis that originated in 2007-08 has had profound and diverse effects on the evolution of interregional disparities across numerous countries worldwide. These effects have been far from homogeneous, ranging from severe impacts on some regions to relatively minor consequences for others. While certain regions have displayed remarkable resilience in the face of the crisis, it is disheartening to note that regional disparities, from both an economic and social standpoint, have started to escalate in many countries. Moreover, the migration crisis, which has unfolded both between continents and within them, has introduced yet another perturbation that has influenced spatial welfare disparities. Finally, the COVID-19 pandemic has left an indelible mark on regional disparities, albeit with uneven effects primarily stemming from variations in production structures, absorption potential, and territorial capital. Looking ahead, the post-pandemic phase introduces a range of new trends and changes that have the potential to produce unique effects on the economic dynamics of various regions. These may include declining convergence, geopolitical conflicts, the development of new technologies, processes of de-globalization, shifts in job demand, challenges in energy transition, climate adaptation efforts, urbanization challenges, and more.
With the aim of exploring the spatial and temporal trajectories of disparities, the topical collection places its focus on this critical topic. Priority will be given to papers that offer a fresh and innovative analytical perspective, whether through an evolutionary approach, resilience frameworks, machine learning techniques, or other cutting-edge methodologies. The goal is to delve into the backgrounds, causes, and effects of spatial disparities across different parts of the world, either from a general viewpoint or through comparative analyses of several countries or global regions. The methodologies employed in these papers may adopt a broad lens, analysing spatial dynamics from a convergence/divergence perspective, or they may address specific spatial-economic aspects such as employment trends, technological advancements, company relocations, entrepreneurial capacities, sustainable development, policy evaluation, and more. In addition to providing a solid theoretical and conceptual framework for disparities research, the utilization of innovative quantitative research methods and the exploration of future trend prospects will be highly valued.
To facilitate the submission process, papers should be submitted exclusively through the dedicated portal of The Annals of Regional Science (https://www.editorialmanager.com/arsc/default2.aspx). The submission window for this collection is open from June 15, 2023, to January 31, 2024. All submitted papers will undergo a rigorous and impartial review, based on the general peer review policy of the journal, and considering their unique contributions to the theory, methodology, and policy aspects of regional development. The maximum length for papers is approximately 8000 words. Once accepted, the papers will be published online promptly as part of the topical collection, ensuring the timely dissemination of valuable research findings. For further information on the publisher's general policies, as well as details on open access publications, interested readers are encouraged to visit the following website: https://www.springer.com/journal/168/submission-guidelines (this opens in a new tab).
Editors
Juan R. Cuadrado-Roura is professor of applied economics and founder-director of IAES, University of Alcala, Madrid. He is former president of European Regional Science Association (ERSA) and a member of many editorial boards. He has published a high number of books and papers in indexed international journals, mainly on European economic policy, productivity and competitiveness, regional analysis and service industries. He is director of the journal Investigaciones Regionales.
Karima Kourtit is at the Open University, Heerlen, The Netherlands. Her main scientific research is in the field of creative industries, urban development, cultural heritage, digital technology, and strategic performance management. Her academic profile is characterized by a profound involvement in evidence-based urban and spatial research on smart city policy and data metrics, by a strong commitment to educational support to young researchers and by an active role in many international scientific and managerial activities. Furthermore, she has been an editor of several books and guest editor for many international journals, and has published a wide array of scientific articles, papers, special issues of journals and edited volumes in the field of geography and the spatial sciences. She is also managing director of The Regional Science Academy (TRSA).
Peter Nijkamp is emeritus Professor in regional and urban economics and in economic geography at the VU University, and associated with The Open University of the Netherlands (OU), Heerlen (The Netherlands), and the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Iasi (Romania). He is also affiliated with the School of Public Policy and Management at the most prestigious university in China, Tsinghua University in Beijing. He participates in many international scholarly networks. He is an active and recognized academic who has published more than 2000 articles and books in the field of regional development, urban growth, quality of life, poverty and inequality, transport and the environment. As a consequence, his citation index and H index are extraordinarily high. He is a fellow of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences (KNAW). He has served as president of the governing board of the Netherlands Research Council (NWO). In addition, he is also fellow over several foreign academies. He is a celebrated speaker at many international conferences. In 1996, he was awarded the most prestigious scientific prize in the Netherlands, the Spinoza award. He is at present vice-president of The Regional Science Academy (TRSA) and involved in many research activities all over the world.