Governing the low-carbon energy transition in fossil fuel-dependent coastal regions: a comparativestudy of Iwaki and Iburi in Japan The project evaluates how two former coal-mining coastal regions in Japan – Iwaki in Fukushima Prefecture, and Iburi in Hokkaido – face the challenge of balancing the short-term employment and economic benefits that continue to be derived […]
‘The Search for the Social Contract in England’s Regions’ This project will use Social Contract theory to investigate (the lack of) engagement with sub-national institutions and policies in England.It will do this by using a case study of the Leicestershire region and analysing data through the lens of Social Contract Theory (principally through the work […]
Understanding the declining trend in internal migration in Europe Internal migration is of fundamental importance for individuals and families to achieve their goals and aspirations. At a societal level, internal migration underpins the effective functioning of the labour and housing markets. It is essential to economic resilience by bringing knowledge, skills and labour to locations […]
Project title: Relatedness, knowledge complexity and technological opportunities of regions: A framework for smart specialisation The main aim of this project is to contribute theoretically and empirically to the smart specialisation debate in the regional studies literature. Smart specialisation is the underlying innovation policy concept for Europe 2020 – the EU’s growth strategy for the coming decade. […]
Project title: Reverse knowledge spillover and innovation performance of European-invested firms in emerging economies: the case of China’s ICT industry The extant literature on trans-boundary knowledge flows has primarily focused on FDI spillover effects on local firms in emerging economies. However, the issues on whether or not and under what conditions foreign-invested firms can enjoy […]
Project title: Genomic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa The geography of the global economy has been profoundly transformed in recent decades as manufacturing has increasingly shifted to the global South. Many Southern cities and regions sought to benefit from the “new international division of labour” by attracting foreign investment. In their efforts to lure foreign investors, policy […]
Project title: Evaluating Tech City: Identifying effects on firm entry, employment and rents using difference in difference analysis The project aims to evaluate the economic impacts (if any) of the Government’s flagship Tech City cluster programme in East London between 2010 and 2014/15. To do this I will use difference in differences analysis on a unique […]
Producer adaptations within and beyond global production networks: Agro- food restructuring in the Caribbean In the Caribbean, domestic agricultural producers face growing ecological and economic constraints that are reshaping the prospects for rural livelihoods. These constraints include: (1) declining state support; (2) deteriorating yields associated with climate change and extreme weather events; and (3) a […]
Drivers of industrial rejuvenation in UK and Portugal old industrial regions Dr Jorge Martins on the RSA Early Career Grant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yN8FTBZEP44 Over the last decades manufacturing in European regions has been exposed to intense global competition, particularly as a consequence of trade liberalisation. Regions with a high dependence on mass-manufacturing and old industrial regions (OIR) […]
Beyond Neoliberalism? The Regional Carbon Markets in China and the Activity of Financial Industry A vast environmental market is emerging from a non-traditional capitalist state, i.e. China. This research will analyse the regional carbon markets being developed in seven designated Chinese cities and provinces since 2013. It will focus on the variations in market activity across […]
Governance for knowledge transfer in the SMEs industrial parks: the case of Sino-European Industrial Parks in Guangdong, China This project aims to investigate the governance mode for knowledge transfer in the newly-emerged inter-governmental collaboration project between China and Europe in one of the most affluent and open regional economies in China—Guangdong Province. Specifically my research […]
Research Title: Public Investment and Social Capital. Do European Structural and Cohesion Funds Enhance Social Capital in European Regions? “The EC grant has enabled me to set aside time to work on my book project, present and discuss related work in progress on international workshops and conferences as well as during a visiting stay, and receive valuable […]
Positions: Research Fellow at the Future of Cities. University of Oxford. COMPAS, InSIS & Oxford Martin School (UK) Lecturer in the Institute for Future Cities, University of Strathclyde Glasgow (UK) Lecturer in Policy & Sociology in Birmingham Aston University (UK) Lecturer at the University of Mondragon (Spain) Institutions: University of Oxford. COMPAS, InSIS & Oxford […]
Research Title: Developing Impact-Driven Megaregional Research: Northern England after the Northern Way The RSA Early Career Grant has been invaluable. The emphasis on big grants obscures precisely how much can be done with a modest sum. The grant has allowed me to employ a talented PhD student on a part-time basis, providing me with my first […]
“Local pharmaceutical production in East Africa: south-south production networks and the state” Read more about this research here: https://regions.regionalstudies.org/ezine/article/from-divergence-big-time-to-converging-divergence/ In response to a dependence on imports, as well as concerns over the quality and longer-term fragility of supply of imported medicines, enhancing the local production of pharmaceuticals is now a key focus of policymakers in sub-Saharan […]
“The spatial integration of climate change adaptation governance in the UK: the efficacy of a (city-) regional politics?” The RSA funding enabled me to develop research in broader areas relating to climate governance. Another important impact from the RSA EC grant is that it enabled the successful securing of other grant applications. The RSA grant […]
“BRICs and Region Building in Africa: The Nacala Logistics Corridor” The engagement of the BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – in Africa is an issue of the upmost topicality and world economic and political concern. A new wave of foreign investment is leading to mining and natural resource development, infrastructure projects, […]
Research Title: Suburbanization and the Changing Geographic Scale of Spatial Segregation in Mexico After reform and expansion of the country’s housing finance system in the early 1990s, Mexican cities have expanded at a rapid rate through the construction of large-scale suburban housing developments. One important feature of the housing system is the dominance of the […]
Research Title: Financial Crisis, Regional Policy and the Construction of Territory: the Case of the Spanish Regions Listen to Paula Portas sharing her tips on how to write a successful application for the Early Career Grant Scheme: (English) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOHEYOGpi7w&feature=emb_title (Spanish) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOBi4u0X7TA&feature=emb_title The financial saga leading to the demise of savings banks since 2009 […]
Research Title: Entrepreneurship and Technological Change: Understanding Entrepreneurial Usage of the Internet, Social Media and Virtual Reality Technologies Listen to Dr Elizabeth Mack sharing her experience with the RSA Early Career Grant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0go_cCQHwg&feature=emb_title
Research Title: Skills, Regions, and Entrepreneurship Dr Haifeng Qian talks about how being a Regional Studies Association Early Career Grant holder helped his career – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll3fZag-sN4&feature=emb_title The focus of this research is on regional factors that are associated with entrepreneurship, with a particular emphasis on the role of geographically bounded skills. A recent U.S. Department […]
Research Title: International Knowledge Flows and Spillovers and the Evolution of National Technology Trajectories We are very pleased to announce that Dr Dieter F. Kogler, School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy, University College Dublin, Ireland – a previous RSA Early Career Grant holder – has been awarded major European Research Council Funding. Following the award […]
Research Title: Understanding U.S. college graduate migration This research considers the migration patterns of college graduates from a large, U.S. state-supported institution. If high levels of human capital can contribute to regional economic growth, knowing what motivates graduates to choose a post-graduation location can help regions develop strategies to attract them. This study also fills […]
Research Title: In what sense a new non-state space: the case of the Atlantic Gateway city-region The overall aim of this research is to use the Atlantic Gateway as a unique lens through which to address current gaps in our knowledge of city-regions, in particular around how they are constructed politically. Officially launched in March […]