Daniel Galland Associate Professor in Spatial Planning Aalborg University Department of Sustainability and Planning LAND | Land Management and Governance Recent books: Regions in Evolution: A History of Regional Planning (2026) Planning Regional Futures (2022) RSA networks: RSA Research Network on Bridging Governance Gaps in City-Regions
Industrial policy is back, not least in the UK, with a new Prime Minister entering office committed to a substantial reboot of the country’s economic model. Across advanced economies, geopolitical uncertainty, supply-chain restructuring, economic security concerns, intensifying technological competition, and the transition to net zero are prompting governments to rethink how economic development is organized. […]
Dr. Carola Fricke Junior Professor in Human Geography with special focus on Europe Saarland University Department of European Social Research CEUS | Cluster for European Research
A Cultural Tourism–Oriented Perspective Crete is the largest island in Greece, positioned at the intersection of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and has historically served as a strategic point along major maritime routes. It relies heavily on its archaeological heritage tourism, particularly the legacy of the Minoan Civilization. In the past, the accounts from Herodotus and […]
Innovation policy is often designed as if geography does not matter. Public agencies often allocate public financial aid to innovative firms based on project quality and firm characteristics, but rarely investigate whether the location of those firms shapes how much they benefit. Our recent research suggests it should. In our recent publication in Industrial and […]
Dr Lewis Dijkstra Team Leader of Urban and Rural Analysis at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre and Visiting Professor in Practice at the London School of Economics and Political Science 2021 Regional Studies Best Paper Award: The geography of EU discontent
Why do some regions recover from violent conflict more slowly than others? And how long do the economic effects of conflict persist across space? These questions remain central to regional development research, especially in places where war has reshaped long-run economic activity (Abadie and Gardeazabal, 2003; Blattman and Miguel, 2010). Looking into this question, Kešeljević, […]
“War made the state, and the state made war.” Charles Tilly’s (1975) well-known thesis is not only a theoretical claim- in the Balkans, it becomes a lived reality. Bosnia and Herzegovina offers one of the clearest examples of how war and state formation are deeply intertwined. After World War II, Bosnia and Herzegovina was one […]
Wander Demuynck is a PhD researcher in regional and urban studies at the Public Governance Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium, and at the Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Utrecht University, the Netherlands. His doctoral research focuses on ‘interplaces’ — peri-urban areas and towns within metropolitan regions — and on how economic, political, and cultural […]
Innovation is often seen as a universal force for good, a driver of economic growth and improvements in living conditions. However, innovation also has a “dark side” (Coad et al., 2022). Past industrial breakthroughs, from battery manufacturing to steel production, fueled massive economic growth but left a toxic legacy of heavy metals such as arsenic, […]
Dr Robert Bowen Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, Wales Co-Editor of Regions Member of the RSA Publications Committee
Dr Sabine Dörry Luxembourg Institute of Socio-economic Research (LISER), Luxembourg RSA Ambassador to Luxembourg Editorial Board Member at the Finance & Space journal 2026 organiser of the Territorial Network 60th Anniversary inaugural BeNeLux Geography Conference, Leuven https://www.benelux-geo.eu/ 2012 RSA Travel grant 2015 MeRSA Research Grant Project: The role of the state in building sustainable financial […]
Thilo Lang Head of Department and Rersearch Director at Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography, Leipzig, Germany and Professor for Economic Geography at the Global and European Studies Institute, University of Leipzig, Germany 2013 RSA Routledge Award for Early Career Excellence Co-host and co-organiser of the RSA Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) Conference, held in Leipzig […]
Michael Steiner Institute of Economics, University of Graz, Austria Local Organizer of the 2016 RSA Annual Conference, Graz Editorial Board member, Regional Science Regional Studies (since 2015); RSA Territorial Ambassador to Austria (ca. 2007-2018) Further information 2025 ACN (Academic Conference Network) Excellent Paper Award, Category Best Presentation/Best Content for “Buying, Selling and Annexing Regions”, […]
Professor Helen Lawton Smith Birkbeck, University of London, UK 2018-2019 Chair of RSA Gender & Equalities Committee, and member of RSA Board 1997-2000 Member, RSA Executive Committee 2024 RSA Policy Impact Book, 6: 2 A Seat at the Table: A Place for Disabled Entrepreneurs and Innovators, edited by Helen Lawton Smith, Connie L. McNeely, […]
Regions are often treated as spatial units where environmental policies are implemented and evaluated. In practice, they also function as implementation systems, in which responsibility is carried forward through sequenced handling processes once equipment is no longer in use. End-of-life aquaculture nets make this dynamic visible. Norwegian aquaculture provides a clear case. Fish farming nets […]
Dr John Gibney Birmingham Business School, UK John is currently an Honorary Senior Fellow at the Birmingham Business School. He joined the University of Birmingham following an influential career in city, regional and cross-border economic development in the UK and mainland Europe. John was a founding member of the RSA international research network on sub-national […]
Dr. Kean Fan Lim Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies (CURDS), Newcastle University, UK 2019 RSA Routledge Early Career Award 2019 RSA Winter Conference Early Career Speaker RSA -Routledge Early Career Award recognises outstanding achievements in the first five years post-PhD, while the plenary speaker award recognises the excellent potential of an ongoing topic. […]
Dr Nicola Francesco Dotti European Commission, DG Research & Innovation, Chief Economist Unit, Belgium 2011 – 2016/ 2016 – 2021, Coordinator of the RSA Research Network on the EU Cohesion policy (CPnet) Currently working in the European Commission on the European R&I geography, economics of science, and strategic foresight.
Dr Petya Slavova Associate Professor Sofia University “St Kliment Ohridski” in Sofia, Bulgaria. Her recent research projects explore the socio-economic aspects of the rural–urban nexus in the post-socialist context from a range of perspectives, including local food, the social economy, and bioregions. She was an invited closing plenary speaker at the RSA Central and Eastern […]
Dr. Teodora Dogaru Independent Regional and Urban Policy Consultant/Academic lecturer (based in The Hague, The Netherlands) I am an urban researcher whose analytical interests stem from both economic and societal/community environments. My background situates at the cross-road of various disciplines such as economic geography/Economics, urban planning or cultural analysis. My work experience is built around […]
Dr Mark Sandford, House of Commons Library, UK 2024 RSA Distinguished Service Award RSA Professional Development Webinar Series Speaker (Engaging with the workings of Parliament)