Tom is responsible for overseeing the development and delivery of the Regional Studies Association’s publishing programme. He manages publishing partnerships and budgets, ensures copyright compliance, and stays current with trends in publishing and the social sciences. Working closely with the Chief Executive and committees, Tom helps shape publishing strategies, supports journal editors-in-chief, manages editorial contracts, […]
Conscious that next year marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Regional Studies Association (RSA), at the most recent meeting of the RSA Board, Board members and I began thinking about an updated strategy for the Association. We agreed that a strategic plan should be finalised no later than December 2025. Why take […]
This blog was written for the RSA Blog Student Summer Series that will highlight graduate student success in regional studies across the globe throughout the summer. The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed how and where we work. Rates of remote working skyrocketed during national lockdowns; for many, this was the ‘grand experiment nobody wanted’. […]
Sarah Ayres is Professor of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Bristol, UK. Her central research interest is the governance of place, space and territory. This core provides the basis for two main strands of work. First, her research is concerned with devolution and decentralisation in both a UK and an international context, […]
Sarah Ayres is Professor of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Bristol, UK. Her central research interest is the governance of place, space and territory. This core provides the basis for two main strands of work. First, her research is concerned with devolution and decentralisation in both a UK and an international context, […]
Neil Lee is a Professor of Economic Geography at the LSE. He is also Professor II at the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences and theme convenor at the LSE’s International Inequalities Institute. His research has been funded by international and private sector organisations including the World Bank, OECD, the EIB, and Barclays Bank, and cited in […]
Alan is the Chief Executive of the Regional Studies Association. Alan provides strategic leadership to the Association and works alongside its Board of Trustees, to ensure its development, financial sustainability and good governance. Alan also acts as an ambassador for the RSA with national and international stakeholders. He is the General Manager for RSA Europe, […]
Alan is the Chief Executive of the Regional Studies Association and General Manager of the RSA Europe foundation. He joined both organisations in February 2024, arriving with extensive experience of organisational and professional leadership. Alan’s background is as a geographer and geography educator. He led the Geographical Association (GA) for over 11 years and played […]
Dr Stefania Fiorentino is an Associate Professor at the University of Cambridge (Department of Land Economy), a Fellow of Downing College (Cambridge), and an Honorary Lecturer at the Bartlett School of Planning, University College London (UCL). Her research interest and expertise combine urban planning and economic geography for more inclusive and resilient local economic development […]
This blog was written for the RSA Blog Student Summer Series that will highlight graduate student success in regional studies across the globe throughout the summer. The impacts of climate change in the UK are becoming increasingly tangible, while the farming sector’s role in mitigating and adapting to these changes is a hotly debated […]
Professor Klaus Dodds is Executive Dean for the School of Life Sciences at Royal Holloway University of London and Professor of Geopolitics. In October 2012, he was elected Academician (now Fellow) of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS). He researches in the areas of environmental and health geopolitics, ice humanities and the international governance of […]
Stephen is a Reader in Urban Studies and Planning at the University of Sheffield. His research lies within the broad scope of urban and regional studies with a specific focus on applied spatial analysis, uneven spatial development and urban-regional policy and governance. He has recently published articles on recession and uneven spatial development, neighbourhood change, […]
This Blog follows the recent release of a report for IUK by Professor Nick Clifton and Dr. Gary Walpole. The IPCC (UN) Climate Change Report (2023) generated stark headlines, warning of future existential crises if public and private sector actors do not make radical operational and strategic changes regarding all aspects of production and […]
In 2022 the Levelling Up White Paper confirmed that regional inequalities in the UK have been steadily widening over recent decades, and that one of the key drivers of this divergence has been rapidly growing levels of income per head and productivity in London and the South East. However, a recent set of articles have […]
(Re)Setting the Agenda: Investigating the Gendered Power-relations in the Leadership of Regional Development and Policy-making This project will challenge the masculine-coded forms of place-leadership in regional development by closely examining the different approaches to leadership that exist within regions, and ways in which different conceptualisations of power are enacted and shape policy-making and development visions. “I […]
Karen is an economic geographer with research expertise on geographies of money and finance, FinTech, global cities & service sectors, focusing particularly on issues of financialisation, knowledge networks & economic development in Asia My work also draws upon interdisciplinary ideas from economic sociology, international political economy, cultural studies and social studies of finance. I received […]
Dariusz Wójcik is Professor at the School of Geography and the Environment, Oxford University, and Fellow of St Peter’s College. His research focuses on economic geography, corporate governance, and finance. His book The Global Stock Market (Oxford 2011) explores the role of stock markets in the world economy. His book co-authored with Gordon L. Clark […]
Regional and urban sustainability transitions was the theme of the 2022 RSA Winter conference, set at the Holiday Inn in Bloomsbury, London, after a two-years break due to the pandemic. Sustainability transitions is a term used to describe the radical and structural shifts in socio-technical and socio-ecological systems that need take place to overcome the […]
Dr Robert Bowen is an International Entrepreneurship academic at Cardiff Business School at Cardiff University, and has previously held academic positions at Swansea University and Aberystwyth University in Wales, and the University of Nantes in France. He also currently holds a position of Visiting Professor at Audencia Business School in Nantes, France. Dr Bowen undertakes […]
Neil Lee is a Professor of Economic Geography at the LSE. He is also Professor II at the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences and theme convenor at the LSE’s International Inequalities Institute. His research has been funded by international and private sector organisations including the World Bank, OECD, the EIB, and Barclays Bank, and cited in […]
To read the full paper on Brexit disruption and transborder leadership, click here. Across borders in the UK and mainland Europe, relationship-building activity that aims to stimulate problem solving and the co-creation of innovative projects and programmes has been a long-standing and important feature of city and regional development. Grand challenges and leadership […]
Sarah Ayres is Professor of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Bristol, UK. Her central research interest is the governance of place, space and territory. This core provides the basis for two main strands of work. First, her research is concerned with devolution and decentralisation in both a UK and an international context, […]
After 70 years of reign, the death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8th September 2022 has generated considerable public interest and has reignited debates on the value of the monarchy. This article reflects on the impact of the royal family on UK tourism, nationally and regionally and the potential socio-economic legacy of Queen Elizabeth II. […]
There is a clear consensus amongst both academic commentators and the professional community in England that current arrangements for strategic planning are inadequate. The abolition of Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS) between 2010-2013 opened a gap between national and local levels which has not been adequately filled. Instead, a complex patchwork of institutional and policy forms […]