Fifty Years Of Regional Science

This book contains the complete text of the special Golden Anniversary issue of the flagship journal of the Regional Science Association International (RSAI), Papers in Regional Science (Volume 83, Number 1), as well as the full text of Walter Isard's Presidential Address "The future (near and far) of regional science". Professor Isard originally delivered the speech in a special plenary session of the fiftieth North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International. The session began with a ceremonial kickoff to the year-long celebration of the multidisciplinary field's first 50 years. At the ceremony, held on the morning of Friday, November 21,2004 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Philadelphia, we presented Walter Isard, the founder of our multidisciplinary field, as well as Antoine Bailly, the President of the Regional Science Association International, and David Boyce, the Association's Archivist, with commemorative first copies of the anniversary issue. This book, entitled Fifty Years of Regional Science, consists of a compendium of "thought" papers authored by a representative sampling of some of the field's leading scholars. For the special journal issue we originally titled the collection: "The Brightest of Dawns".

Regional Science is now more than 50 years old; in the last two decades, significant advances in methodology have occurred, spurred in large part by access to computers. The range of analytical techniques now available is enormous; this books provides a sampling of the toolkit that is now at the disposal of analysts interested in understanding and interpreting the complexity of the spatial structure of sub- national economies. The set of tools ranges from the more traditional (input-output) to new developments in computable general equilibrium models, nonlinear dynamics, neural modelling and innovation.

This book challenges the common perception that significant regional disparities do not exist in small countries. As small developed countries become increasingly competitive and their economic structures resemble those of the large, a re-assessment of the regional consequences of these changes is of timely importance. Regional Disparities in Small Countries presents a systematic discussion of the unique theoretical, methodological and measurement challenges in analyzing regional inequalities in small countries and a series of empirical analyses addressing the issue of regional convergence and divergence in these countries. With contributions from leading regional scientists and economists, this book also examines the policy experience of small countries in closing regional gaps and the effectiveness of public interventions in this field. see Reviews

Mercedes-Benz Club of America (MBCA) and Turner Publishing Company are pleased to announce a new and unique book highlighting the MBCA as it celebrates its 50th Anniversary. This commemorative book will feature a large collection of never before published photographs and memorabilia and will highlight the first 50 years of the MBCA. This book is licensed and approved by the Mercedes-Benz Club of America. MBCA Editor, Bruce Adams, will author this quality-crafted book. This book will be a 9 x 12 -inch, hardbound coffee-table volume, with hundreds of pages of photographs and memories.

This is the first volume in a new series on 'Great Minds in Regional Science,' which seeks to present a contemporary view on the scientific relevance of the work done by great thinkers in regional science. It presents, among others, Walter Isard, Martin Beckmann and Gunnar Myrdal. Each contribution combines factual biographical information, a description of their major contributions, and a discussion of the broader context of the work, as well as an assessment of its current relevance, scientific recognition and policy impact. The book attempts to fill a gap in our knowledge, and to respond to the growing interest in the formation and development of the field of regional science and its key influential figures.

The first in a two volume tribute to Walter Isard, the second being "Dynamics and Conflict in Regional structural Change", this book looks at new frontiers in regional science. Together they contains 50 papers by experts in this field, and look at subjects such as location theory.

Twenty-five years into transformation, Central and Eastern European regions have undergone substantial socio-economic restructuring, integrating into European and global networks and producing new patterns of regional differentiation and development. Yet post-socialist modernisation has not been without its contradictions, manifesting in increasing social and territorial inequalities. Recent studies also suggest there are apparent limits to post-socialist growth models, accompanying a new set of challenges within an increasingly uncertain world. Aiming to deliver a new synthesis of regional development issues at the crossroads between ‘post-socialism’ and ‘post-transition’, this book identifies the main driving forces of spatial restructuring in Central and Eastern Europe, and charts the different regional development paths which take shape against the backdrop of post-crisis Europe. A comparative approach is used to highlight common development challenges and the underlying patterns of socio-economic differentiation alike. The issues investigated within the Handbook extend to a discussion of the varied economic consequences of transition, the social structures and institutional systems which underpin development processes, and the broadly understood sustainability of Central and Eastern Europe’s current development model. This book will be of interest to academics and policymakers working in the fields of regional studies, economic geography, development studies and policy.