The Spanish and Andalusian Associations of Regional Science (AECR and AACR, respectively), have the pleasure of inviting you to participate in the XLVII International Conference on Regional Science and in the XIII Congress of the AACR, which will take place at the University of Granada on 19 , October 20, 21 and 22, 2022, with the support of the University Institute for Regional Development Research (IDR) of the University of Granada and the Joint Research Center (JRC) of the European Commission.

As has happened in previous editions, the International Conference on Regional Science is a multidisciplinary meeting point that allows an overview of regional science and the analysis of the territory as a starting point, being the main annual event that takes place in Spain in what refers to the study, debate and presentation of academic works around territorial and regional concepts.

For this XLVII edition we have chosen the motto: “Challenges, policies and governance of territories in the post-covid era”. With this motto, we intend to focus on the analysis of the great territorial challenges that we must face after this pandemic, as well as on the actions and the need for coordination of the actors that implement the policies. This pandemic has highlighted problems that affect territories unequally, increasing asymmetries in factor endowments; increasing the destruction of employment and the productive fabric, especially in the most peripheral areas; generating greater migratory pressure; strengthening the processes of urban concentration; as well as a series of problems that have affected the areas: environmental, social and economic.

As organizers of this XLVII edition, from the IDR, in collaboration with the JRC of the European Commission, we understand regional science as a point of confluence of multiple approaches. Although it is common to interpret the evolution of regions based on their economic development, placing the economy at the center of territorial policy decisions, it is also necessary to introduce other approaches to territorial development (demographic evolution, depopulation, resilience to change climate, energy transition, connectivity, territorial cohesion, among others).

From the instrumentation of territorial policies, the coordination between the different Public Administrations for the development of strategic actions such as the implementation of the Next-Generation-EU Funds, is an important challenge and that, from the academic perspective, requires an evaluation of said implantation process. In a complementary way, the need to provide the territories with development opportunities entails reducing the regional gap and visualizing the role of the institutions in the implementation of this strategy, where the policies of the place must be erected as a cornerstone, guaranteeing the same time the differential elements of one and the other, which allow taking advantage of the potential of each territory. To this end, the XLVII International Conference on Regional Science sets itself the objective of providing a broad, sensible and constructive debate on the different issues that are part of the regional and local sphere.

As the Organizing Committee, we reiterate the invitation to participate in the XLVII International Conference on Regional Science on October 19, 20, 21 and 22, 2022 at the University of Granada, and to enjoy our monumental and heritage city, as well as the magnificent provincial environment , being an opportunity after so much isolation and fear.

We count on you.

Organizing Committee of the XLVII International Conference on Regional Science, Granada 2022.

ISBN: 978-84-09-44259-1