{"title":"When the past becomes the future: The challenges of policies in ‘Left Behind’ places in East Germany – A case study from the Gera region","authors":"Tobias Johannes Hertrich, Thomas Brenner","doi":"10.1016/j.rspp.2025.100195","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rspp.2025.100195","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The concept of <strong>‘</strong>left behind<strong>’</strong> places encompasses economic, demographic, infrastructural, social and political aspects. Different studies of the left behind place concept focus on different aspects or combinations of these. The theoretical model by Hertrich and Brenner (2024) assumes an interplay of many aspects that lead to the left behind feeling, but emphasizes the emerging dynamics of opinion. The purpose of this paper is to analyze this interaction of individual factors in detail in a case study and thus gain a deeper understanding of the processes that presumably play a role in many other regions. Contrary to perception, the Labor market region (LMR) Gera is developing dynamically in many parameters. We find that although the reasons for the left behind feeling can be assigned to the pillars of the model, in most cases they relate to the past. We conclude that the political measures and developments in the LMR to date have not had an effect due to the strong formation of opinion based on historical events. In addition, the dynamics of opinion formation play a major role in left behind places, which has so far been neglected in politics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45520,"journal":{"name":"Regional Science Policy and Practice","volume":"17 8","pages":"Article 100195"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143874406","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Spatial equity in public rental housing based on commuting accessibility","authors":"Seongman Jang, Hyungwon Park","doi":"10.1016/j.rspp.2025.100196","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rspp.2025.100196","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Public rental housing (PRH) differs from general housing in its policy objectives and resident composition, as low-income households in PRH face financial constraints that limit their ability to afford high rents. In this context, this study assesses the spatial equity of PRH by comparing the commuting accessibility of PRH residents to that of general housing residents. Specifically, it investigates the following research questions: 1) Is there a significant difference in commute distance between PRH and general housing residents? 2) Is this difference attributable to income level? 3) Is there spatial autocorrelation between the density of households and workplaces by income group? The key findings are as follows: 1) The average straight-line commute distance for PRH residents was significantly longer than that for general housing residents. (2) PRH residents—except those in the lowest income group (income class 1)—had significantly longer commutes than their general housing counterparts. 3) The bivariate Global Moran’s I analysis indicated that PRH exhibited little to no spatial autocorrelation across all income classes, whereas general housing displayed relatively strong spatial clustering. Additionally, the bivariate LISA cluster map analysis revealed that PRH residents experienced a spatial separation between their residences and workplaces, whereas general housing residents exhibited a more balanced job-housing distribution. These findings indicate that PRH residents face inequitable commuting accessibility caused by a persistent job-housing imbalance</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45520,"journal":{"name":"Regional Science Policy and Practice","volume":"17 8","pages":"Article 100196"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143874770","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Unravelling the geography and spatial mismatch of individual and political discontent in the UK","authors":"Camilla Lenzi, Giovanni Perucca","doi":"10.1016/j.rspp.2025.100194","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rspp.2025.100194","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper studies the association between life and political discontent in the regions (NUTS2) of the United Kingdom in the Brexit period (2015–2016). Previous literature suggested that political discontent is propelled by the unhappiness experienced by people suffering from the economic decline of their community. This paper provides a first attempt to test empirically this hypothesis by mapping the geography of life and political discontent, by identifying alternative regional discontent typologies and by profiling them according to their socioeconomic characteristics. Results suggest that the link between regional economic decline and political discontent via life dissatisfaction accounts for a partial variation in political discontent outcome. Regional demography and cultural values are important co-determinants of political discontent.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45520,"journal":{"name":"Regional Science Policy and Practice","volume":"17 7","pages":"Article 100194"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143706122","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The emergence of the radical right on the Spanish political scene: Towards a spatial perspective","authors":"Adolfo Maza , Maria Hierro","doi":"10.1016/j.rspp.2025.100193","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rspp.2025.100193","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper unveils the reasons behind the irruption of the radical right-wing populist party VOX in the region of Andalusia, breaking the immunity to that political trend in Spain. The empirical analysis is based on data from the 2018 Regional Election at municipal level (778 municipalities), revealing that geographical location matters from two perspectives: because VOX outcome in a municipality is closely related to that in its neighbors (spatial dependence) and since the influence of the main explanatory factors varies between municipalities (spatial non-stationarity). Furthermore, it uncovers that the share of votes won in the previous regional election by the most important right-wing party (namely PP) is the most decisive factor explaining the new support for VOX, closely followed by the percentage of the foreign population. Other important explanatory variables are age, income and size. Finally, the results reveal the existence of some geographical clusters characterized by different spatial patterns.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45520,"journal":{"name":"Regional Science Policy and Practice","volume":"17 7","pages":"Article 100193"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143706123","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Socio-economic and environmental impacts of intended decarbonisation policies in the East Asia region","authors":"Yuventus Effendi , Budy P. Resosudarmo","doi":"10.1016/j.rspp.2025.100191","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rspp.2025.100191","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Given the rising levels of carbon emissions, governments in the East Asia region are exploring effective decarbonization policies. This study examines the socio-economic and environmental implications of these policies using a computable general equilibrium model that captures the closed linkages between the economy and climate change. Our findings suggest that the intended decarbonization policy, aimed at accelerating technology transfer, may not always reduce carbon emissions. However, incorporating Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology into existing coal power plants and implementing a carbon tax could significantly reduce carbon emissions in all countries in the region. The paper suggests implementing carbon tax policy to reduce carbon emissions, retrofitting CCS technology in coal-based electricity powerplants, and developing renewable electricity at the same time as controlling emissions from non-renewable energy. These policies, however, need some supplement policy strategies to compensate for the potential output contraction due to the tax.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45520,"journal":{"name":"Regional Science Policy and Practice","volume":"17 7","pages":"Article 100191"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143706227","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The consequence of urban shrinkage: Investigation on the local fiscal revenue","authors":"Jian Wang , Lechao Zhang , Kefu Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.rspp.2025.100188","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rspp.2025.100188","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Previous research on urban shrinkage has primarily focused on conceptual development and identifying underlying drivers. This paper seeks to extend this foundation by proposing a comprehensive analytical framework, grounded in a review of relevant literature, to examine the fiscal implications of urban shrinkage. Specifically, we explore the impact of population decline, a defining characteristic of urban shrinkage on local fiscal revenues. Applying our framework to the context of Japan, we discover that urban shrinkage significantly deteriorates local fiscal revenues, particularly affecting building taxes. However, the heterogeneity shows that the impact of shrinkage on land tax and depreciated assets tax appears to be less pronounced. This study enhances our understanding of the fiscal consequences of urban shrinkage and offers valuable insights for policy-making at the local government level.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45520,"journal":{"name":"Regional Science Policy and Practice","volume":"17 7","pages":"Article 100188"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143735173","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anabela Marques Santos , Francesco Molica , Carlos Torrecilla-Salinas
{"title":"EU-funded investment in Artificial Intelligence and regional specialization","authors":"Anabela Marques Santos , Francesco Molica , Carlos Torrecilla-Salinas","doi":"10.1016/j.rspp.2025.100190","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rspp.2025.100190","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The paper assesses the geographical distribution at NUTS2-level of European Union-funded investments related to artificial intelligence (AI) during the programming period 2014–2020. It also examines the relationship between this specialization pattern and regional characteristics using a spatial autoregressive model. The results show that in the period 2014–2020, around EUR 8 billion of EU funds were targeted for AI investments in the European regions. More developed regions have a higher specialization in AI EU-funded investments. This specialization also generates spillover effects that enhance similar specialization patterns in neighboring regions. AI-related investments are more concentrated in regions with a higher concentration of ICT activities and that are more innovative, highlighting the importance of agglomeration effects. Regions that have selected AI as an innovation priority for their Smart Specialization Strategies are also more likely to have a higher funding specialization in AI.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45520,"journal":{"name":"Regional Science Policy and Practice","volume":"17 7","pages":"Article 100190"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143759436","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Francisca Ruiz-Rodríguez , Ángel Luis Lucendo-Monedero , Reyes Manuela González-Relaño
{"title":"Regional trajectories and disparities of the relationship between information society and sustainable development goals in Europe with the emergence of COVID-19","authors":"Francisca Ruiz-Rodríguez , Ángel Luis Lucendo-Monedero , Reyes Manuela González-Relaño","doi":"10.1016/j.rspp.2025.100187","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rspp.2025.100187","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This research analyses, from a spatio-temporal perspective, the evolution of the behaviour and disparities of European regions in relation to information and communication technologies (ICTs) by households and individuals and socioeconomic sustainability for the period 2011–2020. Three complex variables (factors), prepared on the basis of the data of official Eurostat on the Information Society and statistics on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), are used to classify 231 regions for 2011, 2018 and 2020 through cluster analysis; and a synthetic index was constructed to compare and analyse the evolution of the behaviour of European regions. The results show that COVID-19 entailed: i) an increase in regional disparities evidenced by the increase in the number of groups of regions, the regions with a negative index and the differences between countries; and ii) a change in the characteristics of European regions that moved on from being defined by the use of advanced and basic ICTSs in the period 2011–2018 to a s Wang ation where aspects of social and economic sustainability predominated in 2020. These findings may help to apply EU policies more effectively by prioritising the regions that need to make a greater effort in the digitalisation of households and individuals and improve the levels of SDGs in their socio-economic dimension.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45520,"journal":{"name":"Regional Science Policy and Practice","volume":"17 6","pages":"Article 100187"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143636742","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}