A striking feature of regional economics is the lack of attention given to the region. The Department of Economics & the Spatial and Regional Economics Research Centre will host Professor John Parr Bartlett as part of the Economics Visiting Speaker Series this Thursday
The Department of Economics & the Spatial and Regional Economics Research Centre will host Professor John Parr Bartlett as part of the Economics Visiting Speaker Series this Thursday.
Prof. John Parr from Bartlett School of Planning, University College London, will present his research paper: Regions, the Regional Economy, and Regional Policy
| Date | Thursday 19th April |
| Time | 15:00 |
| Venue | Room G 26, Aras na Laoi, UCC |
Abstract
A striking feature of regional economics is the lack of attention given to the region. With certain exceptions, most introductory texts in regional economics (and also advanced treatments of the subject) fail to discuss the region being employed in a given study or analysis, particularly in terms of its definition, its significance and its limitations. There are, of course, obvious reasons for these omissions. One is the need to rely on official statistics, published or otherwise, so that the researcher has no choice but to accept the official data with its possible weaknesses. The general failure to consider the region more fully obscures the suitability of the region for the problem at hand, and the sensitivity of the results to the particular region being employed.
In response to this state of affairs, attention is initially directed to what is meant by the term “region” in regional economics and related disciplines. A useful starting point is the widely-cited tripartite classification of regions proposed by Richard Meyer (AER, 1963). There are other types of region, and these that do not fit easily into this classification scheme. After briefly examining each of these regions, consideration is given to the regional economy. Important here is the extent to regional economy can be treated as a scaled-down version of the national economy, given the obvious similarities and differences between the two. The notion of the region also has an obvious relevance with respect to regional policy, although the relationship is not a straightforward one.
About the speaker
John is Emeritus Professor at the University of Glasgow and Honorary Professor at University College London. His studies were at the University of London and the University of Washington. He taught at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Glasgow, and has held visiting positions at universities in Australia, Israel, New Zealand and the US. Past and current research has been in the area of urban and regional analysis, and published work includes two co-authored volumes, two co-edited volumes, as well as numerous journal papers. Consultancies have been undertaken for the European Union, the World Bank, and the United Nations. He belongs to the following learned societies: Royal Economic Society; the Academy of Social Sciences (Fellow, 2001); Regional Science Association International (Fellow, 2006); Regional Studies Association (Fellow, 2015).
All very welcome to attend.
For more information, contact the Department of Economics
Photo by G. Crescoli on Unsplash