5th NORSA CONFERENCE 15th – 16th January 2015 PhD COURSE IN ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY 13th – 14th January
The 5th Conference of the Nordic Section of Regional Studies Association (NORSA) will take place at the University of Agder, Grimstad, Norway on January 15th and 16th, 2015. The conference is hosted by the Centre for Regional innovation strategies at the University of Agder and Agder Research.
PhD-students are invited to a course in economic geography the two preceding days, and the course also includes the NORSA Conference. The course is initiated and funded by the national geography network on regional development and economic geography and organised by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
Core theme
The conference and PhD course will focus upon characteristics of industrial development beyond core regions and policy adapted to situations in such regions. The theme is substantiated by the fact that much theorising of regional industrial development departs from typical characteristics in well-developed core regions. As less populated regions and peripheral regions have quite different characteristics from core regions, they may benefit from other types of industrial and innovation policy. This fact points to a need for theoretical reflections and empirical investigations of industrial development and policy initiatives in regions beyond the typical core regions. The PhD course will also pay attention to conceptual challenges related to the development of a green economy.
Keynote speakers
Prof. Erik Stam, Utrecht University: The regional dimension of entrepreneurship
Dr. Lars Coenen, CIRCLE, Lund University: A regional perspective on green innovation
Prof. Hans Westlund, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm: The regional dimension of social capital and innovation
Dr. Michaela Trippl, CIRCLE Lund University: Regional innovation policy beyond core regions