Regional Science Association International

Regional Science Association International
Name	Regional Science Association International
Abbreviation	RSAI
Type	Learned society
Founded	1954
Headquarters	London
Region served	Worldwide

Regional Science Association International is a scholarly society connecting scholars and practitioners engaged with regional analysis, spatial modeling, and territorial policy. Founded in the mid-20th century, the association fosters interdisciplinary exchange among economists, geographers, planners, and sociologists through regional sections, conferences, and journals. RSAI links researchers from universities, research institutes, multilateral organizations, and local authorities to advance quantitative methods, theoretical frameworks, and policy-relevant studies about regions and cities.

History

The association emerged from postwar efforts to formalize interdisciplinary inquiry into regional questions and spatial dynamics, building on intellectual currents associated with Walter Isard, François Perroux, John Friedmann, August Lösch, and the postwar expansion of institutions such as the OECD and the United Nations regional commissions. Early milestones included foundation meetings in the 1950s that drew participants from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, London School of Economics, University of Chicago, and University of Pennsylvania. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s RSAI engaged closely with practitioners linked to World Bank projects, European Commission regional policy initiatives, and national planning agencies such as United States Department of Commerce bureaus and the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (UK). Key theoretical developments debated under the RSAI umbrella included ideas influenced by Alfred Marshall, Paul Krugman, Johann Heinrich von Thünen, and later contributions by Edward Glaeser and Masahisa Fujita in urban and regional economics. The association adapted to globalization, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of supranational governance exemplified by the European Union and transnational networks like Mercosur and ASEAN.

Organization and governance

RSAI is governed by an international council and executive board featuring elected officers, regional presidents, and editors from major journals. Organizational statutes set procedures for elections, conferences, and publication oversight, with administrative support historically coordinated from offices in major academic hubs including London, Berkeley, California, and Tokyo. Governance mechanisms incorporate standing committees for finance, nominations, and ethics, and liaison roles with organizations such as the International Economic Association, International Geographical Union, and the International Planning History Society. Prominent scholars who have served in leadership roles include figures from Harvard University, Università Bocconi, University of Oxford, and University of California, Los Angeles.

Membership and regional divisions

Membership combines individual scholars, institutional affiliates, and student members, with voting rights and eligibility for office contingent on dues and section affiliation. RSAI operates through regional divisions that mirror continental and subcontinental academic networks: the North American Regional Science Council, European Regional Science Association, Pacific Regional Science Conference Organization, and Latin American and African regional groups. These divisions align with universities such as University of Toronto, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Seoul National University, and Universidad de Buenos Aires, and maintain partnerships with national associations like the Regional Science Association (United States) and national academies including the Royal Society. Sections facilitate localized workshops, summer schools, and doctoral consortia tied to research centers such as Centre for Metropolitan Studies (Berlin), Institute for Economic Research (Kyoto), and National Bureau of Economic Research collaborations.

Conferences and publications

RSAI convenes international and regional conferences that rotate among host institutions including University of Cambridge, Columbia University, Australian National University, and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Signature events include an annual world congress, specialized symposia on metropolitan dynamics, and workshops co-organized with the European Consortium for Political Research and Association of American Geographers. RSAI’s publication portfolio encompasses flagship journals and edited series produced in partnership with major academic publishers and editors affiliated with Journal of Regional Science, Papers in Regional Science, and peer-reviewed volumes featuring contributions from scholars at Princeton University, University of California, Berkeley, London School of Economics, and National University of Singapore. The association also issues policy briefs and working paper series that have informed reports by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme.

Research themes and impact

Research promoted by RSAI spans spatial econometrics, urban systems, land-use modeling, regional innovation systems, and territorial governance, drawing on methods developed by scholars linked to Geoffrey Heal, Daniel McFadden, Simon Kuznets, Wassily Leontief, and proponents of input–output analysis. Empirical studies presented in RSAI venues have influenced infrastructure planning in metropolitan regions such as Greater London, New York metropolitan area, São Paulo, and Tokyo Bay. The association fosters cross-disciplinary theoretical synthesis involving contributors from New Economic Geography, behavioral economics (represented by Nobel laureates associated with urban topics), and quantitative geography traditions embodied by centers at Ohio State University and University of Minnesota. RSAI research has been cited in regional development strategies adopted by entities including the European Commission Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy and national development banks like the Inter-American Development Bank.

Awards and recognition

RSAI recognizes scholarly excellence through awards and prizes honoring lifetime achievement, early-career contributions, best papers, and outstanding doctoral theses. Notable named awards celebrate legacies associated with founding and influential figures whose affiliations include Cornell University, University of Pennsylvania, University College London, and Tokyo Institute of Technology. Award recipients often include editors of leading journals and scholars who have later served on advisory panels for institutions like the World Bank, United Nations Development Programme, and national ministries of infrastructure and transport. The association’s honors contribute to career advancement and signal scholarly impact across academic and policy networks.

Category:Learned societies