Keynote Speakers

Prof. Ron Boschma  (Utrecht University)

Ron Boschma is full professor in Regional Economics at Utrecht University, and Professor 2 at UiS Business School of Stavanger University. Boschma has been full professor in Innovation Studies at Lund University where he was also director of the Centre for Innovation, Research and Competence in the Learning Economy (CIRCLE). He is member of the Executive Board of the International Regional Studies Association since 2015. Boschma has published on Evolutionary Economic Geography, the spatial evolution of industries, geography of innovation, regional resilience, regional diversification, and Smart Specialization policy. Boschma has been ranked by Thomson Reuters among the top 1% of cited researchers worldwide in all scientific fields every year since 2014.
In 2024, he received the prestigious Vautrin Lud prize for his scientific achievements, considered the Nobel Prize in Geography, the highest international award in the field of geography.

Speech title:

Regional development traps in the European Union, and how to escape from them

Abstract
Recently, the development trap concept has been introduced to identify regions that get caught in persistent patterns of low economic growth and stagnation (Iammarino et al. 2020). Evolutionary scholars have indicated that self-reinforcing dynamics can limit the capacity of regions to innovate and develop new growth paths (Arthur 1989, 1994). However, an evolutionary approach to regional development traps is still underdeveloped. We build on but also go beyond recent work by Pinheiro et al. (2022), among others, that argue that regions might become trapped in low-complexity activities, because their opportunities to develop high-complex activities are very limited, since relevant capabilities are missing.

We propose a novel concept of regional traps that is embedded in evolutionary thinking, and that accounts for the persistent weak ability of many regions to develop new activities and upgrade their economies into more complex activities. We build on the relatedness/complexity framework (Balland et al. 2019) to measure and identify regional traps and to develop a new typology of regional traps. We aim to shed light on the possible links between regional ‘development traps’ (low growth/stagnation traps) as defined by Iammarino et al. (2020) and our new typology of “regional traps”, following an evolutionary approach (Balland et al. 2019).

Using industry data, we follow European regions over a long period of time and provide systematic evidence on how many regions in the EU are trapped, what kinds of traps they have fallen into, and to what extent these concern high- and low-income regions. Our definition of regional traps centers around the structural inability of regions to develop new complex activities over a longer period of time, because their capabilities form a major obstacle to move into new and more complex activities. We will identify regions that once did well but have fallen into a trap, but we also showcase regions that managed to overcome such traps, and how. We explore how the different types of traps are linked to low-growth or stagnations traps, as measured by Iammarino et al. (2020). These insights are useful for policy discussions about regional traps, what to do about them, how to successfully escape them, and how to avoid them in the future. This is also crucial for the effectiveness of Smart Specialization policy in places that find themselves trapped or run the risk of falling into a trap.

 

Prof. Simona Iammarino (University of Cagliari, London School of Economics and Political Science)

Simona Iammarino is Professor of Applied Economics at the Department of Economics & Business of the University of Cagliari, and affiliated to the CRENoS; Visiting Professor at the Department of Geography & Environment of the London School of Economics (LSE), and member of the Board of the LSE-Cañada Blanch Centre; Visiting Professor at the Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI) L’Aquila, Italy. She was Professor of Economic Geography at the LSE (2009-2022), where she acted as Head of Department (2014-2017) and academic member of the LSE Council (2016-2020).
Simona’s main research interests lie in the following areas: Multinational corporations, globalisation and local economic development; Economic geography of innovation and technological change; Regional and local economic development and policy. She has published more than 70 articles in major peer-reviewed journals, two co-authored books, around 30 book chapters, and numerous working papers, policy reports and other publications.
She is co-editor of the Journal of Economic Geography, member of the Regional Studies Association (RSA) Executive Group and Board and Chair of the RSA Journal Committee. She has a long-term experience in externally funded international research projects, and in consultancy projects for various international organisations (e.g. EU Commission, OECD, United Nations, ADB, etc.) and numerous government agencies.
In 2024 Simona was awarded the “ERSA European Prize in Regional Science”, arguably the highest prize in regional sciences, and the “Giacomo Becattini” Prize, Italian Society of Economics and Industrial Policy (SIEPI).

URLs: https://web.unica.it/unica/page/en/simona_iammarino

Tytuł wystąpienia/ Speech title:

Critical Raw Materials in the European Regions. Open Strategic Autonomy, technological transitions and policy challenges

Abstract:

Under the ongoing technological paradigm shift, critical natural resources and materials have become essential for emerging industries and innovation frontiers. Current disruptions in global supply chains – due to geopolitical conflicts, trade wars, political instability, etc. – have affected the availability of critical raw materials (CRMs), raising concerns about supply stability and calls for domestic production as a viable alternative. Recent EU initiatives, such as the Open Strategic Autonomy (OSA) and the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), represent strategies to secure a stable supply of such critical and strategic materials. However, such strategies may be over-reliant on domestic potential, applying a macro- and sector-driven approach that risks falling short in addressing key constraints, including local-level implications, limited and uncertain reserves, and insufficient technological and industrial capabilities of the regions concerned.

 

Prof. USz. dr hab. Paweł Czapliński (Uniwersytet Szczeciński)

Geograf społeczno-ekonomiczny, profesor Uniwersytetu Szczecińskiego. Specjalizuje się w zagadnieniach dotyczących organizacji i dynamiki struktur przestrzennych polskiego przemysłu, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem elementów błękitnej gospodarki.

Socio-economic geographer, professor at the University of Szczecin. He specializes in issues related to the organization and dynamics of spatial structures of Polish industry, with particular emphasis on elements of the blue economy.

 

 

 

Dr Wiesława Gierańczyk (Urząd Statystyczny w Bydgoszczy)