What Europe? Fortress, different speeds, coloniser or archipelago

The paper starts with the introduction of a simple analytical tool that classifies regions according to their scale and accessibility. Those indicators are closely related to the strategies of European expansion and European integration and at the same time translate paradigmatic outcomes of those combined strategies; they are usually labelled as fortress Europe, different speeds Europe, coloniser Europe and, adding one more, an archipelago of European Regions. The paper then uses European regional statistics in order to access the structure and evolution of the Europe that has being built.

What Europe? Fortress, different speeds, coloniser or archipelago

The paper starts with the introduction of a simple analytical tool that classifies regions according to their scale and accessibility. Those indicators are closely related to the strategies of European expansion and European integration and at the same time translate paradigmatic outcomes of those combined strategies; they are usually labelled as fortress Europe, different speeds Europe, coloniser Europe and, adding one more, an archipelago of European Regions. The paper then uses European regional statistics in order to access the structure and evolution of the Europe that has being built

Urban concentration and spatial allocation of rents from natural resources: a Zipf's curve approach

This paper aims at demonstrating how countries' dependency on natural resources plays a crucial role in urban concentration. The Zipf's Curve Elasticity is estimated for a group of countries and related to a set of indicators of unilateral transferences. Results show that in comparison to others, countries with higher urban concentration explained by higher Zipf's Curve Elasticity have a higher percentage of income coming from natural resources and education expenditures whereas public spending in health and outflow of Foreign Direct Investment seem to have spatial redistribution effects. Summing up, there are signs that the spatial allocation of property rights over natural resources and related rents influences urban concentration

A Neural Network Approach to a Spatial Production System case for milk production

The usual conceptualisation of farmer production system involves three interrelated production systems: a feed production function which inputs are fertiliser, land, weather machinery and labour; a cattle production function based cows, feed - bought or produced - machinery and labour and a conversion production system that generates milk and beef. The aim of this paper is to conceptualise the spatial farm production system in only one system using a neural network's mechanism with the whole set of inputs (fertiliser, land, weather, feed, cows, machinery and labour) and with only one output, milk. We review the concept of agricultural production systems. We systematise some models of agricultural systems. We calibrate a neural network model to the milk production in Terceira Island

Optimizing locations in Africa: meet central place theory and Huambo reality

The optimization of the location of public services in the villages and neighborhoods in the city of Huambo in Angola results in a hierarchical system of central places that can be calibrated to give different hierarchies according to the accessibility level. This result is achieved for 300 villages and neighborhoods in the city of Huambo by minimizing the number of centers subject to the restriction that the service is available at a minimum distance. Other solutions are found that maximize the net benefit distribution centers. At the end multicriteria is used to study the resilience of the centers to alternative weights of the criteria and different accessibility ranges. The solutions are used to design roads, local authorities and market shares

Development and insularity in São Tomé and Príncipe

São Tomé e Príncipe is a small insular country located in the Gulf of Guinea, populated by 160000 persons, living in 1000 square kilometers of a rainforest environment. The GDP pc is 1200 US$ per year, 50% of the economy is based in auto-consumption and the main engine of the remaining economic system is the external public debt, rents from promising oil, and donations (50%), complemented by tourism, cacao exports, private transferences, and other exports. To understand the role of local entrepreneurship in the compliance of the often expressed Dubai Gulf of Guinea dream we undertook a Q Method approach to identify three main perspectives on the development of the archipelago; symptomatically, none of them were connected to the improvement of tourism, cacao exports or private transferences. In the paper we address the mismatch between long term dreams and short term attitudes of the entrepreneurs in small and remote regions and countries, also putting into scrutiny the role of external support in that mismatch

Q methodology to define policy issues and promote stakeholder dialogue in Praia da Vitória Bay in Terceira, Azores

When dealing with complex issues commonly found in Coastal Zones, there is a need to find an efficient assessment strategy of processes and their causes, as well as a method which could effectively promote a dialogue with the stakeholder affected by these processes. This dialogues is an essential part of problem structuring routine since it allows mutual learning by generating and evaluating divergent knowledge claims and viewpoints. Problem structuring can start from a broad subject that is refined until the definition of a policy issue which requires a deeper analysis of its cause, as well, as possible alternatives of action. We explore the use of Q methodology as a tool for problem structuring and policy issue definition. In addition, Q methodology can be suitable for a first evaluation of the system in analysis while uncovering the several perspectives of stakeholders. We applied this methodology in Praia da Vitória Coastal System located in Terceira Island, in Azores Archipelago. The method has been applied in its original format as a method of identifying stakeholders discourse. Additionally we modified it and use it in group discussions aiming at promoting stakeholder dialogues. Results obtained show that Q methodology is an adequate to understand the value and interest of stakeholders, while adding useful information for stakeholder selection in stakeholder dialogues. The use of the method in its original format and in group session also allowed a reflection concerning the challenge of designing and promoting dialogue processes

Evaluation of the European Policies in Support of Ultraperipheric Regions, Azores, Madeira, Canarias, Guadalupe, Martinique, Guyane and Reunion

The paper looks at the development of the EU's outermost regions. We develop a model not only to explain the effects caused by peripherality but also to evaluate the European policies towards ultra peripheral regions. Ultra-peripherality is an economic and social phenomenon associated to a geographical structure characterised by two attributes: size and access. The structure of the model to analyse size, or supply performance, can be represented in three interrelated blocks: i) the first block explains the effect on the population of driving activities in island economies: exports, external aid for employment and external subsidies; ii) the second block establishes the relationships between population and activities associated to the provision of goods and services not receiving external aid; iii) the third block estimates the product and the income of the region by multiplying the quantity of each type of activity, measured in terms of the number of jobs involved. The structure of the model for access, or demand performance, is in a way implicit in the model of size through the population indicator; however, the population indicator does not clearly translate variations of accessibility to the region being. The present study uses the demographic potential to arrive at an accessibility indicator that uses easily accessible statistical data: the population and the traffic of passengers. We conclude that the impact of ultra-peripheral policies are weaker in the regions more dependent on external public transferences, the connection with neighbour countries can produce important effects in the economy, the elimination of the "sea rights" in most of the regions could generate important impacts in the respective development process, the effective liberalisation of air transportation will lead to a strong increase in the accessibility and the development process based on import substitution and external public transferences can led to a big increase in the population and created a great dependence on the "sea rights".

Generalized Q analysis as a new tool in social science research - a pedagogical introduction

Q analysis is a frequently used, multivariate exploratory technique in the social sciences which seeks to identify and analyse commonalities and differences in the respondents' rankings of a set of relevant individual qualitative statements. It has some intrinsic weaknesses which may be overcome by widening and deepening the underlying multivariate statistical approach. This new technique, termed a Generalized Q method, is able to handle an enlargement of the number of ranked combined statements based on a structured re-combination of the rankings of simple statements. This method will be presented in this paper. We employ a simple illustrative data set in our study. In comparing the traditional and the Generalized Q analysis, the same questionnaire data are used to apply and assess both methods, to compare the results, and to highlight the advantages of the Generalized Q method. We find that the latter technique is able to take account of many simple questionnaires with trustful responses, allows for an expansion of the number of respondents, facilitates the naming and interpretation of the extracted multivariate components, and is able to test the consistency of the responses

Envisioning experiments on regional science frontiers

Science dynamics has become an established part of scientific research. Over the past years, a broad variety of experimental approaches has been developed to explore the frontiers of the current state of the art —and their shifts— in either separate disciplines or scientific domains, such as expert-opinion consultations, multi-level approaches, living labs, joint decision rooms, scenario methods, imagineering experiments, or interactive envisioning methods. The present chapter will contribute to science dynamics in regional science research by offering findings from an envisioning experiment among some 60 well-known regional scientists, with a view to a critical assessment of past and current performance, so as to initiate an open exploration of promising and challenging research endeavours for the next decades of regional science research. This may range from innovative concept formulation to joint use of open access and big data. This experimental approach serves to pave the road towards proactive strategies and conceptualisations in regional science research and regional policy. The main future concern implicit in the brainstorming experiment appears to be related to spatial justice, next to good governance, and consistency between techniques, methods and theories, as well as an effective interaction with students/scholars and society. This exercise shows that important lessons can also be learned from past scientific mistakes, especially those that were associated with policy failures. New scientific ideas are, of course, pushed by the rise of novel techniques and methods, but also and predominately from evolving new realities, either social or technological. Nevertheless, there are still various doubts concerning the future direction of regional science agenda: Which new thoughts and methods are requested? Which policies must be created and improved? What are the scientific possibilities created by new data? The regional science agenda is full of challenges and promises, but how can it be effective? This scoping study does not provide definite answers, but serves to explore uncertain future frontiers.La dinámica de la ciencia se ha convertido en una parte importante de la investigación científica. En los últimos años, una amplia variedad de enfoques experimentales se ha desarrollado para explorar las fronteras del estado actual de la técnica —y sus cambios— en una amplia variedad de disciplinas y dominios científicos. Dichos enfoques incluyen consultas de opinión de expertos, enfoques multi-nivel, laboratorios, sesiones de decisiones conjuntas, metodología de análisis de escenarios, experimentos de visualización, o métodos de ideación interactivos. En el presente trabajo contribuye en este ámbito aplicándolo a la investigación en ciencia regional, ofreciendo resultados de un experimento con cerca de 60 científicos reconocidos en el ámbito de esta disciplina, con miras a una evaluación crítica del pasado y de la situación actual. El objetivo además es el de iniciar una exploración de los desafíos para las próximas décadas de la investigación en ciencia regional, incluyendo entornos de formulación de conceptos innovadores o el uso de volúmenes masivos de datos. Este enfoque experimental sirve para facilitar la definición de estrategias proactivas y de conceptualizaciones en la investigación de la ciencia y la política regional. La principal preocupación futura implícita en el experimento está relacionada con la justicia espacial, junto con el buen gobierno, y la coherencia entre las técnicas, métodos y teorías, así como una interacción efectiva entre los estudiantes / académicos y la sociedad. Este ejercicio muestra que las lecciones importantes también se pueden aprender de los errores pasados, especialmente aquellos que estaban asociados con fallos en las políticas. Las nuevas ideas científicas están, por supuesto, reforzadas por el surgimiento de técnicas y métodos novedosos, pero también a partir de la evolución de las nuevas realidades, ya sea sociales o tecnológicas. Sin embargo, todavía subyacen dudas sobre la dirección futura de la agenda regional de ciencia: ¿Qué nuevos métodos e ideas son necesarios? ¿Qué políticas se deben crear y mejorar? ¿Cuáles son las posibilidades científicas creadas por la aparición de nuevos datos? El programa futuro de la ciencia regional está lleno de retos y promesas, pero ¿cómo puede ser eficaz? Este estudio no proporciona respuestas definitivas, sino que sirve como elemento de reflexión para explorar el incierto futuro y las fronteras de la ciencia regional