History of Regional Science and the Regional Science Association International

The book portrays how a new unique social science field of study evolved and describes the formation of a society associated with the field. It starts with the rise of Hitler, the advent of the Keynesian Revolution, the intense mathematization of economics and relates how an individual's creative thinking, later supplemented by that of others, was able to effectively combat the strong resistance of conventional social sciences-economics and geography in particular to attain full scale recognition as a basic social science area covering the sorely neglected theoretical and related applied analysis of spatial, locational and regional phenomena. The book depicts the first stage of development in North America, then because of demonstrated applied findings on problems where only theory and just talk existed in economics and geography, spread rapidly into Europe, then Japan, India, Australia, South Korea and Latin America, and recently into Indonesia and China and elsewhere. It has become today, in the mind of the founder and author, to be among the leading areas of study (if not the leading one) in attacking the globalization problems -economic, political and cultural- of the world economy and its major regions.

Texte du rabat

A well-written and exciting historical account of the way in which regional science and the formation of the society associated with the field, Regional Science Association International, developed. It starts with the rise of Hitler, the advent of the Keynesian Revolution, the intense mathematization of economics and relates how an individual's creative thinking effectively combated the strong resistance of conventional social sciences. The text has been written by the founder of the Regional Science Association and current President of the North American Regional Science Council. It is of interest to regional scientists, economists, sociologists, urban- and regional planners, geographers, and transportation researchers.

Contenu

1 The Setting and Initial Events.- 2 The Emergence and Struggling Years of Regional Science.- 2.1 Early Developments and Significant Recognition of Location Theory.- 2.2 Growth of Interest in Regional Problems, Informal Meetings of Regional Researchers and Promotion Efforts.- 2.3 Era of Conceptual Thinking and Model Development with Multidisciplinary Explorations.- 3 The Evolution of the Designations: Regional Science, Regional Science Association and the Field of Regional Science.- 4 The Formation of the Regional Science Association.- 5 The Rooting and Emergence of Regional Science as a Major Field of Study.- 6 The Invasion of and Extensive Expansion in Europe Concomitant with the Formation of Sections.- 7 The Spread of Regional Science into Japan, India, andLatin America.- 8 My Current Thinking on the Scope and Nature of Regional Science and Opportunities for Its Advance in Basic Research and Policy Analyses.- Appendix A: Memorandum on a Census Monograph on the Location of Economic Activity and Its Relation to Population.- Appendix B: Request for Support of a Project in the Field of Regional Economic Studies.- Appendix C: Regionalism and American Economic History. Lee Benson (12/9/51).- Appendix D: Conference of the Regional Science Association 4-7 September 1961, Institute of Social Studies, Molenstraat 27, The Hague, Netherlands.- Appendix E: Annual Programs in the United States, 1958-1967 (EXCEPT 1963).- Appendix F: Regional Science Association Council Members.- Reference.