Western Regional Science Association Newsletter
Winter 2001/2002

WRSA Returns to Monterey for 41st Annual Meeting
…It’s Déjà Vu All Over Again!!!

The Preliminary Program has just been completed for WRSA’s 41st Annual Meeting, scheduled to take place February 17 – 20, 2002 in wonderful Monterey, California.  The conference will be held in the same lovely venue as the highly successful 37th Annual Meeting: The Monterey Hyatt-Regency.  As usual, this year’s program will feature three full days of sessions, as well as the traditional Luncheon Banquet and two evening receptions.  As in previous years, the Preliminary Program can be found on the WRSA web site at http://geog.arizona.edu/wrsa.  Full details about the conference site and travel arrangements can also be found on the web site.  All participants should check the site frequently between now and the meeting to obtain the most up-to-date information about session schedules, conference arrangements, and chair and discussant assignments.

The Annual Meeting begins with our Registration Desk opening for participant check-in on Sunday, February 17 from 1:00 – 5:00 PM.  The Opening Plenary Session and Presidential Address and Reception will take place from 3:00 – 5:45 PM.  Registration reopens at 7:30 AM on Monday morning, and the first slate of paper sessions gets underway at 8:00 or 8:45 AM.  The annual Luncheon Banquet will be held on Tuesday, when the Tiebout and Springer-Verlag Prize winners will be announced.  Tuesday evening incoming WRSA President Roger Stough will host a cocktail reception for all participants and their spouses.  For the first time this year, WRSA is pleased to announce that Tuesday evening will also feature a beer and pizza party for all graduate students attending the meeting, hosted by Annals of Regional Science editor, Roger Stough.
Concurrent paper sessions continue all-day Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  In all, the Preliminary Program lists over 30 regular paper sessions with over 100 individual presentations scheduled.

If you have not yet made all your arrangements to attend, do so soon!  We expect our anniversary meeting to have a high turnout and our room block at the Monterey Hyatt to fill early.  For information on hotel reservations and travel arrangements, see related articles in this Newsletter or check the WRSA website, http://geog.arizona.edu/wrsa, for complete details.  Hotel reservation and conference preregistration forms are now on the site.

Payment of Annual Meeting Pre-registration Fees and 2002 WRSA Dues may be sent up until February 1 to the Association office in Tucson.  The Combined Annual Meeting Pre-registration and Membership Form may be printed out from the web-site and mailed or faxed.

After February 1 we request that you pay on-site at the conference.  Receipts for all payments will be given at the conference.  For those persons unable to attend the 2002 conference, please renew your WRSA membership prior to February 1 and receive a $5 discount off the regular $65 US annual dues.

We wish all participants a safe trip to Monterey.  For those unable to attend the 41st Annual Meeting, we look forward to seeing you in 2003.


Anyone for Golf?

Room is still available to take part in a WRSA tradition.  The WRSA Golf Tournament will be held on Thursday February 21, 2002.  We are changing to a scramble format this year so players of all levels can come join us for fun and camaraderie.  The tournament will be held at the Del Monte Golf Club located at the conference hotel.  This course traces its roots back to 1897 and has been home to the Monterey Bay Golf Club since 1932.  WRSA members who have played this course tell us it’s one of the best affordable public access courses in the area.

This year your registration fee for the tournament will include a post conference seminar Wednesday evening after the annual meeting closes.  The tournament fee will be $120 per player.  If you are interested in playing, drop an email to Terry Clower at tclower@scs.cmm.unt.edu as soon as you can so we can confirm the number of tee times.  Tournament fees will need to be sent to Terry by January 15, 2002.

If you have any questions, contact Terry Clower at the Center for Economic Development and Research, University of North Texas, P.O. Box 310469, Denton, Texas 76203, by phone at 940-565-4049, or via e-mail at tclower@scs.cmm.unt.edu.


Coming to Monterey in February?
Here’s Your Checklist…
  If you have not already done so, send in the conference preregistration form with payment to the WRSA office.  Conference participants were sent a copy at the time of paper acceptance.  A duplicate copy is enclosed with this Newsletter, or print out the form from our web site.
  WRSA invited paper sessions allocate 45 minutes for each paper, inclusive of the discussant’s remarks.  Authors should keep their presentations to 25 minutes and discussants should aim for no more than 10 minute presentations to allow the 10 remaining minutes for discussion from the floor.

Meeting rooms will include OVERHEAD PROJECTORS ONLY.  Prepare your talk on transparencies.  We cannot afford the exorbitant rental fees for slide projectors or Video Projection Units.

For more Details see the “Notes to 2002 WRSA Annual Meeting Program Participants” on the web site.
 

Participants are encouraged to explore the option of flying in to the Monterey airport. It is serviced by a number of airlines and is virtually minutes from the Hyatt.  Other options are San Jose (which avoids potential auto traffic delays from other Bay Area airports) and Oakland. San Francisco International (SFO) will likely be the destination of choice for foreign participants, though flying into Los Angeles and taking a scenic flight up the coast to Monterey is also a reasonable itinerary.  Monterey is served by most major car rental companies.  Having a car will enhance possibilities for taking full advantage of the region's delights. It is possible to walk from the hotel to the Monterey waterfront and downtown area or to make arrangements with the hotel's van.
  The Hyatt Regency Hotel in Monterey is now accepting reservations for WRSA’s 41st Annual Meeting, scheduled for February 17 – 20, 2002.  Room reservations can be made by calling 800-233-1234 or 831-372-1234.  If phoning in your reservation, be sure to mention that you are coming for the Western Regional Science Association meeting in order to get the conference room rate.
 
A hotel reservation form is also available on the WRSA website at http://geog.arizona.edu/wrsa.  This form can be printed out and faxed to 831-372-4277.  Reservations must be made by January 28, 2002.  However, we highly recommend making necessary reservations early, as our room block tends to fill quickly.

Graduate Fellowship in Regional Science Available
 
Graduate students enrolled in Ph.D. programs in North America are encouraged to apply for the Benjamin H. Stevens Graduate Fellowship in Regional Science, which is administered by the North American Regional Science Council of the Regional Science Association International.  Eligible students should have completed all degree requirements, except for their dissertation, at the time the Fellowship commences.  A requirement of the Fellowship is that the recipient will have no duties other than dissertation research during the Fellowship, though the recipient may hold other fellowships as well.  Applications from students working in any area or in any Ph.D. program are welcome, provided that the dissertation research addresses a question in regional science.
The Fellowship is awarded annually in memory of Dr. Benjamin H. Stevens, an intellectual leader whose selfless devotion to graduate students as teacher, advisor, mentor, and friend had a profound impact on the field.  The Fellowship serves to recognize Dr. Stevens’s contribution to research and his influence on numerous graduate students.
 
The Fellowship consists of a stipend of the amount of a standard NSF dissertation award, currently $20,500 (U.S.), for a twelve-month period.  Applications for the 2002-2003 Fellowship should reach the committee chair, Professor Michael L. Lahr, by February 15, 2002.
 
An application consists of five sets of the following materials: the candidate’s graduate transcript (an unofficial copy is acceptable); curriculum vitae of no more than 2 pages in length; a statement of no more than 20 pages in length explaining the questions and issues to be addressed, the approach to be used, and the product expected from the dissertation research. The page limit is inclusive of references but exclusive of tables and figures; a confidential supporting letter from the dissertation supervisor, sealed in an envelope and given to the candidate to mail with the other materials.  The envelope containing the five copies of the letter should be signed across the seal by the supervisor.  The letter must specify the current state of progress toward the candidate’s degree and a commitment on the part of the dissertation supervisor to obtain a tuition waiver for the candidate for the academic year of the Fellowship.  A condition of the Fellowship is the granting of a tuition waiver for the academic year of the Fellowship by the host institution.  Items 2, 3, and 4 should be typed in 12 point or larger font, double-spaced with one-inch margins.
 
Applications should be mailed to: Michael L. Lahr, Center for Urban Policy Research, Bloustein School of Public Policy and Planning, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 33 Livingston Avenue, Suite 400, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-1982, USA.  Questions only should be sent via e-mail to: lahr@rci.rutgers.edu.

Seeking Session Chairs and Discussants
 
Not going to have a paper completed by October 15, but still interested in attending WRSA’s 41st meeting in Monterey?  How about signing on as a Session Chair or paper Discussant?  Able and willing individuals are always in high demand for these duties.  To offer your services as a Chair or Discussant, simply send an e-mail message to WRSA Assistant, Rachel Franklin (martirac@u.arizona.edu), or Acting Executive Secretary, Lay Gibson (ljgibson@ag.arizona.edu).

7th Mexican Regional Science Congress
 
The 7th Encuentro National Sobre Desarrollo Regional En Mexico was held during the period 24-26 October 2001 on the campus of the Techological Institute of Acapulco. The congress featured over 200 papers in 54 sessions. The program was developed and managed by Salvador Rodriguez y Rodriguez, President, Asociación Mexicana De Ciencias para el Desarrollo Regional (AMECIDER). Local arrangements were handled by José Luis Morales Lucas, Director, Instituto Technológico De Acapulco.
 
This meeting was, in one sense, a dry run for the PRSCO (Pacific Regional Science Conference Organization) Conference which will be hosted by AMECIDER in Acapulco in 2003. For more information about the upcoming PRSCO Conference or about the Mexican Association contact: Dr. Jorge Ramón Serrano Moreno, Vice President, AMECIDER at jrsm@servidor.unam.mx.

Australia New Zealand Section, RSAI
 
The 2001 meeting of the ANZRSAI was held in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia during the period 30 September - 3 October. The organizing team was headed by Brian Davidson at the University of Melbourne with assistance from Section Executive Secretary Linda Pink under the watchful eye of President Choi McConnell.
 
The program was a strong one, featuring 36 contributed papers, six plenary sessions, and two field workshops. As usual, the program offered a strong mix of papers by university based researchers and consultants and practitioners from the private and government sectors. RSAI had a strong delegation which included Bob Stimson, Scott Baum, Kingsley Haynes, Brian Holly, Kevin O’Connor, Mark McGovern, and Lay Gibson.
 
For information about ANZRSAI or about the 2002 meeting contact: Linda Pink anzrsai@uq.net.au.

Recent Publication in Regional Science
 
A new book, edited by Lars Lundqvist and Lars-Goeran Mattsson, has recently been published.  Its title is National Transport Models – Recent Developments and Prospects, and it is published by Springer, Berlin.

Upcoming Mid-Continent RSA Meeting

Mark your calendars and plan to attend the Mid-Continent Regional Science Association's 33rd Annual Conference May 30 - June 1, 2002 in Kansas City, MO.  The meeting will take place at the Westin Crown Center, Kansas City's premier meeting location. We're getting a great rate ($80/per night) at Kansas City's best hotel.
 
The Mid-Continent Regional Science Association (MCRSA) is an organization consisting of an interdisciplinary membership from academics and other public and private organizations. We are interested in using the tools of regional science to help solve applied problems in rural and urban areas at the local, state and national levels.
 
Early registrants will enjoy a reduced meeting registration fee of $50.00. In addition, a special reduced fee for students will once again be in effect. The full student registration fee is $25.00 including both the meeting and 2002 membership. However, students who submit their paper to the 2002 M. Jarvin Emerson Memorial Paper Competition and have their paper accepted for presentation at the meetings will have their registration and membership fee waived.
 
Visit the Association's Web site for conference information at: http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/mcrsa/pages/plan_to_attend.asp.
 
Information about the M. Jarvin Emerson Student Paper Competition can be found at:  http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/mcrsa/pages/m.jarvin_emerson.asp.  Contact John Leatherman if you have questions.  John Leatherman, Associate Professor and Director, Office of Local Government, Kansas State University-Extension, Department of Agricultural Economics, 331 Waters Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506-4026.  He can also be reached by phone at 785-532-4492 or by fax at 785-532-6925

Regional Science Meeting Calendar

41st Annual Meeting of the Western Regional Science Association, February 17 – 20, 2002, Monterey, California
For further details, see lead article, this issue.

41st Annual Meeting of the Southern Regional Science Association, April 11 – 13, 2002, Arlington, Virginia
 The 41st Annual Meeting of the Southern Regional Science Association will be held at The Key Bridge Marriott in Arlington, Virginia, April 11 – 13, 2002.
 
Paper abstracts should be submitted, preferably by e-mail, to Robert Gibbs, 2002 Program Chair, Economic Research Service, USDA, 1800 M Street NW, Room 2061, Washington, DC 20036-5831.  He can be reached by telephone at 202-694-5423 or by e-mail at rgibbs@ers.usda.gov.  The deadline for abstracts is December 15, 2001.
 
7th Pacific Regional Science Conference Organization Summer Institute, June 20 – 21, 2002, Bali, Indonesia
The 7th Pacific Regional Science Conference Organization Summer Institute will be held in Bali, Indonesia June 20 – 21, 2002.  This will also be the 4th International Conference of the Indonesian Regional Science Association.  The theme of the Institute is “Decentralization, Natural Resources, and Regional Development in the Pacific Rim.”
 
The Institute/Conference will include presentations of selected papers on a number themes, including decentralization and regional finance, regional economy and planning, and population and urbanization.
 
To submit an abstract, please contact Budy P. Resosudarmo or Bambang Brodjonegoro at the Graduate Program in Economics, Gedung B 2nd Floor, Faculty of Economics, University of Indonesia, Depok 16424 Indonesia.  They can also be reach via phone/fax at 62-21-787-5865 or via e-mail at paueui@indosat.net.id and pradnja@indo.net.id.
 
All abstracts should be in English and should not be longer than 1 page.  Please note in your abstract the institution you represent.  The deadline for abstracts is January 30, 2002.
 
Limited financial support is available for individuals from developing countries whose papers are accepted for presentation at the meeting.
 
Further information about the Institute/Conference is available at http://www.irsa.naraindra.or.id.

42nd Congress of the European Regional Science Association, August 27 – 31, 2002, Dortmund, Germany
 
The 42nd Congress of the European Regional Science Association will be held at the University of Dortmund, Germany, August 27 – 31, 2002.  The Local Organizing Committee welcomes papers on a wide range of regional science topics.  Abstracts can be submitted online at www.ersa2002.org.  The deadline for abstracts is January 15, 2002.
 
For further information, contact Franz-Josef Bade or Tanja Mikeleit at the University of Dortmund, Faculty of Spatial Planning, Department of Economics, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany.  They can also be reached by telephone at 49-231-755-6440, by fax at 49-231-755-6439, and by e-mail at info@ersa2002.org.  The official website for the 2002 Congress is http://www.ersa2002.org.
 
14th International Conference on Input-Output Techniques, October 10 – 15, 2002, Montreal, Canada
The 14th International Conference on Input-Output Techniques will be held in Montreal, Canada, October 10 – 15, 2002.  The goal of the conference is to promote and stimulate the exchange of ideas in the field of input-output analysis as defined in its broadest sense.  Authors are invited to submit papers on any aspect of input-output analysis, including theoretical background, policy issues, analytical frameworks, technical focus, units and levels of analysis, and objects of analysis.  Papers related to the general theme, “Ecological and Economic Sustainability in the New Economy,” are of particular interest to the organizing committee.
 
The deadline for paper submissions or parallel sessions is November 1, 2001.  Acceptance of papers will be confirmed by February, 2002.  The Organizing Committee has limited funds for five travel grants to be given to young scholars coming from non-OECD countries.  For more information on the travel grants or on submitting an abstract, contact Erik Dietzenbacher at e.dietzenbacher@eco.rug.nl or Christian de Bresson at christian.debresson@uqam.ca.  More information on the conference is also available at the International Input-Output Association’s website, http://www.iioa.at.