RSA Blog
rsablog.bsky.social
RSA Blog
@rsablog.bsky.social
Publishing entity with @regstud.bsky.social highlighting cutting-edge research in #regionalstudies for an international audience.🌐
Edited by @lavanyag.bsky.social and on X: @lavanya_G_
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New RSA blog 🌿
Rural Mayors as Climate Actors, Potentials & Constraints

What does a local climate agency look like when expectations are high and resources are limited?

Read: www.regionalstudies.org/rsa-blog/202...
Rural Mayors as Climate Actors: Potentials and Constraints of Local Agency - RSA Main
Rural areas are vulnerable to climate change but also contribute to it through their close ties to the natural environment through agriculture, forestry, tourism and resource extraction. Unsurprisingl...
www.regionalstudies.org
New RSA Blog 🚨
Productivity, Geography & Firm Survival — Lessons from Spain’s COVID-19 crisis

Findings from @Sabine D'Costa & Adelheid Holl:
• Productive firms survive more
• Geography shapes competitiveness
• Crisis policies shift survival patterns

🔗 www.regionalstudies.org/rsa-blog/202...
Productivity, Geography, and Firm Survival: Lessons from Spain’s COVID-19 Crisis - RSA Main
Why do some firms weather crises while others disappear? And what role do productivity and geography play in determining who survives? These questions are at the heart of understanding how economies r...
www.regionalstudies.org
November 10, 2025 at 2:37 PM
New RSA blog 🌿
Rural Mayors as Climate Actors, Potentials & Constraints

What does a local climate agency look like when expectations are high and resources are limited?

Read: www.regionalstudies.org/rsa-blog/202...
Rural Mayors as Climate Actors: Potentials and Constraints of Local Agency - RSA Main
Rural areas are vulnerable to climate change but also contribute to it through their close ties to the natural environment through agriculture, forestry, tourism and resource extraction. Unsurprisingl...
www.regionalstudies.org
November 5, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Crises, Communities & Business Resilience in Nigeria

How do family-run firms survive overlapping crises?
New RSA Blog by Tolu Olarewaju, Saul Estrin & Tomasz Mickiewicz explores kinship, cooperation & resilience.

🔗 www.regionalstudies.org/rsa-blog/202...
Crises, Communities and Business Resilience in Nigeria - RSA Main
Nigeria’s business environment has been defined by overlapping crises—economic shocks, political instability, and community-level disruptions. For example, in 2015, Nigeria entered a prolonged downtur...
www.regionalstudies.org
October 25, 2025 at 3:34 PM
🌏 New RSA Blog: South East Asia as a Global Economic Corridor by Sreedevi RS
ASEAN’s MPAC 2025 links trade, mobility & innovation — but can growth stay inclusive?

🔗 www.regionalstudies.org/rsa-blog/202...
October 21, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Reposted by RSA Blog
Our latest @safety-nets.bsky.social project blog is out. We reflect on spatial inequalities and disability benefit reforms. And the pickle UK gov changes might create for subnational and devolved authorities.
October 10, 2025 at 3:05 PM
New RSA Blog 📉
“The Growth Gamble” explores how UK welfare reform, deindustrialisation & regional divides intersect.
By Sioned Pearce, @haylesben.bsky.social, Mhairi Ross & @ruthpatrick0.bsky.social.

👉 www.regionalstudies.org/rsa-blog/202...
The growth gamble: Do we need to loosen the tie binding devolution with economic outcomes in England? - RSA Main
Earlier in 2025, the UK government announced a commitment to reduce spending on disability benefits by restructuring entitlements and eligibility to various health-related benefits. It claims through ...
www.regionalstudies.org
October 10, 2025 at 12:34 PM
New RSA Blog 💻
Digital tools helped UK SMEs survive Covid-19 — but only in urban areas.

Sabine D’Costa & @ioramashvili.bsky.social show why rural firms saw no boost, calling for place-based digital strategies.

🔗 www.regionalstudies.org/rsa-blog/202...

👀 New RSA calls soon!
October 5, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Reposted by RSA Blog
We've got a stellar set of speakers this term at @ihr.bsky.social. Come along an immerse yourself in the latest early modern history research! #EarlyModern 🗃️
We're back! 🎉 And we're thrilled to announce our term card for Autumn 2025! Our first event is on Thursday 16 October at 5.30 pm. Lyndal Roper will be discussing 'Turbulence and the German Peasants' War of 1524-6'. You can register to attend the event at: www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...
September 29, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Reposted by RSA Blog
Well done on this constructive contribution with some very useful basic advice.
September 28, 2025 at 6:40 AM
Reposted by RSA Blog
Many thanks to @regstud.bsky.social and @rsablog.bsky.social for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts on designing better maps in academia. And to @cchlebna.bsky.social for encouragement and feedback.
September 25, 2025 at 3:11 PM
New RSA Blog 🗺️ Maps are powerful tools — but do we use their full potential?

@jakobeder.bsky.social reflects on why visual literacy matters in geography & shares 5 simple tips for designing clearer, more engaging maps.

👉 www.regionalstudies.org/rsa-blog/202...
Putting Graphicacy Back into Geography: Why it Matters How We Design Maps for Science Communication - RSA Main
Tools play a crucial role in research and the visual representation of regions. In this piece by Dr Jakob Eder, we explore mapping (graphicacy) and discuss its application and potential improvements f...
www.regionalstudies.org
September 25, 2025 at 10:55 AM
For centuries, Mumbai’s Koli fishing communities shaped life by the tides 🌊🐟. Their Koliwadas are more than hamlets, they’re vernacular regions of caste, craft & ecology.
Read Ayush Srivastava & Asma Sayyad’s RSA Summer Series blog 👇
👉 www.regionalstudies.org/rsa-blog/202...
Found this interesting?
September 15, 2025 at 7:11 PM
New RSA Blog 🌍✍️ by Johanna Schnabel (@jos38.bsky.social) : Can Devolution Reduce Regional Inequality in the UK?
From “Levelling Up” to “Power Up Britain,” devolution is central, but structures alone aren’t enough. Read more 👇

🔗 www.regionalstudies.org/rsa-blog/202...
Found this insightful!!
September 12, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Reposted by RSA Blog
Job Opportunity!

University of Florida - Assistant Professor in Brazilian History

networks.h-net.org/jobs/69063/u...
University of Florida - Assistant Professor in Brazilian History | H-Net
networks.h-net.org
September 7, 2025 at 7:01 AM
🌍 New Blog from Summer Series!
Colonial Planning and Customary Chief Land Rights in Kinshasa’s Peripheral Communes
Read about Kinshasa’s urban Story by Alex N Kalenga: www.regionalstudies.org/rsa-blog/202...
Dec rolling submissions open!
@regstud.bsky.social
Colonial legacy and customary chief land rights in the context of Kinshasa peripheral communes - RSA Main
Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is one of Sub-Saharan Africa’s fastest-growing megacities, with over 15 million inhabitants according to the latest census (The World Bank Gr...
www.regionalstudies.org
September 5, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Reposted by RSA Blog
In our @rsablog.bsky.social blog we explore how mayors can enact change in complex policy spaces when they don't have control over the policy levers. www.regionalstudies.org/rsa-blog/202...

Evidence is drawn from our article in @regionalstudies.bsky.social.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
How democratically elected mayors can achieve mission-oriented policies in turbulent times
This article explores how democratically elected mayors can achieve mission-oriented policies in turbulent times. Drawing on 132 interviews with decision-makers in England, it uses the case of heal...
www.tandfonline.com
September 1, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Reposted by RSA Blog
⚠️ 40 years after the UK miners’ strike, former coalfield areas still bear the scars of austerity.

David Etherington, @mia-gray.bsky.social & Lisa Buckner reveal how £32.6B in welfare cuts + shrinking local gov funding = deep regional injustice.

Read the RSA blog: bit.ly/40d9jSm
July 12, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Reposted by RSA Blog
🚨 New blog by Dominik Gager explores how democratic planning + sufficiency can guide a just socio-ecological transformation—grounded in Doughnut Economics + planetary boundaries 🍩🌍
📘 Read: bit.ly/4kDYNLg
@regstud.bsky.social
July 14, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Reposted by RSA Blog
Wait is Over!🚨 New RSA Summer Blog: Africa Edition
@jasonfbell.bsky.social unpacks how apartheid-era spatial inequality & local governance fractures contributed to the underdevelopment of Ga-Rankuwa and Winterveld, on Gauteng’s industrial periphery.
Read it here: bit.ly/3Inygo2
@regstud.bsky.social
July 15, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Reposted by RSA Blog
🔥 Shanghai: A city, a strategy, a regional powerhouse.
Yin Dou & Yishuai Zhang unpack how Shanghai’s leadership shaped the Yangtze River Delta over 4 decades.
📖 Dive into the RSA summer blog: bit.ly/4l4dG9J
💬 Will the YRD model shape China’s future?
@regstud.bsky.social @regionalstudies.bsky.social
Regional Cooperation Centered on Shanghai: Development History, Linkage Measurement, and Future Outlook - RSA Main
Development History: A Multi-Dimensional Region Centred on Shanghai In the Chinese context, as urban spatial patterns and governance systems evolve, the concept of “region” increasingly exhibits multi...
bit.ly
July 30, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Reposted by RSA Blog
New RSA blog 📢 Joanne Murphy (changeresearch.bsky.social) explores place leadership in post-Brexit Northern Ireland: where history, politics & development intersect.
Read: www.regionalstudies.org/rsa-blog/202...
💡Rolling blog subs open November 😊.
Returning authors welcome!
Joanne Murphy (@changeresearch.bsky.social)
Professor of Inclusive leadership
changeresearch.bsky.social
August 12, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Reposted by RSA Blog
New RSA blog 📰
by @jacknewman.bsky.social & @sarahayres.bsky.social speaks on why combining mayoral devolution + mission-led policy could transform the UK.
Link: www.regionalstudies.org/rsa-blog/202...
What’s your take — could empowered mayors guided by national missions be the UK’s game-changer?
How Mayors and Missions Can Make the UK a Better Place to Live - RSA Main
The UK government can meet some of its biggest challenges by combining mayoral devolution with its mission-led approach. Empowering local leaders to deliver on national missions will mean giving them ...
www.regionalstudies.org
August 20, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Reposted by RSA Blog
How do regions drive change?
🇬🇧 UK → bottom-up, market-led
🇨🇳 China → quyu (区域), state-shaped governance

In our latest RSA Summer Series blog, Qinying Sun unpacks innovation directionality across two models.

🔗 www.regionalstudies.org/rsa-blog/202...
@regstud.bsky.social @regionalstudies.bsky.social
Quyu and Regional Directionality: Innovation Intermediaries in China and the UK's Non-Core Regions - RSA Main
The concept of Quyu (区域) in China Across policy and academic debates, regions are increasingly recognised as key arenas for addressing climate change, demographic shifts, and economic transitions. In ...
www.regionalstudies.org
August 25, 2025 at 5:58 PM
How do regions drive change?
🇬🇧 UK → bottom-up, market-led
🇨🇳 China → quyu (区域), state-shaped governance

In our latest RSA Summer Series blog, Qinying Sun unpacks innovation directionality across two models.

🔗 www.regionalstudies.org/rsa-blog/202...
@regstud.bsky.social @regionalstudies.bsky.social
Quyu and Regional Directionality: Innovation Intermediaries in China and the UK's Non-Core Regions - RSA Main
The concept of Quyu (区域) in China Across policy and academic debates, regions are increasingly recognised as key arenas for addressing climate change, demographic shifts, and economic transitions. In ...
www.regionalstudies.org
August 25, 2025 at 5:58 PM
New RSA blog 📰
by @jacknewman.bsky.social & @sarahayres.bsky.social speaks on why combining mayoral devolution + mission-led policy could transform the UK.
Link: www.regionalstudies.org/rsa-blog/202...
What’s your take — could empowered mayors guided by national missions be the UK’s game-changer?
How Mayors and Missions Can Make the UK a Better Place to Live - RSA Main
The UK government can meet some of its biggest challenges by combining mayoral devolution with its mission-led approach. Empowering local leaders to deliver on national missions will mean giving them ...
www.regionalstudies.org
August 20, 2025 at 12:59 PM