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Strategic coupling refers to the process of matching local assets with global network demands. Although the concept has benefited from an increase in relational thinking, several critical issues remain unresolved. In this article, we identify and discuss three such issues - the characteristics of the entities involved in strategic coupling, the way in which the 'local' is conceptualized in the context of 'global' positioning, and the understanding of strategic action. To address these issues, we use Cox's notion of 'spaces of dependence and engagement' in combination with Ball's concept of the 'structure of provision'. The case of the port of Rotterdam demonstrates the value of our perspective in elucidating the process of 'strategic coupling' within global networks of containerized traffic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we reflect on the role of concepts in spatial planning as reproductive devices of discursive configurations. In contrast to instrumentalist interpretations of spatial concepts, we start from the idea that spatial planning concepts are inherently political. Building on post-structuralist strands of thought, we discuss the theoretical concepts of “empty signifier” and “master signifier” and instead, after analysis, put forward “open concepts”, in order to grasp the richness of meanings and functions of seemingly vague concepts. This manoeuvre allows us to analyse the trajectory and performance of the spatial concept of the “innovation campus” in the Netherlands. This, in turn, opens the door to an analysis of planning concepts as crystallization points and enablers of discursive configurations. The Dutch innovation campus is shown to be a result of a confluence of various national and international discourses, an open concept, flexible enough to enable the continuation of the planning game within the familiar set of coordinates. Because of the particular set of expectations associated with the innovation campus, promising structural change, it is bound to produce disappointment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many countries have implemented decentralization. However, in the case of Indonesia it has also been accompanied by a controversial phenomenon: the local government proliferation or "blossoming". As result of the proliferation wave, the number of local governments in Indonesia increased significantly, also in Eastern Indonesia such as Papua. In recent decentralization and special autonomy for Papua, this region has significantly increased its regional income. Papua was called as example of frontier economy regions that have attracted a large number of economic migrants and it has had a profound impact on the demographic composition of Papua and its ethnic mix. Lack of human resources, in particular in the new autonomous regions, may increase voluntary migrants from other areas. The aim of this paper is to describe demographic changes in Papua and to argue this diversity issue should be concerned in Papuan development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

VarróK. and LagendijkA. Conceptualizing the region – in what sense relational?,Regional Studies. Recently, the question of how to conceptualize the region seems to have created a division in geographical scholarship between those propagating the primacy of a relational view, on the one hand, and those defending the relevance of a territorial view, on the other. This paper argues that two main factors have impeded a fruitful discussion, to the extent that even some points of convergence have been neglected. First, the two strands have drawn, sometimes implicitly, on incommensurable philosophical assumptions. Second, scholars in favour of a relational view have at times made statements that do not fit well (some of) their philosophical sources of inspiration. The paper suggests the task of conceptualization is readdressed by following consistently a discourse–theoretical relational ontology. 区域 相关性以及空间领域方法 VarróK. and LagendijkA. 概念化区域-就什么而言是相关的？区域研究。目前关于如何能够概念化区域这个问题在地理学研究者中出现了分歧， 一部分研究者坚持相对性视角，另一部分则坚持领域相关性观点。本文认为，有两个原因阻碍了有益的探讨，涉及到对两者的联性的忽略。首先，两种思路是建立在不同的哲学假设上的。其次，学者关注相关性观点在很多情况下其论点并未完全符合其哲学假设。本文认为，概念化这一任务需要建立在语境理论相关性存在论的基础上。 Régions Façon relationnelle et territoriale d'aborder l'espace VarróK. et LagendijkA. La conceptualisation de la région – dans quel sens est-ce relationelle?,Regional Studies. Au cours des dernières années, la conceptualisation de la région semble avoir divisé les spécialistes de la géographie entre ceux qui prônent d'un côté la primauté de l'approche relationnelle et de l'autre côté ceux qui justifient la pertinence de l'approche territoriale. Cet article affirme que deux facteurs principaux ont empêché un débat fructueux, dans la mesure où des points de vue convergents même ont été négligés. Primo, les deux fils ont quelquefois puisé, de façon implicite, dans des suppositions philosophiques incommensurables. Secundo, les spécialistes qui prônent l'approche relationnelle ont quelquefois fait des déclarations qui ne correspondent pas bien à (quelques-unes de) leurs sources d'inspiration philsophiques. Cet article laisse supposer que l'on devrait aborder à nouveau la tâche de la conceptualisation en poursuivant systématiquement une ontologie relationnelle fondée sur un discours théorique. Regionen Relationale und territoriale Betrachtung des Raums VarróK. und LagendijkA. Die Konzeptualisierung der Region – in welchem Sinne relational?,Regional Studies. In letzter Zeit hat die Frage, wie sich eine Region konzeptualisieren lässt, offenbar zu einer Spaltung der geografischen Wissenschaft geführt, wobei sich ein Lager für das Primat einer relationalen Perspektive ausspricht und das andere die Relevanz einer territorialen Perspektive verteidigt. In diesem Beitrag wird argumentiert, dass vor allem zwei Faktoren einer fruchtbaren Diskussion im Wege stehen und sogar zur Vernachlässigung einiger Konvergenzpunkte geführt haben. Zum einen haben sich beide Richtungen – manchmal implizit – auf inkommensurable philosophische Annahmen bezogen. Zum anderen haben manche Wissenschaftler, die eine relationale Perspektive verfechten, teilweise Aussagen getroffen, die nicht gut zu ihren philosophischen Inspirationsquellen (oder einigen davon) passen. Wir schlagen vor, die Aufgabe der Konzeptualisierung neu anzugehen und dabei konsequent eine diskurstheoretische relationale Ontologie zu befolgen. Regiones Enfoque relacional y territorial para el espacio VarróK. y LagendijkA. La conceptualización de la región; ¿en qué sentido relacional?,Regional Studies. Recientemente, la cuestión de cómo conceptualizar la región parece haber creado una división en la ciencia geográfica entre, por una parte, los que abogan por la primacía de una perspectiva relacional, y por otra, los que defienden la relevancia de una perspectiva territorial. En este artículo sostenemos que existen dos principales factores que han impedido un provechoso debate, de forma que incluso se han descuidado algunos puntos de convergencia. En primer lugar, los dos grupos se han basado, algunas veces implícitamente, en suposiciones filosóficas inconmensurables. En segundo lugar, los académicos a favor de una perspectiva relacional a veces han hecho declaraciones que no encajan bien (algunas) de sus fuentes filosóficas de inspiración. En este artículo sugerimos que se considere de nuevo la tarea de la conceptualización siguiendo sistemáticamente una ontología relacional de discurso teórico. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Turkey's step-by-step embedding in the institutional and policy environment of the EU is currently compelling the country to establish a fitting structure of regional governance. A key element in this structure is the creation of regions at the NUTS-II level which will be equipped with Regional Development Agencies (RDAs). Yet the present political and economic situation in Turkey throws some doubt on the scope and future for RDA development. To what extent will the central state be able and willing to devolve authority and resources to the local level? And to what extent do regional institutional and business settings hold fertile ground for RDA development? The article will address these questions, first, by focusing on the broader political-institutional context of region and RDA formation; and, second, through a detailed case-study of one regional setting, namely Istanbul. The outcomes indeed point to a fragile basis for RDA development from both political and economic perspectives. However, they also help identify certain areas where RDAs, in a more bottom-up way, could help to fill serious gaps in the fabric of regional economic development, and may find external resources to do so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do culture and the economy relate in a spatial context? Recent work on the economy-culture relationship has developed the idea of‘articulation’. Rather than conceiving culture as a separate factor, as an add-on to economic analysis, culture and the economy represent interlaced dimensions in economic processes. The economy represents a cultural process, but culture, in turn, is influenced by the evolution of economic practices and concepts, including the advances of economic science. This paper will focus on how this articulated interpretation of the culture-economy relationship bears on our conceptualisation of the territorial dimension of the economy. The starting point of the discussion is the prevalent emphasis on the region or‘locale’ as a core site of economic development, set against the background of pervasive globalisation. Responding to recent discussions on Habermas's conceptual pair of‘systemworld’–‘lifeworld’, an‘articulated’ perspective on space is presented. One of the key messages is that an analysis of economic processes in space should develop a much richer interpretation of the market, which should be perceived as a culturally and territorially-rooted institution. Such an interpretation may be inspired by the notion of‘organised markets’, as well as by the conceptualisation of the economy and economics suggested by actor-network thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]