Regional Science Research Articles

Spatial analysis is a research paradigm that employs specialized techniques and models to analyze and model spatial data, focusing on the variation over space and helping to reveal hidden patterns and model relationships [...]

Abstract Situated Expectancy Value Theory (SEVT) emphasizes the role parents play in shaping children’s confidence and value they place on science. Although a robust literature has documented parental influences on children’s science motivations in school-based contexts, less is known about how parents’ attitudes and support shape children’s science motivation in extracurricular learning environments. Moreover, prior work has rarely considered whether motivational processes differ across science domains, such as life versus physical sciences. The present study addressed these gaps by examining whether parents’ attitudes and support predicted children’s science motivation during participation in a regional science fair, and whether patterns varied by project domain. The study examined 96 parent–child dyads (60% girls; Grades 3–11). Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that parents’ perceptions of children’s science task value were the most consistent positive predictor of children’s motivational beliefs, significantly predicting both ability beliefs and task value. The encouragement children reported receiving from their parents was a positive predictor of children’s task value, but parental reports of encouragement were not. In contrast, instrumental support through hands-on help was negatively associated with children’s ability beliefs across both parent and child reports. No significant differences were found between life and physical science projects. This research indicates that parents play an integral role in children’s science motivation development when they participate in extracurricular science-learning opportunities. Subsequently, parents may need external support to learn how to provide appropriate help on student projects and offer general science encouragement that promotes science motivation.

Corrigendum to “Shear failure behavior of the interface between asphalt mixture and ice layer by electromagnetic induction heating” [Cold Regions Science and Technology, 240 (2025) 104627

The article analyzes the problem of compiling dictionaries of ethnic cultural concepts. Such dictionaries are currently almost absent in Russian scholarship. To address this issue, the following tasks are undertaken: to examine debated fields within Russian linguoculturology, to clarify the contribution of concept dictionaries to the study of ethnic culture and language, to analyze publications dedicated to specific ethnic cultures or regions of Russia, and to formulate the main organizational and research challenges. Accordingly, the source base of this problem-oriented overview study consists of scientific publications on related topics, as well as existing concept dictionaries and thematically related editions, directly aligned with the study objectives. Russian linguoculturology possesses a rich theoretical foundation, including the capacity to develop and investigate concepts of various linguocultures and compile concept dictionaries in philological and cultural studies directions. However, a philological disciplinary bias and the predominance of research on Russian culture have been noticeable in the main trends and debates of this field over the past two decades. Studies of cultural concepts outside the philological scope remain scarce despite the example of Yu. S. Stepanov’s 1997 concept dictionary, which is regarded as exemplary. The cultural studies approach to cultural concepts allows for a broader consideration of both concepts and dictionaries than in philological works, considering not only textual sources but also sociocultural practices. Although comprehensive dictionaries of concepts do not exist, several projects focused on Bashkir and Tuvan cultures in the field of ethnocultural conceptualization are noted and recommended for consideration. The authors of such works in Russian scholarship are almost exclusively ethnocultural insiders working in national regions. Special attention is given to problems in regional science: the shortage of specialists, difficulties in collaboration between philologists, cultural scholars, and ethnographers, as well as institutional and sociocultural barriers for researchers working in the regions. This highlights the ongoing challenges faced by scholars in developing dictionaries of ethnic cultural concepts across Russian regions.

The present study explores the impact of higher education R&D human capital on regional social science strength, with the total number of National Social Science Fund Projects (TNSSF) serving as the core measure of regional social science development. The present study utilizes panel data from 2003 to 2022, encompassing 31 Chinese provincial-level regions, to ascertain the efficacy of higher education R&D full-time equivalent personnel (RDPers) as a proxy for higher education R&D human capital input. A high-dimensional fixed-effect model is employed, supplemented by multi-method validation including endogeneity mitigation (via lagged variables) and robustness tests (placebo test, explanatory variable substitution, sample period adjustment). The results of the study indicate that: The first finding of this study indicates that the presence of Rdpers exerts a stable positive driving effect on regional social science strength. This finding is supported by a validated coefficient ranging from 0.002 to 0.004 (p < 0.01). The coefficient thus confirms Rdpers as a core driver of regional social science development. 2) A considerable time moderating effect is in evidence. Since 2007, particularly following the 2012 implementation of the "Innovation-Driven Development Strategy," the interaction coefficient between rdpers and year dummies has increased to 0.001–0.003 (p < 0.05). This is attributable to the enhancement of rdpers' role in promoting social science strength as national policies have evolved. Thirdly, marked regional heterogeneity is observed. Inter-regionally, the driving effect of rdpers follows the order "East (average coefficient=1.076) > West (0.635) > Central (0.505)." Intra-regionally, the East demonstrates stable high efficiency, the West shows polarized performance (e.g., Sichuan's coefficient=2.523 vs. Gansu's 0.542), and the Central region faces "resource mismatch" (insufficient supporting conditions for rdpers). Fourthly, among the control variables, financial support intensity (FINSUP) has a significant negative effect (-187.21, p < 0.05) due to inefficient fund use, while financial development level (FINDEV) exhibits a positive effect (19.68, p < 0.05) in recent years. This study enhances the existing body of research on the drivers of regional social science strength by substantiating the foundational role of human capital and refining the understanding of intraregional disparities. In practice, it provides empirical insights for the optimization of regional social science resource allocation (e.g., regionalized redpers allocation, reform of social science fund management) and the promotion of balanced national social science development.

How can regional scientists keep contributing to climate and environmental economics?

Research on Optimal Allocation of Regional Science and Technology Innovation Resources Based on Multi-Source Data Fusion Algorithm

The integrated development of large, medium, and small enterprises refers to an ecological model of integrated enterprise development, characterized by supply and demand relationships and supporting cooperation. It combines capital, technology, products, information, and other core elements as its foundation, enabling them to interact effectively, collaborate, innovate, and develop in an integrated manner through a specialized organizational structure. The purpose of integrating the development of large, medium, and small enterprises is to allow innovation factors to be systematically and uniformly allocated across these enterprises. This is specifically reflected in the mutual interconnection of industrial, technological, capital, and talent chains. China places great emphasis on the integrated innovation of large, medium, and small enterprises. It is committed to forming its competitive advantages in the new wave of scientific, technological, and industrial changes. It advocates the use of large markets to allocate resources and establish a collaborative mechanism between large and small enterprises. In the report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, it was pointed out that it is necessary to strengthen the integration of industry, academia and research with enterprises as the main body, make full use of the driving and supporting capabilities of key science and technology enterprises, create a good development environment for science and technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises, and improve the efficiency of transformation and industrialization of scientific and technological achievements. This study conducts relevant research on the construction of an ecological system for the integrated development of large, medium, and small enterprises in regional science and technology parks, aiming to provide targeted countermeasures for the integrated development of enterprises of all sizes in China.

BackgroundVolunteers and citizen science initiatives play a crucial role for the documentation of species occurrences and distributions. When quality-checked and openly available, such data can provide information for biodiversity research and nature conservation. While some large international platforms reach a high number of opportunistic users around the world, there are also many smaller and regional citizen science initiatives, which often collaborate very closely with local authorities, conservation organisations and local experts and volunteers. Despite their high quality, data from such regional initiatives are often missing from global open data platforms, such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).New informationHere, we present a quality-checked citizen science dataset published on GBIF with more than 1 million georeferenced species records with a geographic focus on the German federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz) and Berlin. The dataset originates from the collaborative observation platform ArtenFinder, which is run by the two federal states. While each state branch administers its own web platform, they share a common database. Users can upload, edit, manage and share their observations of animals, plants and fungi. Experts validate the species records, based on photographs and other media as well as on plausibility, which allows the data to be used by state authorities and for conservation management and research purposes. The data mobilisation and publication were enabled by the German National Research Data Infrastructure for Biodiversity (NFDI4Biodiversity) and the dataset is now also available through the Living Atlas of Nature Germany platform, a GBIF hosted portal.

Multi-decadal datasets from systematic surveys of birds are rarely published, despite their potential to yield important information about local changes in the environment over time. I compare bird surveys at Harvard Forest in central Massachusetts, USA, between 1993 and 2016 with two unpublished annotated bird checklists from the area (1948 and 1970), along with data from other long-term bird survey sites in New England, and regional community science data. While a handful of breeding species at the Harvard Forest are common each year, species turnover has been constant, with roughly a third of bird species found one survey year and not the other. I list 18 species that have apparently colonized Harvard Forest as breeding species after 1948, and 16 that have declined since then, including two to the point of extirpation. I also note several examples of phylogenetic replacements in the recent vs. historical avifauna. More colonizing species than declining species are at their northern range limit rather than their southern limit in southern New England, and more migratory species appear to be declining than colonizing. More colonizing species favor forest interior than declining ones, and nearly all declining species are associated with edge/early-successional habitats or are considered habitat generalists. The majority of species to have colonized Harvard Forest since 1948 show positive statewide population trends, and none showed a loss in the number of breeding bird atlas blocks occupied between the 1970s and the 2000s. I identify three declining or extirpated species, Ruffed Grouse, Eastern Whip-poor-will, and Olive-sided Flycatcher, as particularly deserving of conservation attention. Long-term, site-scale monitoring is essential to detect the impact of local forest management techniques, which at Harvard Forest has included the creation of experimental clear-cuts, the loss of conifer plantations, and the continued maturation of the mixed hardwood forest.

Announced by South Australian Premier Thomas Playford in 1960, the plan to build Chowilla Dam on the River Murray aimed to secure water rights crucial for the state’s economic growth. This article examines the political wrangling between South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria over River Murray management, exploring the historical and political context of the proposed dam in South Australia. Through analysis of newspaper reports, horticultural newsletters and government documents, the article reveals the complexities of water management and salinity crises from 1965 to 1968. The Chowilla project exemplifies mid-twentieth-century ideologies of large-scale infrastructure as solutions to environmental and economic challenges. But its downfall also shows the impact of changing political and scientific fields through the later 1960s. By contextualising the dam within broader national development schemes like the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme, the article highlights the connection between regional water politics, environmental science and economic imperatives during a critical period in South Australia’s history.

This study explores the contours of Nepal’s climate diplomacy mostly focusing on climate emergency, vulnerabilities and it’s, strategies, and role in global climate negotiations. Despite contributing minimally to global greenhouse gas emissions, Nepal ranks among the most climate-vulnerable nations. The research employs a multidisciplinary approach, combining quantitative content analysis with case studies, to provide actionable insights for Nepal. The research highlights Nepal’s efforts to integrate climate action into national policies, advocate for climate justice, and leverage its geographical position to promote global action. By analyzing past climate negotiations, successful models from other countries, and Nepal’s domestic policies, the study suggests a robust framework for enhancing its climate diplomacy. Key findings emphasize the importance of regional collaboration, science diplomacy, and equitable climate finance and improving domestic climate governance framework.

Private equity investment brings incremental funds to enterprises, but can it enhance the new quality productivity of enterprises and facilitate their high-quality development? From the perspective of technological innovation, this paper uses the relevant data of 378 listed companies in China’s strategic emerging industries from 2019 to 2023 to study the impact of private equity investment on the new quality productivity of strategic emerging industry enterprises, further examines the mediating role of technological innovation capability and the moderating role of regional science and technology finance levels, and investigates the heterogeneity of enterprise property rights nature, as well as industrial nature. The research results show that: First, private equity investment has a significant positive impact on the new quality productivity of enterprises in strategic emerging industries; Second, private equity investment can promote the development of new quality productivity of enterprises in strategic emerging industries by enhancing their technological innovation capability. Third, the level of regional science and technology finance positively moderate the promoting effect of private equity investment on the new quality productivity of enterprises in strategic emerging industries. Fourth, the new quality productivity of non-state-owned enterprises is more sensitive to private equity investment. The new quality productivity of enterprises in the new generation of information technology industry, new energy vehicle industry, new energy industry, energy conservation and environmental protection industry and digital creative industry is more sensitive to private equity investment. The research conclusion provides relevant inspirations for further utilizing private equity investment to enhance the new quality productivity of enterprises in strategic emerging industries.

The imperative of achieving technological sovereignty places the task of science and technology development at the forefront for Russia’s regions, with infrastructure being a key enabling factor. In recent years, various infrastructure facilities have been established across the Russian Federation’s regions, including innovative science and technology centers, world-class research and education hubs, and advanced engineering schools. However, data on these assets remain insufficiently systematized, and the boundaries of the concept “science and technology infrastructure” are not clearly defined. This article analyzes definitions of infrastructure in federal laws and strategic and programmatic documents on science and technology policy from 1991 to 2025. Four main stages in the formation of such infrastructure in Russia are identified. It is shown that the term “innovation infrastructure” predominates in both legal texts and academic publications, yet it does not fully capture the specificity of science and technology activities. To address this gap, we propose refining the concept of infrastructure in national science and technology policy by distinguishing two subsystems—scientific‐research and science‐infrastructure.

Despite increasing scientific output, biomedical research in Latin America remains unevenly developed, particularly in countries that are often overlooked in regional science policy discussions. This study assesses research capacities in Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, and Peru, identifying key challenges, opportunities, and strategies to strengthen the region's scientific landscape. Using a mixed-methods approach-including surveys, expert interviews, and data analysis-this study examines infrastructure, institutional support, funding mechanisms, researcher training, and international partnerships. Additionally, it evaluates the impact of global programs, such as the Pew Latin American Fellows Program, in advancing research capacity. Findings highlight substantial differences in national R&D investment, workforce development, and institutional capabilities. Colombia and Costa Rica exhibit more developed research ecosystems, while Guatemala, Panama, and Peru face constraints such as limited national funding, dependency on external grants, and gaps in PhD/postdoctoral training. However, emerging opportunities include specialization in key biomedical fields, notably infectious diseases, genomics, and biotechnology, strengthening global partnerships, and leveraging research networks to address Latin America's pressing health challenges. This study contributes to ongoing discussions on regional science policy and international collaboration by addressing knowledge gaps and providing evidence-based recommendations for research funding, institutional development, and workforce expansion. To foster long-term growth, it recommends increasing national R&D investment, modernizing research infrastructure, expanding doctoral and postdoctoral training, and strengthening institutional and global research partnerships. By implementing targeted policies and institutional strategies, Latin America can enhance its role in global biomedical research and innovation while addressing regional health priorities.

Weak sustainability (WS) requires that the inclusive wealth (IW) of a place (e.g., the world, a nation, or a sub-national region) be non-decreasing over a long time. The WS framework provides a more complete account of the sustainability of a place than do sustainability indicators or conventional economic measures, such as gross domestic product. However, while many decisions that affect sustainability are made at regional and local levels, the abstract theory of WS was developed without explicit recognition of the porosity of geographic boundaries and the interdependencies of regions. In this paper, we make three contributions: a carefully reasoned defense of IW per capita as the WS criterion, an improved understanding of the relationship between mobility, labor productivity, and regional economic growth, and an empirical application to US counties that demonstrates the feasibility of empirical regional WS assessment by summarizing Jones’ research. This analysis, extending the framework developed by Arrow and co-authors, accounts for more region-specific factors related to population, most notably the labor productivity component of health capital, and assesses IW per capita for all 50 states and 3108 counties in the US from 2010 to 2017. These improved methods revealed substantially more states and counties that were not WS relative to results using the Arrow et al. framework. The not-WS counties exhibited a distinct rural bias, as regional scientists have suspected but, nevertheless, the majority of rural counties were WS. Our work demonstrated that regional WS assessment is feasible, produces results that are consistent with prior expectations based on reasoning and empirical research, and has the potential to provide fresh insights into longstanding questions of regional development.

Corporate embeddedness, the extent to which companies anchor themselves in a local context through political, economic, academic, social, and environmental connections, remains a key area of research in social and regional sciences. Due to the limited availability of secondary data on corporate relationships, measurement methods often rely on qualitative data. Corporate communication, especially CEO letters in annual reports, is a frequently neglected secondary data source that has grown in significance in meeting stakeholder expectations and providing insights into corporate strategies and operations. Despite the growing scholarly interest in CEO letters, little is known about embeddedness narratives and the cultural factors that influence them. Through an analysis of the cultural variations in embeddedness narratives found in CEO letters from the fashion and cosmetics industries, this study suggests a novel approach to operationalising corporate local embeddedness. The focus on these sectors is justified by the significant variations in embeddedness orientations across industries and the accessibility of relevant data. The study finds that CEO letters can serve as a complementary data source for assessing corporate embeddedness, as they reveal both local and global orientations. Using software-based content analysis, key themes and keywords were identified along the Quintuple Helix model, providing a structured approach to analysing embeddedness. The results highlight cultural influences, with reactive cultures emphasising social sustainability, while academic engagement challenges existing assumptions. In addition to reflecting corporate strategies, CEO letters offer insights into sectoral characteristics. However, more qualitative research is still required to fully comprehend a company’s level of embedding.

The article examines topical issues of research and modeling of cluster structures within the system of regional socio-economic development. The definition of cluster structures, oriented towards accelerating sustainable socio-economic growth and improving the quality of life in the region, is generalized. Tools for developing the innovative potential of clusters are characterized, including enhancing knowledge spillovers, specialization and complementarity, shared infrastructure and resources, intense competition and cooperation, and the concentration of specialized human capital. The possibilities of modeling cluster structures in developing and implementing effective regional policy are substantiated. Statistical-econometric, network, geoinformation, and other methods of modeling cluster structures in the system of regional socio-economic development are described. The key role of innovative clusters as a driving force for regional and national economic growth is determined. Cluster structures shape a modern, competitive, and sustainable regional economy. Developing and effectively managing clusters are integral to successful regional policy in the context of dynamic global changes and Ukraine’s challenges. Clusters are a natural environment for generating and disseminating innovations. The proximity, intensive interaction, specialization, and complementarity among cluster participants create a unique synergy that accelerates the exchange of knowledge, ideas, and technologies. This, in turn, forms the foundation for developing new products, services, and business models. Applying cluster structure modeling methods, such as statistical, econometric, network, system dynamics, and agent-based modeling, allows for identifying existing clusters and forecasting their development and impact on regional indicators. These tools provide a scientifically sound basis for developing and implementing effective management decisions to stimulate cluster formation. Modeling enables the identification of potential growth points for innovation activity, optimizes resource utilization, and enhances the investment attractiveness of regions. An innovative regional development model based on the cluster approach is an effective tool for overcoming challenges such as low competitiveness, lack of investment and innovation, disparities in access to services, and environmental problems. Thus, the research and modeling of cluster structures are fundamental elements of modern regional economic science and policy. Further scientific developments in this field should focus on improving methodological approaches to cluster identification and evaluation, developing adapted models for Ukrainian realities, and integrating the cluster approach into the overall regional governance system to ensure sustainable and balanced territorial development. Keywords: modeling, clusters, regional economy, socio-economic development.

ABSTRACT Over the years, family business and regional science scholars have developed an interest in exploring and understanding the relationship between the two research fields, typically, on how they influence each other. In this article, we build on the family business and the regional context to question and explore how family firms are locally embedded. We argue that the importance of local embeddedness of family firms cannot be fully understood without untangling how and what family firms are locally embedded in. Drawing on the relational spatial ontology and familial factors, and within the regional development framework, we propose typologies of family firms’ relational spaces, thereafter, familial spaces – cognitive familial space, institutional familial space, social familial space, organisational familial space and clientele/communal familial space. Where we define familial spaces as the relational networks of varied functional relationships enabled by familial factors at the disposal of family firms to explore. Based on a multidisciplinary perspective, we offer a specification of familial space and explore how the regional context and family governance system can influence the familial spaces. We maintain that family firms whose resources and productive activities are anchored in specific local places, and who themselves are locally attached, may be more likely than any other organisational type to influence familial spaces to influence their (non) economic goals. We propose suggestions for future research.

IntroductionMedical physics is a fulfilling profession where physics is applied to advance human health. However, many are uninformed of the role of physicists in medicine, and students are unaware of this career pathway. This study presents a pilot 1‐year program for science teachers to learn about physics in medicine and share with students and teachers.MethodsA cohort of middle school and high school science teachers were selected to learn about physics in medicine, develop lesson plans for their students, participate in a Physics in Medicine field trip hosted at a cancer hospital, and concluded with a professional development day for other regional science teachers. Surveys were conducted throughout the program to assess attitudes toward teaching medical physics, content knowledge of medical physics, collaboration, and demographic information from participants.ResultsThe program was implemented over the course of a year which included 5 school districts, 10 science teachers, and hundreds of students. After participating in the program, teacher scores on surveys regarding attitudes toward teaching medical physics and content knowledge significantly increased for the cohort. Strong collaboration between teaching pairs was maintained throughout the program based on survey responses. Teachers participating in the 1‐day professional development program also benefited from the program based on survey responses regarding attitudes toward medical physics and interest in learning more about medical physics.DiscussionThis pilot study demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of an educational model for teachers’ understanding and connecting medical physics with students in their schools. The program was well received by teachers and students, and this manuscript provides guidelines for effective replication of the curriculum at other institutions.