290026 VO Regional and Urban Economics: New challenges for cities and regions in Austria (2019W)

Aims:
Structural changes resulting from globalisation, demographic change and the rise of digital technologies are changing the framework conditions of cities and regions. The course deals with essential research questions and results in this context. We introduce essential theories and methods in urban, regional and integration theory relevant for these topics and demonstrate their use in empirical research on Austrian regions. The course concentrates on empirical findings and their interpretation. Basic knowledge of location theories and theories of regional development is therefore expected.

Content:
Part 1: Urban and rural areas – evolutions and determinants
• Why core and periphery? Drivers and shape of the spatial structure in Austria
• City Hierarchy and City Competition – do they exist? And where do Austrian cities stand?
• Necessarily suspended? Development opportunities of rural-peripheral regions

Part 2: Major challenges for Austrian cities and regions
• The challenge of cohesion: Regional disparities and their drivers; "balancing" regional policy as a solution?
• The challenge of globalisation I: Mechanisms and spatial effects; and why free trade?
• The challenge of globalisation II: Eastern integration and its impact on locational advantages in Austria
• The challenge of demographic change: Driving forces, consequences and regional policy options
• The challenge of full employment: Regional labour markets and the effects of migration
• The challenge of digitization: Employment effects and impacts on the regional structure

Method:
Theoretical and empirical inputs; focus on the discussion and interpretation of the topics addressed. An ex-ante reading of the literature provided is recommended.