Team Herald
VASCO: Goa recently hosted India’s first, 12th World Congress-2018 of the Regional Science Association International (RSAI).
The four-day event was organized jointly by RSAI, Town and Country Planning Department, Goa government, Institute of Town Planners of India- Goa Chapter and BITS Pilani, Goa Campus at BITS Pilani campus in Zuarinagar.
Governor Mridula Sinha inaugurated the event with the theme ‘Spatial Systems: Social Integration, Regional Development and Sustainability.’ Bibek Debroy, currently serving as Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM), was the guest of honour. Other dignitaries present were Budy Resosudarmo President, Regional Science Association International, S T Puttaraju Joint Convener (Goa) and Chief Town Planner, Government of Goa, Debasis Patnaik Joint Convener (Goa), Department of Economics, BITS Goa, Lakshmi Sivaramakrishnan Convener (RSA India) and Chitta Ranjan Pathak Secretary, RSA India.
The event saw participation by regional scientists, economists, economic geographers, urban planners, policy makers, and researchers of related disciplines. The conference aims at providing an encouraging environment for researchers across the globe, to interact and learn from one another, and to create a network that will be attractive and inspiring for young students and scholars.
Speaking to media Sivaramakrishnan said the choice of India as the destination for the World Congress was extremely significant in the context of impacts of globalisation in South Asia and added that the purpose of the Congress was to create an opportunity for bridging the networks established by the supra-regional organizations and to provide a scientifically and socially attractive event for scholars and postgraduate students and from all parts of the world.
“This is first such conference that is being held in India and that too in Goa,” she added.
“The main objective of the organization is focusing on region and regional analysis. The association has been holding its conferences on a four-yearly basis since 1980 and the first was held in Harvard University. This indeed a initiative towards strengthening the RSAI in the Asian countries. This World congress has representatives from most countries of the world and over 550 participants,” she said.
Founded in 1957, RSAI is an international community of scholars mainly concerned with regional impacts of national and global processes of economic and social change.
The four super regional organizations recognized by RSAI are The European Regional Science Association (ERSA) comprising sections of European Realm. The North American Regional Science Council (NARSC) comprising section of North America. The Pacific Regional Science Conference organization (PRSO) comprising sections in Asia (East, South East and South) Australasia. The Latin America and Caribbean Regional Science Association (LACRSA) comprising sections from Latin America and Caribbean.
