Minutes of the PRSCO Council Meeting
Held on Monday 20th July 2009
Conrad Jupiter HotelGold Coast, Australia

Vice-President John Madden opened the meeting at 12:15 pm.
a) Apologies received and roll-call
Apologies received:
David Edgington (CRSA/ACSR, President PRSCO, Canada)
Cheng-Min Feng (Chinese Regional Science Association – Taiwan)
Lay Gibson (WRSA, USA)
E. Haddad (Brazilian RSA, Brazil)
T. John Kim (WRSA, USA)P. Nag (Indian RSA, India)
Chita Pathak (Indian Regional Science Association, India)
Budy Resosudramo (IRSA, Indonesia)
Iqbal Zuberi (BRSA, Bangladesh)
Present:
Patricio Aroca (Chilean RSA, Chile)
Roberta Capello (President RSAI, Italy)
Mike Carroll (Editor, Regional Science Policy and Practice, USA)
Graham Clarke (Executive Director RSAI, United Kingdom)
Huan Zheng Du (Jiaxing University, People’s Republic of China)
David Fuller (President ANZRSAI, Australia)
Kingsley Haynes (WRSA, LRPC – Past President RSAI, USA)
Yoshiro Higano (JSRSAI, Executive Secretary PRSCO, Japan)
John Madden (ANZRSAI, Vice-President PRSCO, Australia)
Philip McCann (Editor, Papers in Regional Science, New Zealand)
Yuzuru Miyata (JSRSAI, Japan)
Sam Ock Park (KRSA, South Korea)
David Plane (WRSA, USA)
Jacques Poot (ANZRSAI, New Zealand)
John Quigley (WRSA, USA)
Richard Shearmur (CRSA, Canada)
Hiroyuki Shibusawa (JSRSAI, Japan)
Roger Stough (WRSA, USA)
Makoto Tawada (JSRSAI, Japan)
Jouke van Dijk (Editor-in-Chief, Papers in Regional Science, Netherlands)

1b) Minutes of the PRSCO Council Meeting in New York, 20th November 2008
It was moved by J. Quigley and seconded by R. Shearmur that the minutes be accepted asa correct record of the meeting. This was carried after one correction was noted: themotion at the New York meeting to approve the minutes of the meeting in Liverpool on
August 30 2008 was seconded by R. Stough, and not by R. Shearmur.
c) Report on the Organization of the 21th PRSCO Conference, Gold Coast Australia,
19-22 July 2009
D. Fuller noted that everything was going according to plan. However, the total numberof registered participants (about 150) was less than expected. The global economic
downturn, university budget cuts and concerns about swine flu in Australia werecontributing factors. However, the presence of four major Australian sponsors ensuredthat the conference would still end with a small financial surplus.
A vote of thanks to D. Fuller and his team for organizing an excellent conference wascarried with acclamation.
d) The venue of the 11th PRSCO Summer Institute, 2010
Y. Higano informed Council that there was an expectation that the 11th PRSCO Summer
Institute would be held in Columbia. However, no confirmation of this had been obtainedby the PRSCO Secretariat at the time of the Gold Coast Conference. P. Aroca noted that
the First Conference of the Regional Science Association of the Americas (RSAmericas)
was held February 12th-13th, 2009 in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. The second
conference of the local Colombian Regional Science Association would be held inOctober 2009. A new Board would be elected at that meeting and a decision would bemade at that time to offer to host the 2010 Summer Institute or not.
An alternative location could be mainland China in late October or early November 2010.
A decision on the 2010 Summer Institute would be made at the PRSCO Council meeting
to be held during the NARSC conference in San Francisco in November 2009.
e) The venue of the 22nd PRSCO Conference, 2011
Y. Higano reported that one possibility that had been considered was to hold the 2011conference in India. Unfortunately, PRSCO’s Indian contact – C. Pathak – had been
unable to find funds to attend the Gold Coast meeting. He was also unable to attend theERSA meeting in Poland in late August. K. Haynes and S.O. Park noted that it wasimportant that a decision be made by August at the latest, because a two-year lead time
would be required to organize a full PRSCO conference. S.O. Park stated that South
Korea would be willing to host the conference, if this would be agreed by the end ofAugust 2009. The conference was likely to be in June or July 2011.
It was therefore moved by K. Haynes, seconded by J. Poot, that a PRSCO Council subcommittee of PRSCO scholars who would attend ERSA would consider the matter of thechoice between India and Korea at some time during ERSA in Lodz. The decision would
be ratified by the full PRSCO Council at its November meeting in San Francisco.
It was noted that the RSAmericas meeting would be held jointly with NARSC inNovember 2011 in Miami. Looking further ahead, the possibility of a RSAmericas
conference jointly with PRSCO could be considered, to be held in Chile in 2013.

2f) Report on activities of Pacific Rim regional science communities(1) Chile
P. Aroco reported that a local regional science meeting would be held in Chile on
September 4&5. About 150 were expected. This is a joint meeting with the Chilean
Economic Society.
(2) China
H. Du noted that there are many professional organizations in China concerned withregional science and regional development. These include organizations for regional
economics, geography and environmental sciences. It would take time to build a networkof such organizations and to engage the leaders. For this purpose, about 30-40
representatives of groups would meet jointly in Beijing on December 11-13, 2009. Theiraim is to set up a new multi-disciplinary Association for sustainable regional
development (the formal name of the association has not yet been decided). They would
also invite local and central government officials. At that time international affiliationand the hosting of an international conference could be considered.
(3) Other countries
Y. Higano noted that contact was being established between the PRSCO Secretariat andcountries such as Vietnam, Thailand, Mongolia and Central Asia.
g) Report of the Editors, PiRS
J. van Dijk reported that PiRS was doing very well. The total number of pages in the2009 volume had been increased to 900 (which for example meant that special issues
would contain ordinary papers as well). Another pleasing achievement was that theimpact factor of the journal had increased to 1.3. An innovation was the introduction of afree virtual issue. The topic of the first virtual issue published in June 2009 was theimpact of 2008 Nobel Prize Winner Paul Krugman's new trade theory (NTT) and new
economic geography (NEG) on the field of Regional Science. The opening article in thisvirtual issue by Kristian Behrens and Frederic Robert-Nicoud was followed by acompilation of related articles that had been already previously published in PiRS. About
75% of submissions to PiRS are rejected. The current editorial team had agreed to stay on
for another term after the current terms ends at the end of this year. An additional editor
would be appointed to deal with the increasing number of submissions on the New
Economic Geography. In response to a question from J. Madden, J. van Dijk reported thatabout 20% of paper submissions originated from the PRSCO region.
h) Report of the Editors, Regional Science Policy and Practice
M. Carroll reported that the first issue of RSPP had been published in March 2009 andthe second issue was expected in October 2009. There would be 2 issues a year up to2011, and subsequently 4 issues per year. The submitted papers did not always have theright “policy and practice” focus and the rate of paper submission was still relatively low.
It was noted that the last day of the Gold Coast conference (Wednesday) included some3sessions on topics that fitted in with the policy & practice focus and the authors of such
papers would be encouraged to submit to RSPP.
i) Any further business
J. Madden congratulated PRSCO Executive Secretary Y. Higano on having been
nominated to become the next RSAI President after R. Capello’s term finishes.
J. Madden informed Council of the sad news that the former PRSCO President Y.
Kumata had unexpectedly passed away in May 2009. A letter expressing the condolences
and sympathy of PRSCO Council would be sent by J. Madden to Professor Kumata’sfamily.
The next meeting of the PRSCO Council will be held on November 19 during theNARSC meeting in San Francisco (19-21 November 2009). Council members would be
notified of the exact time and location by Y. Higano.
Vice-President J. Madden closed the meeting at 2:15 pm.
(Jacques Poot, Minute-taker)

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