Minutes of the PRSCO Council Meeting (August 1998, Vienna)(approved by the Council Meeting in Nagoya on Thursday 15th October, 1998

Held on Friday 28 August 1998
At the Wirtschaftsuniversit
at Wien, Austria
Commencing at 2:00 PM

Present: Batey, Corona, Getis, Gibson, Higano,
Kimura, Kohno, Poot (Chair)a) Apologies received: Fukuchi, Hua, Munro,
Nijkamp, Park, Plane, Quigley, Serrano, Ronca, Yangb) Minutes of the PRSCO Council Meeting of December 8, 1997. These wereapproved, except for a small correction regarding WRSA section representatives. The details are given in
the "Agenda and Report" tabled byHigano.

)representatives, while Morrison is a member among "Ex Ocio and Friends"
in his capacity as chairman of the Local Organising Committee of the 15th
PRSCO conference in Wellington.
d) Progress report on the 5th PRSCO Summer Institute in Nagoya. Higano tabled
the tentative program for the "Summer" Institute which will be held on
October 15-16 1998 in Nagoya. On
Thursday there will be two plenary
sessions (including the presidential address) and three parallel session slots(with up to three concurrent sessions).
On Friday, there will be a joint meeting with the Japan Association for Human and Environmental Symbiosis (JAHES).

c) Con rmation of section representatives
and the ex-ocio PRSCO Council meme) Progress report on the 16th PRSCO conbers for the 1998 and 1999 calendar
ference in Seoul Preparations for theyears. It was noted that Getis repreconference were proceeding smoothly.
sented D. Plane at this Vienna meetA conference brochure had been printed.
ing. Gibson noted that there was noAll participants at the Vienna conferformal term for section representatives.
ence received a copy of the brochure in
However, Poot said that there is antheir conference kit. Gibson raised theadvantage in specifying a term in thatissue of membership of RSAI as a reit signals that no inde nite commitquirement for participating in PRSCO
ment is required. In any case, eachmeetings. It was agreed that the ofPRSCO section has the right to recial RSAI policy would continue toplace representatives within the two
be adopted: all persons participatingyears or to extend the term beyondin the Seoul meeting would need tothis period. The Executive Secretaries
be full members of RSAI, unless theyof sections are requested to inform Higano
are full members of the Korean sectionof such changes as soon as they occur.
(KRSA) or ocial Korean guests inGibson also noted that the President
vited by KRSA. However, in the lightneeded to be nominated from amongof the discussion at the RSAI Counthe ocial PRSCO Council members.
cil meeting in Vienna, it was agreed
There was some confusion about thisto adopt Nijkamp's proposed "packagwith respect to ANZRSA representaing" of this requirement. For example,tives. It was therefore decided to inassuming that the registration fee will
terpret the status quo in the followbe US $300 (the amount tentativelying way: Poot and West are ANZRSA
suggested by Park), the conference fee
1would be advertised as US $360 to be
reduced to US $300 for members of
RSAI or KRSA. Those who pay $360
would automatically receive one yearof RSAI membership as part of theconference package. RSAI membership would be checked by the person
responsible for registration, based on
an up to date list of paying members(to be supplied by Kieran Donaghy).
Thus, the KRSA section will pass on
the new members' information to RSAI
after the conference and transfer themembership fee of $60 for each such
person. In addition, RSAI will receivefrom KRSA a lump sum of $15 times
the number of ALL conference participants. The latter amount represents
the franchise fee for hosting a conference under the RSAI auspices.

tion could belong, PRSCO would continue to support Brazilian scholars inregional science in their e orts to setup their own section and to build networks with scholars elsewhere. Batey
commented that the emerging of a Latin
American grouping or Spanish & Portuguese speaking grouping may be important in this context. This is reallya matter for RSAI Council.
h) Contact with regional science scholars in
the People's Republic of China. Poot
noted that the formal representationof the PRC on the PRSCO Council
would be dicult in the present circumstances, but that conference organisers should endeavour to invite scholars from both mainland China and Taiwan at international meetings. This
would ensure that all Chinese scholars in regional science have an opportunity to become part of the international networks in this eld.

f) Proposal of the formal joining of theIndonesian RSA as the 8th group ofPRSCO. As no correspondence had been
received from this group, the matteri) Proposal for the 6th PRSCO Summer
has been deferred for the time being.
Institute in 2000. Poot noted that it
It was noted that the hosting of a small
would be dicult to attract particimeeting would be a prerequisite forpants to a separate PRSCO meeting
considering formal membership of PRSCO.
in 2000, as this is the year of the WorldIt was also noted that the IndonesianCongress in Lugano. However, CounRSA had not formally liaised with PRSCO
cil members expressed the wish thatin their organising of an internationala Summer Institute would be held inconference on regional development pol2000 to ensure continuity of PRSCO
icy that was planned to be held inactivities. Gibson suggested that theJakarta on October 20-21 1998 (durPRSCO meeting could be attached toing the week following the Nagoya meetthe Lugano congress. However, Kohnoing). However, it was noted that (duestressed that it is important that PRSCO
to a number of circumstances, includmeetings are hosted by one of the PRSCO
ing the current political situation insections in the Asia- Paci c. Poot thenIndonesia) the Jakarta meeting had beensuggested that one possibility wouldcancelled.
be to ask WRSA if the PRSCO Sumg) Contact with regional science scholars
mer Institute could be held jointly within Brazil. E orts are being made by
the WRSA meeting in February. As
RSAI members in Brazil to establish
the February 2000 meeting was likely
a Brazilian section. Although PRSCOto be held in Hawaii, that would be anwould not be a natural supra-regional
excellent venue for a PRSCO gatherentity to which such a Brazilian secing. Moreover, there is usually a good2

representation of members of PRSCO
sections at WRSA meetings. However, given that an ocial o er fromWRSA to host the 2001 PRSCO conference had already been received inFebruary 1998 (via David Plane), sucha change of plans may not be feasible.

k) PRSCO delegate to RSAI, 1999-2001
J Munro's term will end at the endof 1998. Consequently, a replacement
will need to be sought. Munro has
served for two terms and had indicated
not to be available for a third term.
A sub-committee of Gibson, Higano,
Munro and Poot would come with arecommendation to the Nagoya meeting.

j) Proposal for the 17th PRSCO Conference in 2001 WRSA had o ered tohost this conference, but if WRSA wereto host the 2000 Summer Institute instead, an alternative would have to befound. Corona o ered to discuss with
Mexican colleagues the possibility ofhosting a PRSCO meeting in Mexico
City. The Mexican section had alreadyhosted a Summer Institute in 1994.
Consequently, an alternative to Mexico hosting a conference in 2001 would
be for the Mexican section to host theSummer Institute in 2000 and for thestatus quo to be preserved for 2001.
That is, WRSA would host the conference in 2001. A decision regarding
the Summer Institute in 2000 and theConference in 2001 will be made at
the Nagoya Council meeting in October 1998, based on formal proposals
from the respective sections.

As several council members needed toleave after discussion of this item, Poot decided to carry items l) to o) on the agenda
over to the agenda of the Nagoya council
meeting. That meeting will be held 12:3014:00 (with lunch) on Thursday 15th October 1998. Poot noted that it was unlikely that all business could be discussed
adequately during such a short period (giventhat lunch would also be consumed at thesame time). Kimura would investigate thepossibility of a second time slot on Thursday
or Friday to continue the PRSCO Council
meeting in Nagoya, if needed.
The meeting was closed at 3:40 PM.

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