Soyeong Lee (p), Heesun Joo

Barbara Martini

Discussions on inclusive societies and inclusive cities are expanding to restore the spatial order and existential relationships between population groups in the region. In order to alleviate social exclusion resulting from inequality, it is necessary to implement policies suitable for local conditions. However, there is a lack of quantitative data or objective evidence to identify deficient areas in the region. The use of extinction index or the degree of decline as policy indicators is not detailed and is limited to specific areas, making it difficult to diagnose the level of inequality. In particular, it is necessary to objectively analyze and evaluate various regional conditions to pursue social integration, especially with the concentration of population in metropolitan areas resulting in growing concerns about social exclusion in small- and medium-sized cities. Therefore, there is a need to develop practical indicators and indexes that can enhance equity in underdeveloped areas of small- and medium-sized cities through comprehensive analysis. This study aims to develop complex deficiency indicators based on social exclusion theory and calculate an equity index based on this to identify spatially marginalized areas. Through this study, we propose complex deficiency indicators that can promote inclusive regional policies and provide them as data for regional planning to enhance equity in underdeveloped areas of small- and medium-sized cities.

Felix Pot (p)

Soyeong Lee

Growing frustration with the negative externalities of automobile-oriented planning has prompted the design of transport planning strategies to sustain access to desired activities based on proximity rather than mobility to gain particular momentum in very dense cities. At the same time, recent research from the Netherlands indicate that in rural areas with fewer local opportunities, access to desired activities is perceived almost just as well. However, this does not mean that rural areas face fewer challenges than congested urban areas in planning for accessibility. This discussion paper argues that a closer look at the mechanisms that shape perceived accessibility levels reveals that sustaining accessibility is more challenging in rural areas compared to urban areas, justifying a geographical shift in focus in accessibility-based planning.

The first main reason that lower levels of spatial accessibility in rural areas only to a limited extent translate into lower perceived accessibility is that there are diminishing returns to the number of opportunities. Second, requirements regarding accessibility are spatially heterogeneous. Residential self-selection based on car access implies that people living in rural areas value the presence of locally available opportunities less than those living in urban areas. However, the status quo of car use as a means of reducing accessibility inequalities between urban and rural areas could increasingly prove incompatible with emerging transport policy agendas that include social inclusion and environmental objectives. Compared to rural areas, cities with more locally available opportunities and, therefore, more scope for active mode use are probably the places where alleviating car dependence while maintaining accessibility is less of a challenge. Accordingly, urban accessibility policy strategies motivated by alleviating environmental externalities from car use might not be as suitable for rural areas. Compared to urban areas, their effect on reducing environmental externalities is likely to be modest, while the effect on accessibility is likely to be greater in low-density environments.

It follows that a shift away from a mobility-based to an accessibility-based planning paradigm will likely be most challenging in rural areas. The paradigm shift should not only entail a substantive move away from its traditional objective of ensuring free-flow car mobility. It should also shift its focus geographically from congested urban areas to rural areas where access to opportunities is lower in the first place, even in the absence of congestion.

Milad Abbasiharofteh (p), Dieter Kogler, Balázs Lengyel

Felix Pot

We generate novel combinations of technologies from existing knowledge via collaborative work. Albeit inventors and their respective communities tend to be specialised, inventor collaborations across differently specialised peers have the potential to generate co-inventor networks that provide access to a diverse set of knowledge and facilitate the production of radical novelty. Previous research has demonstrated that short access in large co-inventor networks enables innovative outcomes in regional economies. However, how connections in the network across different technological knowledge domains matter and what impact they might generate is still unknown. The present investigation focuses on 'atypical' combinations of technologies as indicated in patent documents. In particular, the role of technological specialisations linked in co-inventor networks that result in radical innovation in European regions is analysed. It is confirmed that the share of atypical patents is growing in regions where bridging ties establish short access to and across cohesive co-inventor sub-networks. Furthermore, the evidence suggests that the strong specialisation of co-inventor communities in regions fosters atypical combinations because these communities manage to increase the scale and scope of novel combinations. Thus, bridges between communities that are specialised in different technologies favour atypical innovation outcomes. The work shows that not diversity per se, but links across variously specialised inventor communities can foster radical innovation.

Barbara Martini (p)

Milad Abbasiharofteh

During the last 40 years, women’s participation in the labour market increased. Additionally, culture changed, women acquired skills and obtained education in STEM fields. Despite the diffusion of international progressive gender norms, labour force participation and unemployment rate in the EU highlight differences in terms of gender. Furthermore, women remain segregated in some industries, and they are over-represented in low-status, part-time, and atypical jobs. Consequently, sectoral segregation by gender is remarkable, and, as a result, women face a greater risk of economic insecurity. Furthermore, the larger gender segregation consequence is represented by the gender wage gap. Gender segregation depends on social, cultural, and educational components, but can also be influenced by regional sectoral composition, industry mix, values, and beliefs, regional or national degree of innovation, and regional export. However, gender segregation has been found in several studies that have considered different countries. Olfet & Moebis (2006) for Canada, Sarycheva at al., (2015) for Russia, Seguino & Brustein (2017) and May & McGaìvery (2017) for US, Borrowman & Klasen (2020) for developing countries. The objectives of policies should not only be to incorporate women into the labour market, but also to promote and facilitate women's employment in some industries rather than others.
The aim of the paper is to explore gender segregation among EU regions using the Index of Dissimilarity (ID) proposed by Ducan & Ducan (1955) based on the understanding that segregation means a different distribution of women and men across the occupational categories, the more equal the distribution, the less the segregation. Furthermore, we want to investigate whether and how gender segregation is influences by regional sectoral composition and industry mix. For example, if a region is specialized in industries or construction, which are traditionally male dominated, it can be difficult for women to enter those fields and may also reinforce gender discrimination. This can create a cycle of segregation where women are excluded from certain industries and may be forced to work in lower-paying and less prestigious sectors. To address the women segregation trap created by regional specialization, it is important to promote gender equality and ensure that women have access to education, training, and opportunities in a variety of sectors. This can help to create more diverse and inclusive workforces and support economic growth and development in all regions.