Call for papers: “The Annals of Regional Science”
Journal: The Annals of Regional Science // Springer Nature
Guest Editors: Sébastien Bourdin, Elena Ragazzi, Lisa Sella
Submissions open: April 14, 2025 | Deadline: November 15, 2025
The Annals of Regional Science – The unexpected effects of policies on cities and regions
In recent years, evaluating public policies has become a key research priority. Yet while many studies focus on intended outcomes, policies often generate unexpected territorial impacts—both positive and negative—that reshape cities and regions in unforeseen ways.
This special issue invites high-quality contributions exploring the indirect, underestimated, or unintended effects of national, regional, and local policies. We welcome rigorous theoretical or quantitative approaches that deepen our understanding of how policies influence the spatial and socio-economic fabric of territories—even when they were not explicitly designed to do so.
– What are the unexpected territorial effects of public policies (economic, social, environmental)?
– How can unintended consequences reinforce or contradict original policy goals?
– What methods and frameworks are best suited to identify these impacts?
– How can policymakers integrate territorial side effects into smarter policy design?
– What lessons can we learn from past cases where policy spillovers shaped regional outcomes?
