Regional science in a resource-constrained world

This paper presents challenges to mainstream regional science that stem from the fact that regional economies are subsumed within larger social, economic and environmental systems. The constraints imposed by these systems are systematically overlooked or misidentified. The challenges that arise for regional science are of conceptual, methodological and empirical nature and have far-reaching implications for the uses and usefulness of regional science analysis in support of investment and policy making. The paper attends to both the challenges and ways they can be overcome.