Background
Over the last decades, the economic development of and, in particular, entrepreneurial dynamics in small and medium-sized towns (SMSTs) have mostly gone unnoticed (BELL and JAYNE Citation2009; Lorentzen and van Heur Citation2012; Schneidewind et al. Citation2006). In the meantime, scholars and policy-makers highlighted the role of metropolitan regions as engines of growth just like the traditional geographic and urban studies have emphasized (Hall and Pain Citation2006; Thierstein et al. Citation2008). This is a significant omission because non-metropolitan areas account for a sizable share of population in many countries (Mayer and Knox Citation2010; Hamdouch, Demaziere, and Banovac Citation2017).
SMSTs as well as special cases such as small island communities increasingly represent an important spatial type. As spatial inequalities are increasing, these small towns/communities play an important role in linking core and periphery. Yet there has not been much scholarly attention on entrepreneurial dynamics and questions around their specific nature. While geographers and planners have analyzed rural and mountain communities in terms of their entrepreneurial potential (Anderson Citation2000; Baumgartner, Pütz, and Seidl Citation2013; Carter Citation1998; Mayer and Meili Citation2016), they have largely missed to focus on small towns/communities. Two special sessions at recent conferences (AAG, EUGEO) were devoted to the topic of entrepreneurship and SMSTs/communities.
Aim and scope of the special issue
The goal of the planned special issue is (a) to highlight cutting-edge research in the field of entrepreneurship and SMSTs/communities, and (b) to reflect potential implications of the findings for current discussions around regional development policies. The special issue thus will comprise cutting-edge contributions of leading scholars in the field of entrepreneurship, urban and regional development, and geography.
The focus of the papers will be on various aspects of entrepreneurial dynamics in small communities and in particular on the following:
| • | The role of entrepreneurs as change agents and the ways they are engaged in the community | ||||
| • | The role and function of higher education institutions in small towns | ||||
| • | The ways in which small and medium-sized towns respond to challenges such as industrial decline and change | ||||
| • | Special cases such as small island communities and their unique economic structures | ||||
| • | Other topics | ||||
Planned timeline
| • | November-December 2017: Open call for papers by the journal | ||||
| • | End of February 2018: Papers submitted to guest editors | ||||
| • | End of September 2018: Contributions ready for the journal | ||||
For further questions about this issue, please contact
References
- Anderson, A. R. 2000. “Paradox in the Periphery: An Entrepreneurial Reconstruction?” Entrepreneurship & Regional Development 12 (2): 91–109. doi:10.1080/089856200283027.
- Baumgartner, D. , M. Pütz , and I. Seidl . 2013. “What Kind of Entrepreneurship Drives Regional Development in European Non-core Regions? A Literature Review on Empirical Entrepreneurship Research.” European Planning Studies 21 (8): 1095–1127. doi:10.1080/09654313.2012.722937.
- Bell, D. , and M. Jayne . 2009. “Small Cities? Towards a Research Agenda.” International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 33 (3): 683–699. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2427.2009.00886.x.
- Carter, S. 1998. “Portfolio Entrepreneurship in the Farm Sector: Indigenous Growth in Rural Areas?” Entrepreneurship & Regional Development 10 (1): 17–32. doi:10.1080/08985629800000002.
- Hall, P. , and K. Pain . 2006. “From Metropolis to Polypolis.” In The Poliyentric Metropolis. Learning from Mega City Regions in Europe , edited by P. Hall and K. Pain , 4–16. London: Earthscan.
- Hamdouch, A. , C. Demaziere , and K. Banovac . 2017. “The Socio-economic Profiles of Small and Medium-sized Towns: Insights from European Case Studies.” Tijdschrift Voor Economische En Sociale Geografie 108 (4). doi:10.1111/tesg.12254.
- Lorentzen, A. , and B. van Heur . 2012. Cultural Political Economy of Small Cities . London and New York: Routledge.
- Mayer, H. , and P. Knox . 2010. “Small-town Sustainability: Prospects in the Second Modernity.” European Planning Studies 18 (10): 1545–1565. doi:10.1080/09654313.2010.504336.
- Mayer, H. , and R. Meili . 2016. “New Highlander Entrepreneurs in the Swiss Alps.” Mountain Research and Development 36 (3): 267–275. doi:10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-16-00040.1.
- Schneidewind, P. , G. Tatzberger , B. Schuh , S. Beiglböck , A. Cornaro , O. Damsgaard , and R. Benin . 2006. The Role of Small and Medium-sized Towns (SMESTO). Final Report . Vienna.
- Thierstein, A. , S. Lüthi , C. Kruse , S. Gabi , and L. Glanzmann . 2008. “Changing Value Chain of the Swiss Knowledge Economy: Spatial Impact of Intra-firm and Inter-firm Networks within the Emerging Mega-city Region of Northern Switzerland.” Regional Studies 42 (8): 1113–1131.10.1080/00343400802154557