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International conference

Global Recession: Regional Impacts on Housing, Jobs, Health and Wellbeing

Organized by:
Regional Studies Association

Friday 27th November 2009, London UK

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Call for papers

In recent years, issues of health and wellbeing have come to the fore in much public debate and policymaking. These related topics appear across a number of agendas and are significant elements in employment, housing, social inclusion, and social policy fields as well as under their own strategic and delivery areas. Not only do health, health service delivery, deprivation, happiness, incomes and wealth vary across countries and national boundaries, but also there are often strong regional and indeed local and neighbourhood differences. Although there is an established and well developed research landscape in these areas, they are often bound within particular disciplines so that other related interests are unaware of their existence and relevance to their own needs.
There is a clear benefit, therefore, for the research in this area to be disseminated, for the spatial aspects to be identified and analysed more fully, and for links across disciplines and policy areas to be nurtured. This is all the more important following the last Winter Conference on ‘Working Regions’ as the global recession has started to impact on health and wellbeing directly, adding to the ongoing interests in these key policy areas. As the global economy has entered a period of prolonged recession and uncertainty, it is timely to ask questions about the implications for people’s lives and livelihoods. The Regional Studies Association Winter Conference 2009 on Health, Housing, Jobs and Wellbeing presents an opportunity to discuss and debate these issues, to establish the research requirements and to address the concerns of practitioners and policymakers.

The conference is keen to attract papers and sessions which address a broad active research and policy agenda, including contributions from any discipline which can offer insights at local and regional levels. Papers which are collaborative, international or multi-disciplinary are especially welcome. We plan to prompt important questions about effectiveness and social impact of the delivery and consumption of health and health services, including care and caring, but also to cover studies on their production. As concerns of exclusion and patterns of inequality are often place specific, we also want to recognise the interactions between these issues and housing and jobs – embracing the quality of working lives.

Please submit offers of papers in the form of 400 word abstracts through the Regional Studies Association on-line conference portal by Tuesday 30th June 2009. Your MS Word file should contain your name, telephone, fax and e-mail details. To submit go to www.regional-studies-assoc.ac.uk and follow the Winter Conference Call 2009 for Papers link.

Proposals will be considered by the Conference Programme Committee against the criteria of originality and interest, subject balance and geographical spread.

Contributions are welcomed on the following themes:

• Health and welfare at the local and regional scale
• Happiness and wellbeing: definitions and indicators
• Poverty, exclusion and wellbeing
• Social impacts of housing
• The personal, social and financial costs of housing
• Funding public health, housing and care
• Social justice, quality of life and standards of living
• Healthy lifestyles and healthy living
• Jobs, employment and wellbeing

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