The Regional Development & Policy Research Unit (RDPRU) operates as a research unit (established by Government Gazette 725 volume B’ 9.3.2017) in the Dept. of Economics, University of Macedonia (UoM). Its research activity is regulated by the principles and administrative procedures of the UoM Research Committee.
It was established in 1995 following an initiative of Prof. Lois Labrianidis and its main objective is to conduct research on issues related to economic geography, regional development and regional policy, as well as to organise seminars that fall under its research interests. Since 1995-2005, twice per month, the RDPRU hosted lectures on the current issues of regional development and planning, with members of the academic society, researchers, ministry consultants and members of chambers as the main participants.
The RDPRU actively aims at developing cooperation with other Universities and scientific disciplines, producing and diffusing knowledge, as well as putting forward specific recommendations towards the institutions and the stakeholders shaping regional development policies.
Its research activity mostly focuses on issues of economic geography, regional development and regional policy, while emphasising on international comparative analysis. More particularly, the RDPRU deals with the following research fields:
- Spatial Location of Multinational Corporations (MNC)/Internationalization of Greek Enterprises
- Economic Migration
- New Economic Geography of the Rural Areas
- Diffused Industrialisation / Subcontracting / Outsourcing
- Development of the city of Thessaloniki
- Greece, Balkans, South-Eastern Europe
- Greece (regional development, industrial spatial location, industrial policy etc)
- Surveillance Zone
- Peripheral Universities
- Geography Studies
The RDPRU is located at the UoM, within the Department of Economics and has at its disposal a wide collection of books, journals and statistic databases (ICAP, Eurostat), as well as direct access to respective specialised databases of the Library of the University of Macedonia.
