News

This section provides news about PASCAL together with significant developments in policy and research relating to the areas of interest to PASCAL. It is based on regular scanning of policy, practice and academic literature, including web-based sources.

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Commercializing Ritual and Tradition - the Phenomenon of Christmas Markets | JOHN TIBBITT from Policies for Places

As I write there are at least 50 Christmas Markets underway in towns and cities across the UK, and many more in Europe and around the globe. They bring thousands of visitors, provide a boost to the tourist and hospitality industries and to local economies.  They seem to attract impressive visitor numbers and to be popular among residents, but what we know about their economic and social impact beyond the basic statistics of estimated visitor numbers, additional spending and jobs created is limited so let’s explore this phenomenon a little more.

NEP-SOC 2023-12-04, eleven papers

In this issue we feature 11 current papers on the theme of social capital, chosen by Fabio Sabatini (Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza”):

The Long-Term Perspective on the Quality of Urban Life

Something about the onset of winter prompts me to take a long-term perspective when thinking about problems.

Living in the northern hemisphere, winter brings the end of the calendar year, which of course leads us to reflect back at least twelve months to assess recent events. Whether we like to admit it or not, we all keep our own annual scorecards.

NEP-SOC 2023-11-27, nine papers

In this issue we feature 6 current papers on the theme of social capital, chosen by Fabio Sabatini (Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza”):

Building a 'smart countryside' | JOHN TIBBITT from Policies for Places

Rural areas are frequently seen as relatively sparce environments for economic development, characterized by fewer resources and institutions, less economic diversity and poorer access to markets, finance and government support programmes than larger towns and cities. However digital access beyond the locality combined with cohesive community-driven action planning opens up new possibilities for economically and sustainable rural communities. Community groups and businesses can capture local opportunities of a ‘smart countryside’.

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