Recent political developments related to place-based feelings of discontent and left-behindness draw urgent attention toward building scholarly understanding of the emotional, discursive, and narrative dimensions of contemporary regional inequality. The rise of populist movements, growing anti-establishment sentiment, and regional polarization in the US, Europe and other parts of the world have motivated scholarly and policy action toward not only understanding the root causes of such dynamics, but also policy strategies to equalize socioeconomic prosperity in places perceived as 'left behind'. As political attitudes harboured in 'left behind' places propel electoral shifts, spatial divides, and declining trust in political institutions, there is a need for research on how regional disparities materialise in, through and with regard to distinct places. In particular, there is a need to (re)consider how policy solutions meant to address territorial inequalities can take the deeply rooted feelings, perceptions, and spatial imaginaries of 'left behind' places and peripheralized regions into account.
This Special Issue particularly addresses the significance of the perceptual dimension. We invite contributions which examine the role of spatial imaginaries, narratives, regional visions, identities, emotional geographies and effects associated with regional inequality and their interrelationship with policy responses as part of an 'ideational turn' within Regional Studies. By focusing on regional actors' perceptions and perceived regional futures, the SI explores the intersection of the feelings and material conditions influencing 'left-behindness' and the policies designed to address it.
This Special Issue highlights international spatial variations and manifestations of left-behindness and their interdependencies with psychological perceptions and local cultural embeddedness. By discussing the broader material and structural conditions of 'left-behindness', the Special Issue shifts the focus to the perceptual dimension and the role of spatial imaginaries, examining the subjective, emotional, and symbolic dimensions of left-behindness at different territorial levels. It aims to explore how narratives, imaginaries, and historical preconditions shape local identities, feelings of exclusion, and thus visions of regional futures. The Special Issue will welcome studies that offer new ways of thinking about left-behind places and political discontent, moving beyond economic metrics to explore the emotional, symbolic, and narrative dimensions that shape and are shaped by spatial inequalities and regional futures. All contributions should ground their analysis in regional and place-based context, ensuring coherence with the journal's mission and spatial focus.
The guest editorial team particularly encourages early-career scholars in geography, regional studies, public and regional policy, and related fields, bringing fresh perspectives to the discussion under the high publishing standards of Regional Studies. Furthermore, submissions examining perceptions of 'left behind-ness' from the Global South are encouraged. Conceptual, theoretical and empirical submissions, both qualitative and quantitative, as well as case studies from different regions in the world are welcome.