📍 ERSA 2025 – Celebrating Culture-Based Development (CBD) in Athens

The European Regional Science Association (ERSA) Annual Meeting 2025 in Athens proudly featured two special sessions dedicated to the Culture-Based Development (CBD) paradigm, showcasing its growing influence in regional science and policy innovation, especially through its fast growing network of young researchers. The two special sessions were:

🧭 Session S04: People and Places – TPI Fellowship

This session presented the outcomes of the CBD-inspired project “Mapping the Road” (MATHER), funded by The Productivity Institute (TPI), Manchester and UKRI. It offered a deep dive into how culture (and other forms of capital) shape productivity, wellbeing, and human flourishing across the regions of Wales, demonstrating the paradigm’s relevance to regional development and economic resilience.

📚 Session S05: The One and Only Book Launch – The New CBD Book & The CBD Community!

This celebratory session marked the official launch of the new CBD book, featuring a roundtable of presentations by members of the CBD community. Among the speakers were:

• Yashi Jain, a CBD alumna, who shared insights from her research journey and how the CBD paradigm shaped her approach to cultural economics and wellbeing.

• Sameera Almalki, a current CBD PhD student, who presented her ongoing work and explained the unique value added by her contribution to the evolving CBD literature.

The session highlighted how the CBD paradigm continues to inspire new generations of researchers, offering a culturally grounded framework for addressing complex societal challenges and advancing human flourishing.

Join the conversation: #CultureBasedDevelopment #CBDParadigm #CulturalEntropy #CulturalEconomics #AestheticEducation #CultureMatters #RegionalPolicyInnovation #HumanFlourishing #RegionalDevelopment