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The chapter is devoted to analysis of the structure of regional identity. Topicality of this issue is caused by the processes of social differentiation of regions. The purpose of the research is to describe the factors of regional identity. Regional identity is predetermined by natural, geographical, socio-cultural, ethnic, and socio-political factors. Regional identity is viewed as a complex dynamic structure. It is analyzed on the basis of application of concepts of constructivism and symbolic capital. The authors come to the conclusion that dynamics of regional identity are determined by individuals’ evaluation of the conditions of the territory for satisfying the needs and implementation of life plans. This aspect is analyzed from the positions of the concept of constructivism. It is also concluded that dynamics of regional identity depends on attractive image of the territory and realization of its uniqueness. This aspect of regional identity is viewed as a symbolic capital, which stimulates the development of territory.

The global economic crisis triggered by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused the closure of countless ethnic minority businesses (EMBs) worldwide, partly due to the public policy responses. This paper investigates whether EMBs’ entrepreneurial orientation (EO) mediates the impact of public policy responses to COVID-19 on their survival.

Utilizing institutional theory, the authors developed a novel conceptual framework that divides policy responses to COVID-19 into aggressive (imposing restrictions on movement, e.g. lockdowns) and less aggressive policy responses (not imposing restrictions on movement, e.g. social distancing). The authors then surveyed intra-regional EMBs, specifically businesses owned by ethnic minorities in the Kano and Katsina provinces of Nigeria, and analysed the data using structural equation modelling and analysis of variance (ANOVA).

The authors found that intra-regional EMBs in developing countries are very vulnerable to the public policy responses imposed by governments to curb COVID-19. Aggressive policy responses have a more significant negative effect on the survival of intra-regional EMBs than their less aggressive counterparts. Furthermore, the authors found that EO as a crisis response strategy significantly supports intra-regional EMBs in managing their vulnerability to the hostile institutional environment, reduces the adverse effect of public policy responses and stimulates their survival during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This paper contributes to the institutional theory of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)/entrepreneurship and the literature on EMBs by showing the role of EO in mediating the effects of COVID-19 institutional policies on the survival of intra-regional EMBs.

The existence of the regional Kuznets curve, i.e. an inverted U-shaped relationship between regional disparity and economic development is widely debated and discussed. The bell-shaped curve of the spatial growth process where during the initial phase inequality increases and then reduces is theoretically supported by Myrdal (1957), Hirschman (1958), and Williamson (1965). It becomes important to understand regional Kuznets curve globally. Understanding the relationship between regional disparity and economic development becomes essential for public policy for balanced regional growth.

Regional Kuznets Curve which is an inverted U-shaped relationship between regional disparity and economic development is not a new phenomenon. Theoretical framework by Myrdal (1957), Hirschman (1958), and Williamson (1965) support the an inverted U-shaped relationship. To understand the relationship between regional disparity and economic development, the authors investigate the regional Kuznets curve by using data for 184 countries and 1765 subnational regions. Using parametric, semi-parametric, and non-parametric, it is found that there exists an inverted U-shaped relationship between regional disparity and economic development. The presence of the regional Kuznets curve is observed. As the theoretical framework suggests, regional inequality increases with income initially and decreases after attaining a certain level of income. This study identifies two stages of divergence-convergence where in the first stage, divergence across regions in a country happens with increasing income and in the later stage, convergence across regions in a country occurs with increasing income.

Using the parametric approach (panel data analysis), semi-parametric and non-parametric approaches, it is found that there exists a regional Kuznets curve. It is found that there exists an inverted-U relationship between regional inequality and per capita GNI. This suggests that the divergence-convergence passes through two stages. In the first stage, divergence across regions in a country happens with increasing income while in the later stage convergence occurs.

This research work has done three important things which fill the research gap that exists in the literature: (1) constructing the Gini coefficient to measure the regional inequality for 184 countries using 1765 subnational regional data; (2) using a parametric approach (panel data analysis) to understand the regional Kuznets phenomenon and (3) using a semi-parametric approach and non-parametric approach to understand the regional Kuznets phenomenon.

To examine whether and how the different levels of regional economic incentives would have an effect on underwriters' market share in general.

Drawing on Chinese IPO firms during the period 2006-2016, this study examines the impact of different levels of regional economic incentives on underwriters' market share.

The authors find that regional economic incentives have a positive impact on underwriters' market share and that local economic incentives have a significantly stronger impact than central economic incentives. Furthermore, the authors find that IPO firms with underwriters driven by regional economic incentives experience worse post-IPO performance than firms with underwriters driven by central economic incentives, which do not experience a significant decline in post-IPO performance.

Taken together, the authors’ findings are consistent with the notion that performance assessment motivates officials at various levels of government to bring companies in their jurisdiction to the IPO market prematurely. In addition, the results indicate that central economic incentives play a significant role in driving China's macroeconomic development and market-oriented system reforms. As such, they are one of the major driving forces behind China's market-oriented system reforms.

China's agricultural sector has developed very rapidly in the past 30 years and agricultural technological progress is deemed one of the most substantial factors leading to its rapid agricultural GDP growth. The purpose of this paper is to assess the impacts of China's agricultural technological changes on its regional disparity.

The study uses a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model of multiple regions and multiple sectors to investigate the impacts of agricultural technological changes on regional disparity. The CGE model structure includes production side, demand side, and market clearing conditions.

The results suggest that agricultural technological changes significantly reduced China's agricultural regional disparity and accounted for 40 percent reduction in agricultural regional disparity in terms of agricultural GDP per capita. Agricultural technological changes, however, led to an increase in China's overall regional disparity and accounted for 6 percent increase in its overall regional disparity in terms of per capita GDP.

China's GDP has been growing very rapidly since 1978 and agricultural GDP has been playing a decreasing role in China's overall GDP. Regional disparity in non‐agricultural GDP per capita overweighted the equalization of agricultural GDP per capita. The results imply that the Chinese government should resort more to non‐agricultural development to fight against the enlarging regional disparity.

China's agricultural technological changes have led to an increase in China's overall regional disparity while the changes have significantly reduced China's agricultural regional disparity.

The purpose of the paper is to develop the scientific and methodological provision of an audit of training of digital personnel for the regional economy in the conditions of Industry 4.0 by the example of regional flagship universities of modern Russia.

The authors use the method of regression analysis for determining the dependence of the level of digitization of regions’ economy on the competitiveness of their basic universities. The research is performed by the example of regions of the Volga Federal District of the Russian Federation, in which there are regional flagship universities as of early 2019.

It is determined that audit of training of digital personnel for the regional economy in the conditions of Industry 4.0 in modern Russia is conducted within the monitoring of the effectiveness of universities by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation. Most of the indicators that are necessary for the audit of training of digital personnel for the regional economy in the conditions of Industry 4.0 are not taken into account. The data of the monitoring allow compiling a fragmentary idea of the potential of a regional flagship university in training of digital personnel for the regional economy in the conditions of Industry 4.0, while the results of this training are not assessed or controlled. This leads to low potential and low efficiency of Russia’s regional flagship universities in training of digital personnel for the regional economy in the conditions of Industry 4.0.

The forms for an audit of training of digital personnel for the regional economy in the conditions of Industry 4.0 by the regional flagship university are developed. The indicators of the potential and results of the university in training of digital personnel are combined with the existing methodology of evaluation of the effectiveness of universities in Russia. An additional advantage of the authors’ recommendations is the universal character of the developed forms, which allows using them in other countries for an audit of training of digital personnel for the regional economy in the conditions of Industry 4.0.

In the process of vigorously promoting urbanization, the city development became a new driving force for China's prosperity. To comprehensively analyze the urban regional innovation system, the typical urban city was taken as an empirical sample to consider as an urban regional innovation system. The fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method was used to evaluate the operation of typical urban regional innovation system, combined the cluster analysis and Bayesian discrimination for the research and analysis. The results showed that the evaluation of regional innovation system was a national innovation strategy. Therefore, the model provides an important evidence for the urban innovative development. The proposed targeted innovation development strategy is conducive to grasp the advantages and disadvantages of the typical urban regional innovation system construction as a whole. The analysis of the structural change layers and sub-distribution of urban regional innovation effectiveness helps to clarify the stage of urban development.

Don't confuse regional marketing with selling spicier soup in Texas, reorganizing the sales force by regions to gain more control, or spending significant dollars in a local market. Regional marketing represents a major philosophic change. It's a precision target marketing approach (some might call it niche marketing) to fragmented national markets.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate an annual rheumatology regional audit programme that has been running since 2000 in the West Midlands with no additional funding. Specifically it seeks to identify the strengths of, and difficulties with, regional audit and establish if, and how, regional audit differs from local audit.

A qualitative approach was adopted and theoretical sampling used to select seven individuals with a range of experiences of the audit process. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted, recorded and transcribed, and analysed using thematic analysis.

The programme was thought to be valuable with unforeseen educational benefits for trainees and in fostering positive relations across the region. Regional audit appears to overcome some of the problems with local audit by utilising resources effectively and having sound leadership. Barriers to regional audit included problems with communication between the organising panel and data collecting units, fostering ownership and ensuring closure of the “audit loop”.

The findings are limited by the small sample and the single region nature of the study. The findings have informed a questionnaire to measure agreement to the perceptions identified and survey change of practice occurring as a result of previous regional audits.

The findings will inform future planning and hopefully ensure sustainability of this large unfunded programme; the findings will also be of use to other regions and specialties looking to adopt regional audit.

Regional audit offers a useful and feasible adjunct to national audit and this paper describes an evaluation of an innovative scheme.

Across the Caribbean Sea, the regional International Standard Book Number (ISBN) agency headquartered at the Documentation Centre at the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat in Georgetown, Guyana manages the distribution of ISBNs in the Caribbean Area. The purpose of this paper is to look at the role of the Documentation Centre and the benefits of the regional ISBN agency in managing the group code, 976, to the Caribbean region. This paper will illustrate book publishing challenges in the region, explain the use of ISBNs, describe the role of the regional agency in administering ISBNs in the region and as such, note the benefits of this role in making Caribbean information internationally accessible.

The paper takes a detailed look at the purpose of the ISBN number and the role of the Documentation Centre at CARICOM in serving the needs of members of the book‐publishing industry of the Caribbean through a view of the work of the Documentation Centre and a review of the literature.

The paper enumerates the benefits of having a regional ISBN agency in the Caribbean area at a library thereby improving access to Caribbean titles by decision makers; the paper illustrates that the regional ISBN agency at CARICOM is ensuring that ISBN publishing standards are adhered to in the region thereby speaking an international language that facilitates information sharing via standardized book numbering.

The paper reports on the role of the Documentation Centre in managing ISBNs in the Caribbean region, and as such should be of interest to the ISBN community both locally and internationally.

The work of the Documentation Centre has not been publicised within the region or even internationally, this research paper provides an opportunity to highlight this service.