Social and economic geography

The research activity of the Economics Group focuses above all on the following main areas:

• Empirical evaluation of public policies
• Labor economics
• Circular economy 
• Waste management
• Water resources management
• Economic dynamics and equilibrium in goods, labor and financial markets
• Underground economy and tax evasion
• Business cycle
• Energy transitions and economic growth
• Economic History
• Spatial Econometrics
• DSG model
   

Disaster can arrive in many forms. It can be caused by a natural disaster (i.e. landslides or hurricanes), industrial failures (i.e. chemical spills or building collapse), political rationalities (i.e. terrorism or war) and other incidents both accidental or purposeful. Disaster has phases and aftermaths for response and recovery and differing implications across a variety of scales.

The research group will address topics related to the circumpolar Arctic region.

The region is warming four times faster than the rest of the world and is experiencing dramatic changes in socio-economic, ecological and political conditions. To understand these processes, we will access the contemporary theoretical and methodological directions in Arctic research and explore its relevance for our joint and individual research interests.

The multidisciplinary research group URBinN has a thematic focus on urbanization, urban and regional planning and sustainable development of small and medium sized urbanities in a global perspective with an initial focus on Nordic remote areas. The motive for this interest is the somewhat under-researched area of social, spatial, historical and economic processes related to the origin, functioning and planning of smaller urbanities in general.

The research topics essentially concern the effects of technological innovations, urban mobility, tourist flows and the economy of the sea. Other research topics concern sustainable development and the circular economy.

Framework: In tourism and hospitality industry, it is important to increase tourism expenditure and to attract visitors in a profitable way, but it is also necessary to complement these practices with the creation of authentic and memorable experiences, the increasing of the well-being of the residents, the promotion of social justice and gender equality and the preservation of natural and cultural assets.

Sustainable Tourism and Territories is one of the research areas of The Research Centre for Tourism, Sustainability and Well-being (CinTurs) (https://www.cinturs.pt/site/)

In the CEPAC we develop research on Heritage, Landscape and Construction, namely on water resources, land use planning, urbanism, urban rehabilitation. history, environmental assessment and engineering for sustainability framed in the CEPAC's interdisciplinary.

Contributing knowledge towards a sustainable and resilient society” is the 4th research objective of CIMA and aims to: communicate scientific knowledge to diverse audiences; support authorities in planning, developing, and implementing coastal and maritime strategies; and participate in national and international organizations for the management of natural marine resources. 

Tourism, Culture, Society and Language - It includes the cultural and historical dimensions, the sociological and anthropological approaches to tourism, and the ‘tourism products’ (e.g. culture and religion, heritage, literature, gastronomy and a broad range of the so-called ‘new’ forms of tourism). Ethics and social responsibility in tourism have now become consolidated research topics. Locally-lived language practices also play a major role in tourism and mobility practices.