RSI December 2012 Volume IV Number 3 Special Issue - Regional

185 Pages·2012·2.6 MB·English

2 Regional Science Inquiry Journal, Vol. IV, (3), 2012, Special Issue
H.A.R.S. - RSI J – ΚΠΕ - R ICR – ZRW

Editorial Board 2011 – 2012

The Board of the HELLENIC Regional Science Inquiry Journal PROFESSOR PANAGIOTIS LIARGOVAS
Department of Economics
ASSOCIATION OF REGIONAL University of Peloponnese, Greece
SCIENTISTS H.A.R.S. 2011-2012 Managing Editor
PROFESSOR THEODORE PELAGIDIS
[H.A.R.S. is a Think Tank of groups of people with PROFESSOR MARIA GIAOUTZI Department of Maritime Studies
multidisciplinary work in the fields of Regional Science, Department of Rural and Surveying Engineering, National University of Piraeus, Greece
which occurs with the selfless contribution of Technical
participants who offer their work to the global scientific University of Athens, Greece PROFESSOR EFSTATHIOS TSACHALIDIS
community] Department of Forestry and Environmental
Hon. Managing Editor Management Democritus University of Thrace,
President and Chair, Journals Management Greece
PROFESSOR PETER NIJKAMP
Committee (RSI J – ΚΠΕ - R ICR – ZRW) Free University Faculty of Economics and Business PROFESSOR MOH’D AHMAD AL-NIMR
Administration, Department of Spatial Economics Mechanical Engineering Department
Dr Christos Ladias Amsterdam, the Netherlands Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid
– Jordan
Legal Committee Editors
PROFESSOR IOANNIS MAZIS
Lukas Apostolidis, Associate Professor Dimitrios PROFESSOR IOANNIS MOURMOURIS Department of Turkish and Modern Asian Studies
Panagiotopoulos, Assistant Professor Panagiotis Department of International Economic Relations and National and Kapodistrian
Kribas, Dr Leandros Lefakis, Dr Angelika Kallia, Dr Development, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece University of Athens, Greece
Evaggelos Mallios, Athanasios Papathanasis
PROFESSOR EMMANUEL MARMARAS PROFESSOR SPYROS VLIAMOS
Advisors Department of Architecture Department of Philosophy and History of Science
Technical University of Crete, Greece National and Kapodistrian University of Athens,
Associate Professor Georgios Korres, Associate Greece
Professor Stephanos Karagiannis, Dr Apostolos PROFESSOR PANAGIOTIS REPPAS

Parpairis, Dr Nikolaos Chasanagas, Nikolaos Zacharias, Department of Economic and Regional Development PROFESSOR NAPOLEON MARAVEGIAS
Dimitrios Kouzas, Esaias Papaioannou, Antonia Panteion University, Greece Department of Political Science and Public
Obaidou, Maria Karagianni Administration National and Kapodistrian
PROFESSOR JOSE ANTONIO PORFIRIO University of Athens, Greece
Chief Executive Departamento de Ciencias Sociais de Gestao
Universidade Aberta, Lisboa, Portugal PROFESSOR CHARALAMPOS BOTSARIS
Vilelmini Psarrianou Department of Regional and EconomicDevelopment
PROFESSOR PAOLO MALANIMA University of Central Greece
Conference Co-ordinator Department of Economic History and Economics Magna
Graecia University in Catanzaro, Italy PROFESSOR PANTELIS SKAYANNIS
Dr Stylianos Alexiadis Department of Planning and Regional Development
PROFESSOR RADOVAN STOJANOVIC University of Thessaly, Greece
International Relations Coordinator Faculty of Electrical Engineering
University of Montenegro, Podrorica, Montenegro PROFESSOR ELENI KAPETANAKI-

BRIASOULI
Dr Aikaterini Kokkinou, Antonia Obaidou
PROFESSOR RUDIGER HAMM Department of Geography

Department of Business Administration and Economics University of the Aegean, Greece
Student Observer
Niederrhein

University of Applied Sciences, Germany PROFESSOR GEORGE CHIOTIS
Eleonora Stavrakaki
Department of Economic Sciences

PROFESSOR GEORGE KARRAS Athens University of Economics and Business,
Secretariat Department of Economics Greece
University of Illinois, Chicago, USA
Dr Chrisa Balomenou, Dr Fotios Chatzitheodoridis, Dr PROFESSOR DIMITRIOS DIONISIOU
Nikolaos Karachalis, Dr Panagiota Karametou, PROFESSOR IOANNIS YFANTOPOULOS Department of Senior Mathematics
Chrisoula Kouza,Maria Botsari, Victor Atoun, Iosif Faculty of Political Science & Public Hellenic Air Force Academy, Greece
Atoun, Eleftheria Gkrimpa Maria Rigaki, Konstantina Administration National & Kapodistrian University of
Mantzavinou, Konstantina Georgiou, Nikolaos Athens, Greece PROFESSOR LOIS LAMPRIANIDIS
Alampanos, Elektra Katsiantoni, Dora Kyriazopoulou, Department of Economic Sciences
Anna Maria Giallousi De-Boorder, Eleni Koursari, Vis. PROFESSOR KONSTANTINA ZERVA University of Macedonia, Greece
Eleni Hinopoulou, Aggeliki Koursari, Elena Stournara, Dept de Economia y Facultad de Turismo
Dimitrios Ladias, Chrisanthi Zisimopoulou, Maria Universidad de Girona, Espania PROFESSOR PARIS TSARTAS
Oikonomou, Athanasios Koulopoulos, Christos Morres, Department of Business Administration
Socratis Chitas, Maria Karagianni, Nikolaos Motsios, PROFESSOR PETROS KIOXOS University of the Aegean, Greece
Apostolos Tsapalas, Victoria Frizi, Apostolos Department of Economic Sciences
Ladias,Vasiliki Petrou, Areti Zioga, Nikoleta Giesil, University of Piraeus, Greece PROFESSOR YUZARU MIYATA
Kyriakos Katsaros, Filippos Rountzos, Katerina Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering
Kotsiopoulou, Nilos Kotsiopoulos, Dimitra Tsetsoni, PROFESSOR MINAS AGGELIDIS Toyohashi University of Technology, Japan
Maria Kousantaki, Chaim Kapetas, Vasilios Karvounis, Department of Architecture National Technical University of
Ted Galanos, Aggela Trikili, Eleni Zioga, Loukia Athens, Greece
Tsana, Andriana Kats antoni, PROFESSOR GEORGIOS MERGOS
Efrosini Makri PROFESSOR JOSE VARGAS HERNANDEZ, Departmentt Department of Economic Sciences
de Mercadotecnia y Negocios Internacionales, Universidad National and Kapodistrian University of Athens,
de Guadalajara, Mexico Greece

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Regional Science Inquiry Journal, Vol. IV, (3), 2012, Special Issue 3

PROFESSOR ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR LECTURER ALEXANDROS MANDHLA
NIKOLAOS KYRIAZIS EVANGELIA GEORGITSOYANNI RAS Department of Economics, University
Department of Economic Sciences Department of Home Economics Ecology, Harokopion University, Athens, Of Surrey, United Kingdom
University of Thessaly, Greece
Volos, Greece RESEARCH FELLOW
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR PARK JONG - SOON
PROFESSOR VIRON KOTZAMANIS GEORGIA KAPLANOGLOU Development Institute of Local Government of South Korea
Department of Sociology Department of Economic Sciences
University of Thessaly, Greece National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece Dr KATERINA KOKKINOU
Department of Economics
PROFESSOR FATMIR MEMA ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR Glasgow University, G. Britain
Faculty of Economics KONSTANTINOS TSAMADIAS
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Harokopion University, Greece RSI Journal
PROFESSOR IOSIF STEFANOU
Department of Architecture ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR Dr SOTIRIOS MILIONIS
National Technical University of Athens, Greece LIDIA DRAKAKI – SAPOUNAKI RSI Journal
Department of Economic and Regional Development Panteion University, Greece
PROFESSOR Dr MICHAEL ALDERSON
ANASTASIA ATHANASOULA-REPPA ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR Director Project Development
Department of Pedagogy, High School of Pedagogical and Technological Education, Greece TRIFON KOSTOPOULOS University of Szent Istvan, Hungary
Department of Sociology,
PROFESSOR Panteion University, Dr PEDRO RAMOS
EVANTHIA MAKRI - BOTSARI Athens, Greece Facudade de Economia,Universidade
Department of Pedagogy, High School of Pedagogical and Technological Education, Greece de Coimbra, Portugal
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
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GEORGE POLICHRONOPOULOS Department of Laboratory of Urban and Territorial Systems Faculty of Forestry and Natural Environment
School of Business Administration and University of Basilicata, Italy Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Economics, Technological Educational Institute of Athens, Greece
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR Dr DAMIANOS SAKKAS
PROFESSOR MARIUSZ SOKOLOWICZ University of Peloponnese, Greece
MIRA VUKCEVIC Faculty of Economics and Sociology
Faculty of Metallurgy and Chemical Technology University of Lodz, Podrorica, Poland Dr CHRISTOS LADIAS
University of Montenegro, Podrorica, Montenegro Department of Regional and Economic
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR Development, University of Central Greece
ASSOSIATE PROFESSOR JOAO MARQUES Livadeia, Greece
VICENTE ROYUELA Department of Social and Political Sciences
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University of Barcelona, Spain Department of Social and Policy Sciences
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR University of Bath Clarerton Down, England
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR GEORGIOS SIDIROPOULOS
GEORGE KORRES Department of Geography Members
Department of Geography University of the Aegean, Greece

University of the Aegean, Greece
PROFESSOR PETROS KOTSIOPOULOS
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
Department of Senior Mathematics
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR ELENI PAPADOPOULOU
Hellenic Air Force Academy, Greece
STEFANOS KARAGIANNIS School of Urban-Regional Planning & Development Engineering,

Department of Regional Economic Development Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
University of Central Greece
GEORGE TSOBANOGLOU
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
Department of Sociology
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DARCIN AKIN ANASTASIA PSEIRIDOU
University of the Aegean,
Department of City and Regional Planning Department of Regional and Economic Development, Univerity of Central Greece
Mitilini, Greece
Gebze Institute of Technology, Turkey

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
PROFESSOR DIMITRIOS MAVRIDIS
ASSOSIATE PROFESSOR GEORGIOS XANTHOS
Department of Technological Educational
JAN SUCHACEK Department of Sciences, Technological Educational Institute of Crete, Greece
Institute of Western Macedonia, Greece
Department of Regional and Environmental Economics Technical University of Ostrava, Czech

Republic LECTURER ASPASIA EFTHIMIADOU
ASSOSIATE PROFESSOR
Master Program of Environmental Studies
ALBERT QARRI
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Vlora University, Albania
MIHAIL XLETSOS

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ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
University of Ioannina, Greece Department of Computer Science & Electronic Engineering
HIROYUKI SHIBUSAWA
Oxford Brookes University, United Kingdom
Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering Toyohashi University of
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
Technology, Japan
ANASTASIA STRATIGEA LECTURER VICKY KATSONI

Department of Geography and Regional Planning National Technical University of Athens Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management Technological Educational,
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Athens, Greece
GEORGE GANTZIAS
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Department of Cultural Technology & Communication University of the
ELIAS PLASKOVITIS LECTURER NIKOLAOS MPENOS
Aegean, Greece
Department of Economic and Regional Development, Panteion University, Athens, Department of Economic Sciences

Greece University of Ioannina, Greece
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

DIMITRIOS LALOUMIS
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR LECTURER NETA ARSENI POLO
Department of Technological Education
HELEN THEODOROPOULOU Department of Economics
Institute of Athens, Greece
Department of Home Economics Ecology, Harokopion University, Athens, Greece University “Eqrem Cabej”, Albania

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
DIMITRIOS PANAGIOTOPOULOS
PANTELIS SKLIAS Department Physical Education
Faculty of Social Sciences & Sport ScienceNational and Kapodistrian
University of Peloponnese, Greece
University of Athens,
Athens Greece
4 Regional Science Inquiry Journal, Vol. IV, (3), 2012, Special Issue

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR Dr LAMPROS PYRGIOTIS Members
VASSILIS KEFIS RSI Journal
Department of Public Administration Lecturer Fotis Kitsios, Assistant Professor Eleni Papadopoulou,
Panteion University, Athens, Greece Dr KONSTANTINOS IKONOMOU Vilelmini Psarrianou
Department of Regional and Economic

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR Development, University of Central Greece
ZACHAROULA ANDREOPOULOU Investigacion en Ciencia Regional
Lab. Of Informatics Dr KATERINA PARPAIRI
Faculty of Forestry and Natural Environment RSI Journal Managing Editor
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

Dr KHACHATRYAN NUNE
Lecturer Nela Filimon
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR Head of the scientific research unit
ELECTRA PITOSKA University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart
Technological Institute of Florina, Greece Hon. Managing Editor
Dr ANDREW FIELDSEND
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR Research Institut of Agriculture Economics, Budapest, Hungary Professor José Vargas-Hernández
CHRISTOS STAIKOURAS
Department of Accounting and Finance Dr CRISTINA LINCARU
Copy Editor
Athens University of Economics and Business, Greece National Scientific Research Institut for Labor and Social Protection, Bucharest,
Romania
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR Vis. Professor Konstantina Zerva
STELLA KYVELOU EFTERPI GERAGA
Department of Economic and Regional Development Department of Regional and Economic Editorial Assistant
Panteion University, Greece Development, University of Central Greece
Livadeia, Greece Professor Cristiano Cechela
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

THEODOROS IOSIFIDIS Critical Surveys Editors
Publisher-Manager
Department of Geography
University of the Aegean, Greece Lecturer Aspasia Efthimiadou, Dr Sotirios Milionis, Dr Georgios-Alexandros
Sgouros, Dr Stavros Ntegiannakis, Dr Anastasia Biska, Dr Christos Dr Christos Ladias
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR Genitsaropoulos
DIMITRIOS SKIADAS Members
Department of International and European Studies University of Macedonia, Greece Book Review Editors
Professor Ana Cristina Limongi Franca, Associate Professor
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR Dr Katerina Kokkinou, Dr Stilianos Alexiadis, Dr Elias Grammatikogiannis, Dr Francisco Diniz Assistant Professor Eloína Maria Ávila Monteiro
GEORGIOS EXARCHOS Maria Mavragani, Dimitrios Kouzas, Vilelmini Psarrianou, Helga Stefansson,
Technological Institute of Serres, Greece Chrisoula Giannikopoulou, Antonia Obaidou
Zeitschrift für die Regionale Wissenschaft
LECTURER EVIS KUSHI Copy Editors
Faculty of Economy Managing Editor
University of Elbasan, Albania
Associate Professor Georgios Korres, Assistant Professor Panagiotis Krimpas, Dr

Stylianos Alexiadis, Dimitiris Kouzas Professor Ioannis Mazis
LECTURER ELENI GAKI
Department of Business Administration
University of the Aegean, Greece Publisher-Manager Hon. Managing Editor

LECTURER MANTHOS DELIS Dr Christos Ladias Professor Rudiger Hamm

Department of Economic Sciences
Κείµενα Περιφερειακής Επιστήµης
University of Ioannina, Greece Copy Editor
(Kimena Periferiakis Epistimis)
LECTURER ROSA AISA Assistant Professor
Departamento de Analysis Economico Managing Editor Panagiotis Kribas
University of Zaragoza, Spain
Associate Professor
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR Georgios Korres Editorial Assistant
AMALIA KOTSAKI
Department of Architectural Engineering Hon. Managing Editor Associate Professor
Technical University of Crete Stefanos Karagiannis
Professor Charalampos Botsaris
LECTURER APOSTOLOS KIOXOS Publisher-Manager
Department of International and European Studies, University of Macedonia, Greece
Copy Editor

Dr Christos Ladias
Dr KIRIAKI NIKOLAIDOU
Dr Aikaterini Kokkinou
Faculty of Political Science & Public Administration, National & Kapodistrian University
of Athens, Greece Members
Editorial Assistant
Dr GEORGIOS-ALEXANDROS SGOUROS Associate Professor Trifonas Kostopoulos, Dr Khachatryan Nune,
National and Kapodistrian Associate Professor Dr Nikolaos Chasanagas
University of Athens, Greece Stefanos Karagiannis

Dr BULENT ACMA Publisher-Manager
Department of Economics, Anadolu University, Unit of Southeastern Anatolia, Turkey
Dr Christos Ladias
Dr DRITA KRUIA
Faculty of Economics
Shkodra University, Albania
Regional Science Inquiry Journal, Vol. IV, (3), 2012, Special Issue 5
Contents

Editorial
7

Papers
1. The Impact of ITS on Transport Infrastructure and CO Emmissions, Psaraki, V. and I. Pagoni.
2 11

2. Cyberspace and the Transformation of Cities to Cybercities: A Trialectic Approach, Physentzides, K.
25

3. Teleworking: From a Technology Potential to a Social Evolution, Vescoukis, V., A. Stratigea and M. Giaoutzi.
37

4. Using Spatial Decision Support Systems (SDSS) as a Planning Tool in Mountainous Areas, Tolidis, K. and E.
Dimopoulou. 51

5. Estimation of a Discrete-Choice Model with Spatial Interactions: The Case of Deforestation in Western Attica between
1990 and 2000, Emmanouilidi, E. 69

6. The geopolitical impact of the Syrian crisis on Lebanon. Ioannis Th. Mazis, Michalis Sarlis.
85

7. In Search of the Policy Applied and Spatial Correlations of Electronic Government Applications in Greece. Evangelos
Asprogerakas. 91

8. New Industrial Structure Coping with the Economic Impacts of Shifting Production to Battery-based Electric Vehicles
in Toyohashi city in Japan-ACGE Modeling Approach-, Shamsunnahar Khanam and Yuzuru Miyata. 105

9.
Environmental Sustainability, Energy Use and Economic Growth: an Analysis of Toyohashi City Energy-Economy
Interaction, Nahid Hossain and Yuzuru Miyata. 127

10. Farm SMEs sustainability assessment based on Bellagio Principles. The case of Messinian Region,
Greee., Ilias P. Vlachos, George P. Malindretos. 137

11. Models of the determinants of entrepreneurial behaviour: a literature review Charalampos A. Botsaris and Vasiliki
155
Vamvaka.
. Announcements, Conferences, News 173

Academic profiles 177

Book reviews 181

Author Instructions 185
6 Regional Science Inquiry Journal, Vol. IV, (3), 2012, Special Issue
Regional Science Inquiry Journal, Vol. IV, (3), 2012, Special Issue 7
Special Issue of the RSI Journal, Volume IV, Issue 3 – Editorial
In the present Special Issue are presented twelve papers, all written by academics and policy-makers from all over the
world. It is the intention of the editorial board of the Regional Science Inquiry Journal to present in this Special Issue a wide
range of topics, such as economics, environmental, politics, theoretical aspects of regional development, empirical case studies.
In the first part are presented five papers, which deal with different aspects of the central theme of “The Impacts of ICTs on
Spatial Structures”.
More specifically:
Voula Psaraki and Ioanna Pagoni, in the first paper, focus on the role of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) in addressing
road capacity issues, and delivering environmental benefits. For this purpose, three ITS technologies are selected: Driver
Assistance Systems (DAS); Automated Highway System (AHS) for passenger traffic; and Commercial Vehicle Operations
(CVO) for freight traffic, based on the profile of their characteristics and the projected implementation pathways. These are
further evaluated as to their potential for improving the road capacity of the TEN-T European network; achieving fuel savings;
and reducing CO emissions.
2
In the second paper, Kostas Physentzides elaborates on the major transformation processes of a city into a cybercity and the
process of embedding the virtual into the real. The paper aims to shed light on the integration of human capabilities
(intelligence, imagination, creativity) by use of ICTs applications that drive processes which transform the city of geography
and place into a hybrid: the cybercity. The emerging cybercity expands beyond its traditional geographical boundaries of
place, embracing a new digital virtual space, which is placeless and timeless. At the same time, the embedding of human
intelligence in the urban material structures creates intelligent and smart environments that transform society.
Vassileios Vescoukis, Anastasia Stratigea and Maria Giaoutzi in the third paper elaborate on the prospective developments
of teleworking, as these relate to the dynamics of ICTs developments. The paper presents various types of teleworking
applications, linked to the evolving potential of technological developments; then discusses the evolving patterns of
teleworking, followed by emerging trends and applications appearing at a macro and micro level with their prospective
impacts; and finally explores the implications of teleworking on the restructuring of the social patterns.
Kostas Tolidis and Efi Dimopoulou in the fourth paper discuss the issue of land use planning and land policy making for
mountain regions, which are regions with specific characteristics (natural, cultural, etc.), but also development constraints.
Spatial decision making in such regions is characterized by complexity (semi-structured spatial decision problems) and
multiplicity of problems. These indicate the need for qualitative information in support of the decision-making process, in
order to improve effectiveness in decision making. Toward this end, they first present the state-of-the-art of MC-SDSSs and
their significance as a planning tools for mountainous areas; second outline the multiple benefits from the use of Artificial
Intelligence (AI) tools in the context of MC-SDSS for Multisite Land Use Allocation (MLUA) procedures applied in
mountainous areas; and finally propose a MLUAL methodological framework as the core of a future MC-SDSS.
In the fifth paper, Elpianna Emmanouilidi, presents an environmental application, investigating land use changes of forests
and semi-natural areas in the Greek region of Western Attica. Its objective is to estimate the spatial equilibrium distribution of
individual deforestation actions and determine the degree of coordination in individual behaviour. For this purpose, the paper
starts by creating a virtual economic network of 156 agents, by laying an ad hoc square grid over the region. Next, the
dominant forest land use changes have been determined for each land parcel, using CORINE land cover maps for the years
1990 and 2000. The economic model used is a discrete choice model, with endogenous spatial interactions. Even though
spatial interactions produce multiple equilibria, the present research proposes a two-stage fixed point estimator, yielding a
unique solution. Empirical findings suggest that equilibrium deforestation actions are strategic substitutes for the environment
and complements for agriculture, and are characterized by a relative lack of coordination in individual behaviour.
Following, the paper by Ioannis Mazis and Michalis Sarlis analyze the geopolitical impact that the Syrian crisis has on
Lebanon. This impact is manifested in two forms: a subsystemic one (within the Syria-Lebanon subsystem) and a systemic
8 Regional Science Inquiry Journal, Vol. IV, (3), 2012, Special Issue
one (exerted from the system of the wider Middle East). The first refers to the direct repercussions that the increasing instability
of the Syrian part has on the Lebanese part of the subsystem. The second form of impact refers to the indirect yet critical
repercussions that the instability at the centre of the Middle Eastern system has on Lebanon.
In the seventh paper, Evangelo Asprogeraka and entitled “In search of the policy applied and spatial correlations of
electronic Government applications in Greece”. The author deals with the policy concerning the development of electronic
governance (eG) applications and how their use is affected by and determines spatial correlations. The adopted methodology
includes a bibliographical approach and a case study analysis based on the use of taxation electronic applications, particularly
popular as eG applications, in Greece.
The next one paper is by Shamsunnahar Khanam and Yuzuru Miyata, entitled “New Industrial Structure Coping with the
Economic Impacts of Shifting Production to Battery-based Electric Vehicles in Toyohashi city in Japan -A CGE Modeling
Approach-”. They support that the broad-scale adoption of the Battery-based Electric Vehicles (BEVs) could bring significant
changes for our society in terms of moving the economics away from petroleum and lessoning the environmental footprint of
transportation. In essence, this paper provides a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to investigate the economic
repercussion of BEVs production in the automobile industries, afterward suggests a new industrial formation to cope with the
change of production system to BEVs in Toyohashi city in Japan
The ninth paper by Nahid Hossain and Yuzuru Miyata, entitled “Environmental Sustainability, Energy Use and Economic
Growth: an Analysis of Toyohashi City Energy –Economy Interaction”. This paper attempts to study the growth of
Toyohashi city over time and resultant increase in consumption of electricity and gas. Another objective of the paper is to find
features of effect of technological yield in use of energy. The results of the study show that manufacturing and trading sector of
the economy are causing expansionary pressure on use of combustion energy. The study also finds that contribution of
technology to reduce use of energy in production side of the economy yet a dormant factor. Hence, introduction of technology
to ensure improved and efficient use of energy has been recommended by the findings of the paper.
The tenth paper by Ilias P. Vlachos and George P. Malindretos, entitled “Farm SMEs sustainability assessment based on
Bellagio Principles. The case of Messinian Region, Greece”. The purpose of this paper is the sufficient support of the
sustainability of farm products embedded in a region (such as Products of Designated Origin / PDOs) to overcome significant
obstacles to access domestic and remote markets. Main research question is how to overcome such inherent difficulties and
transform them into challenges and opportunities to the new market environment
The final paper by Charalampo Botsari and Vicky Vambaka, entitled “Determinants of entrepreneurial behaviour: Are they
amenable to change through a learning process?” is actually part of a new breed of papers that examines the role of the
entrepreneurship within the global marketplace and as contributing to prosperity and economic growth at a national level. More
specific, the authors try to provide a review of extant literature related to models of the determinants of entrepreneurial intention
and behaviour, and to examine which of these determinants have been found to be affected by entrepreneurship education. A
conceptual model of entrepreneurial intention and behaviour is also proposed.

Maria Giaoutzi
Anastasia Stratigea
Vasiliki Vamvaka
Christos Genitsaropoulos
RSI Journal
Regional Science Inquiry Journal, Vol. IV, (3), 2012, Special Issue 9

Papers
10 Regional Science Inquiry Journal, Vol. IV, (3), 2012, Special Issue