Prof.dr. Gert-Jan Hospers

General information

Gert-Jan Hospers (Enschede, 1974) teaches Economic Geography at the University of Twente. Since 2009 he also holds a special chair in Place Marketing at the Radboud University Nijmegen. In 1999 Gert-Jan graduated in economics, public policy and law at the universities of Tilburg, Twente and Utrecht. After a job at the Ministry of Economic Affairs Gert-Jan returned to the University of Twente in 2000 to teach economics. In 2004 he defended his PhD-thesis Regional Economic Change in Europe: a Neo-Schumpeterian Vision. Gert-Jan is co-editor of the book series European Regions (LIT Verlag) and editorial board member of European Spatial Research and Policy, Geografie and Kunst en Wetenschap. Before, he was one of the editors of Regional Insights, Regions and De Europese Gemeente. In 2012 Gert-Jan was appointed as a Fellow of the Regional Studies Association (FeRSA).

Research and expertise

Gert-Jan is interested in the urban and regional development of North West Europe with a preference for the peri­phery. Since 2000 he has explored regional clusters, old industrial areas, creative cities, place marketing and demographic change. To confront theory with practice Gert-Jan has conducted policy-oriented research in several regions, including Twente, Groningen, the Ruhr Area, the Øresund Region and the North of England. In 2007 and 2008 Gert-Jan reported on European cities for the Slimme Steden-series in Het Financieele Dagblad. In 2010 and 2011 he wrote – with Reinder Boeve – on Dutch regions for the series Nederland in Twaalf Delen in Geografie. Over the years Gert-Jan has written columns for De Twentsche Courant Tubantia and Luxity: Magazine voor Regio Arnhem en Nijmegen. At present, he is doing research on regional development in Germany and Scandinavia.

Teaching and speaking

At the Radboud University Nijmegen Gert-Jan teaches the bachelor’s course Stedelijke Economie in Europa and the master’s course City- en Regiomarketing. At the University of Twente he teaches a few bachelor’s courses, such as Regional Innovation in Europe, Algemene Economie voor Civiele Techniek, Institutionele Economie and Organisatie- en Omgevingsanalyse. For the NSOB, NEPROM, Avicenna Academy, Bestuursacademie and Master City Developer Gert-Jan regularly gives seminars on economic geography, place marketing and demographic change. At speakers agency Assemblee he can be booked for talks. His presentations are based on recent books, including Krimp! (2010), Er gaat niets boven citymarketing (2011) en Krimp, het nieuwe denken (2012, with Nol Reverda).