Virtual Special Issue on Migration

This editorial introduces a virtual special issue of Spatial Economic Analysis compiled to mark the keynote lecture at the 46th Annual Conference of the Regional Science Association International—British and Irish Section in Cornwall by Professor Jacques Poot of the National Institute of Demographic and Economic Analysis, University of Waikato. Professor Poot's lecture on migration, which is also the theme of this virtual special issue, could not be more topical. Migration is a central issue in public discourse in Europe and the United States, and is setting the agenda for political debate throughout the developed world. The ongoing refugee crisis in Europe, the associated rise in populist, nationalist political movements in Europe and the United States, and the recent vote by the UK to leave the European Union all have migration at their centre.