The participation of the Hellenic Spatial Statistics Lab (HSSL) in the 20th World Conference of the Spatial Econometrics Association, held on 17–18 June 2026 at Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas, provided an important opportunity to present Greek research to the international spatial econometrics and spatial statistics community.
Presenting the Attica research
Leonidas Doukissas presented the joint paper:
Measuring Spatial Inequality in Metropolitan COVID-19 Fatality: Standardization, Bayesian Smoothing, and Spatial Structure in Attica
The research, conducted by Leonidas Doukissas, Yannis Psycharis, and Panayotis Pantazis, examines spatial inequalities in COVID-19 mortality across metropolitan Attica. It combines mortality-rate standardisation, Bayesian smoothing, and analysis of spatial structure to provide a more reliable and geographically sensitive representation of differences between local areas.
Presenting the paper at a major international conference in the field highlighted the contribution of Greek research to the study of the spatial dimensions of public health. Leonidas Doukissas also represented the Greek academic community at this year’s meeting and strengthened HSSL’s international visibility.
Academic exchange and international networking
The conference brought together an outstanding international community working in spatial econometrics, spatial statistics, regional science, and spatial data science. A particular highlight was the lecture by Badi Baltagi, whose work continues to influence generations of econometricians and regional scientists.
The meeting also created valuable opportunities for discussion with distinguished scholars in the field. Topics included Spatial Durbin Error Models (SDEM), the specification of spatial weights matrices, and emerging methodological directions in spatial econometrics. Particularly valuable exchanges took place with J. Paul Elhorst, Francesco Moscone, Florent Sari, and Levi John Wolf.
HSSL also extends its sincere appreciation to Giuseppe Arbia, Chairman of the Spatial Econometrics Association, for his scientific leadership and continued support for the Lab’s activities, and to Alain Pirotte and the French organising team for the excellent organisation and welcoming atmosphere. A special acknowledgement also goes to Vincenzo Nardelli for his support and collegial spirit.
Strengthening HSSL’s international orientation
Participation in SEA & SEW 2026 forms part of HSSL’s continuing effort to develop international research collaborations, promote Greek spatial research, and build new links with leading scholars and scientific networks worldwide.
The conference also provided the setting for the first contribution to the new HSSL Interviews series, in which Giuseppe Arbia discusses the development and future of spatial econometrics.