Prof. Ben Derudder

Position

Professor of Human Geography

Contact

Building: 11
Room No: S527
Phone : +61 3 990 20954
Fax: +61-3-99052948
Email: ben.derudder@ugent.be

Qualifications

• Ph.D., Ghent University (2006)
• MSc Geography, Ghent University (1998)
• MSc Aid & Development, Ghent University (1999)
• Ba Sociology, Ghent University (2001)

Professional Association

• Formally associated with Ghent University's (Belgium) Geography Department
• In the period 2011-2013, I am affiliated with Monash's School of GES through a Marie Curie 'International Outgoing Fellowship' under the European Union's 7th Framework Program

Research Interests

Most of my research focuses on (i) the conceptualization and empirical analysis of transnational urban networks and (ii) the (persisting) importance of business travel in the space economy. I also have a keen interest in approaches to ‘understanding’ academic ‘performance’ in general and that of geography/geographers in particular, with a focus on the perceived importance of mobility and publication output.

Selected Publications

Key Book Publications

• Taylor, P.J., Derudder, B., Saey, P. & Witlox, F. (eds.) (2007) Cities in Globalization. Theories, policies, practices. London: Routledge.
• Beaverstock, J., Derudder, B., Faulconbridge, J. & Witlox, F. (eds.) (2009) Business Travel in the Global Economy. London: Ashgate.
• Derudder, B., Hoyler, M., Taylor, P.J. & Witlox, F. (eds.) (2011) The International Handbook of Globalization and World Cities. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

Key Journal Publications

• Derudder B., Taylor P.J., Witlox F. & Catalano G. (2003) Hierarchical Tendencies and Regional Patterns in the World City Network: A Global Urban Analysis of 234 Cities. Regional Studies 37(9), pp. 875-886.
• Derudder B. & Taylor P.J. (2005) The cliquishness of world cities. Global Networks, 5(1), pp. 71-91.
• Derudder, B. & Witlox, F. (2008) Mapping global city networks through airline flows: context, relevance, and problems. Journal of Transport Geography, 16, pp. 305-312.
• Taylor, P.J., Ni, P., Derudder, B., Hoyler, M., Huang, J., Lu, F., Pain, K., Witlox, F., Yang, X., Bassens, D., Shen, W. (2009) The way we were: command-and-control centres in the global space-economy on the eve of the 2008 geo-economic transition. Environment and Planning A 41(1) 7–12. 
• Faulconbridge, J.R., Beaverstock, J.V., Derudder, B. & Witlox, F. (2009) Corporate Ecologies of Business Travel in Professional Service Firms: Working towards a Research Agenda. European Urban and Regional Studies 16, 295-308.
• Bassens, D., Derudder, B. & Witlox, F. (2010) Searching for the Mecca of finance: Islamic financial services and the world city network. AREA, 42(1), 35-46. [Winner of the 2010 Wiley –Blackwell Publishers Area Prize for New Research in Geography]
• Orozco Pereiro, R. & Derudder, B. (2010) The cities/services-nexus: Determinants of the location dynamics of advanced producer services firms in global cities. Service Industries Journal, 30(12), 2063-2080. 
• Derudder, B., Beaverstock, J.V., Faulconbridge, J., Storme, T. & Witlox, F. (2011) You are the way you fly: on the association between business travel and business class travel. Journal of Transport Geography, 19(4), 997-1000.

Funded Projects

• Networks of cities and cities in networks. The role of digital accessibility in the creation of geographical space: conceptualisation, methodology, and visualisation (Flemish Fund for Scientific Research – FWO)
• Globalization revisited: The relationship between global commodity chains and urban networks (Flemish Fund for Scientific Research – FWO)
• Quantification of the World City Network: a research exercise to analyse the inter-linkages between world cities (Ghent University Special Research Fund – UGent BOF)
• Dynamics in the world city network 2000-2008: a longitudinal network analysis of contemporary globalization processes (Ghent University Special Research Fund – UGent BOF)
• Marie Curie 'International Outgoing Fellowship' under the European Union's 7th Framework Program
• Australian/Chinese connections in the world city network: specification, modeling, and EU implications (Marie Curie 'International Outgoing Fellowship' under the European Union's 7th Framework Program)

Research Staff and Students

• See http://geoweb.ugent.be/seg

Teaching Responsibilities

Prizes and Awards

• Bassens, D., Derudder, B. & Witlox, F. (2010) Searching for the Mecca of finance: Islamic financial services and the world city network. AREA, 42(1), 35-46. [Winner of the 2010 Wiley –Blackwell Publishers Area Prize for New Research in Geography]
• Derudder, B. & Witlox, F. (2007) “What is a world-class city? Comparing conceptual specifications of a global urban network.” 7th International Conference on Urban Planning and the Environment, UEP07, Bangkok, 3 -5 January 2007. [Best paper award at UPE07 in Bangkok]