Dr Jan Fransen
Lead Specialist in Urban Economic Development and Resilience, Assistant Professor
- Email address
- j.fransen@ihs.nl
- Phone
- +31 10 408 9841
Jan Fransen (PhD and MA in development studies) is a Lead Specialist and Assistant Professor in Urban Economic Development and Resilience. He is the former Deputy Director and Head of Education & Training of IHS. He coordinates research on smart and resilient cities at the Erasmus Vital Cities and Citizens research initiative, is a guest researcher on urban resilience at ISS, is a member of the advisory committee of the Africa Research Institute in Leiden, and is visiting scholar at POLIS University in Albania. He worked for the International Labour Organisation (ILO) of the United Nations based in Eastern and Southern Africa in a previous position.
Dr Fransen has over 25 years of experience in local economic development and resilience, with a particular interest in urban resilience, community-based organisations, small firm development, informality, clustering, innovation systems, global value chains and institutional economics. He presently works on various studies on urban resilience in Rotterdam, The Hague, Nairobi and internationally. Jan co-supervises PhD students, lectures across multiple master programmes and co-coordinates short courses and a MOOC on Sustainable Local Economic Development. Dr Fransen has completed a wide range of research assignments, consultancies, and training and has held various positions, including team leader, senior technical advisor, principal researcher and trainer. He has carried out projects for the World Bank, European Commission, United Nations, NGOs such as Cordaid and several national, regional and local governments worldwide. He has long and short-term working experience in over 20 countries, including Albania, China, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Netherlands, Namibia, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
| Bakker, J., Scholten, P., Fransen, J. and Minkman, E. (2024). A typology of urban knowledge sharing : from a systematic literature review to an integrated model. Science and Public Policy, scae008, (First online 11 April 2024) https://doi.org/10.1093/scipol/scae008 |
| Djais, G., Fransen, J. and Koppenjan, J. (2024). Governing sustainable corridor development: A case study of Gilimanuk-Denpasar-Padang Bai corridor in Indonesia. Environmental Policy and Governance 1-14, (First online 18 March 2024) https://doi.org/10.1002/eet.2104 |
| Fransen, J., Hati, B., Simon. H. K. and Stapele, N. van (2024). Adaptive governance by community based organisations : community resilience initiatives during Covid-19 in Mathare, NairobiOpens external. Sustainable Development, 32(2), 1471-1482, (First online 26 May 2023) https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.2682 |
| Fransen, J., Hati, B., Stapele, N. van., Kiriro, S. and Nyumba, R. (2024). Resilience pathways of informal settlements in Nairobi: Stasis, decline, adaptation, and transformation. European Journal of Development Research, (First online 11 January 2024) https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-023-00605-w |
| Nederhand, J., Avelino, F., Edelenbos, J. and Fransen, J. (2024). Editorial to the special issue on urban vitalism. Cities, 148, 104911, (First online 01 March 2024) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2024.104911 |
| Alsayel, A., Fransen, J., Jong, M. de; (2023) City branding in a multi-level governance context: comparing branding performance across five institutional models for urban development in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Place Management and Development, (First online 06 February 2023) http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JPMD-07-2022-0061 |
| Fransen, J., Hati, B., Nyumba, R. & Tuijl, E. van (2023). Community vitality and frugal practices in informal settlements in Nairobi: Towards a typology. Cities,134(March), 104179. (First online 10 January 2023) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2022.104179 |
| Gómez, G. M.. Manya, V. and Fransen, J. (2023). Vital entrepreneurial ecosystems: The case of ICT in Yaba, Nigeria, Cities, vol. 137(June), 104289, (First online 09 March 2023) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2023.104289 |
| Nederhand, J., Avelino, F., Awad, I., De Jong, P., Duijn, M., Edelenbos, J., Engelbert, J., Fransen, J. Schiller, M. and Van Stapele, N. (2023). Reclaiming the city from an urban vitalism perspective: critically reflecting smart, inclusive, resilient and sustainable just city labels, Cities, 137(June) 104257. (First online 30 March 2023) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2023.104257 |
| Alsayel, A., Jong, M. de and Fransen, J. (2022). Can creative cities be inclusive too? How do Dubai, Amsterdam and Toronto navigate the tensions between creativity and inclusiveness in their adoption of city brands and policy initiatives? Cities, 128, 10378 (First online 8 June 2022) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2022.103786 |
| Fransen, J., Ochoa Peralta, D., Vanelli, F., Edelenbos, J. and Calzada Olvera, B. (2022). The emergence of urban community resilience initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic : an international exploratory study. European Journal of Development Research, 34, 432-454. (First online 21 January 2021) https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-020-00348-y |
| Fransen, J. (2021). Conclusions: new insights in urban planning, management and governance in emerging economies. In: J. Fransen, M. P. van Dijk and J. Edelenbos (Eds.) Urban planning, management and governance in emerging economies : paradigm shift (pp 225-244). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800883840.00018 |
| Fransen, J. (2021). Lock-in and new path development of China commodity city : the role of policies. Forum for Social Economics, 50(4), 1-16. (First online 11 August 2020) https://doi.org/10.1080/07360932.2020.1804432 |
| Fransen, J., Dijk, M. P. van and Edelenbos, J. (2021). Urban paradigm shifts in emerging economies. In: J. Fransen, M. P. van Dijk and J. Edelenbos (Eds.) Urban planning, management and governance in emerging economies : paradigm shift (pp 1-19). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800883840.00007 |
| Fransen, J., Dijk, M. P. van and Edelenbos, J. (Eds.) 2021). Urban planning, management and governance in emerging economies : paradigm shifts. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800883840 |
| Fransen, J. and Edelenbos, J. (2020). Conditions of urban resilience for covid-19 : building back stronger (Policy letter ; 1). Rotterdam: Erasmus Initiative, Vital Cities and Citizens, Erasmus University Rotterdam. |
| Fransen, J. and Edelenbos, J. (2020). Research design for case studies (Policy letter ; 2). Rotterdam: Erasmus Initiative, Vital Cities and Citizens, Erasmus University Rotterdam. |
| Fransen, J. and Ochoa Peralta, D., (2020). Transformation towards community resilience: new urban visions, MONU, 33 [Special Issue on Pandemic Urbanism], 78-81. |
| Gómez, G. M.; Chawla, S. and Fransen, J. (2020). Exploring the entrepreneurial ecosystem within the informal economy with a multifactor framework. In M. N. Iftikhar, J. B. Justice and D. B. Audretsch (Eds.) Urban studies and entrepreneurship (The urban book series) (pp. 181-202). Cham: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15164-5_10 |
| Fransen, J. and Knorringa, P. (2019). Learning and upgrading of craft exporters at the interface of global value chains and innovations. European Journal of Development Research, 31 (3), 530-557. (First online 26 October 2018) https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-018-0167-y |
| Kaur, R.; Wall, R. and Fransen, J. (2018). The impact of FDI on income inequality in Africa. In UN Habitat, The state of African cities 2018 : the geography of African investment (pp. 128-138). Nairobi: United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). |
| Fransen, J. (2017). Innovation of handicraft exporters in emerging economies. In: M. P. van Dijk, J. Edelenbos and K. van Rooijen (Eds.) Urban governance in the realm of complexity (pp. 47-68). Rugby: Practical Action Publishing. |
| Fransen, J. and Helmsing, A. H. J. (Bert) 2017. Absorptive capacity as a mediator : innovation of handicraft exporters in Yogyakarta. Tijdschrift Voor Economische En Sociale Geografie, 108 (6), 737-752. (First online 15 September 2016) https://doi.org/10.1111/tesg.12212 |
| Fransen, J. (2016). Crafting innovations : the evolving institutional regimes of handicraft exporters in emerging economies [Doctoral dissertation Erasmus University Rotterdam(EUR)] RePub, Erasmus University Repository. http://hdl.handle.net/1765/94596 |
| Fransen, J. and Gaol, P. H. L. (2016). Absorptive capacity and local networking of home-made enterprises in 'Kamporng Cyber', Yogyakarta, Indonesia. In: G. M. Gómez and P. Knorringa (Eds.) Local governance, economic development and institutions (pp. 292-312). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. |
| Fransen, J. and Helmsing, A. H. P. (2016). Breaching the barriers : the segmented business and innovation system of handicraft exports in Cape Town. Development Southern Africa, 33(2), 486-501. (First online 18 May 2016) https://doi.org/10.1080/0376835X.2016.1179098 |
| Fransen, J. and Tuijl, E. van, (2016). Kasongan pottery cluster (Yogyakarta). In: L. Carvalho, L. van den Berg, H. Galal and P. Teunisse (Eds) Delivering sustainable competitiveness : revisiting the organising capacity of cities (pp. 76-91). London: Routledge. |
| Fransen, J. (2014). Promoting cluster development, Kasongan pottery cluster, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, p. 76. In: Luis Carvalho; Egon de Haas and Hazem Galal (Eds.) [et al.] iUrban : innovative city strategies for sustainable competitiveness : summary report (p. 76). Rotterdam: iUrban. |
| Fransen, J. (2013). Innovation in SMEs : the case of home accessories in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, (IHS working paper ; 27). Rotterdam: Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS). |
| Fransen, J. (2012). Transições urbanas em desequilíbrio. De artesanatos a objetos de decoração na Cidade do Cabo = Unbalanced urban transitions. From handicrafts to home accessories in Cape Town. In R Lunardelli Cavallazzi and R. Cury Paraizo, (Eds.) Patrimônio, ambiente e sociedade: novos desafios espaciais = Heritage, environment and society: new spatial challenges (pp. 77-115, pp. 275-304). Rio de Janeiro: Programa de pós-graduação em urbanismo (PROURB). |
| Fransen, J. and Kassahun, S. (2011) Incorporating informal settlements in Addis Ababa : from centralized urban planning to local planning. In A. Bongwa, S. Kassahun and M. P. van Dijk (Eds.) Decentralization and service delivery in Ethiopia (pp.104-116). Maastricht: Shaker Publishing. |
| Fransen, J. (2010). Informality and unemployment in Addis Ababa : an odd couple. In J. Fransen, J., S. Kassahun, and M. P. van Dijk (Eds.) Formalization and informalization processes in urban Ethiopia : incorporating informality (pp. 47-69). Maastricht: Shaker publishing. |
| Fransen, J., Kassahun S. and Dijk, M.P. van (Eds.) (2010). Formalization and informalization processes in urban Ethiopia : incorporating informality, Maastricht: Shaker Publishing. |
| Kassahun, S. and Fransen, J. (2010). Incorporating informality : conclusions and recommendations to incorporate informality. In J. Fransen, S. Kassahun and M. P. van Dijk, Formalization and informalization processes in urban Ethiopia : incorporating informality (pp. 187-196). Maastricht: Shaker Publishing. |
| Odufuwa, B., Fransen, J., Bongwa, A. and Gianoli, A. (2009). Cities: theories and reality, Journal of Geography and Regional Planning, 2(10), 243-248. |
| Fransen, J. (2008). Can city development strategies boost equitable growth? An analysis of Awassa, In M. P. van Dijk, and J. Fransen (Eds.) Managing Ethiopian cities in an era of rapid urbanisation (pp. 213-239). Delft, Eburon. |
| Fransen, J. (2008). Introduction. In M. P. van Dijk, and J. Fransen (Eds.) Managing Ethiopian cities in an era of rapid urbanisation (pp. 1-9). Delft, Eburon. |
| Fransen, J. and Dijk, M.P. van, (2008). Informality in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia [Paper presented at the conference 'Are cities more important than countries?' Rotterdam, 30-31 October, 2008], Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)/Erasmus University Rotterdam. |