Developing locally: An international comparison of local and regional economic development

Throughout the developed world governments have invested substantial sums in local and regional economic development. Many have spent heavily on local development agencies and strategies to bolster competitiveness within world markets. What has been the impact of these actions? How effective are the strategies and processes employed by development agencies? How well funded are development efforts in one nation compared to another, and how are their objectives defined? This book addresses these questions. It: · explores the impact and functioning of economic development agencies; · makes a unique contribution to the emerging literature on economic development agencies by reporting on the results of a cross-national survey of economic development practitioners; · compares the 'institutional architectures' of economic development in Australia, England, the United States and Northern Ireland; · analyses how these institutional arrangements affect individual agencies and their regions. This book is intended for a wide audience including economic development practitioners, local government officers, officials within national or state governments and academics. It provides the reader with a greater appreciation of how local and regional economic development systems operate in different economies and aids understanding of what makes the economic development system in each nation unique. It challenges ideas about the uniformity of economic development efforts and encourages practitioners and policy makers to experiment with and explore strategies used elsewhere.

Table of Contents:
Contents: International comparisons of local and regional economic development ~ Andrew Beer, Graham Haughton and Alaric Maude; Understanding international divergence and convergence in local and regional economic development ~ Graham Haughton, Andrew Beer and Alaric Maude; Local and regional economic development organisations in international comparison ~ Andrew Beer, Graham Haughton and Alaric Maude; Local and regional economic development in England ~ Graham Haughton; Local economic development in the United States ~ Terry Clower; Local and regional economic development organisations in Australia ~ Alaric Maude; Local and regional economic development in a 'post-conflict' society: lessons from Northern Ireland ~ Rachel Naylor and Terry Robson; Local and regional economic development: improving our understanding and advancing our policy frameworks ~ Andrew Beer, Graham Haughton and Alaric Maude.

About the Author :
Andrew Beer is an Associate Professor in the School of Geography, Population and Environmental Management at Flinders University, Adelaide. His interests include the behaviour of local and regional economic development agencies and the operation of housing markets. Graham Haughton is Professor of Geography at the University of Hull. Graham is one of the UK's leading researchers in the areas of local economic development and environmentally sustainable developments. Alaric Maude is an Associate Professor in the School of Geography, Population and Environmental Management at Flinders University, Adelaide. His interests include local and regional economic development strategies, the application of Social Economy measures to development initiatives and environmentally sustainable development.

Review :
"... worth reading and pointing up to colleagues. It adds interesting material to the evidence base and provides an accessible contribution to the literature on the role of local and regional development organisations within a developed economy setting for undergraduates, postgraduates and local and regional development policy-makers and practitioners. The references at the end of the book provide a useful way into the literature for undergraduates in particular - and, unlike many contemporary texts on local and regional economic development issues, the price of this paperback edition also makes the book affordable." Local Government Studies "... provides fascinating insights into a central perspective on economic change in modern economies. Academics and policy officials would do well to read this book. They will learn much about the way organisations view themselves, and how the circumstances under which they work shape their efforts and responses. Members of organisations will benefit too, as they will learn much from those in the same boat as themselves." Urban Policy and Research "... a much needed comparative analysis of the nature, roles and impacts of development agencies in different advanced capitalist countries. Practitioners and students should gain from both the up-to-date analysis and practical guidance." Mike Berry, School of Social Science and Planning, RMIT University, Australia