Embracing Locality in Local Economic Development

Abstract

Scholarly research in urban and regional economic development has been heading unwittingly toward a postmodern embrace of locality. The literature on global economic restructuring, inuenced by regulation theory, has produced a wealth of case studies that exemplify the importance of the local. The public policy literature, having docu- mented the decreasing inuence of the nation state, demonstrates the importance of local initiative in economic development. Attention has turned, in particular, to the importance of local civil society, from busi- ness coalitions to grassroots organisations. The collective questioning of grand theory and deterministic constructs leaves the research community open for building a new sense of purpose and process. To treat these main themes, this paper draws on scholarship from North America, Latin America and Europe.