No 2023/11 Rescaling

An Analytical Lense to Study Economic and Industrial Shifts

Abstract

Rescaling as a concept has been used to investigate and explain shifting patterns in economic and industrial development. This ranges from processes explaining the shift towards globalisation in the 1980s to current calls for shifts towards decarbonisation, national security, and more even development, which profoundly affect the organisation of economies and industries. This paper aims to unpack the notion of rescaling, identify and elaborate on different dimensions of rescaling, and use rescaling as conceptual and analytical lens to discuss and understand shifting patterns in economic and industrial development. We explore the potential of rescaling to capture the complex processes underpinning such shifts in patterns with a unifying language that connects multiple disciplinary perspectives. It is also relevant from a societal perspective as rescaling has been used as a strategy to affect the patterns in economic and industrial development.