No 2024/20 Strategic regional path development?

Place-based industry development in nation-states’ pursuit of prosperity, autonomy, and sustainability

Abstract

Amid growing geopolitical tensions and supply chain fragilities, many countries adopt new industrial policies aimed at reshoring strategic industries. Simultaneously, rising awareness of the link between feelings of disenfranchisement and regional development levels underscores the strategic importance of intra-national industrial location. Within this context, we propose the concept of Strategic Regional Path Development, understood as a mechanism for (supra-) national industrial capacity-building based on top-down government interventions. Testing the framework using a semiconductor innovation zone in Québec as a case study, we conclude that success depends on aligning expectations and reconciling perspectives on its purpose across policymaking levels and involved actors.