ABSTRACT
This chapter examines in particular the changing distribution of employment between the depressed and the relatively prosperous regions of the country, as centres of manufacturing, of the major conurbations of the country and particularly their inner areas. It shows that the intersectoral reorganization of production, and the differential impact of intra-sectoral attempts to reduce the cost of variable capital and increase the rate of surplus value, is contributing significantly to these spatial changes. A further significant feature of the crisis has been the important role played by the State. The Industrial Reorganization Corporation (IRC), which lasted from 1966 to 1970, was one arm of the general intervention, with the explicit aim of restructuring crucial sectors of the economy. The IRC itself selected major branches of industry on which to concentrate, and the research has focused on one of its early-established priority areas – electrical engineering and electronics.
