ABSTRACT
The publication of this volume coincides with a very topical and interesting discourse within academia, and beyond, on regional development strategies. The main thrust of this book has been to explicate the various regional development strategies which are currently being pursued within Europe – defined in its loosest term to include East and West. The book begins with an introductory chapter providing a detailed overview of the European Commission’s views and policies on regional development, and is followed by two conceptual and theoretical chapters focusing on regions and regional development, incorporating a European angle. The main part of the book concentrates on specific regional development case studies from European Union (EU) Member States and countries not presently members of the EU, but who may accede in the near future. There is a chapter which gives a private sector approach to regional economic development, and there is also a chapter relating to Japan which provides a different dimension by examining how a very powerful economy is currently addressing regional growth disparities. The chapters have been arranged to generate both a conceptual, theoretical and empirical backcloth to regional development strategies set within a European context. The purpose of this chapter is not to provide a synopsis of the content of individual chapters, but rather to draw out and expand upon the key issues which arise out of the book, of which there are four.
