ABSTRACT
Micro-regions are emerging all over the world, not least in southern Africa where "real"/informal micro-regional spaces are being utilised by both the state and the private sector as building blocks upon which "development corridors" can be constructed as a means to promote growth and development. As repeatedly pointed out in this volume, the development paradigm of the Maputo Development Corridor (MDC) is closely associated with the hegemonic discourse of neo-liberalism and the concomitant ambition to tie into and reinforce processes associated with economic globalisation. There are several methodological difficulties in assessing the "development" impact of the MDC. For instance, because of its recent origin it is difficult to examine the developmental impact of the MDC in separation from the broader economy. A sceptical view may assert that the MDC should be seen as, in part, simply an image-boosting exercise for the assorted elites in Mozambique and South Africa.
