ABSTRACT
Introduction Regional development patterns in advanced capitalist countries have changed dramatically in the last 20 years. Traditional industrial regions mushroomed in the postwar period with the growth of major manufacturing sectors such as steel and automobiles, only to plunge into crisis. Massive layoffs in these industries were not compensated, in terms of the number of jobs, wage levels, occupational structure, or job security, by the rise of new economic sectors such as electronics or services. Meanwhile, some formerly lagging or peripheral regions suddenly ‘took off, seemingly of their own accord.1 This pattern of shifting regional growth and decline has occurred at a number of scales, including the international level with the rise of the so-called newly industrializing countries (Weinstein & Firestone 1978, Perry & Watkins 1978, Blackaby 1979, Carney et al. 1980, Bluestone & Harrison 1982, Massey & Meegan 1982, Tabb & Sawers 1984, Massey 1984, Markusen 1985, Martin & Rowthorn 1986, Clark et al. 1986, Scott & Storper 1986, Peet 1987). The unexpected reversal of regional growth patterns, and the realization that regional growth and decline were linked phenomena-‘two sides of the same coin’—revealed the inadequacy of traditional spatial theory (Gertler 1987).
