ABSTRACT
This chapter explains a comparative analysis of institutional responses for innovation and technology in two European localities. Interest in local economic governance' in the UK in particular has developed particularly since the 1980s and lies with several interlocking developments. The Welsh Office's role was complemented by the Welsh Development Agency (WDA), which was central to economic development in Wales, although I&T activities are a fairly recent addition to its role, co-ordinated and delivered through its Technology and Innovation Group. In Germany, there is an elaborate federal system while the UK retains a centrally organised and dominated system that has fundamentally shaped the Welsh system of governance. The South-West Wales situation can be contrasted with the experience in Germany, where there is a distinct structure of state organisations from the Land government of NRW through to the local level of Dortmund-Unna-Hamm (DUH). Collaboration provides a point of similarity in relation to the local governance of I&T in South-West Wales and DUH.
