ABSTRACT
Competitiveness is essentially constructed from place. People, firms and other institutions all need the right environment to thrive, and yet it is they themselves that must create that environment in the places where they are based. In this sense, territories – nations, regions, cities, municipalities – are the critical building blocks for competitiveness and socio-economic development in the world economy. However, while it has long been common to analyse the strategies of firms, analysis of the strategies of territories has often been neglected. That is starting to change, as around the world today we see policy discourse dominated by territories looking to develop, implement and monitor the progress of distinctive strategies to boost their competitiveness.
