ABSTRACT
Disparities in employment opportunities between peripheral regions and southern England, and between inner cities and other areas, are enduring characteristics of the British economy and are likely to remain prominent features for at least the remainder of this century. These persistent imbalances in regional and local labour markets are justifiably an important political issue. However, there is no agreement about the nature and causes of the problems. Are multinational companies to blame or are the shifts taking place the inevitable result of changes in technology? Are depressed areas so hard-hit because they are ‘unsuitable’ for modern industry or because of the particular nature of Britain’s industrial decline? Failure to resolve these and other questions has made it difficult to develop appropriate and effective policies. Too often, policies have provided short-term palliatives rather than lasting solutions.
