The changing context of regional governance of FDI in England

Phil Almond (Lead Author), Anthony Ferner, Olga Tregaskis

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19 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

This paper analyses relations between sub-national institutional actors responsible for the attraction and retention of foreign direct investment, other ‘governance’ actors in regional business systems – local and sub-regional government, cluster/sectoral bodies, RDA and LEP executives, and those involved in the coordination of skills provision – and subsidiaries of foreign-owned multinational corporations. It is based on qualitative research in two regions of England conducted between 2008 and 2011. Within a context of international competition for investment within global production networks, it explores recent politically driven changes in sub-national governance, including the abolition of Regional Development Agencies, alongside the more long-standing instability of economic development and skills coordination in England. The analysis is centred on an argument that a more adequate understanding of sub-national economic governance requires the active integration of perspectives on political systems of governance, and embedded patterns of economic coordination, as analysed in the varieties of capitalism literature.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)61-76
Number of pages16
JournalEuropean Urban and Regional Studies
Volume22
Issue number1
Early online date3 Oct 2012
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 4 Jan 2015

Keywords

  • multinational corporations
  • skills systems
  • regional economic development
  • foreign direct investment

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