In economic development, theory and practice exist as two seemingly separate realities. Academics strive to develop or refine theory by drawing on abstract concepts about the way people behave and institutions work, while practitioners draw from a stock of experiences.By bringing together leading theorists and practitioners such as Blakely, Blair, McCann, Luger, Gunder, Stough and Stimson, this book provides the first comprehensive overview of local economic development theories for over fifteen years. It explores the theory behind the key concepts that every economic practitioner must understand and in doing so, ties together the various theories from across the disciplines to practice.
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Foreword by Jeffrey A. Finkle
1 The Importance of Theory: Linking Theory to Practice by James E. Rowe 3
2 Theory and Practice in Economic Development: Eighty Entangled Years in Search of Panacea by Mark Miller 31
3 The Evolution of American (Spatial) Local and Regional Economic Development Policy and Planning by Edward J. Blakely 39
4 The Theory and Practice of Developing Locally by Andrew Beer 63
5 'Globalisation' and 'Local Economic Development' in a Globalising World: Critical Reflections on the Theory-Practice Relation by Richard Le Heron 93
6 Configuring to be Globally Competitive by Michael I. Luger 113
7 Location Theory by Philip McCann 127
8 The Theory Behind Business Clusters by Martin Perry 145
9 Regional Economic Development Methods and Analysis: Linking Theory to Practice by Robert Stimson and Roger R. Slough 169
10 The Role of Universities in Theories of Regional Development by Paul Dalziel and Caroline Saunders and William Kaye-Blake 193
11 Philosophies in Entrepreneurship: A Focus on Economic Theories by Luke Pittaway 213
12 Theory and Practice of Technology-based Economic Development by Harvey A. Goldstein 237
13 Social Capital in Local Economic Development by John P. Blair and Michael Carroll 265
14 Imperatives of Enjoyment: Economic Development under Globalisation by Michael Gunder 285
15 Moving the Discipline Beyond Metaphors by James E. Rowe 301
16 Towards an Alternative Theoretical Framework for Understanding Local Economic Development by James E. Rowe 329