The growing importance of regions in an era of globalisation

1
The growing importance of regions in an era of
globalisation

• Globalisation and the significance of industrial
  clusters
• The re-emergence of regional policy in the UK
• Industrial policy perspectives
• The problems of regional disparities
• Political perspectives - devolution and
  decentralisation
• Regional Development Agencies in England
• RDAs - final answer of part of an emerging
  process?

2
Globalisation and industrial clusters

• Paradoxically, the enduring competitive
  advantages in a global economy lie increasingly
  in local things - knowledge, relationships and
  motivation that distant rivals cannot match
• M E Porter, Clusters and the New Economics of
  Competition, HBR, Nov-Dec 1998

3
The re-emergence of regional policy in the UK
since 1997

• Industrial Policy - White Paper on
  Competitiveness 1998
• Regional disparities across the UK
• Is there a problem?
• Something needs to be done
• Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - what next?
• RDAs for England - but what are the objectives?
• Improving productivity
• Reducing regional disparities
• The 1,000,000,000 Divide - keeping the natives
  happy

4
Regional Development Agencies in England

• What are they?
• What is their purpose?
• How will they achieve their aims?
• RDAs and regional assemblies

5
Regional Development Agencies in England - using
industrial clusters
6
RDAs - The end of the story?

• Achieving results
• Political pressures - emergence of democratically
  accountable regional government as an aim for
  some regions
• White Paper expected

7
Potential models for a North East assembly