Abstract
The concept of local development is defined as a particular form of regional development, one in which endogenous factors occupy a central position. A stages model of local development is proposed: 1) the emergence of local entrepreneurship; 2) the “take off” of local enterprises; 3) the expansion of these enterprises beyond the local region; and 4) the achievement of a regional economic structure that is based upon local initiatives and locally created comparative advantages. The theoretical and empirical foundations of this model are examined, with particular emphasis upon the roles of the entrepreneur and of human capital in the process of economic growth, and upon the spatial effects of the expansion of the firm.
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This paper was originally written and presented in French under the title of “Le concept de développement local en sciences régionales: voies de réflexion et de recherche.”
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Coffey, W.J., Polèse, M. The concept of local development: A stages model of endogenous regional growth. Papers of the Regional Science Association 55, 1–12 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01939840
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01939840