Danny MacKinnon

1. Foundational economy (FE) has emerged over the last decade as a highly influential agenda in urban and regional studies amidst the proliferation of ‘beyond GDP’ (gross domestic product) and ‘pos...

‘Left behind places’ have received increasing attention in the Global North, acknowledging growing regional inequalities between and within countries. Yet the trajectories followed by these places have mostly been investigated by assessing changes between two distant time-points. Aiming to provide more detailed insights into regional development pathways, we combine k-means clustering and sequence analysis to study detailed regional trajectories between 1982 and 2017 for EU15 NUTS3 regions. The resulting typology of trajectories evidences how some regions have increasingly or more recently ‘fallen behind’, some have remained ‘left behind’, and still others have experienced overall positive change over decades, at least temporarily catching-up on wealthier regions. As such, our findings suggest different transitions in and out of demographic and economic ‘left-behindness’.

Renewed political concern about geographical inequalities in the wake of the global financial crisis of 2008 raises questions about the ability of the prevalent pre-crisis model of development to generate more spatially balanced and inclusive economies. In this article, we connect spatial polarisation and the ‘geography of discontent’ to the extended crisis of neoliberal capitalism after the 2008 crisis. The article provides a conjunctural analysis of spatial policy since the crash, viewing this period as one of economic stagnation, instability and turbulence. It interprets recent reorientations of spatial policy involving the adoption of new strategies for ‘left-behind places’ as part of an ongoing process of regulatory experimentation seeking to address discontent and spatial polarisation as symptoms of the legitimacy crisis of late neoliberalism. Thus far, we argue, such policies tend to treat the symptoms of ‘left-behindness’, rather than addressing the wider structural causes of decline and marginalisation, meaning that they are unlikely to reduce spatial inequalities and assuage discontent.

‘Left behind places’ and regional inequalities have garnered increasing attention from policy makers, with new data needed to support further analysis. Social media data has the potential to act as a real-time barometer of local opinions, supplementing traditional time-intensive public opinion surveys to inform public policy insights. This study evaluates the scope of potential use of social media data to investigate left behind places. Twitter is used as a case study, with the volume of tweets measured across England and Wales. Linear regression is employed to identify under-represented places in the data. The residuals of the model are then compared across classifications of left behind places, to explore whether left behind places are more likely to post fewer tweets, rendering them ‘invisible’ in the data. This study provides a valuable foundational assessment of the potential suitability of Twitter data for this purpose, engaging with concepts relating to spatial bias and social inequalities.

The term left behind places has emerged as a key leitmotif of international debates on spatial inequalities since 2016. Left behind acts as a shorthand label for places experiencing economic stagna...

‘Left behind places’ has become the leitmotif of geographical inequalities since the 2008 crisis. Yet, the term’s origins, definition and implications are poorly specified and risk obscuring the differentiated problems and pathways of different kinds of areas. This paper explicates the geographical etymology and spatial imaginary of ‘left behind places’. It argues that the appellation and its spatial expression have modified how geographical inequalities are understood and addressed by recovering a more relational understanding of multiple ‘left behind’ conditions, widening the analytical frame beyond only economic concerns, and opening up interpretations of the ‘development’ of ‘left behind places’ and their predicaments and prospects. While renewing interest in fundamental urban and regional concerns, what needs to endure from the ascendance of the ‘left behind places’ label is the terminology and spatial imaginary of reducing geographical inequalities and enhancing social and spatial justice.

The recent wave of populism has focused attention on ‘left behind’ places as hotspots of discontent. Seeking to remedy their neglect in urban and regional studies, the aim of this paper is to engage with the problems of ‘left behind’ places and to stimulate fresh thinking about alternative approaches. Reflecting the complex and inter-connected issues facing such places, it argues that a new conception is required to address issues of belonging and attachment. The paper outlines the basis of an expanded neo-endogenous development approach, identifying the foundational economy, income and livelihoods, social infrastructures and social innovation as key policy concerns.

This paper assesses legitimation as a crucial dimension of industry emergence, addressing the neglect of institutional and political aspects of path creation in economic geography. It investigates how the legitimacy of emerging industries is built up over time and examines differences in legitimation across space. The paper focuses on the evolution of legitimation narratives in the context of national and regional differences in institutions, actors and assets. Based on a cross-national study of the offshore wind industry, the paper argues that cost reduction and value creation have made important contributions to legitimation in addition to climate change and energy security.