Directionality and subsidiarity: sustainability challenges in regional development policy

Markus Grillitsch, Lars Coenen and Kevin Morgan

Regional Studies, 2025, vol. 59, issue 1, 2492171

Abstract: This paper investigates how regional development policy can combine directionality in addressing societal challenges with subsidiarity, emphasising local participation and engagement. We revisit the theoretical foundations of the ‘entrepreneurial discovery process’ as the main mechanism for local engagement in current European Union regional policy frameworks. In its place, we propose an alternative theory of change with purposive collective action at its centre and discuss (1) how it differs from the entrepreneurial discovery process in terms of opportunity framings, scope for agency and balancing directionality with subsidiarity; and (2) why it is more effective in fostering sustainable regional transformations.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/00343404.2025.2492171

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