Overcoming Left-Behindedness: Moving beyond the Efficiency versus Equity Debate in Territorial Development

Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, Federico Bartalucci, Nancy Lozano-Gracia and Maria Davalos

No 10734, Policy Research Working Paper Series from The World Bank

Abstract: Territorial development theory and practice have witnessed significant change in recent times. This change has increasingly put the spatial dimension at the center of development policies. Although agglomeration-focused policies derived from urbanization and agglomeration economics were once prominent, their empirical limitations have become increasingly apparent. Greater territorial polarization and pervasive left-behindedness have underscored the need for a more inclusive territorial development approach, prompting increased interest in understanding and addressing regional disparities to ensure more equitable economic growth. This paper synthesizes the growing interest in territorial development, which has driven the adoption of what are increasingly place-based and place-sensitive approaches to development. The paper also emphasizes the need for complementarity between efficiency-driven and equity-focused interventions, while highlighting emerging topics in regional economics research, including the role of institutions, agency, and external megatrends such as the green transition. The paper concludes by advocating a place-sensitive approach that tailors policies to regional challenges, promoting economic potential, diversification, and inclusivity across all regions.

Date: 2024-03-27
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-geo
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/0992243 ... 8da-e2c5bf4ade41.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Working Paper: Overcoming left-behindedness. Moving beyond the efficiency versus equity debate in territorial development (2024)
Working Paper: Overcoming left-behindedness. Moving beyond the efficiency versus equity debate in territorial development (2024)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10734

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Policy Research Working Paper Series from The World Bank 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20433. Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Roula I. Yazigi ().