Drivers of regional economic restructuring: Actors, institutions and policy

Project summary

This project will apply and further develop a novel theoretical framework that will inform policy strategy and instruments for regional economic restructuring. Our framework combines an evolutionary economic geography perspective on regional development with insights from transition studies. Regional economic restructuring takes place in-between circumstances which are internal to a region (e.g. institutional infrastructure, the industry mix, the competence and network of firms and entrepreneurs) and external framework conditions (e.g. falling oil prices, digitalization, greening of the economy). This interplay makes directed policies and the facilitation of regional economic restructuring challenging. But previous research has shown that to stimulate path renewal in existing regional ndustries and to foster the creation of new regional industries is important for addressing this challenge. Thus, this project intends to identify and analyse the main drivers and barriers for renewal and creation of industry paths in Western Norway.
The project is organized in five work packages. First, we present an outlook on regional path dependent development. This forms the backdrop for investigating regional path renewal (upgrading and restructuring of existing industries) and regional path creation (development of new firms and new sectors). These WPs link up to a WP intending to elaborate on the role of policy development in regional economic restructuring. In addition, findings from the four WPs will be communicated to users through a WP focused on user involvement and dissemination.
The project will be carried out by a consortium consisting of experts from Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL) and IRIS (International Research Institute of Stavanger)/University of Stavanger (UiS). It will also involve international partners and experts within the field of innovation and regional restructuring.