Old industrial regions in Europe: a comparative assessment of economic performance

Abstract

Recent academic and policy discourses on regional development in Europe promote the expansion of 'knowledge-based' economies and learning regions. The assumptions underpinning the new regional policy are cast into sharp focus by the experiences of old industrial regions (OIRs). We engage with these issues through empirical research into the recent fortunes of OIRs in Western Europe, drawing upon material from the Eurostat database. Our findings highlight distinctive and diverse experiences among OIRs in different countries with the UK OIRs performing better in terms of GDP growth and service employment, while their continental counterparts do better in retaining manufacturing employment. This raise questions about the role of different national varieties of capitalism in shaping regional trajectories and the different mechanisms of regional adaptation promoted in the different countries.