PapersFlow Research Brief
Regional resilience and development
Research Guide
What is Regional resilience and development?
Regional resilience and development refers to the capacity of regional economies to withstand, adapt to, and recover from recessionary shocks, economic crises, and industrial transformations through factors such as economic structure, industrial diversity, innovation districts, and territorial capital.
This field encompasses 20,821 works examining determinants and measurements of regional economic resilience. Key factors include adaptation, economic structure, regional employment, and socioeconomic performance that enable regions to cope with external stresses. Research highlights the role of industrial diversity and innovation districts in sustaining development amid economic challenges.
Topic Hierarchy
Research Sub-Topics
Regional Economic Resilience Measurement
This sub-topic develops metrics for resistance, recovery, and adaptability using employment and GDP data. Researchers construct indices and validate them against recessionary shocks.
Determinants of Regional Resilience
This sub-topic identifies economic structure, human capital, and institutional factors influencing resilience. Researchers use econometric models to test hypotheses across regions.
Industrial Diversity and Regional Resilience
This sub-topic examines specialization vs diversification effects on employment stability during crises. Researchers apply entropy measures and shift-share analysis.
Territorial Capital and Economic Resilience
This sub-topic explores tangible and intangible assets contributing to regional adaptive capacity. Researchers map territorial capital and correlate with resilience outcomes.
Evolutionary Perspectives on Regional Resilience
This sub-topic applies evolutionary economic geography to path dependence and adaptive cycles. Researchers model region-specific trajectories and lock-in effects.
Why It Matters
Regional resilience and development inform policies to mitigate impacts of economic crises on local economies. Martin (2011) in "Regional economic resilience, hysteresis and recessionary shocks" analyzes how regions resist recessionary shocks, showing that hysteresis effects lead to persistent employment losses in vulnerable areas, with implications for post-crisis recovery strategies. Markusen (1996) in "Sticky Places in Slippery Space: A Typology of Industrial Districts" identifies types of industrial districts that anchor economic activities despite globalization, aiding urban planning in regions like Silicon Valley. Adger (2000) in "Social and ecological resilience: are they related?" links social resilience—defined as communities' ability to cope with stresses—to ecological factors, influencing sustainable development in areas facing environmental and economic disturbances, as evidenced by its 4589 citations.
Reading Guide
Where to Start
"Regional economic resilience, hysteresis and recessionary shocks" by R. Martin (2011), as it provides a clear introduction to core concepts like resistance and hysteresis using empirical recession examples.
Key Papers Explained
Martin (2011) "Regional economic resilience, hysteresis and recessionary shocks" establishes hysteresis as a key challenge, which Martin and Sunley (2014) "On the notion of regional economic resilience: conceptualization and explanation" refines into a four-phase framework. Simmie and Martin (2010) "The economic resilience of regions: towards an evolutionary approach" builds on this by proposing an evolutionary model over equilibrium views. Markusen (1996) "Sticky Places in Slippery Space: A Typology of Industrial Districts" complements with structural factors like districts, while Adger (2000) "Social and ecological resilience: are they related?" adds social dimensions.
Paper Timeline
Most-cited paper highlighted in red. Papers ordered chronologically.
Advanced Directions
Current discussions emphasize evolutionary adaptation and multi-dimensional metrics, as in Martin and Sunley (2014) and Simmie and Martin (2010), with ongoing refinement of phase-based explanations from Martin (2011). No recent preprints available, but foundational works like Meerow et al. (2015) "Defining urban resilience: A review" guide extensions to urban contexts.
Papers at a Glance
Frequently Asked Questions
What is regional economic resilience?
Regional economic resilience is the ability of regional economies to withstand and recover from recessionary shocks and economic crises. Martin and Sunley (2014) in "On the notion of regional economic resilience: conceptualization and explanation" conceptualize it as a system's response to disturbances. This involves resistance, absorption, reorientation, and adaptation phases.
How does industrial diversity contribute to regional resilience?
Industrial diversity allows regions to buffer shocks by spreading economic risks across sectors. Ellison and Glaeser (1997) in "Geographic Concentration in U.S. Manufacturing Industries: A Dartboard Approach" measure geographic concentration, implying diverse structures reduce vulnerability. Martin (2011) links diversity to lower hysteresis in recessions.
What role does adaptation play in regional development?
Adaptation enables regions to restructure after shocks through innovation and economic transformation. Simmie and Martin (2010) in "The economic resilience of regions: towards an evolutionary approach" advocate an evolutionary perspective where adaptation drives long-term development. This contrasts with static equilibrium models.
What are key determinants of regional resilience?
Determinants include economic structure, territorial capital, and innovation districts. Martin (2011) identifies these in response to recessions. Adger (2000) adds social factors like community coping mechanisms.
How is urban resilience defined?
Urban resilience is reviewed by Meerow et al. (2015) in "Defining urban resilience: A review" as a multidimensional concept for cities facing shocks. It integrates ecological, social, and economic dimensions. The paper synthesizes definitions for planning applications.
What is hysteresis in regional resilience?
Hysteresis refers to permanent changes in regional economies post-shock, preventing return to pre-crisis states. Martin (2011) in "Regional economic resilience, hysteresis and recessionary shocks" demonstrates this through UK regional employment data during recessions.
Open Research Questions
- ? How can evolutionary processes explain differential regional recovery rates from shocks, as implied in Simmie and Martin (2010)?
- ? What metrics best capture the multi-phase response of regions to disturbances, building on Martin and Sunley (2014)?
- ? In what ways do social resilience mechanisms interact with economic structures during crises, extending Adger (2000)?
- ? How do industrial district typologies predict 'stickiness' in globalized economies, per Markusen (1996)?
- ? Which evolutionary adaptation strategies minimize hysteresis effects in recession-hit regions, from Martin (2011)?
Recent Trends
The field includes 20,821 works, with high citation counts for early papers like Adger at 4589 citations indicating sustained interest in social-ecological links.
2000Martin with 2047 citations reflects focus on hysteresis amid post-2008 recession analysis.
2011No growth rate, recent preprints, or news available.
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