REGIONAL POLICY: THEORY AND PRACTICE
The first advanced textbook on regional policy published after year 2000
Description of the book
Regional policy is an essential in any government’s toolkit for promoting socioeconomic prosperity. It comes in many forms and can be used to target the development of weak and stronger regions. This textbook provides comprehensive and systematic coverage of regional policy, dealing with core theories and looking at contemporary challenges in practice, addressing regional policy across the world.
Structured in four parts, the book opens with an exploration of regional policy’s characterisation, aims and rationale. The second part is devoted to issues of implementation and the instruments available to policymakers for intervention. The third part addresses regional policy evaluation, as well as statistics and modelling in policymaking. Finally, the book discusses how regional policy is applied in different contexts. Each chapter contains real-life examples of a regional policy topic in action and highlights supplementary topics for advanced readers.
With its broad coverage of the subject, Regional Policy: Theory and Practice will prove a valuable resource for advanced students, researchers and practitioners in regional policy, regional economics, economic geography, planning and public policy.
Table of contents
Introduction to the book
PART A: DEFINITIONS, JUSTIFICATIONS AND AIMS OF REGIONAL POLICY
1. Definition and overview of regional policy
2. The rationale for regional policy
3. The objectives of regional policy
PART B: THE IMPLEMENTATION OF REGIONAL POLICY
4. The regional policy process and its governance
5. The instruments of regional policy
6. Innovation and regional policy
PART C: THE ASSESSMENT OF REGIONAL POLICY
7. The evaluation of regional policy
PART D: REGIONAL POLICY UNDER DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES
8. Regional policy in specific contexts
9.Conclusions: established trends in regional policy
Words of appraisal
See them on the publisher’s website
Previews
See a preview in Google Books
A pdf excerpt can also be downloaded from the following DOI link
Reviews are published in the following journals
(others might come)
Peter Berkowitz (2024) in Regional Studies 58(7), 1510–1511
Joaquim Oliveira Martins (2024) in Papers in Regional Science 103(6) 100039
Daniela Constantin (2024) in Regional Science Policy and Practice 16(5) 100052
Juan Ramon Cuadrado Roura (2024) in Italian Journal of Regional Science 24(3)
Patricio Aroca (2025) in Investigaciones Regionales – Journal of Regional Research
Silvia Cerisola (2025) in Romanian Journal of Regional Science Volume 18, No.2
Annotated Listing of New Books (2025) in Journal of Economic Literature 63(1), pp. 323–380
Dimitrios Tsiotas (2025) in Regional Science Inquiry June 2025
Raffaella Nanetti (2025) in Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice 4 September 2025
Additional information and materials
Slides are availble to instructors on the publisher’s website
Furthermore, the publisher is normally sending review copies to those who consider it for potential use in lectures. The request can be done from this link
Where to find the book
The book is available in print and electronic form from most academic booksellers
See the book on Routledge website
See the book on Amazon.com