Economic Strategies For Mature Industrial Economies

Peter Karl Kresl

Edited by Peter KarlKresl, Charles P. Vaughan Professor of Economics (Emiritus), BucknellUniversity, US and President, Global Urban Competitiveness Project

2011 304 pp Hardback 978 1 84980 404 2

Description
The global economy has transformed during the last few decades. Though thechanges have benefited some, many mature industrial economies have not beentreated well by the changes they have seen and have been forced to adapt todramatically altered circumstances. In this collection of original papers,economists and geographers from Asia, North America and Europe examine thepolicy initiatives that have succeeded in their countries.

Contents
Contributors: C. Berger, R.X. Feng, G. Hirsch, D. Ietri, P.K. Kresl, W.F.Lever, M. Lucchini, D.J. Maurrasse, S. Mollica, P. Ni, A. Otgaar, S. Sassen, J.Shen, J. Sobrino, D.-G. Tremblay, L. van den Berg

The global economy has transformed during thelast few decades. Though the changes have benefited some, many mature industrialeconomies (MIEs) have not been treated well by the changes they have seen andhave been forced to adapt to dramatically changed circumstances. In thiscollection of original papers, economists and geographers from Asia, NorthAmerica and Europe examine the policy initiatives that have succeeded in theircountries.

The analyses address issues such as local, stateand federal governance, aging populations, inter-city cooperation and loss ofdominant firms. Additionally, the authors discuss policy issues such asindustrial tourism, the roles of education, knowledge and culture, andrepositioning a region’s place in the global economy. The volume also includesan empirical estimation of the competitiveness of major cities. Thecontributors to this book hold that it is possible for the overwhelmingmajority of MIEs to shape their policy in such a way that many of theobjectives that will yield the most prosperity will fall within their reach. Inthat spirit, this book offers the elements for generating economic strategiesfor mature industrial economies.

Suggesting frontier polices to help cities charta course for future developmental success, this stimulating work is ideallysuited to economists, policymakers, city planners, students and scholars ofbusiness, economics, urban studies and public policy, and all those concernedwith creating equity for the cities of tomorrow.