BOOK TIP | New thinking for modern regional development

In the book Rethinking Entrepreneurship and Regional Development , the authors – among them Rhiannon Pugh at Lund University – address how entrepreneurship and regional development can be understood in a time of climate crisis, inequality and global change.

Moving between theory, practice and policy, the book explores how research in entrepreneurship, innovation and economic geography can be linked rather than operating in silos. Among other things, the book highlights how inequalities in gender, geography and ethnicity affect who actually gets the opportunity to become part of regional entrepreneurial environments. For example, one chapter discusses how current theories often assume male, urban and technology-focused initiatives in major cities – and how this makes other forms of entrepreneurship and regional development invisible.

Through case studies and their own experiences of working between academia and policy, the authors show how complex ecosystems of actors, institutions and learning processes contribute to regional change. The book does not offer quick fixes, but it does provide a blueprint for how regions can evolve to become more inclusive and sustainable.