Développement Local et Globalisation. Nouveaux regards sur la croissance, le bien-être, les inégalités interrégionales et l'attractivité des territoires

New economic geography maintains the relevance of core ? periphery models and considers regional inequalities as necessary for sustaining growth and, in given circumstances, welfare. However, this basic proposal can be reversed. Local development is always possible, whatever the initial conditions, once both internal and external complementary relationships have reached a given threshold. Moreover, these relationships make it consistent to have both a higher growth rate, locally and globally, and a rather equal development among regions. In this perspective, regional policies should be devoted to foster the growth process. Rather than focus on technologies and institutions, they have to deal with co-ordination issues, that is, with the amplitude and the direction reaction to disequilibria that inevitably happen. Thus they have to help maintaining the complementary relationships at the regional and interregional levels.