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Regional development in the new global economy

University of British Columbia

This thesis is about regional development in the new global economy. Changes in the world economy, notably the trend toward multinational big business and an international division of labour, are affecting, in various ways and in varying degrees, those people and places that are part of this interdependent system. Nevertheless, one constant theme is becoming discernable: the operating rules of global capitalism are antagonistic to attempts by regions to develop a self-sustaining, self-reliant economy. The resulting crisis of development is an aspect of the new economic order that mainstream development paradigms of industrial society are ill-equipped to explain, let alone resolve. In an effort to come to grips with this crisis of development there has been a growing interest in the possibility of social and economic reconstruction at the regional and community level. This bottom-up approach, referred to here as Communal Cooperation, is being advocated as a more socially responsive and economically viable alternative to the dependence and underdevelopment that follow in the wake of functional integration into the international network of economic relations. However, as this thesis argues, Communal Cooperative strategies of self-management must be complemented with the kind of overall management and coordination that has become necessary in today's interdependent economy. The purpose of this thesis is to translate these general principles into practical terms by presenting a development strategy for the province of British Columbia. British Columbia is a resource economy, exporting its raw materials to the industrial centres of the world and, given the dynamics of economic globalism, there is little opportunity to break out of this mold and develop a self-sustaining, diversified economic base. The development options outlined in this thesis are designed to counteract this trend and ensure that international trade serves regional and community interests.

Text

2010-06-03

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/25424

Planning

University of British Columbia

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