Dr Carolin Hulke

This course is available on the MSc in Geographic Data Science, MSc in Local Economic Development, MSc in Regional And Urban Planning Studies and MSc in Urban Policy (LSE and Sciences Po). This course is not available as an outside option.

This course adopts a critical perspective to explore the micro-foundations of local economic development in the Global South embedded in a globalised economy with a special focus on multi-level actors and their agency as changemakers. It delves into the determinants, consequences, and power dynamics underlying the behaviour, strategies, and decisions of key economic players on the global, regional, national and local level. These actors encompass a diverse spectrum, including local firms of varying sizes, multinational enterprises, research institutions, government bodies, international organisations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society and local communities with a range of degrees of formality and informality. The study of different actors on multiple levels, and their interactions and linkages, will help building up the analytical framework to interpret the genesis of localised economic systems, their dynamics and evolution over time, and the policy options, particularly, from a bottom-up perspective of regions located in the Global South.

The course will interactively tackle the following, non-exhaustive, set of policy-relevant questions:

• How can we critically engage with the concept and implementation of LED in diverse places of the Global South, especially given our contemporary capitalist global economy?

• Which are the central and marginal actors in LED?

• What are major bottlenecks and pitfalls in designing and implementing LED strategies successfully based on local capacities?

In the Department of Geography and Environment, teaching will be delivered through a combination of classes/seminars, pre-recorded lectures, live online lectures and other supplementary interactive live activities.

This course is delivered through a combination of workshops and lectures across Autumn Term.

This course includes a reading week in Week 6 of Autumn Term.

Policy Brief outline to be submitted by week 5 and group presentations on case studies in different weeks of AT: written feedback will be provided on all formative coursework in order to help prepare for the assessed Policy Brief.

The course is mainly based on academic articles and papers, all available through @reading list. Some chapters will also be used from books such as: A. Pike, A. Rodriguez-Pose & J. Tomaney, Local and Regional Development, 2006; B-A. Lundvall, KJ Joseph, C. Chaminade & J. Vang (eds.), Handbook of Innovation Systems and Developing Countries, 2009; J Cantwell & E Amann (eds.), Innovative Firms in Emerging Market Countries, 2012; S Iammarino & P McCann Multinationals and Economic Geography. Location, Technology and Innovation, 2013.

In general, all readings are electronically available from the LSE Library unless otherwise indicated.

Policy brief (100%) in the AT.

A 2,500 word Policy Brief is due in the week after the end of AT.