Advancing the treatment of human agency in the analysis of regional economic development: Illustrated with three Norwegian cases

Abstract

Human agency has become a core topic in economic geography complementing traditional, structural approaches to explain regional development. This paper contributes firstly with a discussion of the theoretical and conceptual relationships between the agency of individuals, organizations, and systems. Secondly, it proposes a novel analytical framework for studying how human agency, combined with external changes affects regional economic development, and how regional structural preconditions and external changes explain the activation of change agency. Thirdly, the relevance of the framework is examined through comparative studies of about 20 years of industrial development in three Norwegian regions. This illuminates the importance of human agency in regional transformation processes, how regional preconditions influence but not determine the activation of change agency, as well as why and how regional policy plays a role in the emergence of change agency. Yet, future research needs to investigate the context conditions, which promote or hinder the activation of change agency, to trace change in economic activities

Entrepreneurial ecosystems, agency and regional development: Emergence and new path creation in the Cardiff city region

“…The analysis presented above provides some important lessons as to the role of the emergence of entrepreneurial ecosystems as a catalyst for new path creation and economic development in a lagging regional environment. It further connects the literature concerning entrepreneurial ecosystems with the contemporary literature on regional development, especially that focused on the role of human agency within the processes and mechanisms of path creation (Carvalho and Vale, 2018; Grillitsch et al, 2021, 2022a, 2022b). The analysis indicates that lagging regions can begin to revitalise themselves through an entrepreneurial approach, but this process is likely to be contingent and dependent on a number of important components, all of which relate to the notion of a place-based entrepreneurial ecosystem.…”

“…After many of years of structural theories of regional development, regional studies have more recently taken an 'agentic turn' with new theorisations addressing the role of particular forms of agency in catalysing the industrial path creation from which regional development stems (Grillitsch and Sotarauta, 2020;Grillitsch et al, 2022aGrillitsch et al, , 2022bHuggins and Thompson, 2022).…”

Critical realist perspectives on the urban growth system

“…This analytical focus aligns with Walker’s (2016: 176) remark, noted prior, that critical realism has merit for the ‘deep investigation of complex cases’ and parallels with Martin’s (2016: 1626) account of appreciative theorising, involving the grounded analyses of ‘the evolution of firms, industries and sectors, based on detailed, concrete causal accounts of specific case studies’ (also see Castellacci, 2006). With an allied focus furthermore, work by Grillitsch et al (2022) seeks to give an account of regional economic development from an agent focus, whilst in considering the ‘dark matter’ of context and regional differences, ‘insufficient attention to the sources of action at the level of the actor’ was pointed to by Storper (2009: 17). Debates in heterodox economics about thick description and the consequences for theorising causality would also appear to link to these concerns (Downward et al, 2002; also see Yeung, 2019a: 228).…”

The Relationship Between the Industry-Level Economic Development and Human Development in Latvia

“…Clearly, economic, and human development should be considered in tandem to ensure the transition to the next level of socioeconomic development. One good example that demonstrates the effect of human development on economic development is provided by the research of Grillitsch et al (2021). In their study, the authors examined the effect of change agency, which is created by human agency, on regional development in Norway and determined that the potency of human capital to transform economic development is undeniable due to its ability to generate innovations and engage in entrepreneurial activities.…”

“…In their study, the authors examined the effect of change agency, which is created by human agency, on regional development in Norway and determined that the potency of human capital to transform economic development is undeniable due to its ability to generate innovations and engage in entrepreneurial activities. In their view, this happens because human agents make decisions, develop strategies, and take actions that create transformations and economic growth (Grillitsch et al, 2021).…”