Territories, Development and Specific Resources: What Analytical Framework?

Most theoretical forms of regional development are based on the assumption that territory plays an active role in regional dynamics. Such a point of view risks generalizing regional development forms as a general model of development. The point of view exposed here is that rather than considering territorial forms of production as a starting point, it is possible to put the focus on the phenomena underlying regional development, thus considering it as a result, rather than a starting point. Most approaches use the distinction between generic and specific resources as a foundation of regional differentiation. The approach here focuses on the process of specification of resources, their dimensions and their repercussions for paths of regional development.