Dependency, supply factors and uneven development in Wales and other problem regions

Abstract

Cooke P. (1982) Dependency, supply factors and uneven development in Wales and other problem regions, Reg. Studies 16, 211–27. The regional problem has traditionally been defined in ways which distract attention away from inter-regional and inter-national economic forces. Features such as slow growth, poor economic integration and the incidence of external control appear to be region-specific failures to generate or meet demand. While these should not be ruled out, a focus on supply factors suggests other reasons for poor performance. Dependency theory, which has tentatively been applied in some previous research on regional underdevelopment is re-examined as an approach to the study of regional uneven development in which supply factors are given prominence and both internal and external regional relationships are considered. Empirical analysis of a number of indicators of dependency reveals that this approach is by no means inappropriate for the analysis of problems of regional development in advanced c...