Today we can observe an increasing spatial divide as some large urban regions and many more medium-sized and small regions face growing problems such as decreasing labour demand, increasing unemployment and an ageing population. In view of these trends, this book offers a better understanding of the general characteristics and specific drivers of the geographies of growth. It shows how these may vary in different spatial contexts, how hurdles and barriers to growth in different types of regions can be dealt with, how and to what extent resources in different areas can develop, and how the potential of these resources to stimulate growth can be realized.

This book presents a collection of chapters, divided into four main perspectives, that together deal with these issues. The expert contributions provide numerous different perspectives on a new regional divide as well as exploring the inter-regional accessibility to human capital and its affects on productivity on both sides of the border. The book also investigates the speed of convergence and the fact that, when incorporating structural change, it is often quicker at the regional level compared to both the country and industry level. Other topics covered include institutional foundations and their influence on local social acceptance of entrepreneurship, the role of global value chains on bilateral trade and the determinants of cross-border innovation cooperation focusing on partner selection and location.

Students, researchers and scholars will find this an important resource that fills numerous knowledge gaps and opens new avenues for research. It will also appeal to consultants, practitioners and planners at the international, regional and local level.

Contributors include: C. Alfken, M. Andersson, T. Arvemo, L. Bjerke, A.P. Cornett, N. de Vries, S. Fredina, H. Goldstein, U. Gråsjö, K.E. Heynes, R.E. Hjaltadóttir, V. Jienwatcharamongkhol, B. Johansson, M. Jogmark, C. Karlsson, T. Makkonen, A. Naveed, K. Nyström, J. Parajuli, V. Peer, A. Risselada, V. Schutjens, S. Sedlacek, N.K. Sørensen, T.-A. Stone, S. Tavassol, I. Viklund Ros, P. Warda