FROM GLOBAL COMPETITION TO REGIONAL GOVERNANCE; NEW PARADIGMS FOR REGIONAL POLICY IN THE 1990S

The purpose of this paper is to present some elements of one or more paradigms for assessing a region's economic growth prospects and related infrastructure requirements. These concerns are central to a regional policy that offers guidance for individual decision makers of local governments and their resident populations. A paradigm for regional policy is a model of regional structure and activity that provides a basis for understanding and foresight about regional growth and change. It is a framework for well-targeted infrastructure investments, vigorous and sustained capacity-building, and continuing efforts in intra-regional cooperation. Critical infrastructure for globally-competitive business enterprise includes air transportation and the accompanying distribution system that brings together all transportation modes to provide access to regional and global markets. Capacity-building refers to the successful application and integration of the means of control and foresight - good management coupled with realistic anticipation about the future - in both private and public management. Intra-regional cooperation starts with the public agencies engaged in infrastructure planning. We focus on implications of a new paradigm for regional policy on investment in growth-influencing resources and facilities, and their location. We relate these decision variables to the recurring themes that apply to any region with high hopes of sustainability.