Regional Intervention, Defence Industries, and the Structuring of Space in Britain: The Case of Bristol and South Wales

Abstract

This paper is an Illustration of how different state practices have had a direct impact on uneven development between, and within, two adjacent regions in the United Kingdom. In one case, South Wales, state intervention has taken the form of regional assistance, nationalisation of the dominant industries, and public-sector employment. In the other case, the Bristol subregion, it has taken the form of defence activities, and especially support for the aerospace industry. These influences have had a major impact on the spatial pattern of investment, regional specialisation, and the internal articulation of each subregion. Defence procurement has resulted in an inflow of government spending to the Bristol area, which is greater than that going to South Wales via regional assistance. The paper concludes with a comment on the spatial significance of different coalitions of interests, and a suggestion that more attention should be given to the specificities of nation-states.