Cities as national champions?

Abstract

As governments, committed to neo-liberalism but still committed to pursuing national economic success, seek for policy approaches that evade international competition law, they may turn to favouring national champion cities, usually but not always capital cities. This usually also favours particular industries and firms, but only indirectly. This is not the same as policies for favouring backward or declining regions, as the champions selected are already strong and well performing. The aim of policy is to make them even stronger, with resulting tension with pre-existing redistributive territorial policies. Examples are taken from a number of European cases, but with special emphasis on London and Paris.