Collaborative Strategies for Reindustrialization: Sheffield and Pittsburgh

Abstract

Governmental actors in regions faced with stagnant or declining economies often involve various groups in the common pursuit of a reversal of fortunes. Such collaborations recognize that economic development is as much an organizational and political as an economic activity. This article reviews the economic development collaborations that formed in Sheffield (England) and Pittsburgh (United States) during the 1980s in order to turn those regional economies away from reliance on a rapidly disappearing dominant industry. The purpose of this comparative analysis is to develop lessons for policymakers who are contemplating or currently undertaking such approaches to regional economic development.