State accumulation projects and inward investment regimes strategies

Abstract

State accumulation projects and inward investment regimes strategies. Regional Studies. Based on Kitchener–Waterloo, Ontario, and Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec, case studies, we link inward investment regimes (IIR) to the strategic relational approach to the state. The state continues to be significant in (1) selecting multinational enterprise (MNE) value-chain segments; (2) policies maximizing foreign direct investment (FDI) spillovers; (3) empowering IIR participants; and (4) managing the institutionalized compromises underlying these policies. Quebec’s developmental state (QDS) reflects labour’s greater power and has stronger levers to maximize FDI spillovers than Ontario’s competition state (OCS); however, both confront significant FDI challenges.