Comparing contemporary regional development in Western Australia with international trends

In most developed countries, intervention in regional development is declining due to non-interventionist policies and increasing local responsibility for development. Western Australia, however, has embarked on a different route – a unique version of the ‘new’ paradigm, or place-based development – that departs from these broader neo-liberal trends. This paper examines Australian and Western Australian policies and compares them with those of Canada and British Columbia, jurisdictions similar to Australia and Western Australia, respectively. The Western Australian approach is investigated in the context of the ‘new’ paradigm, how it manifests in the case studies and, finally, which lessons emerge from these approaches.