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Small Towns and Regional Development: Major Findings and Policy Implications from Comparative Research

Author

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  • Jan Hinderink

    (Institute of Development Studies, Faculty of Geographical Sciences, Utrecht University, PO Box 80115, 3508 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands. J.Hinderink@geog.uu.nl)

  • Milan Titus

    (Institute of Development Studies, Faculty of Geographical Sciences, Utrecht University, PO Box 80115, 3508 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands. M.Titus@geog.uu.nl)

Abstract

The role of lower-order urban centres in regional development constitutes an important subject of debate. The existing controversies in the literature and the lack of empirical data to support the optimistic assumptions of policy-makers and planners inspired a team of geographers at Utrecht University in the 1980s to start a programme of comparative studies on the role of small towns in a selected number of regions. These regions were considered to be representative for four types of context with respect to the functioning of small towns-a south-east Asian and a Sahelian context, the context of agricultural colonisation and export production areas in central America and southern Africa, and the context of industrialising borderland areas in northern Mexico. The findings from the comparative studies and from recent literature allow us to challenge optimistic assumptions about the development role of small towns. The divergent character of the selected contexts and the differential impact of regional conditions explain the observed variations in town-hinterland conditions and the potential development role of small urban centres. The findings establish that generalisations about the role of small towns are hard to make and lead to some important policy implications.

Suggested Citation

  • Jan Hinderink & Milan Titus, 2002. "Small Towns and Regional Development: Major Findings and Policy Implications from Comparative Research," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 39(3), pages 379-391, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:39:y:2002:i:3:p:379-391
    DOI: 10.1080/00420980220112748
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Antonín Vaishar & Milada Šťastná & Kateřina Stonawská, 2015. "Small Towns - Engines of Rural Development in the South-Moravian Region (Czechia): An Analysis of the Demographic Development," Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, Mendel University Press, vol. 63(4), pages 1395-1405.
    2. Jytte Agergaard & Cecilia Tacoli & Griet Steel & Sinne Borby Ørtenblad, 2019. "Revisiting Rural–Urban Transformations and Small Town Development in Sub-Saharan Africa," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 31(1), pages 2-11, January.
    3. Griet Steel & Torben Birch-Thomsen & Ine Cottyn & Evelyn A. Lazaro & Hélène Mainet & Fulgence J. Mishili & P. Lindert, 2019. "Multi-activity, Multi-locality and Small-Town Development in Cameroon, Ghana, Rwanda and Tanzania," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 31(1), pages 12-33, January.
    4. Tegengn, Gebre Egziabher & Mula, Demeke, 2007. "Micro Enterprises in small towns, AmharaRegion, Ethiopia: Nature and performance," Ethiopian Journal of Economics, Ethiopian Economics Association, vol. 14(01), pages 111-111, May.
    5. Zoomers, Annelies & van Noorloos, Femke & Otsuki, Kei & Steel, Griet & van Westen, Guus, 2017. "The Rush for Land in an Urbanizing World: From Land Grabbing Toward Developing Safe, Resilient, and Sustainable Cities and Landscapes," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 242-252.
    6. Loris Servillo & Rob Atkinson & Abdelillah Hamdouch & Ian Smith, 2017. "Demographic Change in European Towns 2001–11: A Cross-National Multi-Level Analysis," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 108(4), pages 424-437, September.
    7. Aradom Gebrekidan Abbay & Roel Rutten, 2016. "Does spatial proximity to small towns matter for rural livelihoods? A propensity score matching analysis in Ethiopia," Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences, Springer, vol. 9(3), pages 287-307, October.
    8. George Owusu, 2008. "The Role of Small Towns in Regional Development and Poverty Reduction in Ghana," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(2), pages 453-472, June.
    9. Philip T. Roundy, 2019. "“It takes a village” to support entrepreneurship: intersecting economic and community dynamics in small town entrepreneurial ecosystems," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 15(4), pages 1443-1475, December.

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