Economic Development Policy in the Canton of Neuchatel

After having experienced a period of steady economic and demographic growth in the 1960s, the Canton of Neuchatel was very severely hit by the crisis of 1975 and subsequently by that of 1982. Industrial activity suffered the consequences of these two successive recessions, in particular in horology. To fend off the crisis, the political authorities of the canton decided to pursue an active policy of business promotion. In parallel with these efforts, the territorial production system underwent considerable transformation. However, new forms of territorial development must now be considered in order to ensure that it can adapt to the continuous changes in the business environment. This paper is divided into four parts. First, it is important to set out the economic context in which the canton of Neuchatel has evolved in recent decades. Second, we have considered the various business promotion measures undertaken by the canton and the Confederation. This leads us to the third part, which describes the transformation of the territorial production system. As for the fourth and last part, it describes the new strategic directions that the canton of Neuchatel can pursue in the field of economic development.