The political economy of places from a Sustainable Human Development perspective: the case of Emilia-Romagna

In this article, we discuss how integrated industrial policy can simultaneously pursue value-added generation and productivity enhancement in regional economies, along with inclusiveness and social cohesion. Our arguments are rooted in the integration of the literature on human development and capability approach, on economic geography and on industrial policy. In particular, we introduce a people-centred and place-based perspective on Sustainable Human Development and an interpretative political economy framework for the structural analysis of collective action in places. These arguments are illustrated by analysing recent industrial policies for a new social cohesion in the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy.