Place-based industrial strategy and economic trajectory: advancing agency-based approaches

Figures & data

Figure 1. Discourse, agency and opportunity space: a framework for action and analysis.

Figure 2. Locality map: south-east Melbourne and Whyalla, Australia.

Table 1. Drivers of change in the economic pathways of south-east Melbourne and Whyalla.

	South-east Melbourne	Whyalla
Most important factors
	Multilayered government (institutional) support	New opportunity space – the transformative potential of low-cost renewable energy
	Leadership of multiple small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)	Arrival of global investor
Opportunity space
Time specific	Imperative to act in response to auto industry closure	Emergence of low-cost solar and other renewable energy technologies
Region specific	Legacy of skilled workforce and SMEs, manufacturing opportunities beyond the auto sector, good access to markets in Melbourne and Sydney	Substantial, newly acknowledged renewable energy; existing mineral resources; fixed capital assets in steel manufacturing
Agent specific	Diffuse government engagement, small-scale entrepreneurs	Significant global investor, global resources and networks, including supply chains
Agency
Innovative entrepreneurship	Small-scale investment, decision to diversify rather than closed	Ambitious programme of investment and expansion
Institutional entrepreneurship	Significant – mainly in the form of government investment	Not significant
Place-based leadership	Evident – reflected in the actions of multiple businesses and local policymakers	Not evident
Discourse
Discourse of effective government action	Strong – multiple visible programmes	Weakly developed, supportive role only
Discourse of markets	Modest – acknowledgement of a crisis averted	Strongly developed and highly visible
Discourse of partnership	Moderate to strong	Relatively weak
Intersections between agency, opportunity, and discourse
Size of key intersections	Substantial	Small scale
Nature of key intersections	Significant intersection between the narrative of partnership between government, private sector investment, restructuring businesses and the regional economy after the loss of auto manufacturing	Largest intersections between the narrative of private sector action and time/region-specific opportunities. Very limited points of contact between agency, opportunity space and discourse