Leadership and Creativity in Regional Economic Development

Abstract

Leadership and institutions have long been considered important elements in regional economic growth and change, but because they are for the most part latent variables in the more traditional methods of modelling economic growth and development, they have received limited attention of scholars in the field. This paper presents a theory of leadership and institutional grounded economic development and examines its efficacy through the presentation of a variety of case study material of regions that have experienced successful (and unsuccessful) economic development through leadership-directed change. Case studies are from various parts of the world. The contingency theory of leadership forms the core of the theoretical leadership element. The case studies illustrate the diversity of and therefore creative approaches taken to adapt economies to rapid change and disequilibrium conditions