Imaginaries as prospective structures: towards a typology of regional development

Abstract

Abstract This paper conceptualises regional development through the lens of structure–imaginary–agency configurations. Drawing on insights from different social science literatures, it develops a typology of four ideal-type configurations that provide insights into why some regions are able to renew their industrial legacies while others stagnate. The paper advances current debates in economic geography, which have tended to emphasise either structural legacies or actor strategies but have insufficiently theorised the role of imaginaries within such structure–agency interplay. Through illustrative cases, it demonstrates how imaginaries act as prospective structures that shape regional development trajectories by mediating between structural and agential forces. By emphasising ideational dimensions of regional development, the framework offers a new analytical lens for understanding how regions envision and negotiate development trajectories under conditions of uncertainty.