Book Reviews
| Published date | 01 June 1965 |
| Date | 01 June 1965 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.1965.tb01614.x |
Book
Reviews
Policies
for
Regional Development
13y Thomas Wilson. Oliver and Boyd,
1964.
1’13,
vf91.
9s.
Od.
This volume is concerned with various
aspects of regional development policies
in Great Britain and Canada.
It
was
prepared by Professor Wilson in
rcsponse to an invitation from thc
Atlantic Provinces Iiesearcli Board.
Professor Wilson first examines the
case for and against regional policies
designed to fortify the economies
01
regions which have not been able to
keep pace with national economic
growth, and havc spare rcsources.
Hc
demonstrates that there is
a
balance
of advantage over disadvantage
in
sucli policies. The most essential
ingredient
of
them
is
to stimulate
centres of growth in the regions that
need industrial rehabilitation. This
concept (first enunciated,
1
believe,
bv
the Cainicross Committee
of
1952)
has rcplaced the concept initially
adopted by the administrators of thc
llistribution
of
Industry Act,
1945
-
of
steering industrial development
to
Development Areas greater in sizc:
than. the centres of growth proposed
hitherto in Great Britain.
111
recom-
mending that industrial activity should
be expanded in the designated centres
of
growth. Professor Wilson realizes
that, if help is denied
to
the remaining
parts of the region, both the national
economy and these may suffer. For
so
long
as
intra-regional mobility
is
low,
the spare labour
of
these remaining
parts
of
the region can only be utilized
by promoting additional economic
activity in them.
I
am glad
that
l’rofessor \Vilsoii says that
‘
There
need be no question
of
neglecting thr
genuine potentialitics
of
othcr parts
of the region by concentrating
es-
clusively
on
the ccntrcs
of
growth’
(p.
IS).
For this recognizes the desira-
bility, which
was
a
central axiom
of
those who administered the
1945
Act
in the Dcvclopnicnt Areas prescribed
by it, that firms should have the
maximum freedom
to
determine their
own locations within tliese
extensive
Ikvelopnient Arcas.
In
disciissing
wliiit
kinds
of
cconornic
activity might be givcn financial help
by the government
to
cxpand
in
areas
xi
eed i
n
g
rc
11
ab
i
I
i
t
a
t
io n
,
Prof essor
Wilson favours
tlle
vicw that this
help
should not be limited to manufacturing
industry, but should also
‘
. .
.
include
some selected
activities
in
the scrvicr
industrics’ (p.
35).
I
am
not quite clear
what criteria Professor Wilson would
apply to sclect the particular service
industries.
He
names those that could
assist the region’s balmce
of
payments:
and, manifestly, this criterion is right.
Rut it is not inexpedicnt
to
recognize
that
some forms
of
manufacturing
industry which
are
given government
financial help to start, or to grow, do
not contribute
to
a
favourablc balancv
of
payments for thc: region.
Is
thcro
not, then,
a
case for considering
as
eligible for financial help, service trades
that can generate additional real
income
?
Another important issue whicli
225
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