Région Développement - Presentation

Journal founded in 1995 by Gilbert Benhayoun and Maurice Catin.

International Journal (2 numbers a year).

Published by L'Harmattan, Paris.

Journal referenced in ECONLIT (Journal of Economic Literature).

The LEAD (Laboratory of Economics Applied to Development),
Université du Sud Toulon-Var is in charge of the editorial direction
and the editorial responsibility of the journal.

This journal is devoted to the different economic aspects of regional development.

Even if they have been neglected for long, spatial concerns have assumed a significant dimension today, and have been recognized in development analyses and policies with the implementation of policies linked to regional integration, to the attractiveness of firms, to free trade areas, to decentralized institutions, to the launching of local development programs, to actions taken to achieve a more balanced distribution of populations and a better use of territories.

There exist high-quality and widely-read journals that deal either with the economics of development or with the regional and urban economy at large, but to our knowledge, no scientific journal has chosen to deal more specifically with crossing the two fields of “development economics – spatial economy”. This shortcoming is all the more regrettable since the work on the issue is thus disseminated and often badly outlined, while the experiences and methods, the definition and the assessment of policies are rarely confronted. The different studies by various authors on the subject deserve to be united, brought together and assembled in a specialized periodical publication. Such a journal can better collect and highlight these studies and aims to be a reference data basis while providing an outlet for a thorough scientific reflection on geographical development economics.

The articles may focus on theoretical or methodological aspects or on empirical analyses and concrete experiences of regional economic development, and are written in French or in English. One of the most prominent aims of the review is to diffuse the methods and tools of analysis in priority among the scientific community and in developing countries.