Conclusions – Competitiveness and Cohesion: One Discourse, Multiple Realities and New Challenges for Policy and Research

Abstract

The concluding chapter brings together some of the core findings from the contributions of twenty specialists from around Europe, and identifies avenues for future research. The contributions have reflected on the conceptual and empirical relationships between economic competitiveness and social cohesion at the urban and regional level throughout Europe. In the concluding chapter, the outcomes and interpretations of these diversified reflections were discussed and the tensions within the new ‘competitiveness’ and ‘cohesion’ frameworks of policy-makers and planners were elaborated. The conclusions address questions related to the diversity of policy frameworks and discourses before turning specifically to core areas where further research work is needed.