All cities and regions prioritize economic growth for a simple reason: it is essential to wellbeing and progress. But what are the sources of growth? The eminent scholar of innovation Dan Breznitz contends that the answer lies in global supply networks. In Innovation in Real Places, he examines the four stages of production and argues that struggling regions cannot improve their circumstances by imitating tech-centric economies. Rather, they need to develop
their own strengths, and they can do this by focusing on where they best fit in a globalized production system. All cities and localities have certain strengths, and the trick is in recognizing it.