Mega-Trends and Development Traps: How Are Regional Policies Responding?

This report discusses the challenge of ‘development traps’ and the implications of megatrends for the design and implementation of regional policies in Europe. Section 2 begins by discussing the growing research evidence for development traps and the contributory influence of megatrends (including digitalisation, demographic transition and climate change) before looking at research recommendations on the role of place-based policies in escaping traps. Section 3 then provides an overview of regional policy trends with a particular focus both on place-based approaches and policy responses to the territorial impacts of megatrends.