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Since the 1970s, a defining feature of advanced economies has been industrial plant closures, stemming from the broader process of economic restructuring. Plant closures have been extensively covered by the media due to their adverse effects on localities. However, no media analysis of closures has been conducted in the plant closure literature. In addition to providing a wealth of information, such an analysis can provide insight into media narratives of closures. Media profoundly affects economies by disseminating narratives that influence society, institutions, and politics. To bridge the plant closure and media literature, this paper conducts a media analysis of closures in Ontario, Canada, from 2000 to 2019. Like other advanced economies, the province has experienced many plant closures over the past several decades. The paper found that the overarching narrative presented by the media was that 'no one is responsible' for plant closures and therefore 'no one can or should act'. Also, it was found that differences in media narratives of closures were primarily due to the political slant of news outlets, not city size or scale of news outlets or whether news outlets were independently owned or part of a media conglomerate. Lastly, the paper found that the dissemination of media coverage on plant closures throughout the province was primarily based on the number of job losses, resulting in media coverage of smaller closures remaining localised, while media coverage of larger closures spreading throughout the province. The paper found that the overarching narrative presented by the media was that 'no one is responsible' for plant closures and therefore 'no one can or should act'. Also, it was found that differences in media narratives of closures were primarily due to the political slant of news outlets. Lastly, the paper found that the dissemination of media coverage on plant closures throughout the province was primarily based on the number of job losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic resilience focuses on how localities react and respond to shocks. A recent conceptual advancement, known as the agency perspective and rooted in evolutionary thinking, highlights that economic actors (e.g., practitioners, firms, and institutions) play an essential role in localities' resilience. However, empirical investigations into the role of economic actors have been scarce. To address this shortcoming, in this study we conducted in‐depth interviews with 22 practitioners (economic development officials) from various cities in Ontario, Canada. Through an evolutionary lens, we examine practitioners' perceptions of and responses to endogenous shocks—notably, major industrial plant closures over the past 20 years. We find that practitioners influence localities' resilience through each dimension of the resilience process. Most notably, they support their localities' adaption through various short‐ and long‐term adaptive strategies. Also, we find that economic actors have different capacities and resources at their disposal to respond to shocks depending on the size of their city and its geographical location. Regarding the latter, we reiterate a commonly noted north‐south divide in the province. In addition, we find that economic actors are constrained by multi‐scalar policies, and thus operate in the confines of existing power and political structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we investigate the construction, composition and rationale behind the personal networks of recent immigrants to Canada. Drawing on egocentric‐network analysis and interviews with 172 Ghanaian immigrants in Toronto, we reveal their networking strategies during their integration. First, we identify social locations that help create ties with different groups: workplaces and schools offer access to ties with non‐immigrants and other immigrants alike, while religious and ethnic organizations facilitate ties to co‐nationals (i.e., Ghanaians). Second, most individuals within immigrants' network are co‐nationals whose relationship began in Canada, followed by sustained transnational ties in the origin and diaspora and few ties with the non‐immigrant. The nature of this network is explained by examining the migration project of immigrants together with the context of reception in Canada, which suggests a desire by immigrants to stay in Canada and make Canada their second home. The implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regional collaboration has been suggested as a more effective way to promote economic development than competitive approaches. In Ontario, despite attempts by the provincial government to encourage regional collaboration, research finds that municipalities are still engaging in inter‐territorial competition. In this article, we conducted interviews with thirty‐seven practitioners to determine if economic development practices in Ontario have shifted towards more collaborative approaches during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The article finds that regional collaboration, as an economic development practice, has intensified in the province during the recent pandemic. Practitioners noted three reasons for engaging in regional collaboration: pool resources, reduce duplication, and complete regionally task‐oriented goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the resilience of Canadian cities to the 2020 economic crisis that followed the 2019 coronavirus pandemic. It specifically investigates the resistance and recoverability (i.e., very short‐term recovery) dimensions of resilience. It reveals that Canadian cities exhibited heterogeneous resiliency to the crisis, resulting in economic restructuring. Further, the paper decomposed resilience into an industrial mix effect and local‐specific effect using a shift‐share analysis, to move away from the industrial‐structure dominated focus in the resilience literature by examining the influence of local‐specific effects. The analysis found that local‐specific effects played a dominant role in determining the resiliency of cities, while their industrial mix had a marginal influence. Moreover, the determinants of resilience are complex having different effects and functions depending on the dimension of resilience under examination. Also, the determinants of resilience may change depending on the type of shock cities experience. A key policy implication is that localities' capabilities largely determine their resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An analysis of individual and neighbourhood characteristics shaping place attachment in Harare's selected informal settlements This study, therefore, presents new insights on place attachment in informal settlements, challenging the dominant narratives that perceive these neighbourhoods as being characterized by low place attachment. Multivariate analysis of individual and neighbourhood determinants of place attachment Multivariate ordered logistic regression analysis was done to account for possible confounding factors on place attachment. Predictors of place attachment and study hypotheses based on empirical literature Most studies focus on the influence of personal or neighbourhood characteristics on place attachment (Sharp 2018). [Extracted from the article]

For at least the past 20 years, the Province of Ontario – as well as other advanced economic regions – has experienced a period of transition, with traditional manufacturing declining and advanced manufacturing firms and sectors emerging. Concurrently, there has been a concerted policy effort emphasising the development of industry clusters within the province, though key issues of governance and where and how to invest public funds remain. This paper presents research on the spatial configuration of firms in 26 manufacturing sub‐sectors, using point density analysis of the basis for determining the presence and spatial configuration of firms. This allows for the comparison of patterns observed in traditional, advanced, and evolving sub‐sectors. The findings show that there are patterns of clustering in all sub‐sectors, though different spatial configurations are apparent between traditional, advanced, and evolving sub‐sectors. These differences have implications for both investment and governance. Based on the findings, investment needs to be directed towards areas with locational advantages, while regional perspectives and initiatives on cluster governance are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities are increasingly outsourcing economic development policy advisory and development to private consultants. To explore the role and influence of consultants, this study undertook a systematic examination of the economic development policy documents of 41 cities in the Province of Ontario, Canada. The findings of this study indicate that a small handful of consultants are key actors in economic development policy advisory in Ontario. The policy documents authored by consultants tend to be similar in style, scope, and language; and from a policy perspective, there is convergence of policy as cities are recommended the same economic development strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper contributes to the limited literature on open government initiatives at the subnational level in developing countries. It examines the motivations of actors in a local government authority to utilize the capabilities of various stakeholders to overcome constraints in cocreating an action plan for open government reforms. This empirical analysis utilized qualitative fieldwork conducted in Sekondi‐Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, Ghana's third largest local government. The findings demonstrate that a confluence of citizen demand for openness, and willingness within the governance stakeholders, are motivating the pursuit of open government reforms. Viewed through an open innovation framework, we argue that achieving good governance through information transparency, public participation, and accountability reforms is hindered by the institutional environment. Ghana's subnational governments need national level commitment to provide the resources, mandate, and authority to become truly “open.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to examine how social media is used as a promotional tool for economic development at the municipal level through place marketing and branding, to identify and explore what specific tools are being used, and to discuss the strengths and limitations of use. Primary data was collected through in-depth interviews with 16 municipal economic development practitioners in the Province of Ontario, Canada. Additional data collected from municipal social media accounts was used to further reinforce the qualitative data and allow for triangulation and greater breadth of analysis. The findings suggest that social media is being used as a tool to promote local services and political information rather than communicate a brand position. Additionally, limited interaction with the audience reduces not only the effectiveness of place marketing efforts but also enhancement of place brands. While some findings are place specific (as study design limited research participants to municipalities in Ontario), these findings can be shared with other locales in advanced economies to provide them with information to make improvements in the way communication technology is utilised. This research paper provides a better understanding of how social media is being used by municipalities and how it fits into place marketing and place branding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few years, cities have been increasingly adopting a written plan to guide economic development processes. This is in sharp contrast to past practices which were haphazard and unsystematic. So far, there has been no comprehensive overview of the policies, strategies and focus of these written documents. Focusing on the Province of Ontario, Canada, we undertook a systematic content analysis of the most recent documents for each city. Specific codes were developed for the analysis of the documents. While the majority of cities in Ontario were identified as having codified a formal economic development plan (a plan was identified in 41 of 51 cities), there was considerable variability in how the plans were developed (such as through the use of private consultants) and presented, with noticeable differences in the information given about the community, complexity of analysis conducted and the details on the economic development policies that are being pursued. Despite the range of document formats, there was notable uniformity in the content of the policy directives that were presented. In terms of economic development focus, traditional manufacturing is essentially ignored in favour of attracting advanced manufacturing and knowledge-based industries. Additionally, due to the extensive reliance on private external consultants, the plans have a homogenous nature, where contemporary ideas such as diversification, place branding and marketing, downtown redevelopment, focus on creative and knowledge industries, and tourism are constantly regurgitated. Conspicuously missing among the strategies were regional collaborations and cluster development. Although the adoption of a written plan represents an important milestone in local economic development policymaking, a number of key limitations were identified within the current documents, and the paper offers direction for a more effective future policy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Housing policy in the developing world has usually been shaped by social and political considerations, yet housing can also be used to promote economic development. From the 1930s to the 1950s, it was increasingly deployed for this purpose by the agencies of colonial powers, including Britain and France; by the United States in Puerto Rico; and by the US Agency for International Development and the Inter-American Development Bank in Latin America. By the mid-1960s, the UN and affiliated agencies, notably the International Labour Office, had a keen and broad appreciation of its significance for economic policy. This understanding was temporarily swamped by rising social concerns and then sidelined when the World Bank began to support sites-and-services schemes in the 1970s. It reasserted itself in the 1980s in the form of ‘market enabling’ strategies which, however, too often became an excuse for inaction. This history underlines the importance of paying attention to the potential role of housing as a tool of economic development. Dans le monde en développement, la configuration de la politique du logement tient généralement à des aspects sociaux et politiques, alors que le logement peut aussi servir à promouvoir l’expansion économique. Des années 1930 à 1950, c’est dans ce but qu’elle a été mise en œuvre par les organes des puissances coloniales, dont la Grande-Bretagne et la France, par les États-Unis à Puerto Rico, ainsi que par l’agence de développement international des États-Unis (USAID) et la Banque interaméricaine de développement en Amérique latine. Au milieu des années 1960, l’ONU et ses agences, notamment le Bureau International du Travail, ont émis un avis général tranché quant à son importance en politique économique. Cette idée a été temporairement submergée par l’apparition de problèmes sociaux, puis mise sur la touche lorsque la Banque mondiale a soutenu les projets Sites et services dans les années 1970. Elle s’est réimplantée dans les années 1980 sous la forme de stratégies de stimulation de marché qui, toutefois, ont trop souvent servi d’excuse au manque d’action. Cet historique souligne l’intérêt à accorder au rôle potentiel du logement en tant qu’outil de développement économique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]