Where Are the Workers and Their Households? States, Markets and Labour in Regions

The paper aims to develop an understanding of the conditions and processes for regional development, with particular focus on the engagement of social and political actors in these processes. Research has often highlighted the role of the state in combination with politically and economically dominant interest groups, generating an account of regional development that emphasises the interaction between state and market forces (Pape et al., 2015). In general, labour is treated as an object to be dealt with by others (eg. Hogan and Young, 2015; Karlsen and Dale, 2014). Nonetheless, because of the importance of human capital in regional development, particular attention is given to the relationships between labour (workers, households and unions) and sustainable regional development. The goal is to develop a sophisticated understanding of the centrality of labour as policy subjects, for successful social and economic development in both urban and semi-rural regional settings. The core proposition is that if labour is not an active development actor, then the process of development is likely to be partial and incomplete (Fairbrother and Snell, 2015). Positively, where labour has both the capacities and is able to become a development actor, then the process will be informed by and reflect a broad range of interests, states, employers, labour and others.

The objective is to achieve an understanding of labour in the process of formulating and implementing place-based regional development strategies. This paper will contribute to theoretical understandings of the process of sustainable regional development. It addresses the dimension of labour in relation to regional change, highlighting the place of collective organisation in the form of labour union confederations in this process (cf., Hogan and Young, 2015). Via a comparison between two Australian regions, with the confederations playing contrasting roles in the regeneration process, the paper will address core themes of the mini-conference.

Fairbrother P. and Snell, D. (2015) Australian Research Council Final Report: (2012-2013) ‘Trade Union Futures: Purposes, Capacities and Organisation Towards a Green Transition’ Administering Body: RMIT University DP120101773

Hogan, A. and Young, M. (Eds.) (2015) Rural and Regional Futures, London and New York: Routledge

Karlsen, A. and Dale, B. (2014) ‘From regional restructuring to regional renewal: Cases from Norway Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift–Norwegian Journal of Geography, 68 (2): 71–79, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00291951.2014.894567

Pape, M. Fairbrother, P. and Snell, D. (2015) ‘Beyond the state: shaping governance and development policy in an Australian region', in Regional Studies, vol. 50 ISSN: 0034-3404