As empresas como motor do desenvolvimento regional

• Autor(a) principal: Pires, Luís Madureira
• Data de Publicação: 2010
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: https://doi.org/10.34632/povoseculturas.2010.8653

What is the role of companies as engines of regional growth and development? The article stresses immediately that, in a context of globalisation and therefore of growing competition between territories and economic agents, any regional development strategy must reinforce competitive factors. In addition to being based on human, material and natural resources, it must bet on stepping up companies’ competitiveness and corresponding sustainability (knowledge and innovation and production and organisation processes), which will guarantee the creation of wealth, jobs, social cohesion and economic survival. The promotion of growth potential and regional economic development requires a strategy committed to growing openness and adaptation to innovation of the regional production network, often with the creation and consolidation of territorial clusters of companies (higher productivity, more entrepreneurship). It is also necessary to have advanced infrastructures, high quality accesses and competent support services, qualified, proficient human resources and acceptable context costs. Territorial competitiveness entails a balanced urban network structured on the basis of complementarities, good economic articulation between cities and rural areas, good intra- and inter-regional accessibility, more balanced location of resources in the area and spatial allocation of infra- structures that fosters regional development and favours business activity. The issue of communications and environmental quality as a whole must also not be forgotten. The article then highlights the role of the public authorities and public policies in promoting external economies and more favourable business environments and increasing the attractiveness of the region. It devotes special attention to public policy instruments for stimulating companies in Portugal, especially the QREN, 2007-2013 and concludes that there is no real political orientation towards creating the right conditions for all regions to be able to fully contribute their resources to the country’s development, as the different starting conditions are not considered.