Regional development

The challenges of regional development

Regional development is a process aimed at improving the well-being and quality of life of the population within a region, through its economic, social, environmental or cultural evolution. The regional development process is shaped by public projects or policies carried out by a multitude of local actors (companies, consular chambers, local authorities, local governance mechanisms, civil society). The diversity of stakeholders, the interplay between actors and the interdependence between regions thus give rise to a powerful, complex and constantly evolving regional ecosystem.

The challenges of the ecological crisis

As environmental quality is intrinsically linked to land use, the ecological crisis is one of the most important regional challenges of the 21st century. In addition, there are other challenges associated with metropolisation, population ageing, tertiarisation and digitalisation of the economy, etc. Regional development more generally addresses the challenges of resilience in the face of shocks which have strong repercussions on a local scale (e.g. sectoral shocks, climate shocks).

Job opportunities in regional development

Within regional authorities:
Director General of Services, Director of Economic Development or Sustainable Development, Attractiveness/Innovation/Transition Officer, etc.

Within regional inter-professional structures or competitiveness clusters: director, project manager, project officer.

Within national public bodies such as the Agence Nationale de la Cohésion des Territoires (ANCT) or the Agence de la Transition Ecologique (ADEME): programme manager, project manager, study manager.

Within the private sector: Head of CSR.

Master’s programmes at the Saint-Etienne School of Economics: Data Science and Innovation Management, Political Engineering and Territories and Transitions