Science AI Journal
Social Sciences · Research topic

Open research questions in Local Economic Development and Planning

111 gap statements mined from Local Economic Development and Planning papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 783 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

Choosing where to publish on Local Economic Development and Planning? See the ranked Social Science journals.

What the literature leaves open

  • The case study for successful vehicle operating companies (VOCs) suggests that further investigation into other manufacturing opportunities and skills development is needed to provide additional evidence of infrastructure investment spillovers.

    Transport infrastructure investments and economic transformation in South Africa: The case of integrated public transport network in the Gauteng Province · 2025 · DOI

  • Limited productive land due to land conversion. Shortages of subsidized fertilizers. Insufficient agricultural extension officers and inadequate farm road infrastructure.

    AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES IN THE NEW NATIONAL CAPITAL CITY (IKN) REGION: A MULTI-STAKEHOLDER PERSPECTIVE · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper highlights the need for an integrated approach to agricultural development.

    AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES IN THE NEW NATIONAL CAPITAL CITY (IKN) REGION: A MULTI-STAKEHOLDER PERSPECTIVE · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper highlights the need for further research on the development of plantation agriculture in Western Nigeria.

    ARAROMI RUBBER PLANTATION AND THE GROWTH OF LABOUR MIGRATION IN ONDO DIVISION OF SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA, 1951-1986 · 2026 · DOI

  • The research was limited by the lack of independent back-translation for the oral history interviews.

    Inherited Ruin or Engineered Transformation? Post-colonial Development Continuities and Environmental Change in Mwea, Kenya, 1963–1998 · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a gap in the understanding of the continuity of colonial development policies in post-colonial Kenya. The environmental impacts of the expansion of the Mwea Irrigation and Settlement Scheme are not well understood.

    Inherited Ruin or Engineered Transformation? Post-colonial Development Continuities and Environmental Change in Mwea, Kenya, 1963–1998 · 2026 · DOI

  • Limited access to capital for UMKM. Lack of business legality for UMKM. Limited marketing capabilities for UMKM.

    PEMETAAN POTENSI DAN ZONASI USAHA MIKRO KECIL DAN MENENGAH (UMKM) BERBASIS SISTEM INFORMASI GEOGRAFIS (SIG) DI KAWASAN PERKOTAAN KABUPATEN SUMBAWA · 2026 · DOI

  • The need to balance the top-down and bottom-up development agenda. The lack of effective social services and protection mechanisms for border region issues.

    Integrating the Social, Economic, and Security Dimensions of Land Border Development Planning in Indonesia · 2026 · DOI

  • The study notes that prior research has not fully explored the institutional mechanism underpinning digital adoption.

    Strengthening Rural Food SME Competitiveness through Digitalization and Village Cooperatives · 2026 · DOI

  • The role of social capital and community institutions in adopting and sustaining digital agricultural platforms in Ethiopia remains under-examined. While studies show social capital inadequacy in rural Uganda and the importance of local institutions in Ethiopia, no work investigates how digital tools can strengthen or leverage existing community social structures for agricultural resilience in East Shoa specifically.

    Participation at the coalface: translating local knowledges and institutions in post-war Tigray, North Ethiopia · 2012 · DOI

  • The mechanisms by which digital community platforms can bridge local agricultural knowledge with external technical expertise remain unexplored in Ethiopian contexts. Prior work emphasizes the need for 'translation agents' between community and external institutions, but no study demonstrates how digital tools facilitate this knowledge exchange for agricultural development in East Shoa Zone specifically.

    Participation at the coalface: translating local knowledges and institutions in post-war Tigray, North Ethiopia · 2012 · DOI

  • Further study on the effectiveness of the District Focus approach is needed. Research on 'development from within' approaches and their potential for addressing rural poverty and inequality.

    District Focus as a Strategy for Rural Development in Kenya: The Case of Murang'a District, Central Province · 1987 · DOI

  • It also identifies a gap in conventional economic growth theory, which assumes that maximizing GNP growth is the main objective of development.

    Population distribution and economic development in Africa: The need for urbanization policies · 1985 · DOI

  • The lack of suitable survey data prior to the IRS in 1974-75 is a challenge. The geographical segmentation of the hired agricultural labour market is another challenge.

    MALFUNCTIONING OF AFRICAN RURAL FACTOR MARKETS: THEORY AND A KENYAN EXAMPLE · 1983 · DOI

  • The paper is limited by the lack of suitable survey data prior to the IRS in 1974-75. The analysis is also limited to the Kenyan context and may not be generalizable to other countries.

    MALFUNCTIONING OF AFRICAN RURAL FACTOR MARKETS: THEORY AND A KENYAN EXAMPLE · 1983 · DOI

  • The migrant labour system is a challenge to rural development. The limited potential for employment in the modern sector is a challenge. The lack of confidence among rural people in the ability of rural areas to become productive is a challenge.

    Towards balanced spatial development in Southern Africa · 1982 · DOI

  • The lack of development in rural areas is a significant problem in Southern Africa. There is a need for international cooperation and national and local involvement to address the issue.

    Towards balanced spatial development in Southern Africa · 1982 · DOI

  • This is mainly because the factors underlying the enabling environments for business investment in rural localities are poorly understood and based on speculation.

    Exploring the factors of enabling environments for business investment projects in rural communities: stakeholders’ perspectives · 2024 · DOI

  • The increase in visitor numbers has not yet fully correlated with increased business revenue. The economic impact felt by MSME operators remains suboptimal.

    Efektivitas Kebijakan Perencanaan Pembangunan Kawasan Royal Baroe terhadap Pertumbuhan Ekonomi Lokal · 2026 · DOI

  • The limited potential for rice production in the province. The high development costs.

    Conditions for agricultural development in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia · 1987 · DOI

  • Labour migration has been a massive, long-term process in Lesotho. Many households in rural Lesotho are landless or have landholdings that cannot generate sufficient income to meet basic needs. The distribution of land and perceived returns to investment in arable agriculture are significant factors.

    Rural development in Lesotho · 1982 · DOI

  • The paper identifies a need for a critical examination of Spatial Economics and Regional Development in East Africa - The study aims to address the gap in the current literature…

    Spatial Economics and Regional Development in East Africa: A Critical Examination · 2026 · DOI

  • Further study on UMKM development strategies. Expansion of the study area to other regions.

    PEMETAAN POTENSI DAN ZONASI USAHA MIKRO KECIL DAN MENENGAH (UMKM) BERBASIS SISTEM INFORMASI GEOGRAFIS (SIG) DI KAWASAN PERKOTAAN KABUPATEN SUMBAWA · 2026 · DOI

  • Using a case study of a village in Pondoland, this article argues that while cannabis makes a significant contribution to the livelihoods of many households, the values derived by cannabis farmers vary widely, as determined by social difference, the illegal nature of cannabis production and trade, and the cannabis commodity chain.

    Cannabis sativaand rural livelihoods in South Africa: politics of cultivation, trade and value in Pondoland · 2003 · DOI

  • The paper identifies a gap in the analysis of contract farming and its impact on peasant household production, - The paper critiques the dependency school's view on contract farming as being overly…

    Contract farming and the peasantry: cases from Western Kenya · 1982 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Local Economic Development and Planning

Most recent work

Find a gap in your own Local Economic Development and Planning sub-topic

This page shows what the Local Economic Development and Planning literature already flags as unresolved. To narrow it to your specific question, search the Research Gap Finder: the search is free with a free account and lists the papers closest to your topic first. Unlocking that topic (50 credits, charged once) fills the comparison table from our 4.5M-paper local library and writes the gaps from its rows.

Open the Research Gap Finder →

Related topics in Social Sciences

Legal Issues in Turkey
2,143 open questions
Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis
1,989 open questions
Higher Education Research Studies
1,760 open questions
Teacher Education and Leadership Studies
1,749 open questions
Global Educational Policies and Reforms
1,706 open questions
Social Work Education and Practice
1,524 open questions
Science Education and Pedagogy
1,519 open questions
Electoral Systems and Political Participation
1,509 open questions
Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) The research was limited by the lack of independent back-translation for the oral history interviews (“Inherited Ruin or Engineered Transformation? Post-colonial Development…”, 2026); (2) The lack of effective social services and protection mechanisms for border region issues (“Integrating the Social, Economic, and Security Dimensions of Land Border…”, 2026); (3) The study notes that prior research has not fully explored the institutional mechanism underpinning digital adoption (“Strengthening Rural Food SME Competitiveness through Digitalization and Village…”, 2026); (4) The mechanisms by which digital community platforms can bridge local agricultural knowledge with external technical expertise remain unexplored in Ethiopian contexts (“Participation at the coalface: translating local knowledges and institutions in…”, 2012); (5) Further study on the effectiveness of the District Focus approach is needed (“District Focus as a Strategy for Rural Development in Kenya: The Case of…”, 1987). 111 gap statements have been mined from Local Economic Development and Planning papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 783 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

Tools for your next paper

Gaps & Literature SearchFind open questions in any field — 120,000+ open gaps mined from our own library.Pre-CheckIs your paper ready? Acceptance odds for top, mid and open/emerging journals, in seconds.Journal FinderA ranked shortlist of target journals from a 17,500-venue index.Duplicate Publication CheckerCheck for prior publication across 7 sources and our local library.Citation GeneratorFreeA DOI or title → APA, MLA, Vancouver, Chicago, BibTeX, RIS. No signup.Graphical Abstract MakerFreeTurn your findings into a colorblind-safe graphical abstract.

How Pre-Check worksHow AI Review works

Compare the category — Honest roundups of the AI research tools, ours listed alongside the alternatives.

Command palette

Jump anywhere, run any action.