Open research questions in Local Economic Development and Planning
123 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 749 Local Economic Development and Planning papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.
What the literature leaves open
The paper identifies a gap in demographic studies, which often ignore the spatial distribution of population and public allocation of investment. 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 · DOIThe paper identifies the challenge of balancing economic development with environmental protection in Amazonia. The study highlights the need to consider the environmental dynamics of speculative economies in the Eastern Amazon Basin. The authors note the difficulty of modeling the complex relationships between land use, capital accumulation, and environmental degradation.
Environment, development and politics: Capital accumulation and the livestock sector in Eastern Amazonia · 1985 · DOIThe literature on humid tropical rural development has not adequately addressed the environmental impact of livestock development. The frameworks used to understand environmental issues in developing countries often ignore specific regional histories and biologies.
Environment, development and politics: Capital accumulation and the livestock sector in Eastern Amazonia · 1985 · DOILabour 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.
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.
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.
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 simplistic
The need for a balanced approach to development that considers the environmental limitations, - The importance of considering households as the production units in development activities.
The lack of working capital among new African owners. The need for new African owners to develop a network of relationships to run their businesses efficiently.
The lack of studies on the impact of the Africanisation policy on small towns in Kenya. The need to analyze the effects of the policy on the local economy and business pattern.
The paper notes that the concept of development is complex and multifaceted. It also notes that the traditional approach to development has been criticized for its limitations. The paper argues that a new perspective on development is needed, one that takes into account the complexities of urban development.
The paper suggests that future research should prioritize the study of small-scale enterprises in urban development. It also suggests that researchers should explore the complexities of development and underdevelopment.
There is a lack of information on the actual impact of decentralization programs. There is little exchange of information between countries implementing decentralization programs.
Decentralization for regional development: A comparative study of Tanzania, Zambia and Papua New Guinea · 1981 · DOIThe existing literature on the Kenya peasantry has left out important theoretical and historical issues. There is a need to re-assess the Kenya peasantry and its role in the transition to capitalism.
Further study of the social formations that emerge with the development of capitalism. Examination of the complex house renting economy and the class struggles between landlord and tenant in other urban areas.
The gap between the populist view of Mathare and Dagoretti and the actual situation. The lack of understanding of the social formations that emerge with the development of capitalism.
The paper identifies a gap in understanding the role of the state in capitalist production in Kenya after independence. The research highlights the need to examine the impact of state investment agencies on the economy.
Problems of personnel, poor technology, and lack of capital affect river basin development authorities. Existing corporate bodies, including ministries, reduce the efficiency of these authorities.
ON THE DEFINITION OF PLANNING REGIONS: THE CASE FOR RIVER BASINS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES · 1980 · DOIThe impact of the new planning procedures on regional inequalities is unclear. The effectiveness of the government mechanisms in reducing inequalities is unclear.
The paper's analysis is limited to the East African Community's experience. The study does not provide a comprehensive analysis of other regional integration schemes.
THE END OF THE EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY: WHAT ARE THE LESSONS FOR REGIONAL INTEGRATION SCHEMES ? · 1979 · DOIFurther analysis of other regional integration schemes to identify best practices. Examination of the impact of ideological divisions on cooperation in regional integration schemes.
THE END OF THE EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY: WHAT ARE THE LESSONS FOR REGIONAL INTEGRATION SCHEMES ? · 1979 · DOIThe paper identifies a gap in the understanding of the complexities of the Horn of Africa and the challenges of development and territorial politics. The paper highlights the need for a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between the Afar and Ethiopian politics.
TERRITORIAL AND DEVELOPMENT POLITICS IN THE HORN OF AFRICA: THE AFAR OF THE AWASH VALLEY · 1978 · DOIThe paper identifies a gap in understanding the human condition in development planning. It highlights the need for development planners to take into account the experiences of different communities.
The paper identifies a gap in existing research on the role of the state in capital accumulation. The study highlights the need for further research on the development of capitalism in post-colonial Kenya.
The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of how nonaligned policies are implemented in practice by small states. The study aims to fill this gap by analyzing the foreign policies of Kenya and Tanzania.
Most-cited papers in Local Economic Development and Planning
- Decentralization As Political Strategy In West Africa · Comparative Political Studies · 2003 · 98 citations
- Land, livelihoods and belonging: negotiating change and anticipating LAPSSET in Kenya’s Lamu county · Journal of Eastern African Studies · 2020 · 57 citations
- Colonial Financial Infrastructures and Kenya’s Uneven Fintech Boom · Antipode · 2022 · 54 citations
- Bureaucrats, investors and smallholders: contesting land rights and agro-commercialisation in the Southern agricultural growth corridor of Tanzania · Journal of Eastern African Studies · 2020 · 54 citations
- Hidden Trade in Hausaland · Man · 1969 · 50 citations
- ‘Demonstration fields’, anticipation, and contestation: agrarian change and the political economy of development corridors in Eastern Africa · Journal of Eastern African Studies · 2020 · 37 citations
- Market institutions and urban food supply in West and Southern Africa · Progress in Development Studies · 2007 · 32 citations
- Future visions, present conflicts: the ethnicized politics of anticipation surrounding an infrastructure corridor in northern Kenya · Journal of Eastern African Studies · 2021 · 28 citations
- Trade and Income Inequality in a Less Developed Country: The Case of Mozambique · Economic Geography · 2007 · 25 citations
- Urban States: The Presidency and Planning in Luanda, Angola · International Journal of Urban and Regional Research · 2020 · 24 citations
Most recent work
- REGIONAL AUTHONOMY ISSUES IN INDONESIA: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW · Public Policy And Administration · 2026
- Spatial Economics and Regional Development in East Africa: A Critical Examination · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
- AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES IN THE NEW NATIONAL CAPITAL CITY (IKN) REGION: A MULTI-STAKEHOLDER PERSPECTIVE · Progress In Social Development · 2026
- ARAROMI RUBBER PLANTATION AND THE GROWTH OF LABOUR MIGRATION IN ONDO DIVISION OF SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA, 1951-1986 · Al-Adab Journal · 2026
- Special Economic Zones and the integration of spatial considerations: the case of national policies in Indonesia · International Development Planning Review · 2026
- Contesting the capital: Sheger and the spatial politics of nation building · Journal of Eastern African Studies · 2026
- Inherited Ruin or Engineered Transformation? Post-colonial Development Continuities and Environmental Change in Mwea, Kenya, 1963–1998 · East African Journal of Arts and Social Sciences · 2026
- Efektivitas Kebijakan Perencanaan Pembangunan Kawasan Royal Baroe terhadap Pertumbuhan Ekonomi Lokal · Presidensial · 2026
- Agricultural Land Markets and Investment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Applied to the Greater Horn of Africa · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
- Territorial Governance and Local Development: A Literature Review and Research Propositions · International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research · 2026
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