Tool: Concepts and Strategies

Local economic development is not linked to one academic discipline, unlike, for instance, spatial planning. There is not a unified concept that underlies LED. LED builds on theoretical and conceptual work in various disciplines, such as economics, business studies, social science, and economic geography.  One of the more influential authors is Michael Porter, who built his reputation initially as a "guru" in strategic management and company-level competitiveness strategies. His work focuses at the creation of a "competitive advantage".