Strategic regional path development: industrial policy, place and the rhetoric of regionalisation

Amid geopolitical uncertainties, countries adopt new industrial policies to reshore strategic industries. Simultaneously, rising political discontent underscores the importance of intra-national industrial location. Within this context, we introduce the concept of strategic regional path development, a mechanism for (supra-)national industrial capacity-building based on top-down government interventions. Using a semiconductor innovation zone (Technum Quebec, innovation zone) as a case study, we find that while the innovation zone is driven by national objectives, the region is mobilised instrumentally (regional dynamics are secondary) and rhetorically (regional development narrative aligns actors). Ultimately, success depends on reconciling perspectives on the innovation zone's purpose across policymaking levels and actors.