Keele Research Repository

Since 1945 there has been a growing awareness of the very wide disparity which exists between the rich and poor regions of many countries. In a large number of cases this gap is progressively widening. In the search for a solution several countries have adopted a growth-pole strategy, amongst them Spain.
In this thesis the main features of economic development and regional planning in Spain are outlined. An analysis is made of regional underdevelopment in Spain by use of factor and cluster analysis. This is followed by a survey of growth-pole theory, with particular emphasis being given to the French school of theorists.
The characteristics and aims of the Spanish growth-pole scheme are discussed, and the choice of the seven original growth poles is analysed by the use of trend surface analysis. Detailed studies of each of the seven growth poles are included and an assessment made of their differing experiences. The results from an industrial questionnaire survey are used to investigate the conditions which led to the establishment and development of the growth-pole firms and the reasons for their location within the growth-pole towns. Finally the Spanish experience is used as the basis for discussing the relative merits of growth poles as a planning strategy.