Governance entrepreneurship in regional economic development: Individual agency in Austria

Scholars increasingly highlight the role of individual agency for economic development in areas facing socioeconomic transformations. Based on an analytical framework of governance entrepreneurship, this paper explores how entrepreneurial individuals influence local decision-making and alter governance arrangements when implementing new economic development projects. It provides a case study analysis of two peripheral towns in Austria in order to gain a deeper understanding of individual relevancies and behaviour in regional economic development. The findings demonstrate how entrepreneurial individuals (re)arrange governance by (re)combining horizontal and vertical pipelines, mixing informal and formal practices, seeking individual legitimization, and promoting regional rescaling. The analysis also reveals the temporal nature of governance entrepreneurship and suggests differentiating between a long-term governance transition and a temporary governance shift. Overall, the paper provides a middle-range theory of governance entrepreneurship that might contribute to a deeper understanding of agency in regional economic development.