Rethinking Spatial Inequality in Development: The Primacy of Power Relations

Why do spatial inequalities emerge and persist? After showing that existing explanations of spatial inequality are at best partial, this article argues that persistent spatial development disparities are the product of the terms on which underdeveloped regions are incorporated into ruling coalitions. In most cases, political elites from lagging regions are incorporated on marginal terms, undermining their capacity to direct public resources to their constituents. Consequently, governments direct more resources to relatively better-off and politically dominant regions, reinforcing spatial inequalities. Our analyses highlight the importance of going beyond a dichotomous assessment of whether disadvantaged regions are included or excluded from ruling coalitions to an examination of the terms of their inclusion.