55

Since 2008, the economic crisis has altered long-existing regional development dynamics that, in particular, linked economic growth to population growth. The Languedoc-Roussillon, Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Rhone-Alpes regions provide a wide array of interesting examples. Since the crisis, these three regions have taken different paths, depending on whether they are part of an inward-oriented economy turned towards demand from the local population, or part of a productive economic model oriented towards external demand. The Rhône-Alpes and Nord-Pas-de-Calais regions, where a productive economy is predominant, were hit particularly hard in 2008–2009 by the external shock resulting from the contraction of international trade. The much more locally-oriented economy of Languedoc Roussillon held up better, before experiencing significant difficulties in 2011 with the internal demand shock related to the solvency of France’s debt. Moreover, there have been highly contrasting economic developments within the regions, from one territory to another. Local systems have sources of growth or resistance, much like metropolitan economies. The network approach, which emphasizes the complementary relationship between spaces, helps to examine the ways that shocks are transmitted within territorial units. Codes JEL: R11, R12, R58