Introduction
Local economic development focuses on how local governments, businesses, and civil society work together to create jobs, improve livelihoods, develop infrastructure, and manage resources sustainably in a defined area. This online course explores the key processes, strategies, and challenges of promoting economic growth at the local level.
Practical information
- Start date
- Available anytime
- Duration
- 8 weeks
- Price
- Free
- Area of interest
- Cities & Port, Economics, Finance & Accounting, Inclusive Prosperity, Diversity & Inclusion, Public Domain & Governance, Sustainability & Transitions
- Micro Credential
- No
- Teaching mode
- Online
Who is this for?
This course is designed for professionals, students, and researchers interested in urban and local development, economic planning, and public policy. It is ideal for those who want to understand why economic development succeeds in some regions and not others, and how to harness globalisation, decentralisation, and innovation to improve local opportunities.
What will you achieve?
By completing this 8-week course, you will be able to:
- Understand the main drivers of local economic development, including globalisation and decentralisation
- Analyse how competitiveness, entrepreneurship, value chains, and clusters influence economic growth
- Explore practical local economic development strategies
- Design and apply a project that addresses real-world local economic challenges
This free online course on local economic development was created by IHS in partnership with the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), Erasmus University Rotterdam. ISS and IHS also run an on-campus version of the course.
Start date
This course is available permanently on coursera.org
Course instructors
Dr Georgina M. Gómez, ISS
Prof Emeritus AHJ (Bert) Helmsing, ISS
Dr Jan Fransen, IHS
Contact
- Email address
- courseinquiries@ihs.nl
Facts & Figures
- Start date
- Available anytime
- Duration
- 8 weeks
- Price
- Free
- Micro Credential
- No
- Instruction language
- English
- Teaching mode
- Online