Proximity dynamics and territorial public policies: The effects of opportunity proximity

Résumé 0

Based on a case study of a consortium that promotes the dissemination of scientific culture in the Pays de la Loire region in France, this research aims to determine if and how the intentional activation of opportunity proximity, within the framework of a territorial public policy, enables the activation of other forms of geographical and socioeconomic proximity. The result is a theoretical model that integrates the forms of proximity and the activation factors that make up a territorial proximity driven by opportunity proximity. The results highlight the weaknesses of the institutional system studied: it only allows the activation of the most formal proximities, activation factors are not taken into account in public policy, and competition between proximity scales hinders the territorial project.