Opportunities and risks of localised industrial policy: the case of “maker-entrepreneurial ecosystems” in the USA

Abstract Efforts in US cities to support the emergence of the “maker economy” could take urban-level industrial policy in a new direction. Optimistic projections about the potential of the maker economy for urban manufacturing revitalisation, however, downplay an enduring tension in local economic development between efforts to build endogenous capabilities and pressures to facilitate property value growth. Exploring maker industrial policy efforts in New York City and Portland, Oregon, we argue that local government actors often struggle to build network capacity and curb opportunism. District-based models hold promise, but the real estate-driven model of local development poses a persistent challenge.