Lessons-learnt from growth pole strategies in the developing world

Growth pole policies, despite claims otherwise, remain highly relevant and widely applied across the globe. Over recent years, they have emerged as a key instrument in development strategies, often under different names. However, the concept of growth pole policies has remained somewhat elusive, and few studies have systematically evaluated their effectiveness. This has resulted in a lack of comprehensive analysis, particularly regarding their viability and impact in developing countries. The main aim of this paper is to examine the key advantages and challenges involved in the design and implementation of growth pole policies. It outlines the theoretical foundations of these policies and reviews their recent application in various developing regions. Ten case studies were analysed to identify six key lessons, differentiating between successful initiatives —those that met their objectives— and less successful ones.