Foundational economy, geography and ‘left behind places’

Foundational economy (FE) is part of the proliferation of alternative approaches following the Global Financial Crisis in 2008. FE is an influential agenda in urban and regional studies, but its geographical dimensions are under-developed. This paper explains and demonstrates the value and challenges of a more geographically grounded and sensitive approach to FE. It uses spatial ontology, scale and place to make FE more geographical by mapping, understanding, and explaining the differentiated and uneven geographies and interrelations of the FE zones and their governance and institutions. The potentials and pitfalls of this FE for ‘left behind places’ are then examined.