The development of a region is influenced by many different factors. Some are economic and others noneconomic, including environmental, cultural and political concerns. Government policies play a vital role in regional development by either encouraging or hindering investment. They can also create frameworks for the implementation of a regional development plan. This includes tax incentives, grants and zoning laws. These policies can help to address the problems facing a particular area, such as job creation and clean energy solutions.

Regional development is not always a smooth process, and the way it plays out can be highly contested. This is particularly true in two influential strands of literature on the topic, evolutionary economic geography (EEG) and regional innovation systems (RIS). EEG and RIS both treat possible regional development paths as part of dynamic social processes that involve the interplay of various actors and their interactions.

One of the most important elements of these interactions is power relations, which are often skewed. Power imbalances can be manifested in the way decisions are made, but they can also be invisible. This is where the use of language becomes important, as metaphors can reinforce or challenge power structures and social norms.

In this context, narratives can be a valuable analytical tool, especially when they are analysed in relation to the relevant social, economic and cultural contexts of a given regional development process. They can help reveal how power relations are skewed, and allow us to understand how different narratives about dominant events emerge and compete with each other.