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This article analyses place-specific and common social exclusion patterns and trends in a wide variety of European localities from a comparative case study perspective. The local level is where the interrelationship of multiple factors leading to social exclusion becomes obvious, and at the same time where policies responding to it are most directly needed. In our analysis, we focus on the national and local policy environment, the economic environment, and individual and territorial characteristics as generally accepted factors causing or contributing to social exclusion. Based on our empirical findings, we discuss connections/disconnections between these and locally specific patterns and trends of social exclusion. Though the results point to the highly contextual nature of social exclusion, there are nevertheless clear continuities and discontinuities in explaining local patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is intended to give insight into the state of the art of local economic development in area-based urban regeneration in Germany. The importance of local economic development has been widely recognised and a series of workshops, evaluation reports and programmes has been initiated to promote this policy area. A set of policy programmes has been developed to support integrated action in distressed urban areas. There are no radical changes in the different programme designs, but rather subsequent adaptations and amplifications through time. Policy learning has taken place in a process cutting across all levels of government. The state of the art of local economic development is illustrated using the example of the city of Gelsenkirchen in order to see how different funding programmes on the national and/or Lander (federal states) level are applied and combined on the local level, and how they help to formulate an integrated urban renewal approach. A range of policy challenges remains. The challenges on the local level include, for example, the development of strategic capacity in designing and implementing local-economic development measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]