‘Although foundational to prosperity and human flourishing, we know surprisingly little about how cooperation emerges in low-trust environments. Kira Gartzou-Katsouyanni remedies that deficit with a comprehensive account that highlights both the power and limits of local agency. This go-to account of the politics of cooperation is relevant for scholars and practitioners alike.’

Darius Ornston - Professor, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto

‘This original, brilliantly researched and scholarly work contributes importantly to our knowledge of local economic development and of entrepreneurial behaviour - showing how firms can innovate and thrive in unpromising circumstances. The initial context is Greece, but there are lessons here for a wide range of other situations, where people are trying to achieve economic success in areas with apparently unfavourable prospects.’

Colin Crouch - Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Cologne and Professor Emeritus, University of Warwick Business School

‘With the ongoing disruption of globalization and related growth models, Kira Gartzou-Katsouyanni brings a timely and fresh perspective on the ways in which societies can break out of stagnation and become innovative leaders navigating the uncertainties of the new global value chains. Using a clever research design to analyze subnational strategies in a struggling Greece, she develops a broader theory about how local private and public actors forge new forms of collaboration and repurpose old institutions to transform dormant industries into global competitors.’

Gerald A. McDermott - Professor and Chair, Sonoco International Business Department, University of South Carolina