Reducing regional disparities by means of polycentric development: panacea or placebo?

In many territorial development strategies, both at the European and national scale, it is suggested that polycentric development is instrumental in reducing regional disparities. However, this widespread assumption lacks empirical justification, while also its theoretical base is weak. The aim of this paper is twofold. First, it explores the theoretical bases of the assumed relation between a country’s urban system and regional disparities. Second, it tests the hypothesis that countries with a relatively polycentric national urban system are characterised by fewer regional disparities than are more monocentric countries. Evidence points in the opposite direction to what is generally expected: the more polycentric a country, the larger its regional disparities. This calls for critical reflection on the value of polycentric development as a concept to bring about cohesion.