Local economic development in disadvantaged regions: A two-region comparison across different development levels in Türkiye

This study examines how regional disadvantage is reflected across key dimensions of local economic development (LED) and whether these dimensions form distinct configurations of local economic organization. Focussing on the beekeeping sector, it compares two regions of Türkiye with different levels of development: Bingöl and Adana. Using firm-level survey data, the underlying dimensions of LED were identified through exploratory factor analysis, while Mann–Whitney U and chi-square analyses were employed to compare the two regions. The findings demonstrate that regional differences across individual LED dimensions reflect distinct configurations of local economic organization, as they combine into coherent and mutually reinforcing patterns rather than representing isolated differences. Regional disadvantage, in this light, is a configuration of local economic organization in which local production, institutional engagement, market integration, and knowledge networks interact in different ways. Therefore, regional disadvantage cannot be understood simply as lower production capacity or weaker resource endowments, and local economic systems may display selective strengths and weaknesses across different dimensions, rather than exhibiting uniform levels of development across all aspects of economic activity. These findings suggest that LED strategies in disadvantaged regions should prioritize strengthening market, institutional, and knowledge connections over expanding the production base alone.