Perroux

François Perroux (1903–1987) was a French economist known for contributions to development economics and economic sociology. His work spanned mid-20th-century France, where he taught at universities and wrote extensively on how economies grow and transform. He is best known for developing the concept of the growth pole (pôle de croissance), a theory that identifies a core region or industry into which targeted investment and innovation are concentrated, generating linkages that stimulate broader regional development and help pull lagging areas forward.

Perroux argued that development is not simply the result of increasing total output but of structural and institutional change involving firms, markets, policies, and networks that shape economic space. His writings helped frame regional planning and industrial policy debates and influenced later work in economic geography, regional science, and development studies. His influence extends to scholars and policymakers seeking integrated approaches to growth, inequality, and regional development. He died in 1987.