Abstract

New industrial paths do not necessarily translate into regional economic development. This article investigates how the nature of asset mobilisation for path development affects the way new industries generate developmental outcomes. We analyse how a changing human capital mobilisation in the mining service supplier industry in Antofagasta (Chile) affected regional development opportunities. The declining territorial embeddedness of mining-related workers through long-distance commuting weakened mechanisms that translate path development into regional economic development. The study highlights the value of a multi-scalar focus on asset mobilisation processes to improve our understanding of what kind of regional development is generated by new paths.