Regional Competitiveness and Territorial Capital: A Conceptual Approach and Empirical Evidence from the European Union

C<sc>amagni</sc> R. and C<sc>apello</sc> R. Regional competitiveness and territorial capital: a conceptual approach and empirical evidence from the European Union, <italic>Regional Studies</italic>. Today, a selective pattern of regional growth is emerging to differentiate single regions' growth and determine a varied mosaic of development stories. This fact calls for more stringent and selective interpretations of the different regional assets defining growth strategies for each region, city or territory: in short, what is increasingly called 'territorial capital', and its efficient exploitation. The paper inspects in depth the concept of territorial capital and it conceptually highlights all elements that are embedded in this concept. The novelty of the empirical exercise lies in the treatment of the entire European territory at the same time.