Introduction -- The empirical puzzle: the post-industrial divergence of Allentown and Youngstown -- Historical antecedents : the emergence and divergence of regional social structures, 1743-1945 -- Two critical choices : invoking social structure in crises -- How Allentown got its groove back :...

Is it possible for a state or a city to decouple its growth trajectory from that of its country? The answer to this question is not binary. Rather, it comes expressed in degrees that vary across places, and ultimately depends on the interaction of the factors that a sub-national unit shares with...