Innovation is often seen as a fix for “left-behind” regions, like the Rust Belt, amid rising inequality. Reimagining the Rust Belt as the Silicon Heartland, the US CHIPS Act promoted the creation of microchip hubs through innovation policy to uplift left-behind regions. Through case studies in Upstate New York, Central Ohio, and Flanders and with a co-productionist approach, I examine how such policies produce innovation's others by envisioning homogenized regional futures misaligned with local identities and values. This dissertation argues innovation must be more culturally and regionally sensitive.      «

Innovation is often seen as a fix for “left-behind” regions, like the Rust Belt, amid rising inequality. Reimagining the Rust Belt as the Silicon Heartland, the US CHIPS Act promoted the creation of microchip hubs through innovation policy to uplift left-behind regions. Through case studies in Upstate New York, Central Ohio, and Flanders and with a co-productionist approach, I examine how such policies produce innovation's others by envisioning homogenized regional futures misaligned with local...     »