The foundational economy perspective suggests that industries, which provide services essential to all citizens’ well-being and participation in everyday life, should be placed centrally in economic development policy. This article studies the extent to which local governments put emphasis on foundational industries in their strategies for development. Moreover, drivers behind priority-setting are examined. Based on an analysis of all 98 Danish municipalities’ planning strategies and semi-structured interviews with relevant actors from two rural municipalities, we find that foundational industries are to a great extent emphasised, even if they are not characterised as the foundation for economic development. Rather, foundational industries are prioritised in the absence of other options or when municipalities are not compelled to put local job creation as a crucial focus to attract and maintain inhabitants.

基本的经济观点表明，为所有公民的福祉和日常生活提供必不可少的服务的工业应放在经济发展政策的中心。本文研究了地方政府在其发展战略中重视基础产业的程度。此外，还检查了确定优先顺序的驱动因素。根据对丹麦所有98个城市的规划策略的分析以及对来自两个农村城市的有关行为者的半结构化访谈，我们发现，即使基础产业没有被视为经济发展的基础，它们仍在很大程度上受到重视。相当，