The making and unmaking of uneven development: the role of anchor firms in creating and overcoming industrial decline in East Germany
结合核心-边缘理论与产业地理，分析锚定企业如何导致东德地区在私有化后沦为卫星平台，并受外部企业支配，同时指出产业政策支持下的研发密集型热点（如耶拿）如何通过培育本地锚定企业逆转衰退。
Abstract This article theoretically explores the structural drivers of regional development traps by integrating core–periphery theories with industrial geography. It highlights how distinct industrial ecosystems form productive hierarchies. This is empirically illustrated through East Germany’s transformation after reunification. The destruction of anchor firms during privatization turned East German regions into Satellite Platform districts, reliant on externally headquartered firms for technology and investment and subject to Myrdalian backwash effects. Nonetheless, research-intensive manufacturing hotspots, like those in Jena, emerged through industrial policy supporting anchor firm functions. These findings underscore the importance of regional development strategies that cultivate regional anchor firms as key agglomerating forces.