Regional Economies As Knowledge Laboratories

Aiming to contribute to the better understanding of theories and practices associated with knowledge regions, this book will appeal to a wide ranging audience, including regional and industrial economists, innovation scientists, academics and practitioners with an interest in knowledge and management organisation, regional scientists, economic geographers, and economic sociologists.

Winner of the 2009 Regional Studies Association Best Book Award! Since the early 1980s, the region has been central to thinking about the emerging character of the global economy. In fields as diverse as business management, industrial relations, economic geography, sociology, and planning, the regional scale has emerged as an organizing concept for interpretations of economic change. This book is both a critique of the "new regionalism" and a return to the "regional question," including all of its concerns with equity and uneven development. It will challenge researchers and students to consider the region as a central scale of action in the global economy, and at the core of the book are case studies of two industries that rely on skilled, innovative, and flexible workers - the optics and imaging industry and the film and television industry. Combined with this is a discussion of the regions that constitute their production centers. The authors’ intensive research on photonics and entertainment media firms, both large and small, leads them to question some basic assumptions behind the new regionalism and to develop an alternative framework for understanding regional economic development policy. Finally, there is a re-examination of what the regional question means for the concept of the learning region. This book draws on the rich contemporary literature on the region but also addresses theoretical questions that preceded "the new regionalism." It will contribute to teaching and research in a range of social science disciplines and this new paperback edition will also make the book more accessible to students and researchers in those disciplines, those individuals who will influence the re-structuring economies of the 21st century.

International contributors provide the first examination of the growing subject of regional knowledge-economy development. Illustrated by data and 'stylized' accounts, the international contributors chart the evolution of knowledge economies, questioning the way in which they work and criticize accepted theories and inform how places can cope in the knowledge economy. Based in concept on Cooke's Knowledge Economies (Routledge, 2002), Regional Development in the Knowledge Economy is a well-grounded work exploring this increasingly important theme with relevance to innovation systems and related economic development literature.

This original and timely book presents the most comprehensive, empirically based analysis of clustering dynamics in the high-technology sector across liberal and co-ordinated market economies.

'Charlie Karlsson, Börje Johansson and Roger R. Stough have collected a set of important articles on some of the most important factors determining the growth of contemporary regional economies. the focus of the book is on important growth determinants that are almost never mentioned in the standard analyses of economic growth. Entrepreneurship is discussed from theoretical as well as empirical points of view. the role of social capital as well as institutional governance are highlighted in chapters that ought to be read by all economists interested in the economic growth and development of regions.' – Åke E. Andersson, Jönköping International Business School, Jönköping, Sweden 'This is an exceptional work that is the result of an outstanding selection of the best papers on agglomeration and innovation given at the 10th anniversary of the Udevalla conference. It is the finest set of conference papers I have seen in the past 25 years. These are artfully woven together into three primary areas. the first focuses on the role of knowledge and innovation in entrepreneurship, the second incorporates the institutional environment, while the third looks at the international context. I recommend this collection to academics, students and all who are interested in the role of creativity and innovation in entrepreneurial development. Not only are these the very best researchers in the field, but the materials are presented in a clear and concise manner, making it an outstanding base for advanced courses in this area. This work combines some of the best writings by top-notch authors sharing the sharpest insight into the complex area of the role of human capital in structuring agglomerative advantages. I take my hat off to the fine editorial work represented in this volume.' – Kingsley E. Haynes, George Mason University, US 'The book provides a remarkable contribution on the role of human capital as major creator of knowledge, interpreted as abilities, capabilities, methods, creativity and persistency in identifying and solving problems by collecting, selecting, interpreting and applying existing knowledge and information. the laws of increasing returns to human capital – among which are urban agglomerations as magnets which attract persons who embody knowledge – are conceptually searched and empirically verified. the book answers questions such as: Why do highly educated people, i.e. the carriers of human capital, tend to concentrate in large agglomerations?; What are the agglomerative forces?; and How does this agglomeration of human capital impact different types of economic activities and in particular their location behaviour? Important normative implications are thus derived from such a collected effort.' – Roberta Capello, Politecnico di Milano, Italy 'The Regional Economics of Knowledge and Talent, edited by Charlie Karlsson, Börje Johansson and Roger R. Stough brings together a wide range of cutting-edge studies and research on the role of talent in regional development. It is an important addition to our understanding of how knowledge, human capital, and talent shape the development of cities and regions across the globe.' – Richard Florida, University of Toronto, Canada This original and instructive new book defines and explores the concept of knowledge as the talent, skills, know-how and understanding embodied in individuals. the distinguished contributors advance the current research frontier in three novel directions which focus on: the role of human capital and talent for creativity, entrepreneurship and regional development; the role of institutions for the behaviour of firms and entrepreneurs; and the influence of the global context on the location, export and innovation behaviour of firms in a knowledge economy. They also address critical questions that underpin the emerging knowledge economy: • Why does human capital and talent tend to agglomerate in large urban regions? • How does this agglomeration affect the location of different types of economic activities? • How does this agglomeration affect regional growth? Presenting the state of the art in the field of knowledge economics, this book will prove a stimulating and challenging read for scholars and researchers with an interest in economics, business and management, and regional and urban studies.

Knowledge has in recent years become a key driver for growth of regions and nations. This volume empirically investigates the emergence of the knowledge economy in the late 20th century from a regional point of view. It first deals with the theoretical background for understanding the knowledge economy, with knowledge spillovers and development externalities. It then examines aspects of the relationship between knowledge inputs and innovative outputs in the information, computer and telecommunications sector (ICT) of the economy at the regional level. Case studies focusing on a wide variety of sectors, countries and regions finally illustrate important regional innovation issues.

In recent years, policy makers have given much credence to the role of entrepreneurship in the transformation of regions. As a result, a new set of policy responses have emerged that focus on the support of new venture creation, small business growth and idea generation and commercialization. While there is a wealth of research about entrepreneurship in general, less attention has been given to the development of new tools and programs in support of entrepreneurial activities, and to the ways in which the emergence, the character and the types of entrepreneurship policies might differ between countries. In particular, the transatlantic perspective is of special interest because of the pioneering role of the United States in this area, and also due to the European Union's focus on economic competitiveness. The contributions included in this book explore the emergence of entrepreneurship policies from a transatlantic comparative perspective and address different aspects of entrepreneurship policies including local entrepreneurship policies and the relationship between knowledge-based industries and entrepreneurship policies.

The aim of the Dublin-Belfast Development Corridor is to link several towns and cities by various modes of communication in order to create a poly-centric mega-city region in Ireland on a scale large enough to compete with the major urban clusters of continental Europe. This volume brings together an interdisciplinary team of leading scholars and practitioners from both sides of the border to discuss the Dublin-Belfast corridor and the associated challenges of cross-border development from economic, geographic, regional studies, sociological and planning perspectives. As well as providing insight into this important project, the book also throws light on regional development more generally.