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Building on the experience of more than one hundred innovation
strategies for smart specialisation, this book uncovers insights
into their recent implementation by regional and national
governments in the European Union. Although designed to boost the
competitiveness of Europe and its regions, chapters analyse why the
implementation of this policy model was much more complicated than
expected. Offering an in-depth understanding of territories and
their complexity, and highlighting why this is crucial to the
topic, this timely book explores the importance of place-based
innovation policy instead of a one-size-fits-all variety. It
provides new reflections on the conceptual approaches for the
identification of innovation priorities, the data required, the
methods through which the data can be turned into useful
information and the mapping of the information available. This
book's insights into how the economic, scientific, innovative and
societal potential of cities, regions and countries can be measured
will be useful for policy-makers looking to learn from the smart
specialisation of Europe. Public policy and economic innovation
scholars will appreciate the strong case studies analysed in the
book combined with in-depth analysis of different methodologies.
Contributors include: R. Capello, A. Conte, N. Cortinovis, T.
Dogaru, S. Franco, E. Fuster, C. Gianelle, H. Hollanders, A.
Kleibrink, H. Kroll, C. Lenzi, G. Mandras, F.A. Massucci, M.
Matusiak, A. Murciego, J. van Haaren, F. van Oort
The Regional Economics of Technological Transformations provides a
comprehensive overview of 4.0 technological transformations in
Europe and their socio-economic impact, with a particular emphasis
on the regional dimension of the phenomena. The authors employ
extensive original data and robust quantitative methods to analyse
technological change in all regions of the 27 EU countries plus the
UK and shed light on this trend for Europe and beyond. Structured
in four parts, the book first looks at conceptual definitions,
empirical measurements and expected impacts on both the economic
performance (GDP and productivity growth) and the labour market,
and then moves on to analyse where 4.0 technological transformation
actually takes place in Europe and the reasons for this. Next, it
offers original empirical evidence on the impacts of the different
transformations, and of their intertwined effects, on both the
economy and the society. Finally, the book explores the policy
implications of this technological transformation. This book will
be valuable reading for advanced students, researchers and
policymakers working across regional economics, industrial
economics and innovation policy. It will be of primary interest to
regional scientists interested in the field, who may enjoy the
conceptual and empirical solutions to the study of a very complex,
timely and still largely unexplored theme. Sociologists, engineers
and political economists can benefit from the book's analysis,
noting the urgency of the development of new ethical rules
governing the new digital and labour markets. Finally, the book may
appeal to policymakers interested in opportunities to increase
regional competitiveness and sustainability goals through the
advent of 4.0 technologies.
With regions and nations having formally fulfilled the ex ante
conditionality, this book provides a first overall review of RIS3
policy processes, aiming to assess the consistency of the concept
of smart specialization from an applied, policy-oriented
perspective. Moving from the theory of design to the practice of
implementation, the reflections and case studies in this volume
reveal strengths and weaknesses in the way concrete strategies have
been conceived and implemented, enabling reflections on the future
of the concept in a more general sense. In many cases, smart
specialization strategies turn out to be new variants of regional
development policies, embracing the importance of a place-based
approach. However, the approach's potential to add distinctive
value will stem from its capacity to turn innovation and knowledge
into tools for local development by harnessing them for wider
territorial development goals. By helping regions to identify and
leverage untapped resources through new processes, smart
specialization-based policies may help to reconcile cohesion and
competitiveness objective. Consequently, new approaches appear most
promising where institutional, administrative and political
conditions allow the setup of genuinely new processes and where
their focus is on territorial assets in a comprehensive manner
rather than mere industrial renewal. This book was originally
published as a special issue of European Planning Studies.
In recent years, economic crises, regional fragmentation trends,
radical technological innovation and the failures of regional
policies have expanded the knowledge horizon of experts in regional
growth and development. This fully updated, revised and expanded
Second Edition contains eight new chapters as well as exploring
theories prevalent in the first edition in the face of recent
changes in the field. With 30 chapters from leading experts from
across the globe, this Handbook looks at new pathways in regional
economics, presenting the most cutting-edge theories explaining
regional growth and local development. It thoroughly examines
recent advances in theories, the normative potentialities that they
have and the cross-fertilization of ideas between regional and
mainstream economists, providing crucial insights to the topic.
This will be an essential source of reference and information for
scholars and advanced students of regional science and regional
economics. It will also be a useful tool for experts in
international institutions researching regional growth.
Regions and cities are the natural loci where knowledge is created,
and where it can be easily turned into a commercial product.
Regions are territories where, under certain socio-economic
conditions, a strong sense of belonging and mutual trust develops
the ability to transform information and inventions into innovation
and productivity increases, through cooperative or market
interaction. Especially in contexts characterised by a plurality of
agents - such as cities or industrial districts - knowledge is the
result of cooperative learning processes, nourished by spatial
proximity, network relations, interaction, creativity and
recombination capability. This book explains the logic behind these
interactions and cooperative attitudes in regions and cities. One
of the most significant channels comes from the presence of a
university and its collaboration with firms and scientific research
centres. These mutual relations between academic institutions and
enterprises are of key importance. The significance of universities
in driving economic well being and regional development has been
well documented for some time now. Much of the research, however,
has centred upon countries in Western Europe and the United States.
Increasingly, and since the expansion of the European Union in 2004
in particular, themes of academic entrepreneurship,
university-business links, knowledge and innovation have become
important on a Europe-wide scale. This book draws together key
thinkers from across the continent to analyze the importance of
higher educational institutions in fostering development.
Regions and cities are the natural loci where knowledge is created,
and where it can be easily turned into a commercial product.
Regions are territories where, under certain socio-economic
conditions, a strong sense of belonging and mutual trust develops
the ability to transform information and inventions into innovation
and productivity increases, through cooperative or market
interaction. Especially in contexts characterised by a plurality of
agents - such as cities or industrial districts - knowledge is the
result of cooperative learning processes, nourished by spatial
proximity, network relations, interaction, creativity and
recombination capability. This book explains the logic behind these
interactions and cooperative attitudes in regions and cities. One
of the most significant channels comes from the presence of a
university and its collaboration with firms and scientific research
centres. These mutual relations between academic institutions and
enterprises are of key importance. The significance of universities
in driving economic well being and regional development has been
well documented for some time now. Much of the research, however,
has centred upon countries in Western Europe and the United States.
Increasingly, and since the expansion of the European Union in 2004
in particular, themes of academic entrepreneurship,
university-business links, knowledge and innovation have become
important on a Europe-wide scale. This book draws together key
thinkers from across the continent to analyze the importance of
higher educational institutions in fostering development.
With regions and nations having formally fulfilled the ex ante
conditionality, this book provides a first overall review of RIS3
policy processes, aiming to assess the consistency of the concept
of smart specialization from an applied, policy-oriented
perspective. Moving from the theory of design to the practice of
implementation, the reflections and case studies in this volume
reveal strengths and weaknesses in the way concrete strategies have
been conceived and implemented, enabling reflections on the future
of the concept in a more general sense. In many cases, smart
specialization strategies turn out to be new variants of regional
development policies, embracing the importance of a place-based
approach. However, the approach's potential to add distinctive
value will stem from its capacity to turn innovation and knowledge
into tools for local development by harnessing them for wider
territorial development goals. By helping regions to identify and
leverage untapped resources through new processes, smart
specialization-based policies may help to reconcile cohesion and
competitiveness objective. Consequently, new approaches appear most
promising where institutional, administrative and political
conditions allow the setup of genuinely new processes and where
their focus is on territorial assets in a comprehensive manner
rather than mere industrial renewal. This book was originally
published as a special issue of European Planning Studies.
Second-rank cities are back on the academic scene, capturing the
interest of scholars with their unexpected recent performance with
respect to first-rank cities. Looking at the data on average urban
GDP growth in 139 European cities since 1996, the relatively strong
position of large cities (over 1.5 million inhabitants) on national
growth coincides with the periods of fastest expansion, while at
times of slowdown second-rank cities prevail. Especially in the
recent period of economic downturn, second-rank cities have
recorded annual GDP growth rates much less negative than those of
capital cities; and in some European countries, like Austria and
Germany, all cities have outperformed their capitals. In explaining
this phenomenon, linking urban dynamics to agglomeration theories
seems the most interesting approach. However, merely to link
agglomeration economies to urban size in order to interpret urban
performance is neither convincing nor sufficient, and it calls for
additional investigation into how agglomeration economies work.
This volume claims that interpretation of the current dynamics in
European urban systems - especially in the western part of Europe -
would benefit from exploitation of the traditional concept of
agglomeration economies. However, necessary for this purpose are
more in-depth considerations on the nature, scope, intensity, and
causes of agglomeration economies which do not relate their
existence solely to urban size. And this is where the main
challenge for scholars lies, in the interpretation of the missing
link between agglomeration economies and urban dynamics. This book
was originally published as a special issue of European Planning
Studies.
The second edition of Regional Economics provides a comprehensive
and up-to-date treatment of regional economics. This fully revised
edition includes key theoretical developments of the last ten
years. Topics included span from the earliest location theories to
the most recent regional growth theories. It is also is also
enriched by the recent debate on smart specialization strategies
recently developed by the EU for the design of new cohesion
policies. Key elements covered in the new edition include:
proximity and innovation theories the concept of territorial
capital the debate on the role of agglomeration economies in urban
growth This textbook is for undergraduate students in regional and
urban economics as well as spatial planning courses.
This edited volume describes the spatial diffusion of knowledge and
innovation using a large dataset at the regional level, and
presents scientific evidence on the role of knowledge and
innovation on regional development. The empirical results support a
new design for innovation policies at the regional level, which
could help the European Union to achieve the targets set up in its
2020 Agenda. Today, financial capital, general information,
consolidated technologies and codified knowledge are readily
available virtually everywhere. However, the ability to organize
these 'pervasive' factors into continuously innovative production
processes and products is by no means pervasive and generalized;
rather, it exists selectively only in some places where tacit
knowledge is continuously created, exchanged and utilized and
business ideas find their way to real markets. Territorial Patterns
of Innovation provides evidence that, contrary to popular belief,
local knowledge intensity does not necessarily guarantee higher
innovation performance. Moreover, the book shows that the growth
benefits deriving from innovation do not necessarily match the
strength of the formal local knowledge base, and that regions
innovating in the absence of a strong local knowledge base can be
as successful as more knowledge-intensive regions in turning
innovation into a higher growth rate. Together, the contributions
in this book offer a new understanding of the relationship between
knowledge, innovation and regional performance by delving beyond
generally held beliefs. It will be of value to regional scientists,
industrial economists and policymakers.
The book spans a scientific research program elegantly developed by
Roberto Camagni, an eminent regional scientist, who has offered
ground-breaking ideas in regional and urban economics throughout
his academic career. In addition to bringing together a selection
of Professor Camagni's most influential works, the book presents
syntheses and interpretations of his ideas by respected colleagues
and by his students. In regional economics, space as territory,
which plays an active role in innovation processes and in regional
growth patterns; territorial capital as a synthetic concept of
differentiated regional growth assets; and sources of regional
competitiveness are only a few of the main ideas that emerged in
regional economics thanks to this inspiring mind. In urban
economics, he paved the way towards a new theoretical
interpretation of the existence of the city and of its dynamics.
His theory of city networks overcame the limits of Christaller's
and Loesch's spatial approach to the city, with a solid economic
conceptualization of spatial city network structures. All theories
are accompanied by sound policy analysis, helping to contribute to
the design and implementation of appropriate spatial policies at
the European level.
In a period of increasing globalization and rapid growth in
emerging countries, recognizing sources of regional competitiveness
is of paramount importance. This timely and informative book
identifies and analyzes changes in the origins of regional
advantage. The expert contributors illustrate that sources of
regional competitiveness are strongly linked with spatially
observable yet increasingly flexible realities, and include
building advanced and efficient transport, communications and
energy networks, changing urban and rural landscapes, and creating
strategic and forward-looking competitiveness policies. They
investigate long-term interactions between regional competitiveness
and urban mobility, as well as the connections that link global
sustainability with local technological and institutional
innovations, and the intrinsic diversity of spatially rooted
innovation processes. A prospective analysis on networks and
innovation infrastructure is presented, global environmental issues
such as climate change and energy are explored, and new policy
perspectives - relevant world-wide - are prescribed. Networks,
Space and Competitiveness will prove an invaluable resource for
academics, students and researchers across a range of fields
including international and regional economics, regional science,
economic geography and international business. Contributors: C.R.
Azzoni, R.N. Baleiras, A. Bhattacharjee, R. Capello, J.I.
Carruthers, E.A. Castro, T.P. Dentinho, P.C. Ferrao, A.M. Fuertes
Eugenio, M. Grillitsch, E.A. Haddad, C. Hoglinger, J.L. Marques,
C.S. Silva, K. Spiekermann, F. Todtling, J.M. Viegas, M. Wegener
The second edition of Regional Economics provides a comprehensive
and up-to-date treatment of regional economics. This fully revised
edition includes key theoretical developments of the last ten
years. Topics included span from the earliest location theories to
the most recent regional growth theories. It is also is also
enriched by the recent debate on smart specialization strategies
recently developed by the EU for the design of new cohesion
policies. Key elements covered in the new edition include:
proximity and innovation theories the concept of territorial
capital the debate on the role of agglomeration economies in urban
growth This textbook is for undergraduate students in regional and
urban economics as well as spatial planning courses.
After a description of the new forms of globalization currently
shaping our world, and of their possible spatial effects, the book
highlights which European regions have in the past succeeded in
taking advantage of globalization trends and identifies the major
reasons for their success. The book also offers a prospective
analysis utilizing scenarios based on different assumptions of how
globalization trends will develop, identifying the regional winners
and losers for each scenario. The analysis greatly benefits from a
unique database which contains, among others, data on FDI by sector
and professions at the regional Nuts-2 level for all 27 EU
countries. A time-span of more than 10 years is covered, and
scenarios are developed for the future development up to 2020.
After a description of the new forms of globalization currently
shaping our world, and of their possible spatial effects, the book
highlights which European regions have in the past succeeded in
taking advantage of globalization trends and identifies the major
reasons for their success. The book also offers a prospective
analysis utilizing scenarios based on different assumptions of how
globalization trends will develop, identifying the regional winners
and losers for each scenario. The analysis greatly benefits from a
unique database which contains, among others, data on FDI by sector
and professions at the regional Nuts-2 level for all 27 EU
countries. A time-span of more than 10 years is covered, and
scenarios are developed for the future development up to 2020.
The aim of this book is to highlight the great potential of
decentralized (i.e. local or urban) energy policies in achieving
environmentally-benign developments for modern cities. Urban
sustainability is placed in the context of the debate on global
sustainable development. A wide array of policy initiatives is
discussed and evaluated, ranging from market-based energy policies
to technological innovation policies for the energy sector. A
theoretical framework for technology adoption processes is
developed and empirically tested. The main question addressed is:
which are the critical success factors for successful urban energy
policies? This question is also dealt with in a meta-analytic
context by assessing and comparing the performance of energy
policies in various European cities, with a particular view to
renewable energy.
The aim of this book is to tackle the question of what the
European territory will look like over the next fifteen years by
providing quali-quantitative territorial scenarios for the enlarged
Europe, under different assumptions on future globalisation
strategies of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and East and
West European countries. The approach is as neutral as possible
vis-a-vis the results, leaving to a new forecasting model, the
MASST model, built by the authors, to produce the tendencies and
behavioural paths of regional GDP and population growth in each
individual European region under alternative assumptions on the
competitiveness strategies of different blocks of countries. The
results are accompanied by strong policy messages intended to
encourage long-term strategic thinking among a wide range of
actors, scientists and policy makers in response to the risks and
opportunities that the European territory will face."
The aim of this book is to tackle the question of what the
European territory will look like over the next fifteen years by
providing quali-quantitative territorial scenarios for the enlarged
Europe, under different assumptions on future globalisation
strategies of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and East and
West European countries. The approach is as neutral as possible
vis-a-vis the results, leaving to a new forecasting model, the
MASST model, built by the authors, to produce the tendencies and
behavioural paths of regional GDP and population growth in each
individual European region under alternative assumptions on the
competitiveness strategies of different blocks of countries. The
results are accompanied by strong policy messages intended to
encourage long-term strategic thinking among a wide range of
actors, scientists and policy makers in response to the risks and
opportunities that the European territory will face."
The aim of this book is to highlight the great potential of
decentralized (i.e. local or urban) energy policies in achieving
environmentally-benign developments for modern cities. Urban
sustainability is placed in the context of the debate on global
sustainable development. A wide array of policy initiatives is
discussed and evaluated, ranging from market-based energy policies
to technological innovation policies for the energy sector. A
theoretical framework for technology adoption processes is
developed and empirically tested. The main question addressed is:
which are the critical success factors for successful urban energy
policies? This question is also dealt with in a meta-analytic
context by assessing and comparing the performance of energy
policies in various European cities, with a particular view to
renewable energy.
This timely book investigates the challenges that emerge for local
economies when faced with the new globalization trends that
characterize today's world economy. In this instance, globalization
is interpreted as a process of internationalization of production
and markets which can take various forms - such as increasing
international trade or increasing foreign direct investments - all
of which give rise to the growing integration and interdependency
of European economies with regard to the other main world
economies. The expert contributors use a fresh perspective in their
analysis of globalization trends, emphasizing recent changes and
providing an up-to-date picture of current developments in both
foreign investments and the consequent migration of human capital.
Qualitative rather than quantitative trends in human capital and
financial capital flows are taken into account, with a particular
focus on their impacts on regional growth perspectives.
Highlighting the European economy's strengths and weaknesses in
facing the challenges of the new globalization trends, this book
will provide a stimulating read for a wide-ranging audience
encompassing scholars of regional science, regional economics,
economic and regional geography, international economics and
international business. Contributors: T. Baycan, C. Behrens, R.
Camagni, R. Capello, F. Carballo-Cruz, L. Casi, J.C. das Neves,
T.P. Dentinho, K.P. Donaghy, N.O. Martins, A. Mendes, B. Neuts, P.
Nijkamp, J.P. Pontes, L. Resmini, M. Sahin, J.R. Silva, A. Todiras
This up-to-date and insightful book presents post-crisis scenarios
for European regions with new methodologies and tools to support
quantitative assessment and foresight. The aim is to develop
regional forecasting methodologies and tools, appropriate to the
regional-local scale but consistent with a general EU-wide
approach. This effort is particularly important in a period of
economic crisis, as an economic downturn generates high uncertainty
about the future of economic systems, and consequently will
determine the new winners and losers in a globalized world. An
interesting picture of diverse and alternative post-crisis
territorial development paths is provided for a case study of the
Latin Arc countries (Spain, France and Italy) and the Latin Arc
Provinces Network, running along the Western Mediterranean coast.
Policy suggestions for the case study area are then built on the
scenario results. Spatial Scenarios in a Global Perspective will
strongly appeal to regional economists, economic geographers and
policy makers as well as students in regional economics, geography
and international business. Contributors: A. Affuso, R. Boix, R.
Camagni, R. Capello, U. Fratesi, V. Galletto, J. Robert, J. Trullen
Second-rank cities are back on the academic scene, capturing the
interest of scholars with their unexpected recent performance with
respect to first-rank cities. Looking at the data on average urban
GDP growth in 139 European cities since 1996, the relatively strong
position of large cities (over 1.5 million inhabitants) on national
growth coincides with the periods of fastest expansion, while at
times of slowdown second-rank cities prevail. Especially in the
recent period of economic downturn, second-rank cities have
recorded annual GDP growth rates much less negative than those of
capital cities; and in some European countries, like Austria and
Germany, all cities have outperformed their capitals. In explaining
this phenomenon, linking urban dynamics to agglomeration theories
seems the most interesting approach. However, merely to link
agglomeration economies to urban size in order to interpret urban
performance is neither convincing nor sufficient, and it calls for
additional investigation into how agglomeration economies work.
This volume claims that interpretation of the current dynamics in
European urban systems - especially in the western part of Europe -
would benefit from exploitation of the traditional concept of
agglomeration economies. However, necessary for this purpose are
more in-depth considerations on the nature, scope, intensity, and
causes of agglomeration economies which do not relate their
existence solely to urban size. And this is where the main
challenge for scholars lies, in the interpretation of the missing
link between agglomeration economies and urban dynamics. This book
was originally published as a special issue of European Planning
Studies.
This edited volume describes the spatial diffusion of knowledge and
innovation using a large dataset at the regional level, and
presents scientific evidence on the role of knowledge and
innovation on regional development. The empirical results support a
new design for innovation policies at the regional level, which
could help the European Union to achieve the targets set up in its
2020 Agenda. Today, financial capital, general information,
consolidated technologies and codified knowledge are readily
available virtually everywhere. However, the ability to organize
these 'pervasive' factors into continuously innovative production
processes and products is by no means pervasive and generalized;
rather, it exists selectively only in some places where tacit
knowledge is continuously created, exchanged and utilized and
business ideas find their way to real markets. Territorial Patterns
of Innovation provides evidence that, contrary to popular belief,
local knowledge intensity does not necessarily guarantee higher
innovation performance. Moreover, the book shows that the growth
benefits deriving from innovation do not necessarily match the
strength of the formal local knowledge base, and that regions
innovating in the absence of a strong local knowledge base can be
as successful as more knowledge-intensive regions in turning
innovation into a higher growth rate. Together, the contributions
in this book offer a new understanding of the relationship between
knowledge, innovation and regional performance by delving beyond
generally held beliefs. It will be of value to regional scientists,
industrial economists and policymakers.
Regional economics - an established discipline for several decades
- has gone through a rapid pace of change in the past decade and
several new perspectives have emerged. At the same time the
methodology has shown surprising development. This volume brings
together contributions looking at new pathways in regional
economics, written by many well-known international scholars. The
most advanced theories, measurement methods and policy issues in
regional growth are given in-depth treatment. The focus here is to
collect cutting-edge theories explaining regional growth and local
development. The authors highlight the recent advances in theories,
the normative potentialities of these theories and the
cross-fertilization of ideas among regional economists and
mainstream economists. Theories of regional growth and development
need to be able to interpret, more than ever, the way in which
regions achieve a role in the international division of labour and,
more importantly, the way in which regions can maintain this role
over time. Topics covered include: regional growth and development
policies and measurement methods; development theories of
innovation, knowledge and space, and regional production factors;
and growth theories and space. This book will be a source of
reference and information for both scholars and students in the
area of regional economics.
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