1,720,975 research outputs found
Does the Nature of Interactions with Higher Education Institutions Influence the Innovative Capabilities of Creative Firms? The Case of a South-Western Norwegian County
No full textOur study contributes to a limited body of literature and aims to examine the type and frequency of linkages between creative industries and higher education institutions (HEIs). The objective of our study is to investigate the extent to which various types of linkages contribute to enhanced innovative capabilities in creative industries. Based on a qualitative research design and a case study carried out in a peripheral south-western Norwegian county, our empirical analysis shows that HEIs are generally not very relevant partners and that other actors are mainly involved in innovation dynamics. As clarified and discussed in the paper, this finding largely depends on some specific characteristics of HEIs, the form of knowledge primarily employed by creative firms (symbolic knowledge base), and the cultural divergence between the two spheres
Not all peripheries are the same: The importance of relative regional innovativeness in transnational innovation networks
Full text linkThis paper aims to test the hypothesis according to which “relative” innovativeness (regions scoring higher than the national average in innovation rankings, such as the Regional Innovation Scoreboard) is more important than “absolute” innovativeness (regions scoring higher than the European Union [EU] average) in determining the centrality and key positioning of EU regions in highly selective and competitive international innovation networks. The combined adoption of various social network analysis techniques and econometric models in the specific arena of the EU nanotechnology network created within the Horizon 2020 program confirms this hypothesis. However, additional graph visualization and brokerage analysis highlight how such relative innovators, holding key positions in the targeted network, hardly act as gatekeepers in the respective national contexts. A major implication of this study is that although relatively innovative regions may play a key role in transnational innovation networks, their inadequate action as gatekeepers represents a negative aspect for peripheral regions in general and especially in marginally innovative countries. This finding raises doubts about the actual increasing and more effective knowledge circulation between the surveyed regions to which the EU explicitly aspires
Regional development is not a dinner party: a research agenda on power relations and the use of language in regional development studies
Full text linkRegional development is not a dinner party, but rather a largely contested matter in which its political dimension and power relations play key roles. This paper calls for a research agenda to understand more about how power relations and the use of language-specifically, metaphors-can be integrated into regional development studies. In contrast to major strands of the regional development literature, an important contribution of this paper is that we treat regional development processes not as a purely economistic process, but rather as a conflictual process in which different opinions or even divergent views emerge and compete through different language relationships. This occurs on a multitude of occasions, such as when there is a discussion about building new infrastructure and its related socio-economic and environmental impacts, when people have different views on possible regional futures or when certain regional economic sectors are prioritised by politicians and policymakers. We address three main research questions. (1) What can scholars in the field of regional development learn from previous studies of power relations in the fields of economic geography and political science? (2) What are the most promising research tendencies in which the study of politics and power relations can be embedded? (3) Through which original lens (i.e., language) and methodology (i.e., narratives) might empirical analyses best be conducted on the topics we illustrate
Relations between academic reputation and innovation networks
Full text linkPrevious empirical analyses have revealed the characteristics a university should possess to be associated with engagement in competitive international innovation programs. Within this context, this paper aimed to assess the importance of academic reputation in determining high-level participation in the most recently concluded European Union Framework Program (i.e., Horizon 2020). By considering three countries (i.e., Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom), and using qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), we showed that academic reputation is a key condition among high-scoring universities above a certain threshold (i.e., top 25% organizations). This finding should lead to further research and has policy implications. It is essential to integrate better those organizations considered less prestigious into targeted, highly competitive funding schemes to foster more widespread, even participation
In search of a ‘Geography of Youth’: Why young people should matter more in local and regional development studies
Full text linkThe topic of human agency is currently at the top of the agenda of scholars interested in local and
regional development dynamics. This still new, yet well-developed, literature has tended to privilege
the study of participation in decision-making processes over non-participation. This article aims to
discuss the need for a more systematic integration of a clear ‘denied agency’ such as youth in local
and regional development studies. Starting from the consideration of their under-representation in
academic work, as well as in policy debates, we argue that scholars should focus on the largely
neglected younger generations and their aspirations to provide politicians and policymakers with
useful findings and clear guidance on possible alternative and desirable futures
Turismo e sviluppo locale sostenibile. Il Parco Naturale Regionale Costa Otranto - Santa Maria di Leuca e Bosco di Tricase nella Macroregione Adriatico-Jonica
No full textThe “Costa Otranto-Santa Maria di Leuca and Bosco di Tricase” Regional Natural Park is the only coastal park in
Apulia. The Park is a real point of reference for the sustainable tourism and, broadly speaking, for the sustainable local
development perspectives of the area. Salento is renowned especially for its seas and beaches, but the real strong points of
this area are its environmental and cultural elements.
Moreover, the recent creation of the Ionian-Adriatic Macroregion offers a further precious contribution to strengthen both
the ongoing actions and the future projects started by the Park and the promotion of the attractiveness of the entire area.
Therefore, the aim of this paper is precisely to assess the strengths and weaknesses by means of reconstruction of the relationships
between the Park and other private and public bodies since it was founded in 2006. Furthermore, the major
actions carried out by the Park so far are analyzed and several development proposals are taken into consideration with
the aim of enhancing the effectiveness of the previous actions and to verify the expected effects of the Macroregion strategy
at a local level
Contested visions of regional futures in Inland Norway: data storage, TikTok and the symbolic value of megaprojects
No full textHerein, we analyse the social and economic processes that led to the construction of a large data storage centre in Inland Norway. Starting from the theoretical foundation that narratives and symbolic value are important to the emergence of regional development paths—and on the basis that narratives, symbolic value and materiality are strongly interlinked—we argue that megaprojects can be symbols of imagined futures, as well as controversy, in regional development. We identify three main tensions related to the data centre construction: (i) technology and greening, (ii) geography and scale and (iii) the geopolitical situation. Using a path-tracing approach, document analysis and qualitative interviews, we show how megaprojects’ symbolic values vary depending on the positions and perspectives of the involved actors. Theoretically, we emphasise that symbolic value does not exist in a vacuum, but rather is shaped by the dialectic relations between intangible narratives and tangible elements
Nanotechnology and knowledge relatedness: how to identify optimal regional partners in EU innovation networks?
Full text linkResearch & Innovation (R&I) policy initiatives employed by the European Union (EU) across its regional economies are important instruments to ensure the scientific and technological progress along with the associated benefits. One relevant aspect in this regard is to encourage and enable collaboration between regional partners to enhance potential learning opportunities and to ensure cohesive long-term development patterns. Furthermore, frequently these initiatives are also targeted at specific technology sectors, such as the EU R&I policy actions towards nanotechnology. Based on an advance theoretical framework and data from the official EU project databases as well as regionalized European Patent Office data, the present study develops a methodological tool through which it is possible to identify effective collaboration settings, while providing policymakers and evaluators with a practical tool that will enable them to predict the possible outcomes of such critical EU-funded R&I projects from the onset
Political leaders as agents in regional development
Full text linkThe study of agency has received increasing attention in recent years. The focus on change processes at the micro-level has brought new insights into the field of regional development. However, in debates about change and regional development, agents and leaders themselves have received far less attention than agency as a process. We provide an analytical model to show how political leaders and their leadership act as drivers of change through what we call actor properties (i.e., knowledge, networks and resources). We discuss how actor properties interact with the institutional context in which leaders operate and the various transitions from a political leader's legitimacy to the legacy of their political action. Empirical investigations of two peripheral regions in Italy and Norway illustrate how political leaders act as agents of change in geographical areas characterised by different socioeconomic and institutional contexts
Less-advanced regions in EU innovation networks: Could nanotechnology represent a possible trigger for path upgrading?
Full text linkThis paper examines whether nanotechnology projects funded under the European Union (EU) Framework Programmes (FPs) are a possible trigger for path upgrading (i.e., infusion of new technologies in existing traditional sectors) in less-advanced regions. First, the adoption of cluster analysis and a set of key indicators (i.e., technological intensity, scientific excellence, human capital, and research and development expenditure) allowed us to distinguish between 79 more-advanced and 127 less-advanced EU regions. Subsequently, through social network analysis and nonparametric testing we were able to demonstrate how the less-advanced EU regions (average degree centrality: 40.5) play a marginal role compared with the more-advanced ones (average degree centrality: 98.5) in the nanotechnology network created within Horizon 2020-i.e., the EU programming cycle implemented in the 2014-2020 period. Despite this, we observed that a few less-advanced regions (33 out of 127) were able to score higher than the EU median in terms of participation in the targeted nanotechnology network, thus benefiting from relevant knowledge flows potentially leading to re-industrialization processes. The adoption of qualitative comparative analysis allowed us to determine which combinations of key innovation, scientific and socioeconomic factors could facilitate such beneficial interregional interactions and related knowledge exchange in these types of regions (i.e., primarily what we defined as "relative innovativeness," excellence in nanotechnology research and a comparatively high level of gross domestic product per capita). Our empirical results provided some clear policy implications. For instance, the necessity to I) remove the barriers impeding a more balanced participation to promote a widespread renewal of traditional industries in less-advanced regions and II) implement coordinated EU and domestic actions designed to encourage the involvement of the great majority of the less-advanced regions, which remain marginal in the periodically launched FPs
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