Knowledge Networks in an Uncompetitive Region: SME Innovation and Growth

Knowledge networks are now recognised as a crucial element underlying the economic success and competitiveness of geographic locations, in particular regions. The aim of this paper is to assess the types of knowledge networks utilised and formed by knowledge‐based small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in the relatively uncompetitive regional setting of Yorkshire and Humberside in the UK. It explores the relationship between knowledge networking activity and the levels of innovation and growth achieved by these SMEs. It is found that SMEs tend to utilise and value more knowledge networks with actors outside the region. However, more innovative SMEs possess a balance of inside and outside the region knowledge networks. Knowledge networking activity is sometimes negatively associated with growth, suggesting that networks with certain actors, such as public sector support agencies, may be formed by SMEs when they are facing competitive pressures. In terms of policy implications, the paper recommends a shift from the cluster policies implemented by many regional authorities to a regional innovation systems approach, focusing equally on the regional and more global dimensions of knowledge networks. It is concluded that regional public policy makers need to renew their efforts to support SMEs in creating and sustaining their knowledge networks.     

The Successful Transition to a Knowledge‐Based Development Path of a Less‐Developed Region

This paper presents the case of a less‐developed EU region—the Pomeranian region of Poland—that is, an example of the successful transformation from a command to market economy and the creation of a new knowledge‐based development path thanks to the upgrading of its innovation model. This successful transformation was based, in part, on the region's specific innovation policy and the activities of pro‐innovative institutions; however, other factors were also important such as the diversified structure of the region's economy. New knowledge‐based industries have developed in the region, while the potential of traditional industries that have gone through a restructuring, has been maintained. The factors that existed prior to the innovation model's transformation included such aspects as the high quality of human and social capital, a strong academic center, a high quality of life, and an open economy and society. Supply factors in the form of qualified personnel were crucial for the growth of employment in new industries and R&D that determined the improvement of the regional GDP per capita. Moreover, the transition to a knowledge‐based economy stimulated an increase in the concentration of population in the metropolitan area of Tri‐City.     

The structure and proximity mechanism of formal innovation networks: Evidence from Shanghai high‐tech ITISAs

The discussion on innovation networks of patents or papers has attracted many economic geographers; however, the Industrial Technology Innovation Strategy Alliance (ITISA) has been ignored, although it is also an important innovation form of firms, and the formation mechanism of alliance innovation networks is unclear. This study is based on the data of Shanghai high‐tech ITISAs between 2010 and 2015, and employs the methods of social networks and negative binomial regression to analyse the actor structure, spatial structure, and proximity mechanism of innovation networks of Shanghai high‐tech ITISAs. Results highlight the following: (a) Firms comprise the largest number of actors in alliance innovation networks, and universities, research institutions, and industry associations also play some roles. (b) The local and rooted characteristics of the innovation networks of ITISAs are obvious. The spatial distribution of innovation partners is mainly in Shanghai, and a few innovation actors are located in neighbouring cities, such as Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Ningbo in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration. (c) Proximity significantly promotes the formation of innovation networks in an ITISA and contributes to the improvement of innovation ability, and organizational proximity plays a greater role than geographical proximity or cognitive proximity.     

State Policies,Enterprise Dynamism,and Innovation System in Shanghai,China

ABSTRACT Today rapidly growing economies depend more on the creation, acquisition, distribution, and use of knowledge. As such, strategies for enhancing research and innovation capabilities have come to occupy a more important position in many developing nations, including China. Already the leading production center, and often seen as China's economic locomotive, Shanghai is striving aggressively to retain its national preeminence and has launched concerted efforts to increase local innovative output. The primary purpose of this paper is to understand how state‐led efforts have fared in promoting technology innovation. By situating the city in the national and global context, the paper shows that Shanghai has gained a substantial lead in developing an innovation environment with extensive global linkages and leading research institutions. Recent efforts in building up the research and innovation capacity of the enterprise sector have begun to show progress. Although firms are enthusiastic about its future as an innovation center, Shanghai continues to face challenges of inadequate protection of intellectual property, lack of venture capital investment, and the tightening supply of highly qualified knowledge workers.     

Internationalization of SMEs in the Baltic Sea Region: Barriers of cross-national collaboration considering regional innovation strategies for smart specialization

This paper provides new evidence on barriers that hamper small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) to establish international collaboration. Our analysis makes use of collected data concerning internationalization of SMEs in seven BSR countries. Our logistic multivariate regression model, which we applied after selecting relevant variables using the LASSO method, indicates a significant positive effect for the entities´ demand in support to acquire clients as well as the absence of foreign markets operations. A significant adverse effect is found for cooperation agreements as a support tool for internationalization as well as the interest to participate in an innovation and internationalization system. SMEs rather desire their internationalization capacity building than direct support in acquiring clients. Overall, our results support the hypothesis that strengthening cross-national collaborations and establishing appropriate support programs are important toward innovativeness and competitiveness among SMEs in the BSR. Smart Specialization Strategies (S3) could provide a framework for building cross-national collaborations.     

The Territorial Agglomerations of Firms: A Social Capital Perspective from the Spanish Tile Industry

ABSTRACT Using the Social Capital theoretical framework, territorial agglomerations of firms, such as in the industrial district, can be identified as dense strong‐tie networks and are thus suitable for exploiting activities. This paper addresses the possible exploring limitations of these clustered firms. Following alternative explanations, such as the structural holes and weak tie approaches, it is proposed that local institutions may play a role as intermediary agents between external disperse networks and internal dense networks, therefore enabling these firms to deal with the requirements of an ever‐changing environment. The paper also develops an empirical section where the Spanish ceramic tile industrial district is described in order to illustrate theoretical arguments. Findings suggested a number of ways in which local institutions may facilitate the creation of value for firms. Particularly, local institutions interact with many external firms and institutions and undertake research projects with local firms. In addition, some quantification of the participation of firms in the activities carried out by institutions is offered, suggesting explanations for the barriers that prevent firms from gaining direct access to external networks.     

International healthcare worker migration in Asia Pacific: International policy responses

The growth of the international migration of health workers in recent decades has taken place in the context of the transnationalisation of healthcare provision as well as of governance and policy responses. This paper examines international policy responses to cross‐border health worker migration in the Asia Pacific region. These include multilateral (global and regional) and bilateral policy agreements, policy dialogue and programmes of action in relation to key issues of ethical recruitment, ‘circular’ migration and labour rights and key themes of health workforce planning and management. The paper brings original new analysis of international datasets and secondary data to bear on the pressing and important questions of what international policy initiatives and responses are at work in the Asia Pacific region, and what these mean for the nature of migration governance in the region. The paper's focus routes the evidence and argument towards current research and policy debates about the relationship between health worker migration, health worker shortages and poor health outcomes. In this, the paper brings new insights into the analysis of the international policy ‘universe’ through its emphasis on multiple and intersecting cross‐border institutions, initiatives and actors operating across different scales. Coherent national and international strategies for integrated health worker migration governance and policy need to incorporate these insights, and the paper considers their implications for current strategies to attain universal health care and improved health outcomes in Asia Pacific and beyond.     

Regional Innovation Systems: Implications for Nonmetropolitan Areas and Workers in the South

ABSTRACT A public policy response to global competition is the creation of a geographic concentration of innovative activity (regional innovation systems [RIS]) that will enhance metropolitan economic development through knowledge spillovers, product development, and new firm spin‐offs. This article identifies three types of RIS in the thirteen southern states based on a cluster analysis of twenty indicators of innovative and entrepreneurial activity. Next, regression analysis is used to determine if the 1990–2000 growth rates of nonmetro county population, employment, and earnings were related to proximity to an RIS after controlling for other county characteristics associated with local economic development. The research findings indicate that nonmetro counties near an RIS experienced more rapid population and employment growth; however, changes in nonmetro growth rates varied by type of regional innovation system. In addition, proximity to an RIS had a stronger impact on nonmetro population change than on nonmetro job growth.     

Open innovation and innovative performance of universities: Evidence from China

University–industry interactions have been extensively discussed by economic geographers. However, while universities increasingly engage in local and nonlocal interactions with the industry, there is a lack of evidence concerning the consequences of universities becoming involved in these open innovation processes. Therefore, this study empirically examines the effects of local and nonlocal knowledge interactions on the innovative performance of universities by utilizing a large panel database constructed from a sample of 185 universities in China. First, we observe that both local and nonlocal interactions have an inverted U-shaped relationship with university innovative performance. Second, local interactions combined with nonlocal interactions have a negative effect on the innovative performance of universities. Finally, we find that a balance is required between local and nonlocal interactions to enhance university performance. These results have important implications for policy design.     

Collaboration,Transferable and Non‐transferable Knowledge,and Innovation: A Study of a Cool Climate Wine Industry (Canada)

The connection between innovation and territory is increasingly being questioned as evidence shows that collaboration and information exchange are not necessarily localised. However, this general observation may differ depending on the industry and type of exchange studied: some types of information may be more transferable than others. This may particularly be the case in the wine industry which, especially in Canada, is concentrated in a few regions, each with its own climate, geography, and institutions. This paper examines the nature and geography of collaboration in this industry, with emphasis on the relative importance of different sources of knowledge, the spatial dimension of exchanges, and their relevance for innovation. We find that certain knowledge exchanges are localised, particularly those that are closely associated with local growing conditions, whereas other more generic industry‐level exchanges occur at a wider spatial scale. Local knowledge transfers are characterised less by the type of knowledge exchanged than by the fact that it focuses on local conditions, and is therefore of little value outside the region.     

A typology of agricultural production systems: Capability building trajectories of three Asian economies

Analysing the agricultural sectors of Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore, this paper examines the capability‐building process that encourages productivity and innovation. It describes and explains the origins and subsequent evolution of three forms of agricultural production system, each generating different farming capabilities and distinct forms of competitive advantages. The paper argues that Taiwan's rice‐oriented agricultural production system stimulates both productivity and innovation, helping Taiwanese farmers raise their income level and living standards. The active deployment of state institutions and a malleable labour force, evidenced in the Malaysian palm oil industry, is effective in raising farming productivity but not the ability to innovate. Singapore's aquaculture‐oriented agricultural production system is somewhat useful in stimulating productivity and innovation. Yet the city‐state's inherent lack of space and open international trade regime have circumscribed the potential of its aquaculture industry. It now relies on the regional ethnic Chinese business networks to expand the aquaculture industry's knowledge base and its industrial commons. The principles discussed in this paper provide policy lessons, or at least some initial guidance, for other developing economies aspiring to modernise their agricultural sector.     

Knowledge,Market Structure,and Economic Coordination: Dynamics of Industrial Districts

The industrial rise of the Third Italy has been characterized by the growth of dynamic networks of flexible small and medium–sized enterprises (SMEs) that are spatially concentrated in specialized industrial districts. This network type of coordination has been associated with horizontal, trust–based relations rather than vertical relations of power and dependency between local organizations. This would lower transaction costs (essential for local systems with an extreme division of labor), facilitate the transmission and exchange of (tacit) knowledge (and thus, learning and innovation), encourage cooperation mechanisms (such as the establishment of research centers), and stimulate political–institutional performance (e.g. through regulation of potential social conflicts). From an evolutionary perspective, the focus is on the dynamics of industrial districts drawing from current experiences in Italy. In this respect, this paper concentrates on two main features of industrial districts that have largely contributed to their economic success in the past, that is, their network organization and the collective learning process. The evolution of industrial districts is described in terms of organizational adjustments to structural change. The way in which the size distribution of firms has changed is discussed (in particular the role of large companies), how the (power) relationships between local organizations have evolved, what are the current sources and mechanisms of learning, and to what extent institutional lock–in has set in. Finally, a number of trajectories districts may go through in the near future are presented.     

农村中小企业债务融资障碍分析及对策研究

摘要：分析了农村中小企业融资的外部环境和企业自身的制约因素。提出了解决农村中小企业融资难的对策,在政策机制方面需要组建专门为农村中小企业服务的政策性金融机构,进一步放开搞活农村金融市场,扶持建立农村中小企业信用担保组织等;农村中小企业自身要探索组建企业产业群信用联保,推行供应链管理、电子商务和第三方物流以减少资金占用,加强诚信建设,提高信用信息公开意识,防止信用道德风险转嫁等。     

Transnational Corporations,Global Production Networks,and Urban and Regional Development: A Geographer's Perspective on Multinational Enterprises and the Global Economy

This paper offers an economic‐geographical interpretation of the role of transnational corporations (TNCs) in urban and regional development that is grounded in Dunning and Lundan's (2008 ) Multinational Enterprises and the Global Economy. I argue that TNCs and their activity are indisputably one of the keys to understanding urban and regional development in today's globalizing world economy. To support this perspective, I will deploy the recently developed analytical framework of global production networks (GPNs) to unpack the complex and mutually dependent relationships between TNCs and urban and regional development. The paper first provides a critique of several recent influential theories of urban and regional growth and identifies the omitted components in such important actors as TNCs. It then offers an analysis of TNCs as key agents of urban and regional development on the basis of ideas on TNC strategies, networks, and regional institutions expressed in Multinational Enterprises. Finally, I draw upon a relational view of TNCs in GPNs to illustrate how urban and regional development is increasingly a “globalizing” phenomenon. Situated in recent work in economic geography, I elaborate on the concept of strategic coupling as an interfacing mechanism bringing together TNCs and development at the urban and regional scales.     

Inside the Great Recession: University Products and Regional Economic Development

This article investigates the role of universities in the economic development of American metropolitan regions during the Great Recession (2007–2009) and the growth period prior to it (2001–2007). It develops a supply‐side conceptual framework on the role of universities in technology‐led regional economic development. Specifically, this framework highlights three “university products” that can be explicitly defined and measured: educational services, business services, and new knowledge or technology. The empirical test of this conceptual framework finds that the presence of universities is positively associated with regional economic performance during the Great Recession, mainly via the educational services product. Findings indicate that regions with a higher level of university science, technology, engineering, and mathematics graduates are more resilient to the economic recession.     

Grey networks: The contradictory dimensions of Australia's immigration detention system

The notion of dark networks has recently received attention in the literature on policy network analysis. Dark networks are defined as illegal and covert, in contrast to bright networks which are legal and overt. In this article, we suggest a third category – grey networks – which are characterised by their use of secrecy and concealment despite their ostensibly legal status. These networks are subject to contradictory imperatives. They employ methods that cannot be openly acknowledged within the larger legal and social framework in which they function. In this article, we illustrate this concept through an interview‐based study of Australia's immigration detention network. This network enacts a deterrence policy which has been widely condemned as breaching Australia's obligations under international law. At the same time, it is required to maintain a façade of lawfulness and respect for human rights.     

Alliances,Networks and Competitive Strategy: Rethinking Clusters of Innovation

Networks of interaction have assumed particular significance in recent years because of their presumed importance for learning and innovation. Alliances between related firms are thought to encourage interactive learning between participating organizations through the sharing of knowledge and information, which is itself facilitated through trust, shared values and ways of working. The vast body of literature that has emerged is, however, incredibly fragmented, encompassing an array of theoretical positions and perspectives. This paper focuses upon two issues which are believed to be of particular significance and which need clarification in order to move to a clearer understanding of the ways in which networks of interaction evolve, and of their capabilities and limitations in relation to economic performance and competitiveness: (1) the importance of network structure, arguing that innovative activity requires flexibility with regard to network formation. (2) The role of geography in relation to the construction and functioning of alliances. It is the contention here that networks are likely to be increasingly international in scope.     

University‐industry‐government triple helix relationship and regional innovation efficiency in China

By utilizing panel data of provinces in China from 2012 to 2018, this paper measured innovation efficiency of each regional innovation system and the triple helix relationship of the university‐industry‐government system, then, empirically investigated the influence of the triple helix relationship on regional innovation efficiency. It has been found that: (1) the regional innovation efficiency in China increases slightly year by year, the regional differences are obvious, and university–industry bilateral cooperation is the tightest; (2) cooperation between universities and industries is most beneficial to improve regional innovation efficiency, cooperation between universities and governments significantly promotes scale efficiency in the long run, cooperation between industries and governments significantly promotes regional innovation comprehensive efficiency and pure technical efficiency, meanwhile inhibits scale efficiency, coordinated relation among universities, industries, and governments is beneficial to improve regional innovation comprehensive efficiency and scale efficiency. The research results provide useful theoretical support and policy enlightenment for improving regional innovation efficiency.     

Innovation and Regional Growth in Mexico: 2000–2010

This paper looks at the factors driving regional growth in Mexico, paying special attention to the potentially growth‐enhancing role of innovation and innovation policy. The analysis combines innovation variables with indicators linked to the formation of adequate social conditions for innovation (the social filter), and spillovers for 31 Mexican states and the Mexico City capital district (the Distrito Federal) during the period 2000–2010. The results indicate that regional economic growth across Mexican states stems from direct investment in research and development (R&D) in areas with favorable social filters and which can benefit not only from knowledge spillovers, but also from being surrounded by rich neighbors with good social conditions. The results stress that, although Mexican innovation policy has been relatively well targeted in order to generate greater economic growth, its relatively modest size may have undermined the attainment of its main objectives.     

Regional development platforms as incubators of business ecosystems. Case study: The Lahti urban region,Finland

This paper combines three major concepts: regional development platforms, business ecosystems and competitiveness policy. The framework of business and innovation ecosystems is gaining ground in the discussion of competitiveness and innovation policy. The framework challenges competitiveness and innovation policies because ecosystems are seen as highly self-organising and self-renewing systems. Is there still room for innovation and competitiveness policies? This paper focuses on ecosystem-facilitating competitiveness policy at the regional level and argues that the emergence, growth and renewal of business ecosystems can be facilitated by a competitiveness policy focused on related variety platforms embedded in a regional innovation ecosystem. As a case illustrating this point, we present the strategic themes and development platforms in the Lahti urban region, which are constructed following the ecosystem theory. This paper contributes to the previous literature on regional development and innovation policy by presenting a policy framework for a modern competitiveness policy that is based on constructed competitiveness, development platforms and business and innovation ecosystem theory. For policy practice, this paper provides a real-life example of a regional competitiveness strategy and the construction of a strategy that is based on the ecosystem frame.