Intra firm and extra firm networks in the German knowledge economy. Economic development of German agglomerations from a relational perspective

Flows and inter-linkages between and within polycentric metropolitan regions have become a fundamental topic in regional sciences. The knowledge economy as a primary driver of spatial restructuring is forming these relations by generating knowledge within a spatially fine graded division of labor. This process drives companies to cooperate in intra firm and extra firm networks which in turn evoke patterns of interdependent spatial entities. The aim of the paper is twofold. Firstly, we analyze spatial patterns within these firm networks and secondly we combine this network approach with the development of the economic and spatial structure of German agglomerations. Inspired by formal social network analysis and spatial association statistics we apply methods to discover spatial clustering within relational data. We assume that relations between and within polycentric Mega-City Regions in Germany and its neighboring areas constitute a new form of hierarchical urban systems. Network analysis will help to detect locations of high centrality; cluster analyses of location-based data may show specific regional patterns of connectivity. We hypothesize that the position of locations within the functional urban hierarchy depends on the spatial scale of analysis: global, European, national or regional. Furthermore, we combine this relational perspective with an analysis of the economic development within these spatial entities. Here we assume that intensive interaction between functional urban areas has a high influence on their performance over time with regard to output indicators like labor, value-added and gross domestic product. Therefore we apply methods of spatial and network autocorrelation. We hypothesize that relational proximity influences economic development more intensively than effects of agglomeration and geographical proximity do.

Production of Knowledge and Geographically Mediated Spillovers from Universities: Spatial Econometric Perspective and Evidence from Austria

The paper sheds some light on the issue of geographically mediated knowledge spillovers from university research activities to regional knowledge production in the high tech sector in Austria. Knowledge spillovers occur because knowledge created by university is typically not contained within that institution, and thereby creates value for others. The conceptual framework for analysing geographic spillovers of university research on regional knowledge production is derived from Griliches (1979). It is assumed that knowledge production in the high tech sector essentially depends on two major sources of knowledge: the university research that represents the potential pool of knowledge spillovers and R&D performed by the high tech sector itself. Knowledge is measured in terms of patents, university research and R&D in terms of expenditures. We refine the standard %0D knowledge production function by modelling research spillovers as a spatially discounted external stock of knowledge. This enables us to capture local and interlocal spillovers. Using district-level data and employing spatial econometric tools evidence is found of university research spillovers that transcend the geographic scale of the political district in Austria. It is shown that geographic boundedness of the spillovers is linked to a decay effect. Reference Griliches Z. (1979): Issues in Assessing the Contribution of Research and Development to Productivity Growth, Bell Journal of Economics 10, 92-116

Production of Knowledge and Geographically Mediated Spillovers from Universities A Spatial Econometric Perspective and Evidence from Austria

The paper sheds some light on the issue of geographically mediated knowledge spillovers from university research activities to regional knowledge production in high tech industries in Austria. Knowledge spillovers occur because knowledge created by university is typically not contained within that institution, and thereby creates value for others. The conceptual framework for analysing geographic spillovers of university research on regional knowledge production is derived from Griliches (1979). It is assumed that knowledge production in the high tech sectors essentially depends on two major sources of knowledge: the university research that represents the potential pool of knowledge spillovers and R&D performed by the high tech sectors themselves. Knowledge is measured in terms of patents, university research and R&D in terms of expenditures. We refine the standard knowledge production function by modelling research spillovers as a spatially discounted external stock of knowledge. This enables us to capture regional and interregional spillovers. Using district-level data and employing spatial econometric tools evidence is found of university research spillovers that transcend the geographic scale of the political district in Austria. It is shown that geographic boundedness of the spillovers is linked to a decay effect. (authors' abstract)Series: Discussion Papers of the Institute for Economic Geography and GIScienc

The Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus ExoIII homologue Mth212 is a DNA uridine endonuclease

The genome of Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus, as a hitherto unique case, is apparently devoid of genes coding for general uracil DNA glycosylases, the universal mediators of base excision repair following hydrolytic deamination of DNA cytosine residues. We have now identified protein Mth212, a member of the ExoIII family of nucleases, as a possible initiator of DNA uracil repair in this organism. This enzyme, in addition to bearing all the enzymological hallmarks of an ExoIII homologue, is a DNA uridine endonuclease (U-endo) that nicks double-stranded DNA at the 5′-side of a 2′-d-uridine residue, irrespective of the nature of the opposing nucleotide. This type of activity has not been described before; it is absent from the ExoIII homologues of Escherichia coli, Homo sapiens and Methanosarcina mazei, all of which are equipped with uracil DNA repair glycosylases. The U-endo activity of Mth212 is served by the same catalytic center as its AP-endo activity

Ownerâs Support, IT Sophistication and IT Adoption in Indonesian Manufacturing SMEs

The importance of technology, especially information technology (IT), to businesses is widely accepted. But, different from large enterprises, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with their limited resources adopted IT slowly. Literature on technology adoption suggests that organizational readiness is one of many factors that determine the adoption of technology. This paper relates IT adoption in Indonesian manufacturing SMEs with their IT readiness represented by owners support and IT sophistication they have. In this paper, the variety of IT adoption by SMEs was explored using business process approach. The support from SMEs owner represented by ownerâs IT knowledge and resource allocation. IT sophistication included management level supported by IT, IT skill and IT innovativeness of SMEs staff. Three propositions were formulated and explored using data collected from 320 SMEs. Using cluster analysis, these SMEs were classified into five type of IT adoption based on three business focus (supplier, internal and customer): early adoption, internal focus adoption, customer focus adoption, internal-customer focus adoption and balanced adoption. The results suggests wider IT adoption requires greater support from the owner and higher IT sophistication

Oil and the Duration of Dictatorships

This paper studies empirically the relationship between oil endowment and the duration of autocratic leaders. A simple theoretical setting shows how the relationship between oil endowment and the duration of the dictatorial regime is mediated by the price of oil. Using a dataset on 106 dictators, our empirical analysis supports the predictions of the theoretical model and indicates that dictators in countries which are relatively better endowed in terms of oil stay longer in office. This result is robust to changes in the definition of dictatorial regimes, as well as to controlling for other economic and political variables.Natural resources, dictatorship, political economy, duration