Districts, multinationals and global/digital networks

This paper reflects on what remains of Becattini’s utopia in the new context of a globalized and digital economy. Can one still foresee a global world populated with local societies able to produce value by following their own inspirations and chorally participating in a world-wide division of cognitive labor? It is suggested that the interpretive value of Becattini’s theorizing remains, to the extent that one moves away from the consideration of the classical district model, and adopts his more general way of thinking about the economy, which is only exemplified by the historical circumstance of industrial districts. His view may well apply to a variety of circumstances, not only to industrial districts and it is flexible enough to encompass economic change under different environmental conditions

The concentration of Health research and innovation across EU regions

Health research and innovation (R&I) is attracting the attention of EU, national and regional policymakers. As Health policies are becoming a public policy priority – targeting not only social needs but also the overall economic development of EU countries – Health R&I have been identified as key areas of investment. However, despite the attempts to reduce inequalities also in this field, a strong concentration of Health R&I across EU regions still exists. The paper provides recent and novel empirical evidence on the topic, describing the concentration of Health patents, publications and EU project participation in top EU regions. Regional data help in assessing that, also in the Health sector, concentration is not only a cross-country but also a within-country issue

Explaining the past, predicting the future: the influence of regional trajectories on innovation networks of new industries in emerging economies

Economic geographers have recently made important contributions to understanding of the relationship between regional transformation, industrial specialisation and innovation networks in the emergence of new industries. However, most contemporary research has focused on the influence of networks on regional trajectories, paying lip service to how regional trajectories also influence network configurations. Furthermore, international comparative research on how specific regional innovation system (RIS) trajectories may shape innovation networks in new industrial sectors is underdeveloped. The paper investigates how the trajectories of Bangalore and Beijing RISs influence the objectives and geographical configuration of innovation networks in the new media industry. The co-evolution of different elements of the RIS trajectory points to the unfolding of a politically and institutionally driven trajectory in Beijing, and a cognitively driven trajectory in Bangalore. These trajectories lead to specific barriers and opportunities for the development of innovation networks in new industries