A network-based view of regional growth

The need to better understand the mechanisms underlying regional growth patterns is widely recognised. This paper argues that regional growth is partly a function of the value created through inter-organisational flows of knowledge within and across regions. It is proposed that investment in calculative networks by organisations to access knowledge is a form of capital, termed network capital, which should be incorporated into regional growth models. The paper seeks to develop a framework to capture the value of network capital within these models based on the spatial configuration and the nature of the knowledge flowing through networks

Advanced general aviation comparative engine/airframe integration study

The NASA Advanced Aviation Comparative Engine/Airframe Integration Study was initiated to help determine which of four promising concepts for new general aviation engines for the 1990's should be considered for further research funding. The engine concepts included rotary, diesel, spark ignition, and turboprop powerplants; a conventional state-of-the-art piston engine was used as a baseline for the comparison. Computer simulations of the performance of single and twin engine pressurized aircraft designs were used to determine how the various characteristics of each engine interacted in the design process. Comparisons were made of how each engine performed relative to the others when integrated into an airframe and required to fly a transportation mission

Ligation of the Bleeding Vessel in the Hemorrhage From Duodenal Ulcer.

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Neutral atomic carbon in the globules of the Helix

We report detection of the 609u line of neutral atomic carbon in globules of the Helix nebula. The measurements were made towards the position of peak CO emission. At the same position, we obtained high-quality CO(2-1) and 13CO(2-1) spectra and a 135" x 135" map in CO(2-1). The velocity distribution of CI shows six narrow (1 -> 2 km/sec) components which are associated with individual globules traced in CO. The CI column densities are 0.5 -> 1.2 x 10^16/cm^2. CI is found to be a factor of ~6 more abundant than CO. Our estimate for the mass of the neutral envelope is an order of magnitude larger than previous estimates. The large abundance of CI in the Helix can be understood as a result of the gradual photoionisation of the molecular envelope by the central star's radiation field.Comment: 5 pages, Latex, AAS macros, 3 EPS figures, to appear in Astrophysical Journal Letter

Filaments as Possible Signatures of Magnetic Field Structure in Planetary Nebulae

We draw attention to the extreme filamentary structures seen in high-resolution optical images of certain planetary nebulae. We determine the physical properties of the filaments in the nebulae IC 418, NGC 3132, and NGC 6537, and based on their large length-to-width ratios, longitudinal coherence, and morphology, we suggest that they may be signatures of the underlying magnetic field. The fields needed for the coherence of the filaments are probably consistent with those measured in the precursor circumstellar envelopes. The filaments suggest that magnetic fields in planetary nebulae may have a localized and thread-like geometry.Comment: 26 pages with 7 figures. To be published in PASP. For full resolution images see http://physics.nyu.edu/~pjh

Culture and place-based development: a socio-economic analysis

Cultural factors are often absent from analyses of economic change and development, divorcing the nature of social places from the economic spaces within which they are situated. In response to this, the paper seeks to both conceptualise and operationalise a framework of place-based culture. It develops a framework capturing the economic culture and community culture of places, and examines the relationship between the two, as a means of developing a broader understanding of the notion of culture than is usually considered by the extant literature. Empirically, the paper utilises Wales as a reference region, with its culture compared to other regions of the UK, along with an analysis of cultural differences found across its localities. Overall, considerable variability is found in the cultural characteristics across both regions and across localities, with the type of community culture embedded in places often found to be associated with the prevailing economic culture in these places, suggesting a strong symbiotic association

Socio-spatial culture and entrepreneurship: some theoretical and empirical observations

Entrepreneurship is increasingly acknowledged as an important factor underlying uneven economic geographies. Similarly, spatial patterns of entrepreneurship are increasingly considered to relate to the nature of the culture present within particular places. However, the nature of these relationships remains relatively unexplored, and this study addresses some of the gaps through both a theoretical and empirical examination of the association between socio-spatial culture and entrepreneurship. It develops the notion of community culture, and drawing on an analysis of data from localities in Great Britain it is found that a range of dimensions of socio-spatial community culture relating to social cohesion, collective action and social rules are found to be significantly associated with local entrepreneurial activity. Generally, localities in more economically developed regions are found to display more individualistic and diverse cultures. It is concluded that the findings represent a significant challenge for policymaking in less developed localities and regions, which generally have socio-spatial cultures high in communal and collective values but low rates of entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurial networks and open innovation: the role of strategic and embedded ties

This paper considers the open innovation paradigm in the context of entrepreneurial firms. Based on an analysis of survey data, it examines the relationship between network ties and innovation. These are considered as the strategic network ties associated with open innovation and the embedded ties associated with entrepreneurial networks. It is found that both strategic and embedded ties are significantly associated with rates of innovation for entrepreneurial firms, although for the former this relationship is driven by a minority of larger or highly innovative firms. Strategic ties are most strongly linked to product and organisational innovations, whilst process innovations are more related to embedded network ties. There is some evidence of complementarity between the two forms of network tie. It is concluded that in the entrepreneurial context, the open innovation concept should be broadened to encompass the role performed by embedded network ties

Entrepreneurship, innovation and regional growth: a network theory

Despite the growing acknowledgement that entrepreneurship is an important driver of regional innovation and growth, the role of the networks in these processes has been less formally examined. In order to address this gap, this paper proposes that the relationship between entrepreneurship, innovation and regional growth is governed by a series of network dynamics. Drawing upon aspects of endogenous growth theory and the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship, it is proposed that the nature of the networks formed by entrepreneurial firms is a key determinant of regional growth differentials. In particular, network capital, in the form of investments in strategic relations to gain access to knowledge, is considered to mediate the relationship between entrepreneurship and innovation-based regional growth. It is suggested that network dynamics should be further incorporated into theories concerning the link between knowledge spillovers, entrepreneurship and regional growth. The paper concludes with a series of theoretical, entrepreneurial and policy implications emerging from the study

UK Competitiveness Index 2016

This report represents the 2016 edition of the UK Competitiveness Index (UKCI), which was first introduced and published in 2000. The UKCI provides a benchmarking of the competitiveness of the UK’s localities, and it has been designed to be an integrated measure of competitiveness focusing on both the development and sustainability of businesses and the economic welfare of individuals. In this respect, competitiveness is considered to consist of the capability of an economy to attract and maintain firms with stable or rising market shares in an activity, while maintaining stable or increasing standards of living for those who participate in it. The above definition makes clear that competitiveness is not a zero-sum game, and does not rely on the shifting of a finite amount of resources from one place to another. Competitiveness involves the upgrading and economic development of all places together, rather than the improvement of one place at the expense of another. However, competitiveness does involve balancing the different types of advantages that one place may hold over another, i.e. the range of differing strengths that the socio-economic environment affords to a particular place compared to elsewhere. This report publishes competitiveness indices that incorporate the most up-to-date data available in 2016, as well as an updated version of the indices presented in the 2013 report, which provides a means of comparison and an examination of the UK’s changing competitiveness landscape. The following sections of the report present an analysis of some of the key findings of the 2016 UKCI. For those readers interested in the score and rank of a particular locality or localities they may wish to refer directly to Appendix 1, which provides a ranked order list of all localities, and/or Appendix 2, which ranks localities within their relevant regional grouping