Common Territory? : Comparing the IMP Approach with Economic Geography

The IMP research tradition has always been open to the cross-fertilisation of ideas with other social science disciplines that study similar phenomena. Recent years have seen a growing interest among IMP researchers in phenomena such as regional strategic networks, spatial clusters and innovation and new business development in networks. IMP papers published on these topics are increasingly citing conceptual frameworks and empirical findings from the field of economic geography. This paper discusses the development of IMP thought and the development of thought in economic geography (particularly evolutionary economic geography), and compares their approaches to the analysis of regional phenomena. The goal is to identify key ideas from economic geography that have been under-exploited in IMP research, in order to suggest original new approaches available to IMP researchers interested in these fields. A number of such ideas are explored: proximity as a multi-dimensional and multi-faceted concept; the distinction between, and relative importance of, learning activities arising automatically from being embedded in a community (local or regional buzz) and learning activities arising from positive investment in channels of communication (pipelines); the concept of relational capital developed by economic geographers; and, conceptualisations of externalities commonly used in the study of spatial clustersPeer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Climate risk and private participation projects in infrastructure: Mitigating the impact of locational (dis)advantages

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of climate risk on the success vs failure of foreign direct investments (FDIs) in private participation infrastructure (PPI) projects. The authors also consider the extent to which project-level characteristics mitigate such risks. Design/methodology/approach The authors study a sample from the World Bank covering 18,846 projects in 111 countries from 2004 to 2013. The authors apply logistic regressions to determine the impact of climate risk and mitigating project characteristics on project failure. Findings The authors find that higher levels of climate risk at the host country level are associated with higher risk of project failure. The authors also find that the disadvantage of higher climate risk is weakened by two project-level characteristics, namely, the inclusion of host government ownership in the project consortium and the size of the project. Originality/value The research contributes to the current debate about the impact of climate risks on international business ventures. The authors demonstrate that climate risk is a locational disadvantage for FDI in PPI projects. The authors establish that the “fittest” projects in locations characterized by higher climate risk tend to be those that involve host government participation in their ownership structure as well as those of larger sizes

Developing an Object Oriented Model of Critical Success Factors for Clusters: The Linköping Information and Communication Technologies Cluster Test-Case

An object oriented model (OOM) of critical success factors (CSFs) for clusters is developed on the basis of an extensive and critical review of the literature. The model is tested, as a proof of concept, in the Linköping information and communication technologies (ICT) cluster, Sweden. The model is flexible, scalable, and open-ended, applying equally to particular clusters as well as to clusters in general. The model aims to act both as a diagnostic tool for CSFs in particular clusters as well as a framework for policy and research in general. The model encompasses some 21 CSFs (e.g. trust, vision, knowledge) that belong or depend on one or more objects (e.g. firms, institutions, entrepreneurs) relevant to a cluster. A Venn diagram is initially developed on the basis of the literature to help delineate the relevant objects and is subsequently translated into the aforementioned model. The testing of the model follows a cluster life-cycle approach and ranks the 21 CSFs in terms of their relevance during different stages in the life-cycle of the Linköping ICT cluster. It is argued that the importance of different CSFs varies throughout a cluster´s life-cycle concluding with some relevant policy implications and areas of further research

Cluster policies in Europe: firms, institutions and governance

In the era of globalization, governance has become multi-level, from supra-national bodies down to local organizations. This important book suggests that to promote cluster development effectively, multi-level governance often requires an interaction between top-down and bottom-up policies. Or at least, more adaptable coordination between levels facilitates the fruitful co-evolution of policy at different governance levels, with firm learning in clusters. It warrants attention from those interested in global governance structures, as well as the dynamics of cluster

Reassessing the validity of Verdoorn's law under conditions of spatial dependence: a case study of the Greek regions

Verdoorn's Law implies that the process of growth is a cumulative one with the "manufacturing advanced" economies growing at the expense of their "less-advanced" counterparts. This paper tests a range of conventional and spatial specifications of Verdoorn's Law across the Greek regions. The findings indicate that the law holds in the case of Greece and that the spatial models (and the spatial-error one, in particular) perform better than the conventional ones. The results indicate that, in the long run, the process of "cumulative causation" can and does slow down in favor of the less-advanced regions.Greek regions, regional economic growth, Verdoorn's law,

Is cumulative growth in manufacturing productivity slowing down in the EU12 regions?

The cumulative causation in the relation between labour productivity and output growth, known as Verdoorn's Law, is empirically tested using data from 109 EU12 regions during the period 1977--2005. Several specifications of Verdoorn's Law are put forward in this paper, which attribute the process of cumulative causation to a series of factors, including manufacturing agglomeration, spatial interaction, and responses to the problems of growth. The findings suggest that, although cumulative causation holds over this period, the slowdown of its pace is, nonetheless, apparent post 1992. Revisions in responses (e.g. policy) along with further research are thus recommended. Copyright The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Cambridge Political Economy Society. All rights reserved., Oxford University Press.

Cluster policies in Europe: firms, institutions and governance

In the era of globalization, governance has become multi-level, from supra-national bodies down to local organizations. This important book suggests that to promote cluster development effectively, multi-level governance often requires an interaction between top-down and bottom-up policies. Or at least, more adaptable coordination between levels facilitates the fruitful co-evolution of policy at different governance levels, with firm learning in clusters. It warrants attention from those interested in global governance structures, as well as the dynamics of cluster

Critical success factors and cluster evolution : A case study of the Linköping ICT cluster lifecycle

This paper investigates the variation in the importance of critical success factors (CSFs) in the evolution of the Linköping ICT (information and communication technology) cluster in Sweden. The international empirical evidence of CSFs in ICT clusters reported in the literature is systematically reviewed. On this basis an object-oriented conceptual model is developed encompassing fifteen CSFs; each attributed to one or more objects: for example, firms, institutions, entrepreneurs. The lifecycle of the Linköping ICT cluster is delineated and its stages segmented. The existence and importance of each CSF at each stage of the cluster lifecycle is established empirically on the basis of interviews with key experts. The main findings comprise a stage-specific group of CSFs whose importance varies across the cluster's lifecycle stages with different patterns. The findings are aimed to stimulate policy makers and researchers alike to pursue further the line of enquiry developed in this paper

Workforce diversity and hotel performance: a systematic review and synthesis of the international empirical evidence

The purpose of this study is to synthesize the international empirical evidence concerning the impacts of workforce diversity (as mediated by management and a number of other organizational and environmental factors) on hotel performance. To clarify the complexity in the studied relations, we develop a conceptual framework and consolidate the key (qualitative and quantitative) evidence, which we discuss in the context of the wider human resource management hospitality literature. The findings indicate that the aforementioned factors are often neglected and that workforce diversity unmediated by management can have negative impacts on hotel performance. On the basis of the critically reviewed evidence we conclude that staffing initiatives, and especially recruitment policies, have the widest reaching positive effects on hotel performance. Respective policy implications are provided cautioning the need for further research in most of the above areas