Technological Change, Economic Development and Space

The pressures of global competition are affecting regions throughout the world and making it increasingly necessary to understand the complex underlying mechanisms and the potential for innovation offered by new technology. Success in economic restructuring depends not only on the technology itself, but the professional and entrepreneurial skills available and the support of provided by institutions and information networks. The very local nature these phenomena, which are critical to the innovative propensity of firms operating within the region, introduces an inevitable spatial dimension. The time therefore seems ripe to bring together contributions from scholars working in different, but related disciplines, with the aim of investigating the triangular relationship between technological change, economic development and space. The present volume offers a compact review of current theoretical developments and valuable insights deriving from recent empirical studies carried out both within Europe and elsewhere. All those contributing to this volume are actively involved in research in the field. Without their intellectual contribution and willingness to participate in this joint project, the book would not have been possible. We should like, in addition, to thank Angela Spence for her capable assistance in coordinating the various stages of preparation of the book, as well as her translation work and careful linguistic editing. Thanks also go to Paola Stasi for her meticulous copy editing and help in preparing the indices. Their work has been invaluable in moulding together in a single volume contributions from so many different sources.

1. Technological Change, Economic Development and Space: An Introduction.- 1.1 The Context.- 1.2 The Structure of the Book.- References.- A: Diffusion of Knowledge, Network Externalities and Economic Development.- 2. Creation, Innovation and Diffusion of Knowledge: General and Specific Economic Impacts.- 3. A Territorial Socio-ecological Approach to Innovation Diffusion, Schumpeterian Competition and Dynamic Choice.- 4. Innovation, Communication Networks and Urban Milieus: A Sociological Approach.- 5. Transportation, Communications and Patterns of Location.- 6. The Interacting Choice Processes of Innovation, Location and Mobility: A Compartmental Approach.- B: Innovation Behaviour of Individual Firms.- 7. Technological Change and Innovation Behaviour.- 8. Company Classification and Technological Change: A New Perspective on Regional Innovation.- 9. Innovation Adoption, Innovation Networks and Agglomeration Economies.- 10. Network Externalities: Towards a Taxonomy of the Concept and a Theory of Their Effects on the Performance of Firms and Regions.- 11. Industrial Dynamics and Rational Expectations in a Spatial Setting.- C: Local/Global Networks: What Policy, What Future?.- 12. The Region as an Evolutive System.- 13. The New Flexible Economy: Shaping Regional and Local Institutions for Global Competition.- 14. High-tech Centres and Regional Innovation: Some Case Studies in the UK, Germany, Japan and Korea.- 15. Concluding Comments and Future Outlook.- Author Index.- List of Contributors.