Hauser C., Tappeiner G. and Walde J. (2007) The learning region: the impact of social capital and weak ties on innovation, Regional Studies 41, 75-88. Theories that emphasize the role of proximity and tacit knowledge in innovation processes highlight the importance of social interaction and networking for the diffusion of knowledge. A concept that captures the impact of human relations on economic activity is social capital. Using factorial analysis with data from the European Values Study (EVS), the multidimensionality of social capital is demonstrated empirically. The obtained independent dimensions serve as inputs in a knowledge production function estimated for a sample of European regions. One of the major results is that the impact of social capital on regional innovation processes is significant and comparable with the importance of human capital. However, not all dimensions of social capital exhibit the same explanatory power. The dimension 'Associational Activity' represents the strongest driving force for patenting activity. Hence, empirical evidence for the significance of weak ties in innovative processes is given. Hauser C., Tappeiner G. et Walde J. (2007) La region d'apprentissage: l'impact du capital social et des liens faibles sur l'innovation, Regional Studies 41, 75-88. Les theories qui pronent le role de la proximite et des connaissances techniques non-transferables dans les processus d'innovation soulignent l'importance de l'interaction sociale et de la constitution de reseaux pour la diffusion de la connaissance. Le capital social est une notion qui capte l'impact des relations humaines sur l'activite economique. A partir d'une analyse factorielle qui emploie des donnees provenant de la European Values Study (EVS) (une etude des valeurs europeennes) on demontre empiriquement le caractere multidimensionnel du capital social. Les dimensions independantes, ainsi obtenues, se servent d'inputs pour une fonction de production de la connaissance estimee pour un echantillon de regions europeennes. L'un des principaux resultats en est le suivant: l'impact du capital social sur le processus d'innovation regionale s'avere non-negligeable et comparable a l'importance du capital humain. Cependant, toutes les dimensions du capital social n'ont pas le meme pouvoir d'explication. La dimension appelee 'activite associative' represente la force motrice de l'obtention de brevets. Par la suite, on fournit des preuves empiriques quant a l'importance des liens faibles dans les processus d'innovation. Geographie economique Innovation Retombees de connaissance Capital social Hauser C., Tappeiner G. und Walde J. (2007) Die lernende Region: Auswirkung von Sozialkapital und schwachen Beziehungen auf die Innovation, Regional Studies 41, 75-88. In den Theorien, die die Rolle der Nahe und des impliziten Wissens fur Innovationsprozesse betonen, wird auf die Bedeutung von sozialer Interaktion und Netzwerken fur die Verbreitung von Wissen hingewiesen. Ein Konzept, das die Auswirkung der menschlichen Beziehungen auf die Wirts...

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Summary The purpose of these analyses is to investigate collective memory, i.e. the shared historical experiences of a community, as driving force for contemporary social capital. Three societal characteristics are considered proxies for collective memory: the current institutional framework as indicator for present common experiences; the cultural attitudes as proxy for long‐term developments; and severe shocks in the history of the regions. The primary aim is thus to understand whether collective memory permits identification of not only the effects of recent (i.e. institutional) or distant (i.e. cultural) on‐going experiences, but also of the impact of such relevant shocks. For this purpose, a comprehensive case study is conducted within a cross‐border research area with special historical development, where it is possible to discriminate between these three indicators of collective memory. The findings suggest a significant impact of collective memory on social capital endowment. Particularly striking shocks are sustained in the collective memory of a community, influencing its behavior even long after the incident occurred. As a consequence, especially the levels of social trust and networking of the affected population are significantly influenced, such that the community develops protective measures in order to secure its norms, values and traditions. As a result, the social capital of a population is heavily influenced by events that occurred outside living memory.

Social capital is widely regarded to constitute an important indicator for the economic performance of a society. This paper analyzes the impact of various socio-demographic characteristics on social capital. Proxy variables for social capital are obtained from a comprehensive principal components analysis exercise using survey data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS). The BHPS provides information on social and economic change at the individual and household levels in Britain and the UK with an annual survey of ca. 10,000 individuals from ca. 5,000 households. Based on the 13th wave of this database, we investigate the impact of exogenous qualities, individually acquired characteristics, and of the social environment using a spatial auto-regression framework. The results show that the formation of social capital can be modeled to a very high degree of statistical accuracy. The structural effect from the households contributes substantially to the social capital level of each household member. Thus, the social capital formation can be based equally on individual measures (such as education) and social contagion processes.

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