The geography of Industry 4.0 technologies across European regions This paper investigates the spatial distribution of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) considering both region-specific and technology-specific factors. Focusing on patent data for four technologies at the core of I4.0 between 2000 and 2014, we provide evidence of their uneven distribution across NUTS2 European regions. Our analysis confirms the role of regional absorptive capacity, cognitive and spatial proximity as drivers of I4.0 knowledge flows, but also indicates important variations among these technologies.Cumulated technological capabilities and spatial proximity exert a stronger effect on the diffusion of Robot and 3D Printing, whereas Big Data and Internet of Things tend to be more spatially distributed.
The type of regional innovation system (RIS) strongly affects possibilities of paths of industrial transformation. This paper argues that traditional manufacturing districts, corresponding to specialized RISs and characterized by various nuclei of specialization and know-how, may foster different trajectories in combination with extra-regional networks. In particular, the paper analyses the interplay between regional and national innovation systems, providing an overview of the effect that different multilevel dynamics have on local trajectories. The cases of the textile districts in Prato (Italy) and Borås (Sweden) show SRISs can display not only path extension but also path renewal and creation strategies.
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