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PINCH S. and HENRY N. (1999) Paul Krugman's geographical economics, industrial clustering and the British motor sport industry, Reg. Studies 33 , 815-827. Paul Krugman is one of a growing band of economists who have discovered the importance of the region in stimulating national economic competitiveness. Whilst the early reactions to his ideas by geographers tended to be hostile, there have recently been calls by geographers for a more considered view of his concepts. This paper examines the utility of Krugman's ideas for explaining the geographical cluster of small firms constituted by the British motor sport industry. It is argued that Krugman's emphasis upon accidents of history and external economies of scale provides only partial insights into the reasons for the evolution and maintenance of this industrial agglomeration. Greater insights are provided by an approach which focuses upon the dissemination of knowledge through the concept of untraded interdependencies. PINCH S. et HENRY N. (1999) L'economie geographique d'apres Paul Krugman, l'agglomeration industrielle et l'industrie du sport automobile en Grande-Bretagne, Reg. Studies 33 , 815-827. Paul Krugman fait partie d'un groupe d'economistes de plus en plus nombreux qui ont decouvert l'importance de la region en tant que catalyseur quant a la competitivite economique nationale. Tandis que les premieres reactions des geographes a ses idees avaient tendance a etre hostiles, plus recemment un avis plus reflechi de ses idees a ete reclame. Cet article cherche a examiner l'utilite des idees de Krugman pour expliquer l'agglomeration geographique des petites entreprises qui constituent l'industrie du sport automobile en Grande-Bretagne. On affirme que l'accent que met Krugman sur les effets ponctuels et les economies d'echelle externes ne donne que des apercus partiels sur l'evolution et le maintien de cette agglomeration industrielle. Une facon qui porte sur la diffusion des connaissances par l'idee des interdependances non-commerciales donne des apercus plus clairs. PINCH S. und HENRY N. (1999) Paul Krugmans geographische Wirtschaftswissenschaft, industrielle Ballung und die britische Autorennsportindustrie, Reg. Studies 33 , 815-827. Paul Krugman gehort zu der immer zahlreicher werdenden Schar der Wirtschaftswissenschaftler, welche die Bedeutung der Region bei der Belebung der wirtschaftlichen Wettbewerbsfahigkeit eines Landes entdeckt haben. Obschon anfanglich die Reaktion der Geographen auf seine Ideen meist feindlicher Natur waren, gab es in jungster Zeit unter ihnen Aufrufe zu abwagenderer Betrachtung seiner Vorstellungen. Dieser Aufsatz untersucht die Nutzlichkeit der krugmanschen Ideen zur Erklarung der geographischen Ballung kleiner Firmen, welche die britische Autorennsportindustrie bilden. Es wird die Ansicht vertreten, dass Krugmans Betonung historischer Zufalle und ausserlichen Einsparungen durch gesteigerte Produktivitat nur teilweise Einsichten in Grunde fur Entwicklung und Fortbestand dieser industriellen Ballung liefert. Vertiefte Einsichten ...

The authors consider the insights into the concept of institutional thickness provided by the industrial cluster located in southern England commonly referred to as ‘Motor Sport Valley’. It is argued that, although Amin and Thrift's original formulation of the concept of institutional thickness was comprehensive in scope, subsequent debate has focused around a somewhat restricted definition—essentially that of overt regionally based public, or quasi-public, institutions. The success of Motor Sport Valley in the absence of such infrastructure points to other sources of institutional strength and highlights the fact that all economic systems are constituted and mediated through a variety of types of institutional structure. The crucial issue when considering economic development, therefore, is not whether economically successful regions contain sources of institutional thickness, but rather the precise nature of the institutions in the area (and those influencing it from the outside) and their relationship with economic growth.

Barnes has argued that (new) economic geography has moved in to a phase of theory development that he describes as 'hermeneutic' theorising. This epistemological position is characterised by an interpretive, reflexive and open-ended mode of inquiry that recognises the diversity of sources available for theorising and the subsequent conversations that will ensue from such diversity. In a recent deconstruction of the clusters concept in economic geography, and especially that version (or brand) expounded by Michael Porter, Martin and Sunley ask the question as to what added value is delivered by the concept's gatecrashing of academic and policy debates. This paper argues that clusters should not be overendowed as a singular 'brand', but recognised as an emergent set of multiple perspectives in dialogue. From a position of hermeneutic theorising, 'clusters' have the potential to add value by allowing theoretical debate across a wide range of (overlapping and competing) perspectives whose partiality and situatedness are made explicit. The possibilities for theoretical, empirical and policy cross-fertilisation from the difficult act of holding together these threads is one potential drawn from the conversations engendered through hermeneutic theorising in economic geography. Nevertheless, this 'work in progress' must be deepened and extended if the potential of clusters is to be realised.