Cities and Competitiveness

Revealed competition for greenfield investments between European regions

“…Investments requiring high asset specificity especially are closely linked to particular locations (Phelps and Raines, 2003). This focus on the distinctiveness of regions echoes a sector-and function-based response to territorial competition (Raines, 2003), in which regions improve and exploit the characteristics that distinguish them from other regions (Begg, 1999). Such acquisition strategy for inward investments linked to a functional and sectoral focus for aspects of regional development also has clear attractiveness for the organisation of marketing around coherent descriptions of a region's competitive advantage (Raines, 2003).…”

“…In particular, we focus on the measurement of competition for greenfield investments (new investments as well as expansions) between NUTS-2 regions in the European Economic Area (EEA) 4 and in Switzerland. European integration, which has facilitated the free movement of capital, goods, and workers and has gradually removed economic, social, and cultural differences between countries, has blurred national boundaries, resulting in the growth of territorial competition (e.g., Cheshire and Gordon, 1995;Gordon, 1999;Budd, 1998;Begg, 1999;Cheshire, 1999;Lever, 1999;Markusen and Nesse, 2007;Chien and Gordon, 2008). Today, MNCs increasingly perceive Europe as a relatively integrated territory rather than a collection of independent countries.…”

“…To boost their economies and increase their standards of living, cities and regions have to work on their ability to successfully compete with other territories (i.e., competitive advantage) over attracting foreign investments in leading sectors of the world economy (Storper, 1997;Kitson et al, 2004). 1 Today, local and regional governments not only use incentive-based policies (e.g., subsidies, taxes) but also capacity-building policies such as government spending on amenities, education, physical infrastructure, and public transportation networks to foster the attractiveness of their territory (Begg, 1999). At the same time, taking advantage of a territory's sources of competitive advantage has moved to the central stage in local and regional development policy: the marketing and branding of cities and regions has become a 'booming business' (Paddison, 1993;Van der Berg and Braun, 1999), while budgets for place promotion are ever increasing (LeRoy, 2005;Markusen and Nesse, 2007).…”

The Economic and Innovation Contribution of Universities: A Regional Perspective

“…The competitiveness of regions refers to the presence of conditions that enable firms to compete in their chosen markets, and for the value these firms generate to be captured within a region (Begg, 1999;Huggins, 2003). Regional competitiveness, therefore, is considered to consist of the capability of an economy to attract and maintain firms with stable or rising market shares in an activity, while maintaining stable or increasing standards of living for those who participate in it (Storper, 1997).…”

The Relationship between Spatial Planning and Economic Competitiveness: The ‘Path to Economic Nirvana’ or a ‘Dangerous Obsession’?

“…A broader interpretation combines the competitiveness of an economy's firms and the level of prosperity, wealth and standard of living in the economy (Begg, 2002a;Parkinson and Boddy, 2004;Parkinson et al, 2004). A third definition refers to the attractiveness or quality of place and a city, region or country's ability to market itself and compete for mobile investment, major events and talented labour (Begg, 1999). This lack of consensus is, however, problematic because "these different conceptions typically get muddled together and confused" (Bristow, 2011, p. 345).…”