Everywhere? The Geography of Knowledge

Abstract

This paper reviews what we know about the spatial manifestations of knowledge. The knowledge production function addresses the easily measured portion of knowledge produced. Research on learning, particularly interactive and collective learning, in firms and in innovation systems, promises to unveil the human and organizational processes by which knowledge is created, stored, and transmitted to others. Our understanding of innovation and technological change depends on how well we tackle knowledge and its geography. Copyright (c) 2010, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A Network-based view of regional growth

“…Absorptive capacity is mediated by the wider environment in which an organisation competes and operates, with organisations that are part of economic systems and networks such clusters and innovation systems more likely to be characterised by strong absorptive capacity (Van den Bosch et al, 1999;Giuliani, 2005). This suggests that knowledge is not in fact diffused evenly 'in the air', but flows principally through a core group of organisations with advanced absorptive capacities (Giuliani and Bell, 2005;Malecki, 2010a;Ter Wal and Boschma, 2011). Therefore, as well as being an organisational-level trait, absorptive capacity also possesses regional-level characteristics, with high absorptive capacity regions having an above average proportion of organisations with advanced capacities.…”

“…In other words, these networks consist of the means by which knowledge flows across organisations beyond the direct purchasing of it. As others have noted, inter-organisational networks of this kind generally come into being due to markets for knowledge being rare, since -with the exception of knowledge protected by property rights, such as patents and copyrights -they are difficult to create due to inherent asymmetry in the existing knowledge base of buyers and sellers (Arrow, 1971;Grant, 1996;Maskell, 2000;Audretsch and Keilbach, 2008;Malecki, 2010a). Inter-organisational networks, therefore, are increasingly found to act as a conduit facilitating the flow of skills, expertise, technology, R&D and the like (Andersson and Karlsson, 2007;Weterings and Ponds, 2009).…”

Human capital and the role of networks : migration, inclusion and new qualification for a sustainable regional economy

“…In the innovation literature, mainly studies on learning regions (Lagendijk & Cornford, 2000) or learning spaces (Hassink & Klaerding, 2012) consider the role of individual actors as part of the innovation processes of firms and organisations. Several such studies focus closely on knowledge as one of the key factors of innovation (Malecki, 2010;; Malmberg & Power, 2005). In the main listed studies, however, humans - or rather employees - as carriers of knowledge, are often not fully considered.…”

“…As several authors have argued, such as Drucker (1969), or Etzkowitz and Leydesdorff (2000), the process of innovation no longer follows a linear path. Innovation processes, as Malecki (2010) stresses, are characterised by a series of interactive feedback loops. Asheim and Coenen (2006: 164) argue that, " […] there is a large variety of knowledge sources and inputs to be used by organisations and firms and there is more interdependence and division of labour among actors (individuals, companies, and other organisations).…”

“…Such a mix of knowledge can confer an advantage over competitors. A wide diversity of regional knowledge types promises the better absorption of a combination of knowledge (Lichtenthaler, 2009) and is the starting position of a region when it considers national and international competition (Malecki, 2010).…”