This edited volume describes the spatial diffusion of knowledge and innovation using a large dataset at the regional level, and presents scientific evidence on the role of knowledge and innovation on regional development. The empirical results support a new design for innovation policies at the regional level, which could help the European Union to achieve the targets set up in its 2020 Agenda. Today, financial capital, general information, consolidated technologies and codified knowledge are readily available virtually everywhere. However, the ability to organize these ‘pervasive’ factors into continuously innovative production processes and products is by no means pervasive and generalized; rather, it exists selectively only in some places where tacit knowledge is continuously created, exchanged and utilized and business ideas find their way to real markets. Territorial Patterns of Innovation provides evidence that, contrary to popular belief, local knowledge intensity does not necessarily guarantee higher innovation performance. Moreover, the book shows that the growth benefits deriving from innovation do not necessarily match the strength of the formal local knowledge base, and that regions innovating in the absence of a strong local knowledge base can be as successful as more knowledge-intensive regions in turning innovation into a higher growth rate. Together, the contributions in this book offer a new understanding of the relationship between knowledge, innovation and regional performance by delving beyond generally held beliefs. It will be of value to regional scientists, industrial economists and policymakers.

Within the European context of innovation for growth, public and corporate actors are faced with pressing questions concerning innovation policy and the return on public and private investment in innovation at the regional level. To help them answer these questions, researchers in the field of Geography of Innovation propose interesting developments and new perspectives for the analysis of localized innovation processes, interactions between science, technology and industry, and their impact on regional growth and competitiveness, offering new foundations for designing and evaluating public policies. The aim of this book is firstly to highlight major recent methodological advances in the Geography of Innovation, particularly concerning the measurement of spatial knowledge externalities and their impact on agglomeration effects. Strategic approaches using microeconomic data have also contributed to showing how firms’ strategies may interact with the local environment and impact upon agglomeration dynamics. Interesting new results emerge from the application of these new methodologies to the analysis of innovation dynamics in European regions and this book shows how they can help revisit some of the main tenets of received wisdom concerning the rationale and impact of public policies on the Geography of Innovation. This book was previously published as a special issue of Regional Studies.

The main purpose of the book is to discuss new trends in the dynamic geography of innovation and argue that in an era of increasing globalization, two trends seem quite dominant: rigid territorial models of innovation, and localized configurations of innovative activities. The book brings together scholars who are working on these topics. Rather than focusing on established concepts and theories, the book aims to question narrow explanations, rigid territorializations, and simplistic policy frameworks; it provides evidence that innovation, while not exclusively dependent on regional contexts, can be influenced by place-specific attributes. The book will bring together new empirical and conceptual work by an interdisciplinary group of leading scholars from areas such as economic geography, innovation studies, and political science. Based on recent discussions surrounding innovation systems of different types, it aims to synthesize state-of-the-art know-how and provide new perspectives on the role of innovation and knowledge creation in the global political economy.

Place-based innovation policy design requires an in-depth understanding of territories and their complexity. Traditional statistics, with a lack of publicly available data at the disaggregated (sub-sectoral and regional) level, often do not provide adequate information. Therefore, new methods and approaches are required so that scientists and experts that can inform decision-makers and stakeholders in choosing priorities and directions for their innovation strategies. The book replies to such a need by offering advanced mapping methodologies for innovation policies with a special focus on approaches that take into account place-based policies.

The second edition of Regional Economics provides a comprehensive and up-to-date treatment of regional economics. This fully revised edition includes key theoretical developments of the last ten years. Topics included span from the earliest location theories to the most recent regional growth theories. It is also is also enriched by the recent debate on smart specialization strategies recently developed by the EU for the design of new cohesion policies. Key elements covered in the new edition include: proximity and innovation theories the concept of territorial capital the debate on the role of agglomeration economies in urban growth This textbook is for undergraduate students in regional and urban economics as well as spatial planning courses.