When Is Regional "Beautiful"? : Implications for Knowledge Flows, Entrepreneurship and Innovation

This book focuses on the importance of geography and space in explaining knowledge flows, entrepreneurship and innovation. During the last few decades spatial perspectives have enjoyed a growing attention outside the specific discipline of geography both in academic economics and among practitioners of policy and planning. This book constitutes a selection of empirical contributions based on data from Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The studies address issues of the characteristics of intra- vs. interregional knowledge flows (Weterings and Ponds), the restructural process when a large pharmaceutical (Pharmacia) closes activities (Dahlgren and Valentin), the different structure of university-industry relationships in three countries with differential types of universities (Broström, McKelvey and Sandström), the locational organization of knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) in a metropolitan region (Shearmur and Doloreux), the background of individuals in KIBS start-ups (Andersson and Hellerstedt) and give a critical scrutiny of attempts to create Regional Innovation Systems (Nuur, Gustavsson and Laestadius). The contributions thus address relevant contemporary issues regarding the structure of the service economy, the role of academia, and renewal of industries. They provide valuable information, useful to policy-makers, planners and academics.

Bjørn T. Asheim is Professor and chair in economic geography at the Department of Human Geography, and Deputy Director at CIRCLE (Centre for Innovation, Research and Competence in the Learning Economy), at Lund University, Lund, Sweden. He is an internationally well-known researcher within economic geography and regional innovation studies.

Olof Ejermo is Associate professor in Innovation Economics at CIRCLE, Lund University, Sweden. In his research he focuses mainly on assessing the entrepreneurial and innovative capacity of the Swedish economy. He has published several articles in internationally renowned journals and edited books.

Annika Rickne is Reader and Associate Professor at CIRCLE, Lund University and currently active at Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Gothenburg University. Her broad interest is economic growth initiated by new scientific or technological knowledge, creating opportunities that reshape existing knowledge fields and industries or giving rise to new ones.