Innovation within the Maritime Cluster of QUÉBEC – Evaluation of a Regional Study in Québec
Sabine Freye
Presses Académiques Francophones,
2013
Abstract
The present analysis is based on the hypothesis that the potential of regional development of an industry or a branch depends on the potential to innovate. There are two research questions: Is the cluster concept applicable for the maritime branch of the maritime region of Québec? Second, whether the branch can become an economic pillar for the maritime region? The study uses data from a regional survey focusing mainly on the internal characteristics of the firms. The results show that most of the enterprises of the sample are small and medium sized firms which innovate less. The data suggest that the characteristics of the maritime branch of the maritime region of Québec do not support the adaption of the concept of Cluster as a strategy of regional development.
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The Impact of R&D Collaboration Networks on the Performance of Firms and Regions: A Meta-Analysis of the Evidence
Gunnar Pippel
International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations,
No. 4,
2013
Abstract
Innovation is the result of an interactive process. Knowledge-intensive interactions among different partners are associated with a variety of advantages and disadvantages for the actors involved. Therefore, a rich body of literature investigating the impact of R&D collaboration networks on the innovation performance of firms and regions has developed over the last two decades. Those studies come to different results. The aims of this paper are manifold. First, the paper summarizes the results of the relevant literature. Second, a brief overview of the established methods and approaches used in the literature to investigate this research question is given. The third objective is to answer the question whether the achieved results in the literature are predetermined by the employed methods. Finally, relevant gaps for further research are identified. To answer these questions a meta-analysis of the relevant literature is conducted. This study shows that knowledge-intensive interactions have a rather positive impact on the performance of firms and regions. There is also evidence that the employed methods and approaches used in the literature to investigate this research question predetermine the outcome of the research.
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Grant Dependence, Regulation and the Effects of Formula-based Grant Systems on German Local Governments: A Data Report for Saxony-Anhalt
Peter Haug
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 2,
2013
Abstract
Recent empirical studies have found – seemingly − efficiency-enhancing effects of vertical grants on local public service provision. The main purpose of this paper is to prepare an elaborate theoretical and empirical analysis of these contradictory results. Therefore, it investigates if certain fiscal and institutional conditions (fiscal stress, fiscal rank-preserving vertical grant systems, input- and output regulation), that might help to explain these empirical findings, are characteristic of at least some parts of the local government sector or certain regions. The German state of Saxony-Anhalt is chosen for case study purposes. The main results are: First, the local governments suffer from severe fiscal problems such as high grant dependency, low tax revenues and the prevalent inability to finance investments by own resources. Second, the output- and input-regulation density of certain mandatory municipal services (schools, childcare facilities, fire protection) is high. Finally, the most important vertical grant category for local governments, the formula-based grants (“Schlüsselzuweisungen”), can be described as mainly exogenous, unconditional block grants that in most cases preserve the relative fiscal position of the grant recipients.
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Transport Costs and Urban Systems
Albrecht Kauffmann
Forschungs- und Sitzungsberichte der ARL, Bd. 238,
2012
Abstract
The average costs of transporting goods in a national economy are one of thefactors that significantly contribute towards the shaping of the urban system. This paper pursues the question of what effect changes in transport costs (this can include a reduction as well as an increase) can have on the urban system. Various models based on the fundamental assumptions of New Economic Geography are applied The specific assumptions of these models are compared with one another and their results contrasted It is demonstrated that the modelling results, which in some cases are based upon very restrictive assumptions, appear to contradict one another in terms oftheirfindings, or, alternatively, that thefindings of these models should only be interpreted with regard to the specific questions that each pose. These include suburbanisation tendencies, the opening up of peripheral regions, and the concentration of company headquarters.
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Local economic development between system transformation and locational competition- the example of the city of Leipzig
Martin T. W. Rosenfeld, S. Kohler
Forschungs- und Sitzungsberichte der ARL, Bd. 238,
2012
Abstract
The example of Leipzig is used to investigate the effects ofstructural changes and increasin¬gly intense locational competition. Leipzig is particularly interesting because the city was traditionally a location for knowledge and trade, factors and/or activities that are being assigned particular significance under present day conditions of locational competition. Leipzig is currently well equipped with important potential factors. However, in terms of economic results the city has not yet been able to regain the position it occupied before the Second World War. In this context the consequences of the command economy and system transformation have played just as important a role as the changes in locational competition. The influence of these changes in Leipzig is made particularly clear by, among otherthings, L. the way in which the city - in common with other cities too - applies “modern“ economic policy strategies (cluster promotion, amenity strategy, metropolitan region strategy).
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Regions as Selection Environments? The Emergence of the Solar Industry in Germany from 1992 to 2008
Matthias Brachert, Christoph Hornych, Peter Franz
European Planning Studies,
No. 11,
2013
Abstract
The spatial evolution of the German solar industry is analysed in the light of the “window of locational opportunity” and the “selection environment” approach. The paper argues that differences in the regions' ability to promote the emergence of local external economies contribute to increasing regional differentiation in the German structure of the industry. Applied empirical methods enclose longitudinal firm entry and network analysis. A special focus is given upon the realignment processes in the science system. Our findings show a relatively rapid spatial concentration of production in eastern Germany since the year 2000. This process is accompanied by intensified networking between firms and between firms and universities as well as research institutes. The responsiveness of regional institutions and the self-organizing capabilities of the solar firms substantiate some propositions of the “selection environment” approach.
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Specialization versus Diversification: Perceived Benefits of Different Incubation Models
Michael Schwartz, Christoph Hornych
International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management,
No. 3,
2012
Abstract
Business incubator initiatives are a widespread policy instrument for the promotion of entrepreneurship, innovation and the development of new technology-based firms. Recently, there has been an increasing tendency for the more traditional diversified incubators to be superseded by incubators focusing their support elements, processes and selection criteria on firms from one specific sector, and its particular needs. Despite the increasing importance of such specialized incubators in regional innovation strategies, the question of whether they are advantageous has neither been investigated empirically nor discussed theoretically in detail. Drawing on large-scale survey data from 161 firms incubated in either diversified or specialized incubators in Germany, we investigate the benefits to firms of being part of a specialized business incubator as opposed to being part of a generalized business incubator. The investigation of the value-added contribution of specialized incubators, in particular regarding hardware components, business assistance, networking and reputation gains, reveals considerable differences compared to the more diversified incubation model.
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