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Competition, Variety And The Geography Of Technology Evolution

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  • JÜRGEN ESSLETZBICHLER
  • DAVID RIGBY

Abstract

Change in evolutionary economics proceeds through the creative destruction of variety in firm characteristics. Firm routines, relational assets and the institutional environments in which firms operate shape the creation and destruction of variety. Despite the centrality of the concept of variety in evolutionary economics, analysis of the extent and the persistence of firm heterogeneity is rare. Notwithstanding the theoretical pronouncements of economic geographers who champion the difference that space makes, empirical investigation of firm variety over space is even rarer still. This paper attempts to remedy some of these empirical shortcomings exploring the spatial evolution of variety in techniques of production within three US manufacturing industries. The results suggest that technological variety exists and persists over time and that geography explains a significant portion of this variation.

Suggested Citation

  • Jürgen Essletzbichler & David Rigby, 2005. "Competition, Variety And The Geography Of Technology Evolution," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 96(1), pages 48-62, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:tvecsg:v:96:y:2005:i:1:p:48-62
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9663.2005.00438.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Pier P. Saviotti, 1996. "Technological Evolution, Variety and the Economy," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 727.
    2. Rosenberg,Nathan, 1994. "Exploring the Black Box," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521459556, November.
    3. Verspagen, B., 2000. "Economic growth and technological change: an evolutionary interpretation," Working Papers 00.12, Eindhoven Center for Innovation Studies.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ronald V. Kalafsky, 2016. "Examining the Global Machine Tool Industry: Transitions or Continuity?," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(2), pages 138-156, June.
    2. Ron Boschma & Koen Frenken, 2009. "Some Notes on Institutions in Evolutionary Economic Geography," Economic Geography, Clark University, vol. 85(2), pages 151-158, April.
    3. Riccardo Cappelli & Ron Boschma & Anet Weterings, 2019. "Labour mobility, skill-relatedness and new plant survival across different development stages of an industry," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 51(4), pages 869-890, June.
    4. BOONE, Christophe & BROUWER, Aleid & JACOBS, Jan & VAN WITTELOOSTUIJN, Arjen, 2009. "Religious pluralism and organizational diversity: An empirical test for the city of Zwolle, the Netherlands, 1851-1914," ACED Working Papers 2009002, University of Antwerp, Faculty of Business and Economics.
    5. Jason P. Brown & Dayton M. Lambert & Raymond J. G. M. Florax, 2013. "The Birth, Death, and Persistence of Firms: Creative Destruction and the Spatial Distribution of U.S. Manufacturing Establishments, 2000–2006," Economic Geography, Clark University, vol. 89(3), pages 203-226, July.
    6. Jürgen Essletzbichler, 2009. "Evolutionary Economic Geography, Institutions, and Political Economy," Economic Geography, Clark University, vol. 85(2), pages 159-165, April.
    7. Dimitris KALLIORAS & Nickolaos TZEREMES & Panayiotis TZEREMES & Maria ADAMAKOU, 2021. "Technological Change, Technological Catch-Up And Market Potential: Evidence From The Eu Regions," Regional Science Inquiry, Hellenic Association of Regional Scientists, vol. 0(1), pages 135-151, June.
    8. Essletzbichler Jürgen, 2012. "Generalized Darwinism, group selection and evolutionary economic geography," ZFW – Advances in Economic Geography, De Gruyter, vol. 56(1-2), pages 129-146, October.
    9. Ron Boschma & Ron Martin, 2010. "The Aims and Scope of Evolutionary Economic Geography," Chapters, in: Ron Boschma & Ron Martin (ed.), The Handbook of Evolutionary Economic Geography, chapter 1, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    10. Ron A. Boschma & Koen Frenken, 2006. "Why is economic geography not an evolutionary science? Towards an evolutionary economic geography," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 6(3), pages 273-302, June.
    11. Jurgen Essletzbichler & David Rigby, 2005. "Technological evolution as creative destruction of process heterogeneity: evidence from US plant-level data," Economic Systems Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(1), pages 25-45.
    12. Jürgen Essletzbichler, 2013. "Relatedness, industrial branching and technological cohesion in U.S. metropolitan areas," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 1307, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised May 2013.
    13. Rosalia Castellano & Gaetano Musella & Gennaro Punzo, 2024. "How Do Agglomeration Externalities and Workforce Skills Drive Innovation? Empirical Evidence from Italy," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(2), pages 6737-6760, June.

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