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What Do We Know about the University Contribution to Regional Economic Development? A Conceptual Framework

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  • Thomas Brekke

Abstract

There are a rapidly growing number of scientific studies analyzing the role of university and higher educational institutions in regional economic development. In this study, the author reviews the rapidly growing body of research streaming out of the geography of innovation and knowledge with particular attention to the period from 1994 to 2019. The author discusses several seminal contributions on the role of universities in regional economic development and then applies a systematic literature review to the extant research of 193 articles. This literature review offers a conceptual framework by identifying four key topics found in the literature: organizational capacity, intermediaries, knowledge dynamics, and policy.

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  • Thomas Brekke, 2021. "What Do We Know about the University Contribution to Regional Economic Development? A Conceptual Framework," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 44(2), pages 229-261, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:inrsre:v:44:y:2021:i:2:p:229-261
    DOI: 10.1177/0160017620909538
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    24. Attila Varga (ed.), 2009. "Universities, Knowledge Transfer and Regional Development," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 4250.
    25. Aykut Lenger, 2007. "Regional Innovation Systems and the Role of State: Institutional Design and State Universities in Turkey," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(8), pages 1101-1120, January.
    26. Maribel Guerrero & David Urbano & Alain Fayolle & Magnus Klofsten & Sarfraz Mian, 2016. "Entrepreneurial universities: emerging models in the new social and economic landscape," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 47(3), pages 551-563, October.
    27. Peter Sunley, 2008. "Relational Economic Geography: A Partial Understanding or a New Paradigm?," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 84(1), pages 1-26, January.
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    30. Rachel Parker & Damian Hine, 2014. "The Role of Knowledge Intermediaries in Developing Firm Learning Capabilities," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(5), pages 1048-1061, May.
    31. Joshua Drucker, 2016. "Reconsidering the Regional Economic Development Impacts of Higher Education Institutions in the United States," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(7), pages 1185-1202, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. R. Paci & C. Usala & I. Etzo, 2024. "Brain gain vs. brain drain. The effects of universities' mobile students on territorial inequalities," Working Paper CRENoS 202411, Centre for North South Economic Research, University of Cagliari and Sassari, Sardinia.
    2. Nils Grashof & Holger Graf, 2023. "Universities that matter for regional knowledge base renewal - the role of multilevel embeddedness," Jena Economics Research Papers 2023-009, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.
    3. Chu, Shuai & Wu, Mengfei, 2021. "Does the geographic clustering of universities promote their scientific research performance? Evidence from China," GLO Discussion Paper Series 963, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    4. Emanuela Marrocu & Raffaele Paci & Stefano Usai, 2022. "Direct and indirect effects of universities on European regional productivity," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 101(5), pages 1105-1133, October.
    5. Juan Carlos Martínez-Torres & Jaider Vega-Jurado, 2022. "El impacto de los agentes intermediarios en el proceso de cooperación para innovar: el papel moderador del tamano de la empresa," Estudios Gerenciales, Universidad Icesi, vol. 38(162), pages 2-16, March.
    6. Zhenshan Yang & Yinghao Pan & Dongqi Sun & Li Ma, 2022. "Human Capital and International Capital Flows: Evidence from China," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 45(1), pages 74-107, January.
    7. Cai, Yuzhuo, 2023. "Towards a new model of EU-China innovation cooperation: Bridging missing links between international university collaboration and international industry collaboration," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    8. Naga, Nahla & Amghar, Meryem, 2024. "Collaboration Between University and Industry in Algeria: Beyond Geographical Proximity. Case Study of University Research Laboratories in Algeria," Economic and Regional Studies (Studia Ekonomiczne i Regionalne), John Paul II University of Applied Sciences in Biala Podlaska, vol. 17(04), January.

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