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Towards Conceptual Quality in Regional Studies: The Need for Subtle Critique - A Response to Markusen

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  • Arnoud Lagendijk

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L AGENDIJK A. (2003) Towards conceptual quality in regional studies: the need for subtle critique - a response to Markusen, Reg. Studies 37 , 719- 727. How should we respond to M ARKUSEN 's, 1999, challenge to address the problem of "fuzzy concepts'? Following a constructionist perspective, this contribution adopts an interpretation of concepts as rhetorical devices that gain prominence through the way they are linked discursively to established concepts and empirical evidence. Conceptual quality, accordingly, depends on the academic practices and conventions that undergird the development of conceptual families and webs in a certain academic field. Applying these ideas to the lineage of regional innovation concepts reveals certain causes of conceptual weakness. For instance, conceptual development in this field strongly draws from ideas articulated in other (sub) disciplines. While such "borrowing' has certainly shed new light on questions of regional development, the translation of ideas and concepts appears to be often lacking in accuracy, especially within a longer-term perspective. Likewise, the invocation of empirical material tends to be rather crude. What is lacking, in particular, is an established practice of developing and reviewing more operational concepts (like typologies) that help to bridge the gap between "grand' concepts and regional development in practice. This leads to the conclusion that conceptual quality requires more emphasis on "subtle critique', that is, a careful and thoughtful reviewing of the relative value and significance of established and emerging concepts within one conceptual family. Whereas the field of regional studies has a strong tradition in "grand critiques', i.e. strong discursive competition between conceptual families, it is "subtle critique' that will improve its level of conceptual quality. L AGENDIJK A. (2003) Vers une qualite conceptuelle dans les etudes regionales: le besoin d'une critique subtile - une reponse a Markusen, Reg. Studies 37 , 719-727. Comment relever le defi de M ARKUSEN , 1999, d'aborder la question des "concepts confus'? Suite a une perspective constructiviste, cet article cherche a adopter une interpretation des concepts comme dispositifs rhetoriques auxquels on accorde de l'importance par la facon dont ils sont lies de facon discursive aux concepts bien etablis et aux preuves empiriques. En consequence, la qualite conceptuelle depend des pratiques et des conventions academiques qui etayent le developpement de familles et de reseaux conceptuels dans un domaine particulier. Appliquer ces idees aux origines des concepts d'innovation regionale laisse voir certaines explications des faiblesses conceptuelles. Dans ce domaine, le de veloppement conceptuel puise largement dans les idees exprimees dans d'autres (sous) disciplines, par exemple. Alors qu'il n'est pas a nier qu'un tel "emprunt' a repandu de la lumiere sur des questions d'amenagement du territoire, il semble que la traduction des idees et des concepts manque de justesse, surtout dans une perspective a long terme. Egalement, l'invocation de la documentation empirique a tendance a etre plutot rudimentaire. Ce qui manque, en particulier, c'est une facon bien etablie de developper et de reviser des concepts plus operationnels (a savoir, des typologies) qui aident a colmater la breche entre les "grands' concepts et l'amenagement du territoire en pratique. Cela amene a la conclusion suivante: pour ce qui est de la qualite conceptuelle, on doit mettre l'accent sur "la critique subtile', c'est a dire, reviser soigneusement et de facon reflechie la valeur et l'importance relatives des concepts bien etablis et naissants au sein d'une seule famille de concepts. Tandis que le domaine des etudes regionales puise fortement dans les " grandes critiques' par tradition, autrement dit la forte concurrence discursive entre familles conceptuelles, c'est la "critique subtile' qui va ameliorer son niveau de qualite conceptuelle. L AGENDIJK A. (2003) Ansatze der Begriffsqualitat in Regionalstudien: die Notwendigkeit, subtile Kritik zu uben - eine Erwiderung auf Markusen, Reg. Studies 37 , 719-727. Wie soll man auf Markusens Herausforderung reagieren, das Problem "unklarer Konzeption' anzugehen? Vom Standpunkt einer konstruktionistischen Auffassung gesehen, ubernimmt dieser Beitrag die Interpretation von Konzepten als rhetorische Kunstgriffe, die durch die Art ihrer Verknupfung mit bestehenden Konzepten und empirischen Beweisen in den Vordergrund rucken. Begriffsqualitat hangt demnach von akademischen Verfahrensweisen und Konventionen ab, welche die Entwicklung von Begriffsfamilien und -geflechten auf einem bestinnten akademischen Gebiet unterbauen. Die Anwendung dieser Ideen auf die Abfolge der regionalen Innovationskonzepte zeigt gewisse Ursachen konzeptualer Schwachen auf. Konzeptuale Entwicklung auf diesem Gebiet stutzt sich zum Beispiel stark auf Ideen, die andere (Teil)disziplinen dargelegt haben. Obschon derartige "Anleihen' sicherlich ein neues Licht auf Fragen der regionalen Entwicklung geworfen haben, scheint es der Ubertragung von Ideen und Konzepten oft an Genauigkeit zu fehlen, besonders in der langfristigen Perspektive. Ebenso ist die Beschworung empirischen Materials meist ziemlich primitiv. Was vorallem fehlt, ist ein anerkanntes Verfahren zur Entwicklung und Besprechung einsatzfahigerer Konzepte (wie Typologie), die dazu beitragen, die Kluft zwischen "hochfliegenden' Konzepten und der Praxis der regionalen Entwicklung zu uberbrucken. Dies fuhrt zu dem Schluss, dass begriffliche Qualitat sta rkere Betonung "subtiler Kritik' verlangt, d.h. eine sorgfaltige und wohl durchdachte Besprechng der relativer Werte und Bedeutung erprobter und neu aufkommender Konzepte einer Konzeptfamilie. Wahrend "Gesamtkritiken' auf dem Gebiet der Regionalstudien schon fest verwurzelt sind, d.h. intensive weitschweifende Wettbewerbe zwischen Konzeptfamilien ausgetragen werden, ist es die "subtile Kritik', die das Niveau ihrer Begriffsqualitat anheben wird.

Suggested Citation

  • Arnoud Lagendijk, 2003. "Towards Conceptual Quality in Regional Studies: The Need for Subtle Critique - A Response to Markusen," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(6-7), pages 719-727.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:regstd:v:37:y:2003:i:6-7:p:719-727
    DOI: 10.1080/0034340032000108804
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    1. Michael Keating, 1998. "The New Regionalism in Western Europe," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 1193.
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    1. Dirk-Jan Koch & Ruerd Ruben, 2008. "Spatial Clustering Of NGOs: An Evolutionary Economic Geography Approach," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 0814, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Aug 2008.
    2. Hugues Jeannerat & Olivier Crevoisier, 2016. "Editorial: From 'Territorial Innovation Models' to 'Territorial Knowledge Dynamics': On the Learning Value of a New Concept in Regional Studies," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(2), pages 185-188, February.
    3. Arnoud Lagendijk, 2006. "Learning from conceptual flow in regional studies: Framing present debates, unbracketing past debates," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(4), pages 385-399.
    4. Päivi Oinas & Caterina Marchionni, 2010. "How to Make Progress in Theories of Spatial Clustering: A Case Study of Malmberg and Maskell's Emerging Theory," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 42(4), pages 805-820, April.
    5. Paul Benneworth & Gert-Jan Hospers, 2007. "The New Economic Geography of Old Industrial Regions: Universities as Global — Local Pipelines," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 25(6), pages 779-802, December.

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