IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/regstd/v46y2012i8p1041-1053.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Spaces of Innovation: Learning, Proximity and the Ecological Turn

Author

Listed:
  • Adrian Healy
  • Kevin Morgan

Abstract

Healy A. and Morgan K. Spaces of innovation: learning, proximity and the ecological turn, Regional Studies . Contrary to the fashionable ‘death of distance’ thesis, the socio-spatial context for innovation remains as important as ever for firms, networks and the public institutions that tend to be neglected in orthodox narratives of learning. This article explores the changing socio-spatial dynamics of innovation through the medium of three arguments: (1) that the ‘Learning Region’ debate was worth having because it triggered a fruitful dialogue between innovation theorists and economic geographers; (2) that geographical proximity remains a powerful explanatory concept; and (3) that ‘the ecological turn’ challenges conventional conceptions of learning, innovation and development. Healy A. and Morgan K. 创新空间:学习、邻近性与生态转向,区域研究。与盛行的「距离消失」理论相反, 创新的社会空间脉络对公司、网络以及公共机构而言仍至关重要,却经常在主流的学 习论述中受到忽略。本文透过以下三大主张探讨转变中的创新的社会空间动态:(1)「学习区域」仍有辩论之必要,因其触发创新理论者与经济地理学者间丰硕的对话; (2)地理邻近性仍为具有高度解释力的概念;( 3)「生态转向」挑战了 固有的学习、创新与发展之概念。 学习 区域 创新 邻近性 Healy A. et Morgan K. Des espaces d'innovation: l'apprentissage, la proximit� et le virage �cologique, Regional Studies . Contrairement à la thèse en vogue appell�e ‘la mort de la distance’, le contexte socio-g�ographique de l'innovation reste toujours aussi important pour les entreprises, les r�seaux et les institutions publiques dont on a tendance à ne pas tenir compte dans les r�cits d'apprentissage orthodoxes. Cet article cherche à examiner la dynamique socio-g�ographique changeante de l'innovation par l'interm�diaire des affirmations suivantes: (1) le d�bat sur la ‘r�gion d'apprentissage’ valait la peine parce qu'elle a d�clench� un dialogue fructueux entre les th�oriciens d'innovation et les g�ographes �conomiques; (2) la proximit� g�ographique reste une notion explicative puissante; et (3) ‘le virage �cologique’ remet en question les notions conventionnelles d'apprentissage, d'innovation et de d�veloppement. Apprentissage R�gions Innovation Proximit�s Healy A. und Morgan K. Räume der Innovation: Lernen, Nähe und die ökologische Wende, Regional Studies . Ungeachtet der in Mode gekommenen These vom ‘Tod der Distanz’ hat der sozialräumliche Kontext der Innovation für Firmen, Netzwerke und öffentliche Einrichtungen -- die in den orthodoxen Darstellungen des Lernens oft vernachlässigt werden -- nichts von seiner Bedeutung verloren. In diesem Artikel wird die veränderliche sozialräumliche Dynamik der Innovation anhand von drei Argumenten untersucht: (1) dem Argument, dass die Debatte über die ‘Lernregion’ lohnend war, weil sie einen fruchtbaren Dialog zwischen Innovationstheoretikern und Wirtschaftsgeografen auslöste, (2) dem Argument, dass die geografische Nähe nach wie vor ein wichtiges erläuterndes Konzept darstellt, und (3) dem Argument, dass die ‘ökologische Wende’ die herkömmlichen Auffassungen von Lernen, Innovation und Entwicklung in Frage stellt. Lernen Regionen Innovation Nähe Healy A. y Morgan K. Espacios de la innovación: aprendizaje, proximidad y el giro ecológico, Regional Studies . A pesar de la moderna tesis de la ‘muerte de la distancia’, el contexto socioespacial para la innovación sigue siendo igual de importante para las empresas, las redes y las instituciones públicas que tienden a ignorarse en los relatos ortodoxos del aprendizaje. En este art�culo analizamos las dinámicas socioespaciales cambiantes de la innovación a partir de tres argumentos: (1) el argumento de que el debate sobre la ‘región del aprendizaje’ merec�a la pena porque generaba un diálogo fruct�fero entre los teóricos de la innovación y los geógrafos económicos; (2) el argumento de que la proximidad geográfica sigue siendo un sólido concepto explicativo; y (3) el argumento de que el ‘giro ecológico’ cuestiona los conceptos convencionales del aprendizaje, la innovación y el desarrollo. Aprendizaje Regiones Innovación Proximidades

Suggested Citation

  • Adrian Healy & Kevin Morgan, 2012. "Spaces of Innovation: Learning, Proximity and the Ecological Turn," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(8), pages 1041-1053, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:regstd:v:46:y:2012:i:8:p:1041-1053
    DOI: 10.1080/00343404.2012.672725
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/00343404.2012.672725
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/00343404.2012.672725?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Thomas Doring & Jan Schnellenbach, 2006. "What do we know about geographical knowledge spillovers and regional growth?: A survey of the literature," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(3), pages 375-395.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Guido Capaldo & Margarida Fontes & Lorella Cannavacciuolo & Pierluigi Rippa & Cristina Sousa, 2015. "Networks Mobilized to Access Key Resources at Early Stages of Biotech Firms: A Comparative Analysis in Two Moderately Innovative Countries," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(7), pages 1381-1400, July.
    2. Betsy Donald & Mia Gray & Centre for Business Research, 2018. "The Double Crisis: In What Sense A Regional Problem?," Working Papers wp507, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge.
    3. Muhammad Adil Rauf & Bruce Frayne, 2024. "Affordable Housing – Challenges and Constraints for Local Governance in Canada," Journal of Sustainable Development, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 17(1), pages 103-103, January.
    4. Carla De Laurentis & Malcolm Eames & Miriam Hunt, 2017. "Retrofitting the built environment ‘to save’ energy: Arbed, the emergence of a distinctive sustainability transition pathway in Wales," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 35(7), pages 1156-1175, November.
    5. Markus Grillitsch & Magnus Nilsson, 2017. "Firm performance in the periphery: on the relation between firm-internal knowledge and local knowledge spillovers," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(8), pages 1219-1231, August.
    6. Elvira Uyarra & Kieron Flanagan & Edurne Magro & Jon Mikel Zabala-Iturriagagoitia, 2017. "Anchoring the innovation impacts of public procurement to place: The role of conversations," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 35(5), pages 828-848, August.
    7. Markus Grillitsch & Magnus Nilsson, 2019. "Knowledge externalities and firm heterogeneity: Effects on high and low growth firms," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 98(1), pages 93-114, February.
    8. Frank van der Wouden & David L. Rigby, 2019. "Co‐inventor networks and knowledge production in specialized and diversified cities," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 98(4), pages 1833-1853, August.
    9. Kinnear, Susan & Ogden, Ian, 2014. "Planning the innovation agenda for sustainable development in resource regions: A central Queensland case study," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 42-53.
    10. Marilena Labianca, 2023. "Proposal of a Method for Identifying Socio-Economic Spatial Concentrations for the Development of Rural Areas: An Application to the Apulia Region (Southern Italy)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-22, February.
    11. Caroline Kramer & Madeleine Wagner, 2020. "Enhancing Urban Sustainable Indicators in a German City—Towards Human-Centered Measurements for Sustainable Urban Planning," World, MDPI, vol. 1(2), pages 1-20, August.
    12. Julia Affolderbach & Christian Schulz, 2016. "Mobile transitions: Exploring synergies for urban sustainability research," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 53(9), pages 1942-1957, July.
    13. Katerina Ciampi Stancova, 2020. "Learning opportunities stemming from place-based transformative Smart Specialisation. Examples from Visegrad Group countries," JRC Research Reports JRC120702, Joint Research Centre.
    14. Maureen McKelvey, 2016. "Firms navigating through innovation spaces: a conceptualization of how firms search and perceive technological, market and productive opportunities globally," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 26(4), pages 785-802, October.
    15. Dolinska, Aleksandra, 2017. "Bringing farmers into the game. Strengthening farmers' role in the innovation process through a simulation game, a case from Tunisia," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 129-139.
    16. Iréne Bernhard, 2016. "Innovation focusing on regional development in a European context - towards a new research agenda," International Journal of Innovation and Regional Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 7(1), pages 1-19.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rajeev K. Goel, 2023. "Seek foreign funds or technology? Relative impacts of different spillover modes on innovation," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 48(4), pages 1466-1488, August.
    2. B. Zorina Khan, 2014. "Of Time and Space: Technological Spillovers among Patents and Unpatented Innovations during Early U.S. Industrialization," NBER Working Papers 20732, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Cassandra C Wang & George C S Lin & Guicai Li, 2010. "Industrial Clustering and Technological Innovation in China: New Evidence from the ICT Industry in Shenzhen," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 42(8), pages 1987-2010, August.
    4. Zietz, Joachim A. & Penn, David A., 2008. "An Unobserved Components Forecasting Model of Non-Farm Employment for the Nashville MSA," Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy, Mid-Continent Regional Science Association, vol. 38(1), pages 1-10.
    5. Alvaro Pina Stranger & Germán Varas & Valentin Gerard, 2023. "Where Do Social Support and Epistemic Centrality Come From? The Case of Innovators in the French Biotech Industry," Post-Print hal-04223156, HAL.
    6. Raspe, Otto & van Oort, Frank, 2008. "Firm Growth and Localized Knowledge Externalities," Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy, Mid-Continent Regional Science Association, vol. 38(2), pages 1-17.
    7. Jannati, Sima, 2020. "Geographic spillover of dominant firms’ shocks," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    8. Otto Raspe & Frank Oort, 2011. "Growth of new firms and spatially bounded knowledge externalities," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 46(3), pages 495-518, June.
    9. Christos Kolympiris & Sebastian Hoenen & Nicholas Kalaitzandonakes, 2018. "Geographic distance between venture capitalists and target firms and the value of quality signals," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 27(1), pages 189-220.
    10. Maria Sassi, 2010. "OLS and GWR Approaches to Agricultural Convergence in the EU-15," International Advances in Economic Research, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 16(1), pages 96-108, February.
    11. Benoit, Florence & Belderbos, René, 2024. "International connection, local disconnection: The (heterogeneous) role of global cities in local and global innovation networks," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 30(3).
    12. Sauer, Thomas & Stoetzer, Matthias-Wolfgang & Gerlach, Andrea, 2007. "Spatial localization of knowledge-transfer channels and face-to-face contacts: A survey of the Jena university-industry linkages," Jena Contributions to Economic Research 2007,4, Ernst-Abbe-Hochschule Jena – University of Applied Sciences, Department of Business Administration.
    13. Rafael Boix & José Luis Hervás-Oliver & Blanca De Miguel-Molina, 2013. "“I want creative neighbours”. Do creative service industries spillovers cross regional boundaries?," Working Papers 1315, Department of Applied Economics II, Universidad de Valencia.
    14. Titze, Mirko & Brachert, Matthias & Günther, Jutta & Schwartz, Michael, 2010. "Die Identifikation von Wissenschaftsräumen: Eine Konzeptstudie über methodische Ansätze sowie Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der empirischen Erfassung," IWH-Sonderhefte 5/2010, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
    15. Bjuggren, Per-Olof & Elmoznino Laufer, Michel, 2015. "Startups, Financing and Geography– Findings from a survey," Ratio Working Papers 255, The Ratio Institute.
    16. Matthias Firgo & Peter Mayerhofer, 2015. "Wissensintensive Unternehmensdienste, Wissens-Spillovers und regionales Wachstum. Teilprojekt 1: Wissens-Spillovers und regionale Entwicklung – Welche strukturpolitische Ausrichtung optimiert das Wach," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 58342.
    17. Frank G. van Oort & Otto Raspe, 2012. "Firm Productivity in Innovative Urban Milieus," Chapters, in: Knut Ingar Westeren (ed.), Foundations of the Knowledge Economy, chapter 6, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    18. Roberto Basile, 2014. "Regional productivity growth in Europe: a Schumpeterian perspective," Gecomplexity Discussion Paper Series 1, Action IS1104 "The EU in the new complex geography of economic systems: models, tools and policy evaluation", revised Nov 2014.
    19. Elif Bascavusoglu-Moreau & Qian Cher Li, 2013. "Knowledge Spillovers & Sources of Knowledge in the Manufacturing Sector: Literature Review & Empirical Evidence for the UK," Working Papers wp451, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge.
    20. Chih-Hai Yang & Hui-Lin Lin, 2012. "Openness, Absorptive Capacity, and Regional Innovation in China," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 44(2), pages 333-355, February.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:regstd:v:46:y:2012:i:8:p:1041-1053. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/CRES20 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.