Networking towards sustainable tourism: innovations between green growth and degrowth strategiesPanzer-Krause, Sabine
doi: 10.1080/00343404.2018.1508873pmid: N/A
This paper uses network analysis to investigate features of a regional network of tourism enterprises in rural Ireland. In contrast to the economic-driven networks literature, it focuses on socio-ecological goals alongside the economic goals. Acknowledging the heterogeneity of sustainable entrepreneurs, member businesses are categorized by their ideological orientation towards sustainability, ranging from strict green growth to rigid degrowth approaches. The paper argues that sustainability networks support rural areas’ efforts for change; however, degrowth strategists need to be represented as key actors of communication and joint activities in the long term to realize a clear shift away from business as usual.
Innovating by bricolage: how do firms diversify through knowledge interactions with FabLabs?Suire, Raphaël
doi: 10.1080/00343404.2018.1522431pmid: N/A
This paper provides some insights into the way a fabrication laboratory (FabLab) increases local entrepreneurial capabilities by offering a new and collective way to co-shape novelties based on a bricolage mode of innovation. With an original survey of 48 international FabLabs, it was observed that FabLabs tend to co-produce more unstabilized prototypes or drafts when interacting with small firms, whereas they co-produce more spin-offs and related variety when in a partnership with large firms. Moreover, FabLabs produce more outputs when they are connected to both small and large firms. In other words, the FabLab’s output is sensitive to its industrial partnerships and can be a driver for regional diversification under specific conditions.
Agglomeration, networking and the Great RecessionCainelli, Giulio; Giannini, Valentina; Iacobucci, Donato
doi: 10.1080/00343404.2018.1511892pmid: N/A
This paper analyzes how and to what extent firms’ external relations, such as belonging to a local cluster or a business group, affect the probability of firm survival and economic performance after the 2008 Great Recession. Using a large data set of Italian manufacturing companies for the period 2005–12, it was found that belonging to a business group or a local cluster mitigates the selection effect determined by the real and financial shocks, while in the case of firms not belonging to groups, only the more efficient units survive. This means that firms belonging to a group or local cluster are expected to show a lower likelihood of failure and also lower performance compared with stand-alone firms.
Economies of scope in Portuguese local government using an augmented Hicks–Moorsteen approachCaldas, Paulo; Ferreira, Diogo; Dollery, Brian; Marques, Rui
doi: 10.1080/00343404.2018.1508872pmid: N/A
Whereas a substantial empirical literature has investigated scale economies in local government, by contrast little effort has been directed at economies of scope. To address this gap in the literature, this paper empirically examines economies of scope in 308 Portuguese local governments and the extent to which it explains differential council performance. We employ a new methodology using geometric distance functions, an augmented Hicks–Moorsteen index, and partial frontiers for (in)efficiency assessment in local government. The results demonstrate that most councils that ‘externalize’ service provision face diseconomies of scope, which increase in proportion to the externalization of service provision.
Creative actors and historical–cultural assets in urban regionsKourtit, Karima; Nijkamp, Peter
doi: 10.1080/00343404.2018.1541077pmid: N/A
This paper examines whether the distribution of creative actors (firms and employees) among Dutch urban agglomerations is related to historically shaped culture heritage assets (cultural amenities and historical monuments). The concept of a creative–cultural complex is introduced to explore the synergy between urban amenities with a high cultural heritage value and their magnet function for firms and people. The paper offers a concise overview of the creativity–cultural heritage nexus, provides an operational framing of the research, and describes briefly the relative growth of the creative sector in urban labour market regions in the Netherlands. It addresses the spatial–economic profile of creative actors in four large urban agglomerations (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht), which have a wealth of cultural assets. The findings show a concentration trend of creative actors in these agglomerations. We then test the general proposition that differences in these spatial concentration patterns are inter alia related to differences in the local presence of cultural amenities and historical monuments in Dutch municipalities, combined with other moderator variables (urban size and agglomeration advantages). We develop a conceptual model and employ a regression analysis to test a correlation between creative actors and historical–cultural amenities at a local level. The paper concludes that local historical–cultural heritage may function as a pull factor that is positively correlated with the local creative economy. This leads to important policy lessons on creative–cultural complexes.
Explaining spatial patterns of foreign employment in GermanyLehmann, Robert; Nagl, Wolfgang
doi: 10.1080/00343404.2018.1515479pmid: N/A
This paper investigates the main determinants of the representation of foreign employees across German regions. Since migration determinants are not necessarily the same for workers of different nationalities, spatial patterns are explained not only for total foreign employment but also for the 35 most important migration countries to Germany. Based on a total census for all 402 German districts, the paper starts by showing the spatial distributions of workers with different nationalities and explains the emerging patterns by spatial error models. Although large heterogeneity in determinants across nationalities are found, similarities between country groups prevail. Economic conditions matter for most nationalities, whereas the importance of amenities and openness differ.
Cluster dynamics of financial centres in the UK: do connected firms grow faster?Pažitka, Vladimír; Wójcik, Dariusz
doi: 10.1080/00343404.2018.1531116pmid: N/A
This study investigates the connection between network centrality and firm growth on a sample of 3224 financial services firms located in the UK in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. The findings, based on a spatial econometric model of long-term firm growth, indicate that firms that span structural holes, engage in co-management appointments and have network connections to related companies in other financial centres grow faster. In contrast, such connections generate substantial negative indirect effects on proximate firms, leading to a divergence of growth rates between globally connected and locally embedded firms.
A new approach to test the effects of decentralization on public infrastructure investmentAray, Henry
doi: 10.1080/00343404.2018.1538552pmid: N/A
This paper proposes a simple theoretical framework to obtain a tractable equation that considers the traditional criteria for allocating public infrastructure investment and variables to capture decentralization. Panel data for the regions of Spain over the period 1986–2010 are used. Positive effects of fiscal and administrative decentralization on public investment in infrastructure are found. The results are strongly robust to different relative measures of public infrastructure investment, estimation methods and databases. Moreover, in line with recent theoretical literature, additional estimations suggest that such effects are bounded and there is no long-run relationship between decentralization and public infrastructure investment.