European Urban and Regional Studies current issue

Second Homes and Maximum Yield in Marginal Land: The Re-Resourcing of Rural Land in Norway

Overvag, K. — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 04:46:52 PST

It is generally argued that commodification of rural areas leads to a change in the rural economy from being based on exploiting the physical environment to being mainly based on exploiting the aesthetical appeal of rural areas. In this article, however, it is revealed that commodification of rural areas in Norway is closely connected with exploitation of the physical environment, including through the re-resourcing of land from marginal agriculture and abandoned industrial sites into second home developments. This re-resourcing has also been an economic driving force for related tourist, housing and infrastructure developments. Politically, it has significantly influenced local power configurations. Simultaneously, external and local actors are commanded by stronger environmental regulations that govern the geography of re-resourcing. This article is based on studies of the municipalities of Ringebu and Kragerø, Norway, using analysis of planning documents and qualitative interviews.

Rural Partnerships in Europe -- A Differentiated View From a Country Perspective: The Netherlands and Wales

Derkzen, P. — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 04:46:52 PST

In recent years partnership has become an established aspect of rural development across rural Europe. Both Wales and the Netherlands have seen similar trends towards more decentralized and territorial modes of rural governance in which policy networks of governmental and societal actors work together at a local or regional level to further rural development. Such networks are called ‘partnerships’ in English and ‘gebiedscommissies’ in Dutch. This paper addresses differences in the composition and organization of rural partnerships in these two countries and attributes the differences between them to the policy context in each country. Four policy factors are identified as contributing to the specific approach to partnership adopted in the two countries.The review sustains the presumption that in Dutch rural partnerships the integration discourse is more important than the participation discourse, which is more prominent in Wales.

Mistrust and Lack of Market Innovation: A Case Study of Loss of Competitiveness in a Seafood Industry

Lindkvist, K. B. — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 04:46:52 PST

The fundamental problem discussed in this article is the lack of accord between market adaptation and traditional production practices, which may result in a loss of competitiveness in some industries. A key question of this article is why salted fish consumers in Spain, formerly an important market for Norwegian salted fish producers, are seemingly unable to influence production practices within the Norwegian salted fish industry. The Norwegians have lost significant market share in Spain because of their failure to meet the demand for new products, which required different production methods. Based on institutional and evolutionary economic theories and focusing on production systems, institutional rigidity and path dependency, this article analyses two causes of market failure: the structural conditions for industrial adaptation; and mistrust among most of the core actors in the Norwegian salted fish industry. Mistrust is one significant reason for the failure to establish networks and collective innovation practices in order to adapt to market demands. The article concludes that, instead, actors in the seafood industry developed an ‘imaginary innovation system’ in which they believed that they were innovative and competitive, whereas in reality they were defending individual positions within traditional production practices.

High-Tech Activities, System Innovativeness and Geographical Concentration: Insights Into Technological Districts in Italy

Lazzeroni, M. — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 04:46:52 PST

Within the field of the geography of knowledge and technological innovation, specific attention has been paid to the phenomenon of the spatial concentration of high-tech activities and to the factors that influence the growth of new industrial areas. Within this research stream, the present work is focused on areas characterized by high levels of specialization in high-tech, and more specifically on the concept of technological districts. Technological districts (TDs) are considered to be territorial systems specialized in high-tech activities and characterized by the presence of innovative resources, such as qualified human capital, advanced research activities, the capacity to generate innovation and new technologies, and an entrepreneurial culture. Beyond discussing theoretical concepts, a methodology is proposed for the analysis and identification of TDs through the definition of a taxonomy of local systems with different levels of concentration of high-tech activities and innovative resources. The methodology has been applied to Italy and allows the identification of the most advanced technological areas, which present the basic characteristics of TDs. This methodology is also important because it can be used to compare different geographical contexts and to discuss and evaluate different possibilities in the field of innovation development policies.

International Outsourcing and Partner Location in the Spanish Footwear Sector: An Analysis Based in Industrial District SMEs

Belso-Martinez, J. A. — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 04:46:53 PST

In the globalized economy, international production delocalization can be considered a recurrent strategy in manufacturing industries. Taking into account this evidence, this paper seeks to determine the different factors influencing production outsourcing and partner location in four Spanish industrial districts. Using a sample of 401 footwear firms, results obtained from an ordered logit model indicate that institutional networks, internationalization efforts, firm size and differentiation policies favour more distant partner locations. Finally, the implications for practitioners and policy makers are specifically addressed.

Regional Knowledge Networks: A Network Analysis Approach To the Interlinking of Knowledge Resources

Kratke, S. — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 04:46:53 PST

This article employs an actor network approach to the empirical analysis of knowledge networking in a case-study region in order to investigate the structure and properties of regional innovation networks in a detailed and nuanced way. Knowledge networks in terms of innovation-related cooperative interlinkages between firms and research establishments can be regarded as a relational component of regional innovation systems. The basic assumption is that connectivity in a regional knowledge network can positively contribute to a region’s innovation capacity. The use of a social network analysis approach might enhance our understanding of knowledge networks in a regional context. This article presents the findings of a detailed network analysis of innovation-related cooperative interlinkages between public research establishments and private sector firms in a metropolitan region in Germany.

Classifying Regions for European Development Funding

Larraz Iribas, B., Pavia, J. M. — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 04:46:53 PST

Structural and cohesion funds play a prominent role in European Union regional policy, which aims to reduce gaps in development between regions and disparities in well-being between European citizens. The regions and areas eligible for funding — 308,000 million during the 2007—13 period — are chosen according to regional GDP per inhabitant as the variable of reference. Despite the great importance of this indicator, the complex socioeconomic reality of regions cannot be fully explained by means of a single variable. Hence, using the large number of variables on economic, political, cultural and demographic characteristics available at regional level, this article groups European regions into homogeneous clusters. This makes it possible to identify the weak and strong points of each group of regions and to ascertain what type of action should be promoted and, therefore, funded in each region.