Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 11
The Capture and Diffusion of Knowledge
Spillovers: The Influence of the Position
of Cities in a Network
Marie-Noëlle Comin
11.1
Introduction
Cities concentrate economic activities, information, power and people in both
quantitative and qualitative ways. Cities are also nodes of complex, interconnected
networks. In Europe, the establishment of a large supranational entity has resulted
in the multiplication and intensification of the relationships between politically
unified countries. The majority of these relationships pass through cities. Studying
the complex links that underpin the European system of cities is critical to
understanding the interdependencies in the system. Here, the interconnection of
European national urban systems is studied by analyzing scientific and technological
collaborative-research networks. Such networks make it possible to observe the flow
of scientific knowledge within the European system of cities.
In Europe, as in the rest of the world, scientific and technological innovation has
acquired increasing strategic importance in economic competition. Such innovation
also plays a crucial role in the structure and dynamics of settlement systems:
in the emerging “knowledge economy,” the major dynamic feature characterizing
the evolution of urban systems appears to be competition for the collection of
knowledge and innovations. Knowledge spillovers are considered to be both an input
and an output of the innovation process. Therefore, understanding how knowledge
spillovers flow within European territories is critical to understanding innovation
processes in Europe. Contrary to the widespread idea that innovation is indifferent
to location, various empirical studies stress the importance of cities as nodes of
accumulation, production and diffusion of scientific and technological knowledge
( Bouinot , 2004 ; Castells , 2000 ; Lever , 1999 ; Simmie , 2001 ). Thus, analyzing
Search WWH ::




Custom Search