Handbook on the Geographies of Innovation

Book excerpt: The geography of innovation is changing. Firstly, it is increasingly understood that innovative firms and organizations exhibit a wide variety of strategies, each differently attuned to diverse geographic contexts. Secondly, and concomitantly, the idea that cities, clusters and physical proximity are essential for innovation is evolving under the weight of new theorizing and empirical evidence. The aim of this handbook is to break with the many ideas and concepts that emerged during the course of the 1980s and 1990s, and to fully take into account the new reality of the internet, mobile communication technologies, personal mobility and globalization. The handbook gathers a new generation of ideas and authors to contribute to the debate, providing an empirically grounded critical appraisal of the prevailing knowledge on the geography of innovation. The 28 original chapters, written by a diverse range of scholars with widely differing views, present fresh empirical evidence and new perspectives relating to how innovation plays out across space in an age where mobility has increased, information is ubiquitous and globalisation has been realised. Overall, the dialogue between existing theory and new possibilities provides a unique and challenging appraisal of the connection between innovation, agglomeration and space. Offering cutting edge ideas in an accessible format, this will be an ideal resource for students and scholars of economic geography and innovation studies. The empirical evidence and analysis will also be of great value for policymakers and government officials. Contributors include:B.T. Asheim, H.W. Aslesen, A. Bain, P.-A. Balland, N. Bradford, A. Bramwell, C. Brennan-Horley, S. Breschi, C. Carraincazeaux, C. Chaminade, R. Comunian, C. De Fuentes, D. Doloreux, D. Eckert, A. Faggian, M. Ferru, R.D. Fitjar, K. Flanagan, C. Gibson, M. Grillitsch, M. Grossetti, G. Harirchi, F. Huber, A. Isaksen, S. Jewel, J. Karlsen, N. Komninos, J.-L. Klein, N. Lee, F. Lissoni, M. Maisonobe, J. Mattes, P. McCann, C.T. Noumedem, R. Ortega-Argilés, M. Plechero, A. Rallet, A. Rodriguez-Pose, R. Shearmur, H.L. Smith, B. Spigel, J. Tallec, E. Tranos, D.-G. Tremblay, F. Tödtling, M. Trippl, E. Uyarra, C. Yang, C. Wilkie, D.A. Wolfe