The geographical sources of innovation of firms have been hotly debated. While the traditional view is that physical proximity within city-regions is key for the innovative capacity of firms, the literature on ‘global pipelines’ has been stressing the importance of establishing communication channels to the outside world. This paper uses a specifically tailored survey of the level of innovation of 1604 firms of more than ten employees located in the five largest Norwegian city-regions (Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim, and Kristiansand) in order to determine (a) the geographical dimension of the sources of innovation, and (b) the factors behind the propensity to innovate in Norwegian firms. The results stress that, while interaction with a multitude of partners within Norwegian city-regions or with other national partners has a negligible effect on firm innovation, those firms with a greater diversity of international partners tend to innovate more and introduce more radical innovations. The results also highlight that the roots of this greater innovative capacity lie in a combination of firm (size of firms, share of foreign ownership, and sector) and cultural (the level of open-mindedness of managers) characteristics.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AminAThriftN, 1995, “Globalization, institutional thickness and the local economy”, in Managing Cities: The New Urban Context Eds HealyPCameronSDavoudiA (John Wiley, Chichester, Sussex) pp 91–108
2.
AsheimBCoenenLVangJ, 2007, “Face-to-face, buzz, and knowledge bases: sociospatial implications for learning, innovation, and innovation policy”Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy25655–670
3.
BagnascoA, 1988La Costruzione Sociale del Mercato: Studi sullo Sviluppo di Piccola Impresa in Italia (Il Mulino, Bologna)
4.
BaptistaRSwannP, 1998, “Do firms in clusters innovate more?”Research Policy27525–540
5.
BatheltH, 2001, “Regional competence and economic recovery: divergent growth paths in Boston's high technology economy”Entrepreneurship and Regional Development13287–314
6.
BatheltHMalmbergAMaskellP, 2004, “Clusters and knowledge: local buzz, global pipelines and the process of knowledge creation”Progress in Human Geography2831–56
7.
BecattiniG, 1987Mercato e Forze Locali: Il Distretto Industriale (Il Mulino, Bologna)
8.
BoschmaR A, 2005, “Proximity and innovation: a critical assessment”Regional Studies3961–74
9.
BoschmaR AIammarinoS, 2009, “Related variety, trade linkages and regional growth in Italy”Economic Geography85289–311
10.
BoschmaR AErikssonRLindgrenU, 2009, “How does labour mobility affect the performance of plants? The importance of relatedness and geographical proximity”Journal of Economic Geography9169–190
11.
DoloreuxDDionneS, 2008, “Is regional innovation system development possible in peripheral regions? Some evidence from the case of La Pocatière, Canada”Entrepreneurship and Regional Development20259–283
12.
DoloreuxDPartoS, 2005, “Regional innovation systems: current discourse and unresolved issues”Technology in Society27133–153
13.
ErikssonRLindgrenU, 2009, “Localized mobility clusters: impacts of labour market externalities on firm performance”Journal of Economic Geography933–53
FitjarR DRodríguez-PoseA, 2011, “Innovating in the periphery: firms, values, and innovation in Southwest Norway”European Planning Studies forthcoming
16.
GertlerM S, 1995, “‘Being there’: proximity, organization, and culture in the development adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies”Economic Geography711–26
17.
GertlerM S, 2003, “Tacit knowledge and the economic geography of context, or, the undefinable tacitness of being (there)”Journal of Economic Geography375–99
18.
GertlerM SWolfeD, 2006, “Spaces of knowledge flows: clusters in a global context”, in Clusters and Regional Development: Critical Reflections and Explorations Eds AsheimBCookePMartinR (Routledge, London) pp 218–235
InglehartR, 2000, “Culture and democracy”, in Culture Matters: How Values Shape Human Progress Eds HarrisonL EHuntingtonS P (Basic Books, New York) pp 80–97
21.
IsaksenA, 2009, “Innovation dynamics of global competitive regional clusters: the case of the Norwegian Centres of Enterprise”Regional Studies431155–1166
22.
LeknesE, 2010, “Fremveksten av byregioner i Norge”, in Norske byregioner: Utviklingstrekk og styringsutfordringer Eds FarsundA ALeknesE (Høyskoleforlaget, Kristiansand) pp 55–93
23.
MaleckiE J, 2000, “Knowledge and regional competitiveness”Erdkunde54334–351
MalmbergAPowerD, 2005, “(How) do (firms in) clusters create knowledge?”Industry and Innovation12409–431
26.
MarkusenA, 1996, “Sticky places in slippery space: a typology of industrial districts”Economic Geography72293–313
27.
MaskellP, 2001, “Towards a knowledge-based theory of the geographical cluster”Industrial and Corporate Change10921–943
28.
MaskellPEskelinenHHannibalssonIMalmbergAVatneE, 1998Competitiveness, Localised Learning and Regional Development: Specialization and Prosperity in Small Open Economies (Routledge, London)
29.
MaskellPBatheltHMalmbergA, 2006, “Building global knowledge pipelines: the role of temporary clusters”European Planning Studies14997–1013
30.
MehlumHMoeneKTorvikR, 2006, “Institutions and the resource curse”The Economic Journal1161–20
31.
Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, 2003Greater Cities Report: On the Development of Greater City Policies Government White Paper no. 31, 2002–2003
32.
MoodyssonJ, 2008, “Principles and practices of knowledge creation: on the organization of ‘buzz’ and ‘pipelines’ in life science communities”Economic Geography84449–469
33.
MoodyssonJJonssonO, 2007, “Knowledge collaboration and proximity: the spatial organization of biotech innovation projects”European Urban and Regional Studies14115–131
34.
MoodyssonJCoenenLAsheimB, 2008, “Explaining spatial patterns of innovation: analytical and synthetic modes of knowledge creation in the Medicon Valley life-science cluster”Environment and Planning A401040–1056
35.
NormanV D, 1983Næringsstruktur og utenrikshandel i en liten, åpen økonomi (Gyldendal, Oslo)
36.
OnsagerKIsaksenAFraasMJohnstadT, 2007, “Technology cities in Norway: innovating in glocal networks”European Planning Studies15549–566
37.
PorterM, 1990The Competitive Advantage of Nations (Macmillan, London)
38.
Rodríguez-PoseACrescenziR, 2008, “Research and development, spillovers, innovation systems, and the genesis of regional growth in Europe”Regional Studies4251–67
39.
StorperMVenablesA J, 2004, “Buzz: face-to-face contact and the urban economy”Journal of Economic Geography4351–370
40.
TrigiliaC, 1992Sviluppo Senza Autonomia: Effetti Perversi delle Politiche nel Mezzogiorno (Il Mulino, Bologna)
41.
TripplMTödtlingFLengauerL, 2009, “Knowledge sourcing beyond buzz and pipelines: evidence from the Vienna software sector”Economic Geography85443–462
42.
WolfeD AGertlerM S, 2004, “Clusters from the inside and out: local dynamics and global linkages”Urban Studies411071–1093
