Global Competitiveness and Innovation: An Agent-Centred Perspective

177 Pages·2004·1.187 MB·English

by  Gordon L. Clark, Paul Tracey (auth.)

Global Competitiveness and Innovation
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Global Competitiveness
and Innovation
An Agent-Centred Perspective
Gordon L. Clark
University of Oxford
UK
and
Paul Tracey
University of Cambridge
UK
© Gordon L. Clark and Paul Tracey 2004
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this
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permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90
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may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The authors have asserted their rights to be identified as the authors of
this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published 2003 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
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PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave
Macmillan division of St. Martin’s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.
Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom
and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European
Union and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-4039-3263-1 ISBN 978-0-230-00773-4 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9780230007734
This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully
managed and sustained forest sources.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Clark, Gordon L.
Global competitiveness and innovation: an agent-centred perspective/
Gordon L. Clark and Paul Tracey.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1–4039–18 89–9(c lo th)– ISBN978-1–4039–32 63–8(paper)
1. Competition, International. 2. Competition. 3. International
economic relations. 4. Globalization. I. Tracey, Paul, 1974– II. Title.
HF1414.C58 2004
337–dc22 2003062248
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04
For Bryan and Lesley Clark
and
Jim and Janice Tracey
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Contents
List of Table and Figures ix
Preface xi
Chapter 1 Introduction 1
Competitiveness and regional economic performance 3
Agent decision-making in time and space 6
Looking forward 11
Coda 14
Chapter 2 Agents and Institutions 17
Models of comparative studies 19
Agent-centred comparative study 24
Agents and institutional behaviour 33
Limits of comparative research 37
Conclusions 40
Chapter 3 Path Dependence and Development 45
Regional differentiation 47
Contingency and rationality 50
Inheritance and endowment 53
Inheritance – assets and liabilities 54
Endowment as a flow of income 56
Europe as a multi-jurisdictional environment 59
Location options within nations 60
Location options within Europe 63
Conclusions 66
Chapter 4 Competitive Strategy and Clusters 69
of Innovation
Competitiveness and the environment 70
Economic behaviour, alliances and competitive strategy 74
Network structure and innovation 77
Regional clusters of innovation 84
Conclusions 88
vii
viii Contents
Chapter 5 Cognition, Learning and the New Economy 91
The nature of cognition 94
A model of learning 96
Innovation in the information and knowledge economy 103
Implications for European regional development 113
Conclusions 118
Chapter 6 Global Competitiveness 123
Four points of departure 126
Regional development – past and present 129
The knowledge economy of the 21stcentury 134
Notes 139
Bibliography 143
Name Index 159
SubjectIndex 163
List of Table and Figures
Table
Table 2.1 Typology of four methods of comparative 27
studies
Figures
Figure 2.1 Typology of agent-institution interaction 36
Figure 3.1 Taxonomy of inheritance, and its value to
economic agents 55
Figure 3.2 Endowment effects on agents’ investment
and strategy 58
Figure 3.3 The value of inherited location 61
Figure 3.4 Interaction between agents and national
institutions 64
Figure 4.1 A conventional approach to agent-environment
interaction 74
Figure 4.2 Weak ties and innovation 79
Figure 4.3 Strong ties and innovation 79
Figure 4.4 Network formation as a dynamic process 80
Figure 5.1 Levels of learning and types of knowledge 102
Figure 5.2 Levels of learning and response to changing 107
circumstances
Figure 5.3 Levels of learning in the context of
institutional inheritance 109
Figure 5.4 Levels of learning and industrial organisation 112
ix