This important new book takes a critical view on regional industry clusters, in particular their identification and formation, and the policies which help create and support them.

One-size-fits-all cluster policies have been rightly criticized in the literature. One promising approach is to focus cluster policies on the specific needs of firms depending on the stage of development (emergence, growth, sustainment or decline) their cluster is in. In this highly insightful book, these stage-specific cluster policies are analysed and evaluated. Moreover, several chapters also focus on smart specialization policies to promote regional development by taking into account the emergence and adaptation of clusters and industries.

Media industries and services present a complex set of challenges to economic analysis: challenges made more difficult by the technological changes that have been transforming the media sector. Research on the economics of media has made major advances

This report analyses the objectives, targeting, instruments and inter-governmental role sharing used by 26 regional cluster programmes in 14 OECD countries.

Using international examples, leading scholars present the first critical analysis of cluster theory, assessing the cluster notion and drawing out, not only its undoubted strengths and attractions, but also its weaknesses and limitations. Over the past decade the ‘cluster model’ has been seized on as a tool for promoting competitiveness, innovation and growth on local, regional and national scales. However, despite its popularity there is much about it that is problematic, and in some respects the rush to employ ‘cluster ideas’ has run ahead of many fundamental conceptual, theoretical and empirical questions. Addressing key questions on the nature, use and effectiveness of cluster models, Clusters and Regional Development provides the missing thorough theoretical and empirical evaluation.

When we talk about clusters, it's the fabulous destiny of Silicon Valley that first comes to mind – the place where entrepreneurs and policymakers alike flock. But do we really understand the complex mechanics of these clusters? What tools can economics and other related disciplines use to analyze their performance? When it comes to spending taxpayer money to support cluster development, do benefits actually exceed costs? This book provides a synthesis of cluster theory and presents methodologies to analyze their structure and performance. It also contains insights into how to renew regional innovation policy. The French edition of this volume was granted Best Book in Economics 2016 by The French Association of Economics (AFSE)

The rise of globalization has triggered a fundamental rethinking about the role of regions in economic development policy. In this important new book, Karlsson, Johansson and Stough assemble a cast of leading international scholars to unravel the new role for regions and local economic development policy to harness the possibilities unleashed by the forces of globalization. This book contains important new insights and ideas that will be welcomed by both scholars and policymakers. David B. Audretsch, Indiana University, Bloomington, US and WHU, Germany This book provides a state-of-the-art overview of current research on regional competition and co-operation. Developing our current understanding of the new role of regions and their behaviour, this book addresses questions such as: How and why do regions compete? How does competition between border regions operate? Which regions are successful and which regions fail? What are the implications of regional competition in terms of resource allocation, the location of economic activities and the distribution of incomes? The book illuminates a number of critical theoretical end empirical issues relating to the competitive and cooperative nature of regions, as well as highlighting a number of new case studies from a variety of countries. The book will be a useful enhancement to undergraduate and post-graduate courses in economics, economic geography, regional science, regional planning, business administration, and international and industrial management. It will also be an invaluable guidance tool for researchers, consultants and policy makers in international organizations such as the EU, the World Bank and the OECD.

This volume, comprised of authors from the U.S., Canada, Africa, and Europe, centers on the development, transformation, and role of geographic /regional economies-- specifically in the globalized, post-2009 era. The authors address topics that every region must consider in responding to idea age, globally competitive, regionally driven economies.

This wide-ranging handbook studies and defines the paradigm of evolutionary economic geography. The distinguished contributors highlight the key conceptual, theoretical and empirical advances, and present a clear statement of their aims, objectives and methods.

Innovation in Forestry Territorial and Value Chain Relationships Edited by Gerhard Weiss, Davide Pettenella, Pekka Ollonqvist and Bill Slee Innovation is increasingly recognized as a key factor in environmental protection and sustainable development in forestry and forest-based industries. This volume provides a comprehensive theoretical foundation for the analysis of innovation processes and policies in a traditional, rural sector as well as presenting empirical analyses of innovation processes from major innovation areas. Innovative solutions are analysed in wood-related value chains, including timber-frame construction, furniture, bio-energy and forest transportation. Territorial services of the forest sector are examined, including various types of forest ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, non-wood products and recreation. Innovation in Forestry is essential reading for researchers and policy makers in forestry and environmental sciences.