IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/urbstu/v41y2004i5-6p1133-1155.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

'Embryonic' Knowledge-based Clusters and Cities: The Case of Biotechnology in Scotland

Author

Listed:
  • Joseph Leibovitz

    (Institute of Geography, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Drummond Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9XP, UK. j.leibovitz@ed.ac.uk)

Abstract

The cluster concept has been promoted in recent years as a panacea for economic development, both locally and nationally. One source of theoretical and empirical ambiguity in the concept is related to the spatial processes underpinning cluster development, and to the relationship between cities and clusters in particular. This paper examines the case of the biotechnology cluster in Scottish cities, with particular reference to Glasgow and Edinburgh. The promotion of a biotechnology cluster has become a priority for Scotland's economic development strategy because of its potential role in the knowledge-driven economy. The paper examines the major locational dynamics affecting biotechnology in Scotland and interrogates the balance between the major forces driving the development of biotechnology firms in their urban location. It concludes that the importance of cities to cluster growth lies mainly in the size and diversity of their labour markets, in the presence of key research institutions and public-sector anchors and in the provision of infrastructure and services. At the same time, historical legacies, national and international regulatory frameworks and external linkages play an important role in shaping the development trajectory of Scotland's biotechnology cluster.

Suggested Citation

  • Joseph Leibovitz, 2004. "'Embryonic' Knowledge-based Clusters and Cities: The Case of Biotechnology in Scotland," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 41(5-6), pages 1133-1155, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:41:y:2004:i:5-6:p:1133-1155
    DOI: 10.1080/00420980410001675805
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1080/00420980410001675805
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/00420980410001675805?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zoltan J. Acs & Attila Varga, 2008. "Geography, Endogenous Growth, and Innovation," Chapters, in: Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy, chapter 12, pages 152-168, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    2. Maryann P. Feldman & Cynthia R. Ronzio, 2001. "Closing the innovative loop: moving from the laboratory to the shop floor in biotechnology manufacturing," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(1), pages 1-16, January.
    3. Niosi, Jorge & Bas, Tomas G, 2001. "The Competencies of Regions--Canada's Clusters in Biotechnology," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 17(1-2), pages 31-42, Aug.-Sept.
    4. Jan G. Lambooy & Ron A. Boschma, 2001. "Evolutionary economics and regional policy," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 35(1), pages 113-131.
    5. Meric S. Gertler, 2001. "Best practice? Geography, learning and the institutional limits to strong convergence," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 1(1), pages 5-26, January.
    6. Scott, Allen J. (ed.), 2001. "Global City-Regions: Trends, Theory, Policy," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198297994.
    7. Krugman, Paul R, 1996. "Making Sense of the Competitiveness Debate," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 12(3), pages 17-25, Autumn.
    8. Ron Martin & Peter Sunley, 1996. "Paul Krugman's Geographical Economics and Its Implications for Regional Development Theory: A Critical Assessment," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 72(3), pages 259-292, July.
    9. Marco Bellandi, 2002. "Italian Industrial Districts: An Industrial Economics Interpretation," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(4), pages 425-437, June.
    10. John Humphrey & Hubert Schmitz, 2002. "How does insertion in global value chains affect upgrading in industrial clusters?," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(9), pages 1017-1027.
    11. Ian R. Gordon & Philip McCann, 2000. "Industrial Clusters: Complexes, Agglomeration and/or Social Networks?," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 37(3), pages 513-532, March.
    12. Lisa De Propris, 2002. "Types of innovation and inter-firm co-operation," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(4), pages 337-353, October.
    13. Allen J. Scott, 2001. "Globalization and the Rise of City-regions," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(7), pages 813-826, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. David Minguillo & Robert Tijssen & Mike Thelwall, 2015. "Do science parks promote research and technology? A scientometric analysis of the UK," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 102(1), pages 701-725, January.
    2. Yumiko Okamoto, 2011. "Stem Cells as a Driver of the Knowledge Economy: Progress and Challenges Facing Scotland," SPRU Working Paper Series 189, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    3. Trippl, Michaela & Gabain, Joshua von & Tödtling, Franz, 2006. "Policy agents as catalysts of knowledge links in the biotechnology sector," SRE-Discussion Papers 2006/01, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    4. Thailand Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board & World Bank, 2010. "Industrial Change in the Bangkok Urban Region," World Bank Publications - Reports 27380, The World Bank Group.
    5. Jong Hwa Park, 2009. "Locational Environment, Obstacles, and Policy Demands in an Emerging Cluster: The Case of a Medical Cluster in Daegu," International Review of Public Administration, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(3), pages 107-125, January.
    6. Grimaldi, Didier & Fernandez, Vicenc, 2017. "The alignment of University curricula with the building of a Smart City: A case study from Barcelona," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 298-306.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Thailand Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board & World Bank, 2010. "Industrial Change in the Bangkok Urban Region," World Bank Publications - Reports 27380, The World Bank Group.
    2. Andrés Rodríguez-Pose & Riccardo Crescenzi, 2008. "Mountains in a flat world: why proximity still matters for the location of economic activity," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 1(3), pages 371-388.
    3. Bo Liu & Desheng Xue & Yiming Tan, 2019. "Deciphering the Manufacturing Production Space in Global City-Regions of Developing Countries—a Case of Pearl River Delta, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-26, December.
    4. Peter Karl Kresl (ed.), 2010. "Economic Strategies for Mature Industrial Economies," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 14116.
    5. Michael Storper & Anthony J. Venables, 2004. "Buzz: face-to-face contact and the urban economy," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 4(4), pages 351-370, August.
    6. Samira Oukarfi & Maurice Baslé, 2009. "Public-sector financial incentives for business relocation and effectiveness measures based on company profile and geographic zone," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 43(2), pages 509-526, June.
    7. Chun Yang & Haifeng Liao, 2010. "Backward Linkages Of Cross‐Border Production Networks Of Taiwanese Pc Investment In The Pearl River Delta, China," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 101(2), pages 199-217, April.
    8. Yeung, Henry Wai-chung & Liu, Weidong & Dicken, Peter, 2006. "Transnational corporations and network effects of a local manufacturing cluster in mobile telecommunications equipment in China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 520-540, March.
    9. Ayda Eraydın & Bilge Armatlı Köroğlu & Hilal Erkuş Öztürk & Suna Senem Yaşar, 2008. "Network Governance for Competitiveness: The Role of Policy Networks in the Economic Performance of Settlements in the Izmir Region," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 45(11), pages 2291-2321, October.
    10. Shahid Yusuf & Kaoru Nabeshima, 2009. "Growth through Innovation : An Industrial Strategy for Shanghai," World Bank Publications - Reports 18613, The World Bank Group.
    11. Knut Koschatzky & Elisabeth Baier, 2012. "The Impact of Regional Institutional Characteristics on the Location of MNCs – a European Perspective," Chapters, in: Martin Heidenreich (ed.), Innovation and Institutional Embeddedness of Multinational Companies, chapter 9, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    12. Iammarino, Simona & McCann, Philip, 2006. "The structure and evolution of industrial clusters: Transactions, technology and knowledge spillovers," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 1018-1036, September.
    13. Harald Bathelt & John A Cantwell & Ram Mudambi, 2018. "Overcoming frictions in transnational knowledge flows: challenges of connecting, sense-making and integrating," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 18(5), pages 1001-1022.
    14. Simona Iammarino & Philip McCann, 2010. "The Relationship between Multinational Firms and Innovative Clusters," Chapters, in: Ron Boschma & Ron Martin (ed.), The Handbook of Evolutionary Economic Geography, chapter 8, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    15. Jutta Günther & Dirk Meissner, 2017. "Clusters as Innovative Melting Pots?—the Meaning of Cluster Management for Knowledge Diffusion in Clusters," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 8(2), pages 499-512, June.
    16. Daniel Block & Michael Thompson & Jill Euken & Toni Liquori & Frank Fear & Sherill Baldwin, 2008. "Engagement for transformation: Value webs for local food system development," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 25(3), pages 379-388, September.
    17. repec:rri:wpaper:200605 is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Luca Salvati, 2018. "From Manufacturing to Advanced Services: The (Uneven) Rise and Decline of Mediterranean City-Regions," International Journal of Finance, Insurance and Risk Management, International Journal of Finance, Insurance and Risk Management, vol. 8(1), pages 1360-1360.
    19. Bo Liu & Desheng Xue & Sijun Zheng, 2023. "Evolution and Influencing Factors of Manufacturing Production Space in the Pearl River Delta—Based on the Perspective of Global City-Region," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-22, February.
    20. Yantai Chen & Jing Li & Ruoying Li, 2021. "Cluster Internationalization: Qualitative Review, Theoretical Direction, and the Rise of Emerging Markets’ Themes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-26, September.
    21. S. S. Lachininskii & A. S. Lachininskii & I. V. Semenova, 2016. "The geoeconomic factor in shaping the spatial pattern of St. Petersburg’s coastal area," Regional Research of Russia, Springer, vol. 6(4), pages 323-331, October.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:41:y:2004:i:5-6:p:1133-1155. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/urbanstudiesjournal .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.