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Agglomeration and the Spatial Distribution of Creativity

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  • Andersson, Roland
  • Quigley, John M.
  • Wilhelmsson, Mats

Abstract

This article analyses the spatial distribution of "creativity" - the production of new knowledge. We analyse commercial patents granted in Sweden between 1994 and 2001 using a panel of 100 labour market areas that encompass the entire country. We relate patent activity to measures of localisation and urbanisation, to the industrial composition and size distribution of firms, and to the regional distribution of human capital. Our analysis confirms the importance of human capital and research facilities in stimulating regional patent output. Our results document the importance of agglomeration and spatial factors in influencing creativity: patent activity is increased in larger and more dense labour markets and in regions in which a larger fraction of the labour force is employed in medium-sized firms. Our results also indicate that creativity is greater in labour markets with more diverse employment bases and in those which contain a larger share of national employment in certain industries, thus confirming the importance of urbanisation and localisation economies in stimulating creativity. Our quantitative results suggest that the urbanisation of Sweden during the 1990s had an important effect upon the aggregate level of patent activity in the country, leading to increases of up to 15 percent in aggregate patents.

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Bibliographic Info

Paper provided by Berkeley Program on Housing and Urban Policy in its series Berkeley Program on Housing and Urban Policy, Working Paper Series with number qt1wd73461.

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Date of creation: 02 Jun 2005
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Handle: RePEc:cdl:bphupl:qt1wd73461

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Keywords: Agglomeration;

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References

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  1. Romer, Paul M, 1986. "Increasing Returns and Long-run Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(5), pages 1002-37, October.
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  21. repec:fth:harver:1473 is not listed on IDEAS
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Citations

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Cited by:
  1. Christ, Julian P., 2009. "New Economic Geography reloaded: localized knowledge spillovers and the geography of innovation," FZID Discussion Papers 01-2009, University of Hohenheim, Center for Research on Innovation and Services (FZID).
  2. Pierpaolo Parrotta & Dario Pozzoli & Mariola Pytlikova, 2011. "The Nexus between Labor Diversity and Firm's Innovation," Norface Discussion Paper Series 2011005, Norface Research Programme on Migration, Department of Economics, University College London.
  3. Andrés Rodríguez-Pose & Riccardo Crescenzi, 2008. "Mountains in a flat world: Why proximity still matters for the location of economic activity," Working Papers 2008-09, Instituto Madrileño de Estudios Avanzados (IMDEA) Ciencias Sociales.
  4. Henri L.F. de Groot & Jacques Poot & Martijn J. Smit, 2007. "Agglomeration, Innovation and Regional Development: Theoretical Perspectives and Meta-Analysis," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 07-079/3, Tinbergen Institute.
  5. Niebuhr, Annekatrin, 2006. "Migration and innovation: Does cultural diversity matter for regional R&D activity?," HWWI Research Papers 3-1, Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWI).
  6. Wilhelmsson, Mats, 2007. "How Can Research Networks Improve The Innovation Process?," Working Paper Series in Economics and Institutions of Innovation 108, Royal Institute of Technology, CESIS - Centre of Excellence for Science and Innovation Studies.
  7. Claude LACOUR (GREThA) & Sylvette PUISSANT (GREThA), 2008. "Medium-Sized Cities and the Dynamics of Creative Services," Cahiers du GREThA 2008-08, Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée.
  8. Mats Wilhelmsson, 2009. "The spatial distribution of inventor networks," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer, vol. 43(3), pages 645-668, September.
  9. David L. Barkley & Mark S. Henry & Doohee Lee, 2006. "Innovative activity in rural areas: the importance of local and regional characteristics," Community Development Investment Review, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, pages 1-14.
  10. Barkley, David L. & Henry, Mark S. & Lee, DooHee, 2006. "Innovative Activity in Rural Areas: The Role of Local and Regional Characteristics," REDRL Research Reports 113802, Clemson University, Regional Economic Development Research Laboratory (REDRL).
  11. Franz Tödtling & Michaela Trippl & Lukas Lengauer, 2008. "Towards Regional Knowledge Economies: Routes and Policy Options," SRE-Disc sre-disc-2008_05, Institute for the Environment and Regional Development, Department of Socioeconomics, Vienna University of Economics and Business.
  12. Joshua Drucker, 2009. "Trends in Regional Industrial Concentration in the United States," Working Papers 09-06, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
  13. Florian Noseleit, 2011. "Market Selection and Regional Diversification - Empirical Regularities from German Panel-Data," ERSA conference papers ersa10p1117, European Regional Science Association.
  14. Westlund, Hans & Calidoni-Lundberg, Federica, 2007. "THE CREATIVE CLASS AND SOCIAL CAPITAL - civil society, regional development and high-tech employment in Japan," Working Paper Series in Economics and Institutions of Innovation 112, Royal Institute of Technology, CESIS - Centre of Excellence for Science and Innovation Studies.

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