IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/mul/jqat1f/doi10.1427-3676y2000i2p237-268.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Role of Specialisation and Diversity Externalities in the Agglomeration of Innovative Activities

Author

Listed:
  • Raffaele Paci
  • Stefano Usai

Abstract

This paper contributes to the analysis of the process of spatial agglomeration of innovative activities by investigating directly its determinants. Our main purpose is to identify the extent to which the degree of industrial specialisation or diversity in a region may affect the innovative output in a particular local industry. Moreover, we test if any relevant difference arises with respect to the role of diversity in metropolitan areas and in high-tech sectors. The analysis was carried out thanks to an original databank on innovation and production across Italian local labour systems (see http://www.crenos.unica.it). According to the estimation results there are clear signs of the two types of externalities working simultaneously: Marshall externalities (or localisation economies), associated to industrial specialisation within the sector and also within the science base cluster; and Jacobs externalities (or urbanisation economies), associated to the degree of diversity of both the local districts and the science base cluster. Moreover, industrial diversity in the local system plays a different role depending on the dimension of the local system (whether it is a metropolitan area or not) and on the type of industry (high vs. low tech sectors).

Suggested Citation

  • Raffaele Paci & Stefano Usai, 2000. "The Role of Specialisation and Diversity Externalities in the Agglomeration of Innovative Activities," Rivista italiana degli economisti, Società editrice il Mulino, issue 2, pages 237-268.
    • Handle: RePEc:mul:jqat1f:doi:10.1427/3676:y:2000:i:2:p:237-268
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.rivisteweb.it/download/article/10.1427/3676
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers
    File URL: https://www.rivisteweb.it/doi/10.1427/3676
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version below or search for a different version of it.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Raffaele Paci & Stefano Usai, 2000. "Technological Enclaves and Industrial Districts: An Analysis of the Regional Distribution of Innovative Activity in Europe," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(2), pages 97-114.
    2. Feldman, Maryann P. & Audretsch, David B., 1999. "Innovation in cities:: Science-based diversity, specialization and localized competition," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 43(2), pages 409-429, February.
    3. Stefano Breschi, 2000. "The Geography of Innovation: A Cross-sector Analysis," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(3), pages 213-229.
    4. Coe, David T. & Helpman, Elhanan, 1995. "International R&D spillovers," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 39(5), pages 859-887, May.
    5. Adam B. Jaffe & Manuel Trajtenberg & Rebecca Henderson, 1993. "Geographic Localization of Knowledge Spillovers as Evidenced by Patent Citations," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 108(3), pages 577-598.
    6. Clive Lawson & Edward Lorenz, 1999. "Collective Learning, Tacit Knowledge and Regional Innovative Capacity," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(4), pages 305-317.
    7. repec:fth:harver:1473 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Edward L. Glaeser & Glenn Ellison, 1999. "The Geographic Concentration of Industry: Does Natural Advantage Explain Agglomeration?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 89(2), pages 311-316, May.
    9. Gianmarco I. P. Ottaviano & Diego Puga, 1998. "Agglomeration in the Global Economy: A Survey of the ‘New Economic Geography’," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(6), pages 707-731, August.
    10. Zvi Griliches, 1998. "Patent Statistics as Economic Indicators: A Survey," NBER Chapters, in: R&D and Productivity: The Econometric Evidence, pages 287-343, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. Audretsch, David B & Feldman, Maryann P, 1996. "R&D Spillovers and the Geography of Innovation and Production," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 86(3), pages 630-640, June.
    12. Paul Krugman, 1992. "Geography and Trade," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262610868, December.
    13. Glaeser, Edward L & Hedi D. Kallal & Jose A. Scheinkman & Andrei Shleifer, 1992. "Growth in Cities," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 100(6), pages 1126-1152, December.
      • Edward L. Glaeser & Hedi D. Kallal & Jose A. Scheinkman & Andrei Shleifer, 1991. "Growth in Cities," NBER Working Papers 3787, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
      • Glaeser, Edward Ludwig & Kallal, Hedi D. & Scheinkman, Jose A. & Shleifer, Andrei, 1992. "Growth in Cities," Scholarly Articles 3451309, Harvard University Department of Economics.
    14. John Adams & Francesco Pigliaru (ed.), 1999. "Economic Growth and Change," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 1359.
    15. Brusco, Sebastiano, 1982. "The Emilian Model: Productive Decentralisation and Social Integration," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 6(2), pages 167-184, June.
    16. Marius Brülhart, 1998. "Economic Geography, Industry Location and Trade: The Evidence," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(6), pages 775-801, August.
    17. Kelly, Morgan & Hageman, Anya, 1999. "Marshallian Externalities in Innovation," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 4(1), pages 39-54, March.
    18. Evenson, Robert E, 1993. "Patents, R&D, and Invention Potential: International Evidence," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 83(2), pages 463-468, May.
    19. Forni, Mario & Paba, Sergio, 2001. "Knowledge Spillovers and the Growth of Local Industries," CEPR Discussion Papers 2934, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    20. Pavitt, Keith, 1982. "R&D, patenting and innovative activities : A statistical exploration," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 11(1), pages 33-51, February.
    21. Bart Verspagen, 1999. "European 'regional clubs': do they exist, and where are they heading? On economic and technological differences between European regions," Chapters, in: John Adams & Francesco Pigliaru (ed.), Economic Growth and Change, chapter 9, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    22. Bartelsman, Eric J & Caballero, Ricardo J & Lyons, Richard K, 1994. "Customer- and Supplier-Driven Externalities," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(4), pages 1075-1084, September.
    23. Roberta Capello, 1999. "Spatial Transfer of Knowledge in High Technology Milieux: Learning Versus Collective Learning Processes," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(4), pages 353-365.
    24. Forni, Mario & Paba, Sergio, 2002. "Spillovers and the Growth of Local Industries," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(2), pages 151-171, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Paci, Raffaele & Usai, Stefano, 2000. "Externalities, Knowledge Spillovers And The Spatial Distribution Of Innovation," ERSA conference papers ersa00p104, European Regional Science Association.
    2. Raffaele Paci & Stefano Usai, 2000. "Technological Enclaves and Industrial Districts: An Analysis of the Regional Distribution of Innovative Activity in Europe," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(2), pages 97-114.
    3. Stefano Usai & Raffaele Paci, 2003. "Externalities and Local Economic Growth in Manufacturing Industries," Advances in Spatial Science, in: Bernard Fingleton (ed.), European Regional Growth, chapter 10, pages 293-321, Springer.
    4. RM. Serrano & R. Paci & S. Usai, 2003. "Spatial distribution of innovation activity. The case of European regions," Working Paper CRENoS 200310, Centre for North South Economic Research, University of Cagliari and Sassari, Sardinia.
    5. Thomas Doring & Jan Schnellenbach, 2006. "What do we know about geographical knowledge spillovers and regional growth?: A survey of the literature," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(3), pages 375-395.
    6. Rosina Moreno & Raffaele Paci & Stefano Usai, 2005. "Geographical and sectoral clusters of innovation in Europe," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 39(4), pages 715-739, December.
    7. Matthias Firgo & Peter Mayerhofer, 2015. "Wissens-Spillovers und regionale Entwicklung - welche strukturpolitische Ausrichtung optimiert des Wachstum?," Working Paper Reihe der AK Wien - Materialien zu Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft 144, Kammer für Arbeiter und Angestellte für Wien, Abteilung Wirtschaftswissenschaft und Statistik.
    8. Matthias Firgo & Peter Mayerhofer, 2015. "Wissensintensive Unternehmensdienste, Wissens-Spillovers und regionales Wachstum. Teilprojekt 1: Wissens-Spillovers und regionale Entwicklung – Welche strukturpolitische Ausrichtung optimiert das Wach," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 58342, April.
    9. Cabrer-Borras, Bernardi & Serrano-Domingo, Guadalupe, 2007. "Innovation and R&D spillover effects in Spanish regions: A spatial approach," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(9), pages 1357-1371, November.
    10. B. Dettori & R. Paci & S. Usai, 2005. "Technological activity in the european regions," Working Paper CRENoS 200513, Centre for North South Economic Research, University of Cagliari and Sassari, Sardinia.
    11. Rosina Moreno & Raffaele Paci & Stefano Usai, 2004. "Innovation and production clusters in Europe," ERSA conference papers ersa04p587, European Regional Science Association.
    12. Catherine Beaudry & Stefano Breschi, 2000. "Does 'Clustering' really help firms'innovative activities?," KITeS Working Papers 111, KITeS, Centre for Knowledge, Internationalization and Technology Studies, Universita' Bocconi, Milano, Italy, revised Jul 2000.
    13. Carlino, Gerald & Kerr, William R., 2015. "Agglomeration and Innovation," Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, in: Gilles Duranton & J. V. Henderson & William C. Strange (ed.), Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, edition 1, volume 5, chapter 0, pages 349-404, Elsevier.
    14. Christophe Carrincazeaux & Frédéric Gaschet, 2006. "Knowledge and the diversity of innovation systems: a comparative analysis of European regions," Post-Print hal-00257384, HAL.
    15. Edward L. Glaeser & William R. Kerr, 2009. "Local Industrial Conditions and Entrepreneurship: How Much of the Spatial Distribution Can We Explain?," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(3), pages 623-663, September.
    16. Feldman, Maryann P. & Kogler, Dieter F., 2010. "Stylized Facts in the Geography of Innovation," Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, in: Bronwyn H. Hall & Nathan Rosenberg (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 0, pages 381-410, Elsevier.
    17. Henry Overman & Stephen Redding & Anthony J. Venables, 2001. "The Economic Geography of Trade, Production, and Income: A Survey of Empirics," CEP Discussion Papers dp0508, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    18. Pierre-Alexandre Balland & David L. Rigby, 2015. "The geography and evolution of complex knowledge," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 1502, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Jan 2015.
    19. Ning, Lutao & Wang, Fan & Li, Jian, 2016. "Urban innovation, regional externalities of foreign direct investment and industrial agglomeration: Evidence from Chinese cities," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(4), pages 830-843.
    20. repec:rri:wpaper:200605 is not listed on IDEAS
    21. Kleoniki Kalapouti & Nikos Varsakelis, 2015. "Intra and inter: regional knowledge spillovers in European Union," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 40(5), pages 760-781, 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:mul:jqat1f:doi:10.1427/3676:y:2000:i:2:p:237-268. 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: the person in charge (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.rivisteweb.it/ .

    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.