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Related Variety, Unrelated Variety, and Regional Growth: The Role of Absorptive Capacity and Entrepreneurship

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  • Michael Fritsch

    (School of Economics and Business Administration, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena)

  • Sandra Kublina

    (School of Economics and Business Administration, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena)

Abstract

This paper investigates the effect of related and unrelated variety on regional growth in West Germany. In particular, we analyze the role of regional absorptive capacity and new business formation for these effects. We find that West German regions benefit from both types of varieties. The positive effect of unrelated variety on growth is more pronounced in regions with higher levels of absorptive capacity in terms of R&D activities and with higher levels of new business formation. Such moderating effects cannot be found for related variety.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Fritsch & Sandra Kublina, 2016. "Related Variety, Unrelated Variety, and Regional Growth: The Role of Absorptive Capacity and Entrepreneurship," Jena Economics Research Papers 2016-009, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.
    • Handle: RePEc:jrp:jrpwrp:2016-009
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    2. S. Stavropoulos & F. G. Oort & M. J. Burger, 2020. "Heterogeneous relatedness and firm productivity," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 65(2), pages 403-437, October.
    3. Ejdemo, Thomas & Örtqvist, Daniel, 2020. "Related variety as a driver of regional innovation and entrepreneurship: A moderated and mediated model with non-linear effects," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(7).
    4. Xiangfei Yuan & Haijing Hao & Chenghua Guan & Alex Pentland, 2022. "Which factors affect the performance of technology business incubators in China? An entrepreneurial ecosystem perspective," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(1), pages 1-20, January.
    5. Speldekamp, Daniël & Knoben, Joris & Saka-Helmhout, Ayse, 2020. "Clusters and firm-level innovation: A configurational analysis of agglomeration, network and institutional advantages in European aerospace," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(3).
    6. Raquel Ortega-Argilés, 2022. "The evolution of regional entrepreneurship policies: “no one size fits all”," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 69(3), pages 585-610, December.
    7. Xiaozhen Qin & Shan Li & Weipan Xu & Xun Li, 2019. "Which Export Variety Matters for Urban Economic Growth, Related or Unrelated Variety?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-19, August.
    8. You, Zhuoying & Teirlinck, Peter, 2024. "Specialization in climate technologies at the regional level in Europe: relatedness and the moderating role of policy direction," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    9. Jessica Birkholz, 2022. "Transforming Regional Knowledge Bases: A Network and Machine Learning Approach to Link Entrepreneurial Experimentation and Regional Absorptive Capacity," Bremen Papers on Economics & Innovation 2205, University of Bremen, Faculty of Business Studies and Economics.
    10. Nana Yang & Qiming Liu, 2023. "How does industrial agglomeration affect regional innovation? A spatial econometric analysis," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(4), pages 826-852, December.
    11. Zefeng Mi & Yongmin Shang & Gang Zeng, 2022. "The impact of knowledge base on technological innovation of emerging industries from the perspective of related variety: A case study of China’s fuel cell industry," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(1), pages 57-75, March.
    12. Kadri Kuusk & Mikhail Martynovich, 2021. "Dynamic Nature of Relatedness, or What Kind of Related Variety for Long‐Term Regional Growth," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 112(1), pages 81-96, February.
    13. Mulan Ma & Weishu Zhao & Guanxu Wan & Taotao Deng & Yi Yang, 2023. "Specialization versus diversity: The role of city size in tourist cities," Tourism Economics, , vol. 29(8), pages 2081-2102, December.
    14. Ning, Lutao & Guo, Rui & Chen, Kaihua, 2023. "Does FDI bring knowledge externalities for host country firms to develop complex technologies? The catalytic role of overseas returnee clustering structures," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(6).
    15. Barbara MARTINI & Marco PLATANIA, 2022. "Are The Regions With More Gender Equality The More Resilient Ones? An Analysis Of The Italian Regions," Regional Science Inquiry, Hellenic Association of Regional Scientists, vol. 0(2), pages 71-94, June.
    16. Hu, Tiancheng & Guo, Rui & Ning, Lutao, 2022. "Intangible assets and foreign ownership in international joint ventures: The moderating role of related and unrelated industrial agglomeration," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    17. Takano, Keisuke, 2019. "Does visible shock update firms' unrelated trade diversity in anticipation of future shock? Evidence from the Great East Japan Earthquake and expected Nankai Trough Earthquake," TDB-CAREE Discussion Paper Series E-2019-01, Teikoku Databank Center for Advanced Empirical Research on Enterprise and Economy, Graduate School of Economics, Hitotsubashi University.
    18. Xiangfei Yuan & Haijing Hao & Chenghua Guan & Alex Pentland, 2021. "What are the key components of an entrepreneurial ecosystem in a developing economy? A longitudinal empirical study on technology business incubators in China," Papers 2103.08131, arXiv.org.
    19. Simón Sánchez‐Moral & Mário Vale & Alfonso Arellano, 2022. "Skill‐Relatedness and Regional Economic Development in Spain during the International Crisis and the Post‐Crisis Period," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 101(3), pages 573-602, June.
    20. Ren Lu & Qing Song & Ting Xia & Daguo Lv & Torger Reve & Ze Jian, 2021. "Unpacking the U‐shaped relationship between related variety and firm sales: Evidence from Japan," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 100(5), pages 1136-1157, October.
    21. Luciana Lazzeretti & Stefania Oliva & Niccolò Innocenti, 2019. "Exploring the role of industrial structure for regional economic resilience," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 1917, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised May 2019.
    22. Alessandra Colombelli & Antonio De Marco & Emilio Paolucci & Riccardo Ricci & Giuseppe Scellato, 2021. "University technology transfer and the evolution of regional specialization: the case of Turin," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 46(4), pages 933-960, August.
    23. Julián Ramajo & Miguel A. Márquez & Geoffrey J. D. Hewings, 2024. "Addressing spatial dependence when estimating technical efficiency: A spatialized data envelopment analysis of regional productive performance in the European Union," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(1), March.
    24. Zabala-Iturriagagoitia, Jon Mikel & Porto Gómez, Igone & Aguirre Larracoechea, Urko, 2020. "Technological diversification: a matter of related or unrelated varieties?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Related variety; unrelated variety; knowledge spillovers; regional absorptive capacity; entrepreneurship; regional growth;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes
    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)
    • D62 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Externalities

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