Networks and geography in the economics of knowledge flows. A comment

This paper proposes a comment on the article by M. A. Maggioni and T. E. Uberti within this issue. It focuses on one main question: can we say that the literature on Networks and Geography has reached the initial objective assigned to it: “Demonstrate that networks and geography are the necessary ingredients for every study of the innovative process at any level of analysis: from individual agents, to institution/organization, from the regional to the national and international level”? The answer to this question is presented following three main steps: (1) How do geographical positioning and network positioning interact to impact the innovative performance? (2) What is the influence of the geography on the networking strategies (cooperation choices)? (3) What is the influence of the network upon geographical strategies (location choices)? The conclusion is that the field described by Mario Maggioni and Erika Uberti is, as their paper shows, fast expanding and already has a history and appreciable results. It still clearly appears however that much still remains to be done if the potentiality offered by the cross-use of spatial and network analysis when dealing with knowledge diffusion and its impact on innovation is to be fully exploited. No doubt that the important advances accomplished during these last years in the collecting of data related to localized relationships will provide the necessary incentives to develop the still greatly lacking micro-econometric analyses.