Entrepreneurship and regional competitiveness: The role and progression of policy

Regions have gained a position at the forefront of the economic development policy agenda. However, the regional approach to economic strategy remains contested. This paper tests the extent to which regional policy in less competitive regions is accounting for issues relating to entrepreneurship and enterprise development as a tool for improving regional competitiveness. It does so by examining policies undertaken by the UK Labour government 1997–2010, drawing on interviews with policy makers and an analysis of relevant policy documents. This paper finds that entrepreneurship policy at the regional level is multidimensional, with policies broadly ranging from those that are either economically or socially driven. Although there is a considerable policy activity in these areas across less competitive regions, enterprise policy making remains relatively undifferentiated across the regions. There are a number of evolutions in regional policy occurring, especially a shift from policies relating to the facilitation of clusters to those focused on developing regional innovation ecosystems. It is found that regional policy makers are under pressure to measure short-term outputs at the expense of long-term nurturing. The paper also finds that there is a tension between using enterprise policy as a tool for improving regional competitiveness or for addressing economic and social disadvantage.     

国外区域经济政策实践及对我国的启示

国外的区域经济政策实践大多有着符合自身国情的特点,但同时也有很多可资借鉴的共同经验,这对我国现阶段制定和实施区域经济政策具有重要的启示作用.     

Policies to promote new knowledge-intensive industrial agglomerations

This paper explores the role of policymakers in encouraging endogenous growth in regions. Policymakers in many regions have sought to create the local conditions and the knowledge base that will allow a dynamic and innovative cohort of new knowledge-intensive entrepreneurial firms to emerge. We review existing models of agglomeration to identify the critical antecedents and dynamic processes that lead to agglomeration formation. The policy interventions and instruments that impact on these antecedents and processes are then outlined. We describe the evolution of two new knowledge-based agglomerations, Dublin in Ireland and Tampere in Finland, emphasizing the role of policy interventions in the process of agglomeration formation. We show how policy interventions play an important role in stimulating the development of new agglomerations. However, because the process of agglomeration formation is dependent on local resources and processes, efforts to directly transpose a development model from an established district are likely to be ineffective.     

园区经济产业网络发展模式及政策分析

园区经济作为推动经济发展的一种模式,正逐渐成为拉动地方经济发展的引擎和增长点。而构筑园区经济产业网络,是园区经济在新一轮经济发展中拓展新优势的关键所在。在园区经济产业网络发展模式的基础上,概括了这几种产业网络发展模式适合的产业集群,并对推动产业网络发展提出了政策建议。     

Spatial Spillovers Revisited: Innovation,Human Capital and Local Dynamics

This symposium focuses on understanding key territorial‐level innovation trends and processes by country, region and technology. It questions various widely accepted assumptions, offers fresh perspectives, both conceptually and methodologically, and challenges a paradigm shift in the field of innovation and spatial dynamics. It consists of three articles analysing at different scales (urban, regional and national) the territorial dynamics of innovation and their determinants. The innovation process, with local symbiosis and spatial spillovers at its core, is analysed within the conceptual framework of national and regional innovation systems and regional economic development. Based on a discussion of spatial spillovers and the way they shape the evolutionary and symbiotic relationships between local agents and actors, including university, industry and local development agencies, the symposium highlights the relevance of this framework for a better understanding of the transformation of local economic development processes. It investigates the differences in the geography of innovation regarding different institutional settings, different systems of innovation, and different national innovation strategies. While addressing mainly the EU, the US, and emerging countries such as China and India, the contributions also highlight the critical role of current innovation policies from a general perspective. In so doing, the symposium recognizes a contrarian perspective that argues that contemporary information and communication technologies (ICTs) provide a way to leapfrog the dominant role of proximity in innovation processes, creating a complimentary rather than a substitution effect for more remote and peripheral places. That said, this symposium focuses primarily on an urban network view of the innovation process and proximal effects in this context.     

我国区域经济社会发展的动力机制与图景展望

我国区域经济社会发展是以生态支撑力和民生保障力为依托,围绕产业结构调整和转变经济发展方式两大主轴,以投资驱动力、区际联动力、消费拉动力和文化资本力为动力的动态反馈调整系统,呈现出“美丽中国”、幸福中国和特色中国三大图景,以实现十八大报告中提出的到2020年“区域协调发展机制基本形成”的目标。     

Industrial clusters,flagship enterprises and regional innovation

ABSTRACT

For a sample of all 88 counties in the State of Ohio over a 5-year period, this study documents the effect of flagship enterprises and concentrated industrial clusters on regional innovation. Consistent with the agglomeration arguments and the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship, both appear to affect regional innovation positively. Additionally, regional educational attainment positively moderates the effect of industrial clusters on innovation. At the same time, flagship enterprises primarily affect regional innovation in regions with low education levels. Results are obtained with the help of conservative econometric techniques and are robust to the choice of alternative dependent variables and estimators. The findings have major policy implications and provide insights into alternative routes to encouraging regional innovation.     

Analysing the composition of the SME sector in high- and low-income regions: Some research hypotheses

Certain qualitative characteristics of the small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating within a territory might be essential to explain their macroeconomic impact. From this perspective, this article explores the relationship between the composition of the SME sector and the level of regional economic development. In this regard, a conceptual framework to analyse the composition of SME sectors is proposed considering two key aspects: on the one hand, different dimensions of SMEs’ entrepreneurial orientation – innovation, cooperation, proactivity and quality orientation; and, on the other hand, the role of the external effects resulting from the inter-firm productive linkages within a specific area – differentiating between domestic, dependent, exporting and extravert SMEs. The relationship between these two key aspects is also considered and tested using a multinomial logit model. The empirical analysis uses data from a survey among over 650 SMEs in two Spanish provinces: Barcelona, as an example of a high-income economy, and Seville, as an example of a comparatively backward area.     

金融发展、创新不平等与区域经济差距的实证研究

构建1990年至2010年地区经济差距、金融发展不平等和创新不平等三者的基尼系数。以总产出模型作为基础,运用E-G两步法构建三者之间的协整关系和误差修正模型。通过Granger因果关系检验最终得到结论:金融发展不平等是产生地区经济差距显著因素;创新不平等是缩小地区经济差距的因素,但是这种影响在短期是不显著的。     

The research university,entrepreneurship and regional development: Research propositions and current evidence

The objective of this paper is to set a framework for examining the conditions under which a research university becomes more than a latent asset [Power, D., and A. Malmberg. 2008. The contribution of universities to innovation and economic development: In what sense a regional problem? Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society 1, no. 2: 233–46.] in regional economies. The framework is comprised of four propositions used to identify drivers of change, evidence of change and evidence of impact. As an exemplar, we examine the University of Oxford's growing engagement in its local region. This paper shows that the convergence between the interests of the university and the local high-tech economy is particularly associated with broader technological trends and with the University's capacity to draw on national funding programmes designed to stimulate ‘third-stream’ activities, including entrepreneurship courses and regional networking activities.     

Firm and regional economic outcomes associated with a new,broad measure of business innovation

ABSTRACT

Most innovation-oriented studies use measures such as patent activity or research expenditures, likely ignoring the role of more home-grown upgrades or opportunity-recognizing activity common in businesses across the U.S. This study develops a broader ‘innovation index’ using a new survey of businesses that provides a wide lens for capturing innovative practices. The index is used in a series of regressions testing the relationship between innovation and both firm and regional-level economic outcomes. Results from the firm-level regressions show that the innovation index has a positive and significant relationship with wages paid to employees and product market growth. The regional analysis demonstrates that innovation is correlated with several regional economic variables, including median household income, and that spatial spillovers from innovation exist in some instances.     

Innovation,external technical linkages and small firm commercial performance: an empirical analysis from Western New York

This paper examines the role of external service linkages in the innovation and market peformance of small manufacturing firms (SMFs). Survey data from a technological cross-section of 146 Western New York SMFs are summarized. The data suggest a helpful role for consultants in the product development efforts of innovative firms, especially those that serve foreign export markets. Several multiple discriminant models are presented, each of which suggests an interactive connection between SMF commercial performance, externa) technical links, innovation propensity and in-house R&D. It is argued that innovative SMFs that exploit specialized technical services perform significantly better than comparably sized firms that rely solely on in-house resources. It is also argued that the quality of a region's producer service environment may have a significant bearing on the growth potential of its SMF population. The paper concludes by discussing the main academic and public policy implications that flow from the empirical results.     

贫困治理、产业结构与区域经济发展不平衡

本文基于贫困治理与产业结构两个维度对区域经济发展的不平衡增长理论进行拓展与深化,聚焦中国新三大地带,研究贫困治理效果、产业结构调整对区域经济发展不平衡的作用机制。研究发现：（1）从全国来看,贫困治理效果的显著提升对区域经济的协调发展具有正向的影响效应,产业结构调整对区域经济发展不平衡表现为倒U型的非线性作用;（2）贫困治理效果、产业结构调整对区域经济发展不平衡呈现出地域差异性和时间演变性的作用特征,相较于其他两个地带,贫困治理效果对远西部地带区域协调发展的推动作用最强,且这种推动作用在贫困水平与产业结构交互作用的冲击下会变得更强;（3）与全国整体情况相反,产业结构调整在中西部地带和东北及东部沿海地带的区域经济不平衡发展中存在U型作用。研究结果表明,经济越是发达的地区,区域经济的协调发展对产业结构转型升级的依赖性越大,对贫困治理效果的依赖效应越小;经济越是落后的地区,精准的扶贫政策对区域经济协调发展具有越强的提升作用,且这种作用在产业扶贫政策的推动下效果更明显。     

Green bonds,sustainable development and environmental policy in the European Union carbon market

This study assesses the non-linear effects of green bonds, conventional bonds and energy commodities on the behaviour of the cap-and-trade European Union carbon market (European Union Emissions Trading System [EU-ETS]). By estimating four models, using Markov-switching (MS) econometric methodology, non-linearities are confirmed in dynamic behaviours, observing in the global calculation a positive effect of green bonds (S&P Green and Sol Green) on the carbon market, in regimes of both high and low volatility, whereas conventional bonds (S&P Agg) and energy commodities (DJCI En) contribute to a decrease in the carbon market in regimes of high volatility. The relevance of green bonds is underlined in determining the behaviour of the carbon market, besides observing greater persistence of the low volatility regime. These results allow both investors and fund managers to implement strategies in different volatility or economic activity contexts through a diversified portfolio and green/climate structure.     

Environmental Requirements,Knowledge Sharing and Green Innovation: Empirical Evidence from the Electronics Industry in China

Building on the Porter hypothesis, which posits that regulatory stringency triggers innovation and thereby allows firms to achieve the dual purpose of environment protection and enhanced business performance, the present research develops an integrative model that explores the determinants of green innovation with a focus being placed on knowledge sharing. Data were collected from 203 green innovation project leaders from electronics manufacturers operating in China. The results indicate that knowledge sharing mediates the relationship between green requirements and new green product success as well as that between green requirements and green product and process innovations. Interestingly, the empirical analysis rejects the hypothesized positive influence of green requirements on green product and process innovations as well as that on new green product success, while confirming that there exists a direct and positive association between green requirements and knowledge sharing. The direct positive impact of knowledge sharing is the strongest on green process innovation. This study provides a theoretical basis for investigating the possible determinants in the causal links between green requirements and green innovation success and establishes that knowledge sharing and green process innovation may be the points where leverage can be applied to best secure innovation success. Implications of the findings on environmental policy and law design are also discussed to see how the regulatory role of the government can be better positioned to facilitate compliance and innovation. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

计算机多媒体和音像技术的智能应用

自从计算机技术出现后,在社会应用的任何领域无不渗透着计算机技术的内容。计算机多媒体数字化时代对人类的发展产生了巨大的变化,我们亲身经历了数字技术和音像技术的蓬勃发展,目睹了它以惊人的速度,渗透到社会与生活的方方面面。数字化技术和音像技术已全面的进入到广播影视领域,正对我们的行业带来实质性的变革。清楚地把握数字音频技术的发展动向,对正确推进广播影视领域的数字化进程将有极其重要的意义。本文对计算机等多媒体和音像技术的应用、视频音像会议系统、图像压缩技术等进行了一个阐述。