Evolutionary Economic Geography – Realising Potential and Learning Opportunities in Regional Innovation Systems

The Evolutionary Economic Geography (EEG) paradigm is quickly gaining momentum and recent contributions highlight several potential avenues for reimagining traditional approaches to regional innovation policymaking.  Moving away from simple benchmarking exercises, which only continue to re-establishing already known static rankings with increasingly complex indicators, the aim of advanced EEG-based concepts and analysis should be to: a) establish development alternatives that rest on regional potential as indicated in the configuration of present capabilities, and b) to link those alternatives to forward-thinking strategies that consider regional innovation systems in the context of the global framework of knowledge production and diffusion.  Here particular attention needs to be given to regional branching opportunities that derive from knowledge diversification processes driven by the collaboration patterns and location choices of individuals and firms.

 

 

Dieter F. Kogler is an Associate Prof. in Economic Geography at University College Dublin.  His research focus is on the geography of innovation and evolutionary economic geography, with particular emphasis on knowledge production and diffusion, and processes related to technological change, innovation, and economic growth. He is currently an ERC Starter Grant Holder with the following project title: Technology Evolution in Regional Economies (TechEvo).  Dieter also serves as an Associate Editor of Regional Studies and is an Editorial Board member of the Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society. His career path combines professional, education and research experience acquired in Europe, the United States, and Canada within a variety of areas pertaining to the spatial analysis of socio-economic phenomena.  For further information regarding ongoing projects, collaborations, and an overview of publications, refer to: https://people.ucd.ie/dieter.kogler.