The Regional Economics of Knowledge and Talent - Local Advantage in a Global Context (Hardcover)

'This is an exceptional work that is the result of an outstanding selection of the best papers on agglomeration and innovation given at the 10th anniversary of the Udevalla conference. It is the finest set of conference papers I have seen in the past 25 years. These are artfully woven together into three primary areas. The first focuses on the role of knowledge and innovation in entrepreneurship; the second incorporates the institutional environment while the third looks at the international context. I recommend this collection to academics, students and all who are interested in the role of creativity and innovation in entrepreneurial development. Not only are these the very best researchers in the field, but the materials are presented in a clear and concise manner, making it an outstanding base for advanced courses in this area. This work combines some of the best writings by top-notch authors sharing the sharpest insight into the complex area of the role of human capital in structuring agglomerative advantages. I take my hat off to the fine editorial work represented in this volume.' - Kingsley E. Haynes, George Mason University 'The book provides a remarkable contribution on the role of human capital as major creator of knowledge, interpreted as abilities, capabilities, methods, creativity and persistency in identifying and solving problems by collecting, selecting, interpreting and applying existing knowledge and information. The laws of increasing returns to human capital - among which urban agglomerations as magnets which attract persons who embody knowledge - are conceptually searched and empirically verified. The book answers questions such as: Why do highly educated people, i.e. the carriers of human capital, tend to concentrate in large agglomerations? What are the agglomerative forces? and How does this agglomeration of human capital impact different types of economic activities and in particular their location behaviour? Important normative implications are thus derived from such a collected effort.' - Roberta Capello, Politecnico di Milano, Italy This original and instructive new book defines and explores the concept of knowledge as the talent, skills, know-how and understanding embodied in individuals. The distinguished contributors advance the current research frontier in three novel directions which focus on: the role of human capital and talent for creativity, entrepreneurship and regional development; the role of institutions for the behavior of firms and entrepreneurs; and the influence of the global context on the location, export and innovation behavior of firms in a knowledge economy. They also address critical questions that underpin the emerging knowledge economy: - Why does human capital and talent tend to agglomerate in large urban regions? - How does this agglomeration affect the location of different types of economic activities? - How does this agglomeration affect regional growth? Presenting the state of the art in the field of knowledge economics, this book will prove a stimulating and challenging read for scholars and researchers with an interest in economics, business and management, and regional and urban studies. Contributors: M. Andersson, C. Autant-Bernard, P. Billand, G.A.S. Cook, U. Grasjo, J.J. Gutierrez, T. Hatori, B. Johansson, S. Johansson, C. Karlsson, K. Kobayashi, H. Loof, N. Massard, K. Matsushima, P. Nijkamp, D. Nilsson, K. Nystrom, M. Olsson, N.R. Pandit, M. Sahin, R.J. Stimson, R.R. Stough, A. Todiras