Project Name: Territories and Technologies in an Unstable Knowledge
Economy: An Evolutionary Framework of Regional Resilience
Project Acronym: TRes
Summary of Project:
This project aimed to develop theoretical and empirical research on the critical determinants of
regional resilience. New business and consumer paradigms have recently emerged around ecoinnovation, biotechnology, and photonics. At the same time, contemporary economic systems are
characterized by high levels of internationalisation, chronic macro-economic instability and
increasingly significant environmental challenges. A key question for this research is whether regions
that succeed in developing such emerging technological fields are more resilient to these trends. The
project examined this question by building an evolutionary framework of regional resilience that
facilitates understanding of how markets, technologies and territories co-evolve in a highly open and
unstable economic environment. A central research question is whether growth through ‘related
variety’ is preferable for reasons of diversity and inter-sectoral innovation opportunities, than that
based upon ‘specialisation’ in specific high-demand technologies. The structural properties of
networks were also studied in order to investigate how and where they might favour related variety,
along with how some organizations and governance structures help develop appropriate knowledge
connections. This framework was tested through quantitative assessments of technological
relatedness at the European level in emerging technological fields, and qualitative assessment based
on detailed biographies of the knowledge dynamics at work in selected territories.
The data presented here represents the work of the UK team led by Cardiff University. They were
responsible for developing the overall theoretical framework and understanding of the concept of
resilience, as well as undertaking qualitative research into knowledge recombinations and responses
to economic shocks in two UK case study regions. The project partners in the Netherlands, France
and Germany focused more on the quantitative elements of the project, the assessment of the
structural properties of networks, and the concept of related variety.
Description of files and data included here:
Regional Resilience Literature Review – This paper provides a review of the concept of regional
economic resilience, drawing particularly on the emerging conceptualisation of resilience in the
evolutionary economic geography literature. This provides much of the basis for developing the
theoretical approach to understanding the role of regions, technologies and firm dynamics in
shaping how regions adapt to economic instability and shocks.
TRes Working paper Theoretical Framework – The purpose of this paper is to establish a conceptual
framework for the UK empirical research for this project. It focuses on two core objectives: firstly, to
explore the potential for complex adaptive systems thinking to inform an understanding of how
regional economies adapt to shocks and how new forms of knowledge are combined to create new
paths for regional economic development; secondly, to develop the notion of path interdependency
to facilitate an enriched understanding of how and where new paths for regional economies emerge
through innovative knowledge re-combinations between firms and across sectors. Understanding
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path interdependence is considered critical to understand how regional economic development
trajectories change, mutate and potentially renew.
Information Sheet and Interview Schedule – This outlines the purpose of the qualitative research
undertaken by the UK team as part of this transnational project. It provides information on the
project for the participants in the UK case study regions, and provides a semi-structured interview
schedule to guide the interview process. This provides the data drawn upon to derive the innovation
biographies outlined in the qualitative findings (see ‘Qualitative findings final’).
Innovation Biographies – This is a working paper which outlines the innovation biography method
used as part of the UK case studies for this project. The paper explains the meaning, role and value
of the innovation biography method by reviewing the existing literature on this approach. The paper
also considers the challenges associated with the methodology and considers how it might usefully
be developed an applied to the study of regional economic resilience in this project.
Qualitative findings final – This paper summarises the key findings from the innovation biographies
developed in the two UK case study regions for this project. The paper focuses on exploring
empirically path interdependencies emerge from innovation, spin-offs and the rise of market niches
at the micro or firm level. This is intended to generate new knowledge as to how far they can
effectively change the course of an industrial or development path and subsequently effect coadaptation between firms, markets, technology, industry and institution. This paper focuses
principally on using different examples of innovations to understand what shapes the capacities for
knowledge recombination amongst particular firms, clusters and sectors in different contexts.
Wales Case Study Crisis Impacts and Responses – This paper provides a detailed case study of how
one of our case study regions in the UK – Wales – was affected by the post-2007 economic crisis and
how its different economic actors have reacted and responded. This is intended to build on the more
micro-level focus provided by the innovation biographies of particular firms, and develop a broader,
region-wide perspective on what shapes a region’s economic resilience, focusing particularly on the
agency of firms, households and institutions.
Cambridge J Regions Econ Soc-2015-Bristow-241-56 – This is a published journal article which draws
together some of the conceptual thinking on regional economies as complex adaptive systems (see
‘Regional Resilience Literature Review’ and ‘TRes Working Paper Theoretical Framework)’ with the
empirical research on Wales (see ‘Wales Case Study Crisis Impacts and Responses’). It develops new
theorising around adaptive agency in regional economies and establishes that social relations
between agents are key to how shocks play out and how adaptation occurs. In particular, it
illuminates the interpretive, co-evolutionary and collective nature of this agency, highlighting that in
complex regional economic systems, agents behave in a recursive manner, with firms, households
and government adapting their behaviour in line with each other and the changing environment.
Other sources of analysis from this project:
UK Team Outputs -
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More detail on the theorising, evidence and analysis emerging from the UK work on this project can
be found here:
Book / Monograph
Cooke, P. (ed) (2013) Re-framing regional development: evolution, innovation and transition',
Routledge: Oxon.
Book Chapters
Cooke, P. (2013) 'Introduction: Complex systems integration, 'emergence' and policy
modularisation', in Cooke. P. (ed) (2013) Re-framing regional development: evolution, innovation
and transition', Routledge: Oxon (pp. 1 - 26).
Cooke, P. (2013) 'Strange attractors and policy emergence: complex adaptive innovation', in Reframing regional development: evolution, innovation and transition', Routledge: Oxon (pp. 95 - 122).
Conference papers
Bristow, G. (2012) 'Regional resilience: a new model of territorial development?' Regional Studies
Association Winter Conference (Plenary), London November 2012 (available from the author).
Porter, J., Bristow, G. and Cooke, P. (2013) 'Path interdependence and resilience: a case study of
photonics in Wales', Regional Studies Association International Conference, Tampere, Finland (May
2013) (available from Bristow).
Working Paper
Porter, J., Bristow, G. and Cooke, P. (2013) 'Path interdependence and resilience: a case study of
photonics in Wales', Working Paper, Cardiff University (available from Bristow).
Outputs from the German team:
Scientific article
Wink, R.; Kirchner, L.; Koch, F.; Speda, D. (2015): Collective learning and path plasticity as means to
regional economic resilience. The case of Stuttgart, International Journal of Learning and Change,
forthcoming.
Wink, R. (2014): Regional economic resilience: European experiences and policy issues,
Raumforschung und Raumordnung, 72, 85-91.
Book / Monograph
Wink, R. (2015, ed.): Interdisziplinäre Perspektiven der Resilienzforschung. Springer VS; Wiesbaden.
Contribution to book
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Wink, R. (2014): Germany’s aeronautical industry after 1945. The quest for relatedness and
continuity, in: Niosi, J.; Zhegu, M. (eds.): The internationalisation of the aircraft industry after 1945,
Springer; Berlin et al.
PhD Thesis
Schneider, D.P. (2015): Related variety as part of research on regional economic resilience. The case
of Saxony. Leipzig.
Outputs from the French Team:
Scientific articles:
GILLY J.P., KECHIDI M., TALBOT D., 2014, "Resilience of organisations and territories: the role of pivot
firms", European Management Journal, vol. 32, n°4, pp. 596-602.
KECHIDI M., TALBOT D., 2013, "Les mutations de l’industrie aéronautique civile française :
concentration, externalisation et firme-pivot", Entreprises et histoire, vol. 4, n°73, pp. 75-88
GILLY J.P., TALBOT D., ZULIANI J.M., 2011, "Hub firms and the dynamics of regional innovation: case
studies of Thales and Liebherr in Toulouse", European Planning Studies, vol. 19, n°12, 2011, pp.
2009-2024.
Brossard, O., Moussa, I. (2014) The French cluster policy put to the test with differences-indifferences estimates. Economics Bulletin 34 (1): 520-529
Vicente, J. 2014. “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water”: Network failures and policy
challenges for cluster long run dynamics. Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography #14/20.
Vicente, J., Crespo, J. 2015, Proximity and distance in knowledge relationships: From micro to
structural considerations based on Territorial Knowledge Dynamics (TKDs), Regional Studies
(forthcoming. DOI 10.1080/00343404.2014.984671)
Crespo, J., Suire, R., Vicente, J. 2015, Network structural properties for cluster long run dynamics:
Evidence from collaborative R&D networks in the European mobile phone industry, Industrial and
Corporate Change (forthcoming)
Crespo, J., Suire, R., Vicente, J., 2014, Lock-in or lock-out? How structural properties of knowledge
networks affect regional resilience, Journal of Economic Geography, 14(1): 199-219
Suire, R., Vicente, J., 2014, Clusters for life or life cycles of clusters: In search for the critical factors of
clusters resilience, Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 26(1-2): 142-164
Contribution to book
Vicente, J. 2015, Networks failures in cluster policy design, In Fornahl, D and Hassink, R. (Eds), Cluster
life cycles, Edward Elgar Publishing LTD (forthcoming)
Crespo, J., Suire, R., Vicente, J., 2013, Assortativity and hierarchy in localized collaboration networks,
in Scherngell, T. (Ed), The Geography of Networks and R&D Collaborations, Advances in Spatial
Science, Springer, chap 8, 09/2013.
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PhD Thesis
Joan Crespo : Understanding cluster dynamics in evolutionary economic geography : essays on the
structure of networks and clusters life cycles. November 2013
Outputs from the Dutch Team:
Scientific articles:
Balland, P.A., Rigby, D. and Boschma, R. (2015) The Technological Resilience of U.S. Cities, Cambridge
Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, forthcoming.
Boschma, R., Balland, P.A. and Kogler, D. (2015) Relatedness and Technological Change in Cities: The
rise and fall of technological knowledge in U.S. metropolitan areas from 1981 to 2010, Industrial and
Corporate Change, forthcoming.
Boschma, R. (2015) Towards an evolutionary perspective on regional resilience, Regional Studies,
forthcoming.
Broekel, T., Balland P.A., Burger, M. and van Oort, F. (2015) Modeling Knowledge Networks in
Economic Geography: A Discussion of Four Empirical Strategies, The Annals of Regional Science,
forthcoming.
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