When do global pipelines enhance knowledge diffusion in clusters?

Andrea Morrison, Roberta Rabellotti and Lorenzo Zirulia

No 1105, Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) from Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography

Abstract: Recent studies have stressed the role played by global pipelines in fostering cluster growth and innovativeness. This paper develops a formal model investigating when global pipelines contribute to increase local knowledge, depending on various cluster characteristics such as size, knowledge endowment and ease of internal knowledge transmission. This model is an extension of Cowan and JonardÕs 2004 model in which we introduce the concept of cluster and a role for spatial proximity in knowledge diffusion. We find that there is a natural tendency of actors within global pipelines to act as external stars rather than knowledge gatekeepers. Global pipelines are beneficial for cluster knowledge accumulation only if the cluster is either characterized by a high quality local buzz or is small and weakly endowed in terms of knowledge.

Keywords: knowledge gatekeepers; clusters; knowledge diffusion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C63 D83 O33 R11 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 25 pages
Date: 2011-03, Revised 2011-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cse, nep-geo, nep-knm and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:egu:wpaper:1105

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