Accessibility, absorptive capacity and innovation in European urban areas

Clément Gorin

No 1722, Working Papers from Groupe d'Analyse et de Théorie Economique Lyon St-Étienne (GATE Lyon St-Étienne), Université de Lyon

Abstract: Empirical studies on the geography of innovation have established that skilled workers’ mobility and collaboration networks shape the diffusion of knowledge across firms and regions. At the same time, the literature on absorptive capacity insisted on the importance of local research capabilities to take advantage of knowledge developed elsewhere. This paper inves- tigates both phenomena in an integrated framework by assuming that mobility and networks provide access to knowledge, but the proportion of accessible knowledge effectively used for innovation depends on absorptive capacity. Such complementaries in regional research efforts are effectively captured using a spatial Durbin model in which the connectivity structure stems from mobility and collaboration patterns. Results confirm the relative importance of these two channels in the diffusion of knowledge, and suggests that human capital increases absorptive capacity. These findings have implications for the geography of innovation. While greater accessibility encourages convergence, the notion of absorptive capacity implies a self-reinforcing effect leading to divergence.

Keywords: Innovation; Mobility; Network; Absorptive capacity; Spatial Durbin model; Urban areas (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C33 J61 O31 O33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cse, nep-geo, nep-ino, nep-lab, nep-sbm, nep-tid and nep-ure
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Working Paper: Accessibility, absorptive capacity and innovation in European urban areas (2017)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gat:wpaper:1722

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