Introduction to The Governance of Innovation Spaces

David A. Wolfe

Chapter 1 in The Governance of Innovation Spaces, 2026, pp 1-18 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: The Introduction frames the book's central argument: cities and regions are critical sites for responding to the “deep transition” underway in the global economy – a convergence of digital transformation, the climate crisis, successive economic recessions, and rising geopolitical instability. These forces are deepening spatial inequalities, leaving many regions “behind” while intensifying the pre-eminent place of a few leading innovation centres. Effective responses to the transition must be designed and implemented at the regional and urban scale, integrating national and supra-national policies with local governance capacities. Central to this argument is the concept of civic capital – defined as the set of relations arising from interpersonal networks tied to a specific region or locality, contributing to a shared sense of community, common identity, and collaborative governance. Drawing on three decades of comparative research across North America and Europe, the book examines how collaborative governance arrangements – particularly civic entrepreneurs and collaborative organizations – enable cities and regions to mobilize local assets, construct new developmental trajectories, and implement place-based innovation policies. The Introduction provides a rationale for the book's comparative focus across the two continents, noting important analytical and policy differences while identifying growing convergence around collaborative and experimental governance. The analysis moves from theoretical frameworks for understanding the spatial dimensions of innovation, through substantive chapters on civic capital, universities, global networks, and path development, to an examination of collaborative innovation policy and its implications for the governance of regional economies.

Keywords: Deep Transition; Civic Capital; Collaborative Governance; Place-based Policy; Regional Economic Development; Innovation Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035320783
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