The dark side of the geography of innovation

Pinheiro, Flávio L.; Balland, Pierre-Alexandre; Boschma, Ron; Hartmann, Dominik

http://hdl.handle.net/10362/131535

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Autores

Pinheiro, Flávio L.

Balland, Pierre-Alexandre

Boschma, Ron

Hartmann, Dominik

Resumo(s)

As regions evolve, their economies become more complex, and they tend to diversify into related activities. Although there is a bright side to this diversification process in terms of economic development, there may also be a dark side to it, as it possibly contributes to regional inequalities. The paper uses data on industries and patents to analyze the diversification patterns of 283 regions in 32 European countries over the past 15 years. We find that only the most economically advanced regions have the opportunity to diversify into highly complex activities. These regions tend to focus on related high-complex activities, while lagging regions focus on related low-complex activities, creating a spatial inequality feedback loop. This pattern creates a wicked problem for innovation policy: the strategy needed to improve the innovativeness of the European knowledge system might disproportionately benefit regions that are already developed and foster disparities.

Descrição

Pinheiro, F. L., Balland, P-A., Boschma, R., & Hartmann, D. (2025). The dark side of the geography of innovation: relatedness, complexity and regional inequality in Europe. Regional Studies, 59(1), 1-16. Article 2106362. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2022.2106362 --- %ABS4% --- Funding: Flavio L. Pinheiro acknowledges the financial support provided by FCT Portugal under the project UIDB/0415s2/2020 – Centro de Investigação em Gestão de Informação (MagIC). Dominik Hartmann would like to express his gratitude for the financial support of CNPq [grant numbers 406943/2021-4 and 315441/2021-6]. Ron Boschma acknowledges the support from the European Union-funded PILLARS (Pathways to IncLusive LAbouR marketS) project [grant agreement number 101004703]. Pierre-Alexandre Balland acknowledges the financial support from the MSCA-RISE TREND (Transition with Resilience for Evolutionary Development) project [grant agreement number 823952].

Palavras-chave

Dark side of innovation Geography of innovation Regional diversification Complexity Regional inequality Smart Specialisation Policy General Environmental Science General Social Sciences SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities