The firm in the Learning Region Ruimteconferentie 28 oktober 2008 Otto Raspe otto.raspe@pbl.nl

Learning Regions, Florida 1995 'regions are becoming focal points for knowledge creation and learning in the new age of global, knowledge-intensive capitalism, as they in effect become learning regions. These learning regions function as collectors and repositories of knowledge and ideas, and provide the underlying environment of infrastructure which facilitates the flow of knowledge, ideas and learning. In fact, despite continued predictions of the end of geography, regions are becoming more important modes of economic and technological organization on a globe scale' Korte titel – auteur, datum

Critisism lacks empirical operationalization  'fuzzy' (Markusen 1999, MacKinnon et al 2002). in geography 'the firm' as a research unit is underdeveloped (Maskell 2001; Taylor and Asheim 2001) and neglected (Bathelt 2006, Lorenzen 2007, Martin and Sunley 2001). Evidence an indirect kind / 'black box' (Breschi and Lissoni 2001). better distinguish itself from related concepts, like territorial innovation concepts, agglomeration economies and cluster principles (Hassink 2007). Korte titel – auteur, datum

Research agenda better understanding of the nature of the relation between 'the firm' and 'space'. stronger focus on 'the firm' as central actor, but this should also include the development of methods for analyzing interactions and relationships, particularly those involving the exchange of information and knowledge - across economic systems - in order to assess the extent to which such interactions and exchanges are carried out within bounded territories. Dicken en Malberg (2001) Korte titel – auteur, datum

Micro-macro (Social science) b Z Y d c e x y a micro Korte titel – auteur, datum

Multilevel models a) b) c) d) e) f) Korte titel – auteur, datum

Korte titel – auteur, datum

Korte titel – auteur, datum

Korte titel – auteur, datum

Multilevel analysis better handles fallacies (ecological / atomistic) Conclusions Multilevel analysis better handles fallacies (ecological / atomistic) Simultaneously different levels (random intercept) Allowing for firm heterogeneity The relationship between the firm and its spatial context, though, is even more complex as we find that this differs for these firm specific characteristics (random intercept) Korte titel – auteur, datum