Creating, Connecting, and Growing
By Robert Huggins and Hiro Izushi
List Price: £75.00
ISBN: 9780415375122
ISBN-10: 0415375126
Publisher: Routledge
Pages: 240
Binding: Hardback
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Summary
Focusing on the dynamics of the knowledge economy, this book provides an overview of the knowledge creation capabilities of economies, an examination of their growth performance and a detailed analysis of how the creation and connection of knowledge is becoming the key means of growing productivity.
Huggins and Izushi introduce the concepts of network capital and knowledge communities to explain and understand how knowledge is connected and transferred across firms, organizations and economies, whilst taking issue with accepted concepts of business clusters, social capital and endogenous growth theory. This book demonstrates how the knowledge economy has fundamentally shifted the way in which the values of both firms and economies are measured and points to the way in which the knowledge race has become global due to increasing parts of the developing world being integrated with the developed world through international trade and investment.
Huggins and Izushi argue that a key impact of this global redistribution of knowledge is that the gaps between the “haves” and “have nots” in North America and Europe are becoming ever wider, pointing to huge increases in advanced economies of the differences in wage of top compared with bottom on the ladder of earners. They further argue that firms in advanced economies are finding it increasingly difficult to create innovations resulting in market-leading goods and services.
Global networks of knowledge
Huggins and Izushi sense that the globalisation of knowledge means that the position of government to effectively intervene is becoming weakened. They recommend that governments follow the trend being set by the private sector, and seek to establish similar types of global networks and partnerships, rather than protectionism. As “Competing for Knowledge” concludes: “responses to the redrawing of the global map of knowledge creation capacities should be rooted in ensuring that mutual long-term benefits are facilitated through developing and sustaining global networks of knowledge, which capture the obvious upsides of open trade and free enterprise economics”.
“Competing for Knowledge” takes an overarching view of the knowledge economy and its composition, seeking to explore its long-term development as well as its more recent evolution. The format and style of the book is such that it can be easily digested by informed readers, while those with a special interest in certain areas are able to gain further insight from the detailed notes and references provided. The theoretical scope of the book principally draws on concepts from economics, strategic management, innovation studies, sociology, as well as economic and human geography. These theories are utilized to provide the backdrop for understanding the link between knowledge and competitiveness, and how firms and economies can enhance both.
This book will interest students and researchers engaged with the knowledge economy, management and economic geography, as well as managers and public policy makers interested in competitiveness and economic development.
“Competing for Knowledge” consists of the following chapters:
1. Introduction
2. The origin and reality of the knowledge-based economy
3. Knowledge-based capacity of best-performing regions
4. Networks and clusters
5. Knowledge clusters and their evolution
6. Nurturing and attracting talent
7. Managing network capital and innovation
8. But what about the money? Financing and commercialising knowledge
9. Conclusion