The ‘entrepreneurial turn’ and regional economic development mission of universities

In the last 20 years many research universities in the US have added regional business and economic development as a core mission to the traditional ones of instruction and scholarly research. It has been claimed by many critics, however, that this ‘entrepreneurial turn’ presents conflicts with long established academic norms, procedures, and reward systems. This paper utilizes a national survey of faculty attitudes towards academic entrepreneurship to investigate the extent to which the ‘entrepreneurial turn’ has become accepted and taken-for-granted, to identify which academic entrepreneurial activities are deemed appropriate, or legitimate, and those that are widely regarded as inappropriate, and to identify the most salient dimensions by which faculty attitudes vary. The results provide evidence that the entrepreneurial turn within research universities in the US has not yet become ‘taken-for-granted’, that the norm of open science is still widely accepted and conflicts with some academic entrepreneurship activities. There seems to be a broad—though not consensual—agreement on the boundaries of what are deemed appropriate and legitimate entrepreneurial activities that spans disciplines and across prior levels of faculty experience in academic entrepreneurship.     

Multi-level governance of regional economic development in Norway and Sweden: too much or too little top-down control?

Regional level has been identified as the key institutional level for economic development policies. However, in Norway and Sweden regional economic development as a policy field is to a limited extent placed under the control of directly elected regional parliaments, whereas the most important instruments for stimulating regional economic development and innovation are controlled by national government and regional state offices. In this article we discuss the theoretical and normative arguments for centralizing or decentralizing instruments for enhancing regional economic development and the implications of the fact that strong instruments for enhancing regional economic development are controlled by national government in these countries.     

The spatial dispersion of economic activities and development trends in China: 1952–1985

This paper reviews and analyzes the spatial dispersion of economic activities in the Peoples' Republic of China for the period of 1952–1985. The purpose of the paper is to shed light on the future prospect of spatial development in China. Specifically, the paper examines the relationship between spatial dispersions of economic activities and the central government's policy for economic development in past decades. Received: July 1998/Accepted: August 1999     

Comparing apples with apples: how different are recent residential development patterns in Portland and Charlotte?

This paper compares Portland in Oregon and Charlotte in North Carolina to determine if recent residential development patterns in each area are as different as their existing policy framework and regulations might suggest. Using spatial data sets from local sources, we first perform a cluster analysis to develop a typology of census block groups based on built‐environment characteristics. This derived typology is coupled with data on single‐family residential construction for both study areas to assess the degree of similarity. We find that Portland and Charlotte present very different residential development outcomes in recent years. More specifically, single‐family residential development has occurred most frequently in the inner‐ and middle‐ring suburbs in Portland and most heavily in the urban fringe areas in Charlotte. Potential explanations of the observed difference are offered.     

Fantasies of development and housing provision for all? Revisiting urbanization issues in Swaziland

Conclusion Generally, Swaziland’s stagnant rural economy has contributed to increasing rates of urbanization in Swaziland. In the case of Swaziland, urbanization has been fuelled even more by economic growth, though fluctuating depending on the nature of South Africa’s economic climate. One interpretation of this relationship between rural degradation, growing rural-urban migration and economic development is that for many Swazi people, a life in the city becomes a necessity rather than an option. However, as an indicator of development, housing provision has not met the demands of a growing urban labour force. One of the greatest challenges that the government of Swaziland faces today is therefore to take cognizance of the fact that as long as the rural economy remains unsustainable, the land question remains unresolved, the exodus to the burgeoning center of Manzini and the surrounding areas of the Matsapha industrial site continues, the demand for adequate, affordable housing will continue to rise and the notion of development and housing provision for all will continue to be no more than a fantasy. Already the urgency to establish townships and provide more low-income housing and the need to stimulate the housing industry and provide better services has been acknowledged. A number of studies and recommendations are underway. However as Sihlongonyane (undated paper) aptly remarks, although the housing policy, urban government act, institutions for service provision all together form a broader framework of the national development strategy which aims to correct urban-related problems, as long as development challenges faces Swaziland’s cities remain inextricably linked to (inefficient) traditional central planning systems, the way forward will be difficult to traverse.     

Does wage differential driven migration continue to exist? Tests on the role of regional economic structure in wage differential driven migration

This paper explores the role of regional economic structure in the wage differential driven migration among the US Metropolitan Statistical Areas for three discrete time periods from 1993 to 2004. Rapidly increasing interregional trade attributes to the restructuring process of production internationally and interregionally. Both trade and migration can contribute to the equilibrium conditions in regional labor markets. When fragmentation increases intra-industry trade (IIT) in interregional trade, do we expect to see the increasing roles of interregional trade toward the equilibrium condition in regional labor markets? Fragmentation may force some production stages to the other regions, in other words, firms may benefit from relocating to the regions where they can minimize labor costs with cheaper wage rates. In this restructuring process, similarities in regional economic structures may increase the volumes of IIT and as a result, we may expect to see the increasing complementary role of trade in factor price equalization to migration. In contrast, when regional economic structures are quite different, migration rather than trade plays more important role in factor price equalization. Consequently, the main flows of interregional migration caused by wage differentials are more likely to be found among the regions where regional economic structures are dissimilar.     

Are there different local patterns of convergence concealed beneath the regional level? An analysis for US states and counties using a multilevel approach

The extensive literature on economic convergence has explored a wide variety of ways of measuring convergence in addition to finely tuning and improving the applicable econometric techniques. However, very few contributions analyze the relevance of the spatial level of analysis. Our hypothesis is that studying the convergence at the level of large regions (states) could conceal intraregional heterogeneity. This hypothesis is consistent with the New Economic Geography framework, which highlighted core-periphery patterns at the local level. However, this polarization mechanism may become difficult to identify with aggregated data or neoclassical dynamics operating at the same time. This paper proposes a multilevel approach to study this question. It allows the identification of possible heterogeneous local patterns of behavior within regions. It is applied to the US economy in a hierarchy of two levels: states and counties. The results show high intraclass correlation, indicating significant variance within states. An overall pattern of convergence is observed in line with previous results, although some states present internal patterns of divergence or significant changes in the rate of convergence.     

Sand and gravel extraction from piedmont and floodplain zones of Yamunanagar district in Haryana,India: Environmental tragedy or economic gain?

This study examines the environmental and economic consequences of sand and gravel extraction from piedmont and floodplain zones of Yamunanagar district in Haryana state of India. The study establishes that there have been significant changes in area under different crops, soil fertility, groundwater depth and its quality, employment and economy of the region. Estimates suggest that in a year nearly Rs 1.1 million ($16,213) worth of nitrogen, Rs 2.1 million ($30,953) worth of phosphorus and Rs 3.5 million ($51,588) worth of potassium are lost. A change in policy on sand and gravel extraction in the district appears to be necessary.     

The pattern of EU FDI in the manufacturing industry: What role do third country effects and trade policies play?

The Annals of Regional Science - The aim of this paper is to assess the impact of “third country effects” and trade policies on the outward stocks of FDI of the EU. We estimate a model...     

What may culture contribute to urban sustainability? Critical reflections on the uses of culture in urban development in Oslo and beyond

Culture and capital play vital roles in urban change. This paper provides a discussion of the relation between culture and capital, followed by a discussion of their relation in the urban context, including an empirical example from Oslo, Norway. Emphasis will be put on the role of culture in the creative city thesis and how culture relates to the concept of urban sustainability. A critique of neoliberal and instrumental uses of culture in the creative city thesis is also undertaken. Policies on culture-led urban regeneration often pay more attention to economic motives than to culture itself. The paper calls for establishing a reflective cultural policy that is not subsumed to economic sustainability, and for the need to escape the anthropological conception of culture as a whole way of life.     

What is the "neighbourhood" in neighbourhood satisfaction? Comparing the effects of structural characteristics measured at the micro-neighbourhood and tract levels

Using the neighbourhood sub-sample from the American Housing Survey for 1985, 1989 and 1993, this study tests whether the social context of the local micro-neighbourhood or of the broader census tract more strongly affects neighbourhood satisfaction. It is found that the local context of the micro-neighbourhood generally has a stronger effect on residents' reported satisfaction. In contrast to studies aggregating to larger units, it is found that greater residential stability in the micro-neighbourhood increases reported neighbourhood satisfaction. A low socioeconomic status of the local micro-neighbourhood decreases neighbourhood satisfaction more than does the socioeconomic status of the surrounding tract and this effect is amplified in low-income tracts. Whereas prior evidence is mixed when aggregating perceptions of crime to larger units, a robust negative effect on satisfaction is found when aggregated to the micro-neighbourhood.     

A turning point in the development of European spatial planning? The ‘Territorial Agenda of the European Union’ and the ‘First Action Programme’

The European Union has always had a territorial agenda, albeit implicit. Existing spatial planning systems in Europe, in particular French aménagement du territoire, have shaped the thinking about how to tackle it more systematically, lately under the flag of an EU territorial cohesion policy. Drawing on work by the European Spatial Planning Observation Network (ESPON), the member states collectively have produced an ‘evidence-based’ document, ‘The territorial state and perspectives of the European Union’. This forms the basis of a political document entitled the ‘Territorial Agenda of the European Union: Towards a more competitive and sustainable Europe of diverse regions’. The subsequent First Action Programme came at a time when it appeared that the Treaty of Lisbon would make EU territorial cohesion policy official. This paper gives an account of the process, pointing out that a turning point has been reached, in that the member states have come to accept the need for EU territorial cohesion policy. Section 1 sets out the theoretical framework and the research approach. Section 2 sets the scene as regards the EU and it institutions. Section 3 looks at spatial planning systems in Europe and, in particular—since it has been instrumental in formulating EU regional and territorial cohesion policy—French aménagement du territoire. Section 4 identifies the implicit EU territorial agenda and how this has been articulated further by the member states formulating the ESDP. Section 5 gives an account of the fledgling EU territorial cohesion policy. Section 6 focuses on the member state initiative to produce the ‘evidence-based’ document, ‘The territorial state and perspectives of the European Union’, which forms the basis for the Territorial Agenda. As a background to this, the section discusses ESPON, which provided the research base for this undertaking. Sections 7 to 9 are about the Territorial Agenda process as such, particularly its making, the substantive policies and the institutional measures proposed therein, and the First Action Programme adopted in the wake of the Territorial Agenda. Section 10 identifies challenges ahead, followed by the final section, which explores issues whose resolution is not immediately in sight.