It is widely recognised that creativity and the capacity to innovate are the drivers of competitiveness,especially where the possibilities for cost-cutting have drastically lessened. Economics have madeimportant efforts to endogenise factors which boost such drivers. The paper deals with two connectedissues. First, the obsolescence of the cognitivist approach to which mainstream economics mostlyresorts to explain relationships between knowledge and creativity and, conversely, the heuristic powerof a hermeneutic approach. Second, the spatial implications of this approach, because of its stronglyplace-based nature. The paper suggests that major economies of agglomeration and cumulative effectsare at work, with important consequences on regional disparities if not divergences. Evidence from theItalian case corroborates this hypothesis, and also suggests that knowledge-based activities are givingrise to new forms of regional disparities.

The knowledge economy: a new source of regional divergence?

Compagnucci F
;
2014-01-01

Abstract

It is widely recognised that creativity and the capacity to innovate are the drivers of competitiveness,especially where the possibilities for cost-cutting have drastically lessened. Economics have madeimportant efforts to endogenise factors which boost such drivers. The paper deals with two connectedissues. First, the obsolescence of the cognitivist approach to which mainstream economics mostlyresorts to explain relationships between knowledge and creativity and, conversely, the heuristic powerof a hermeneutic approach. Second, the spatial implications of this approach, because of its stronglyplace-based nature. The paper suggests that major economies of agglomeration and cumulative effectsare at work, with important consequences on regional disparities if not divergences. Evidence from theItalian case corroborates this hypothesis, and also suggests that knowledge-based activities are givingrise to new forms of regional disparities.
2014
Il est généralement reconnu que la créativité et la capacité d’innovation sont les moteurs de la compétitivité, particulièrement là où les possibilités de diminution des coûts ont considérablement faiblies. L’économie a fait importants efforts pour endogénéiser des facteurs capables de renforcer ces moteurs. L’article traite de deux problématiques reliées à cette question : tout d’abord de l’obsolescence de l’approche cognitiviste à laquelle l’économie mainstream se réfère pour expliquer les relations entre connaissance et créativité et, inversement, du pouvoir heuristique d’une approche herméneutique ; ensuite des implications spatiales de cette approche en raison de sa nature fortement localisée. L’article suggère que de grandes économies d’agglomération ainsi que des effets cumulatifs se mettent en place engendrant de fortes disparités régionales, voire des divergences. L’étude du cas italien corrobore cette hypothèse et suggère également que les activités de la connaissance donnent lieu à de nouvelles formes de disparités régionales.
Creativity, Knowledge economy, Regional disparities, Urban milieu
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12571/7907
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