This monthly selection of articles is been carried out by Philippe Gugler and Basile de Raemy, the Center for Competitiveness, University of Fribourg. The entire selection, carried out since 2013, can be consulted on the academic articles page of our web.

Cross-border acquisitions and technological  spillover: evidence from European regional clusters

By: E. Sabbadin, I. De Noni, F. Belussi. Competitiveness Review, DOI: 10.1108/CR-11-2021-0166, November 2022.

Abstract: “Purpose – Relying on mergers and acquisition transaction-level data set and adopting a more region-specific approach with a focus on industry-region pairs, this paper aims to examine how cross-border acquisitions (CBAs) have an effect, in terms of technological spillover and collaboration, on European regional clusters. Design/methodology/approach – Adopting an industry-region pair approach, this study is based on a quantitative analysis of regional clusters belonging to 262 European regions and 25 patenting industries. Different thresholds of industrial specialization are used to identify clustering industries within a region. Invention performance at the regional cluster level is defined through two sets of different measurements to assess the impact of CBAs on invention quantity performance and internal and external technological collaboration. Findings – The results reveal that CBAs have a positive and significant impact on the number of patents as well as the number of internal and external technological collaborations and that this effect is persistent over time. Furthermore, through exploring the interindustry technological spillover effect of CBAs registered in the same region of a cluster but outside the cluster itself, the authors found that CBAs in a regional cluster are inclined to produce technological spillovers within the cluster but no significant effects in the other industries of the region. Originality/value – This paper is an attempt to empirically explore CBAs and technological spillover in European regional clusters. Therefore, it contributes to the debate, thanks to the use of an industry-region pair approach.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHORS]

The role of sustainability in the emergence and evolution of  bioeconomy clusters: An application of a multiscalar framework

By D. Ayrapetyan, N. Befort, F. Hermans. Journal of Cleaner Production, DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134306, November 2022.

Abstract: “Bioeconomy clusters, besides stimulating economic and innovative performance, are expected to promote sustainable regional development. Despite their growing popularity, there is still a lack of awareness about how these clusters contribute to sustainability. This paper aims at increasing our understanding of the processes through which bioeconomy clusters generate sustainability effects and promote the bioeconomy transition. We analyze the event-history of the French Bazancourt-Pomacle cluster and interpret its development as a continuous interplay among its geographical, institutional, and structural scales to capture how these dynamics eventually affect specific sustainability scales. The results of the scale analysis reveal that the actors of the biocluster maintain a certain mode of action by organizing their activities along scales related to the valorization of local natural resources, whereas improvements of sustainability appear as a posteriori result of these activities rather than an aim in itself. Our study contributes with novel insights to the literature on sustainability transitions and clusters as well as demonstrates the potential of the scale-perspective for identification and measurement of sustainability trade-offs in a way accessible to policy makers.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHORS]

Maritime cluster relatedness and  policy implications

By: D. Yang, C. Li, L. Li, K. Lai, V.Y.H Lun. Transport Policy, DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2022.09.017, November 2022.

Abstract: “Despite existing debates on the maritime cluster’s institutional composition, geographical boundary, or evolutionary patterns, few studies have empirically scrutinized the relatedness of industrial sectors inside a maritime cluster. This study aims to develop an industry-relatedness model to quantitatively measure the paired industry relatedness among three maritime sectors: port-related, shipping-related, and maritime business services. Maritime sectors can be labour-intensive or capital-intensive, and thereby we constructed a compound ratio of capital per capita to address the heterogeneity issue in evaluating the industry relatedness. Instead of focusing on a specific maritime cluster, we applied the model to three representative maritime clusters, namely Western Europe, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), and the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), to enhance the generalizability of our findings and implications. Findings suggest that the maritime cluster in Western Europe is characterized by more inter-sector connections. In Western Europe, Ship owning and operating, and Ship management and agency are found to operate with the highest relatedness; GBA has a polarized maritime industry structure with Hong Kong specializing in Ship finance and Shipbroking; cities in YRD operate with a speciality in Shipbuilding and repairing. This study found that differences in industry relatedness are mainly attributable to the focal region’s evolutionary history and governance structure. We also provided a valuable reference for policymakers to plan and improve local and regional maritime cluster development.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHORS]

The green-restructuring of clusters: investigating a  biocluster's transition using a complex adaptive system model

By: R. Kamath, A. Elola, F. Hermans. European Planning Studies, DOI: 10.1080/09654313.2022.2141054, November 2022.

Abstract: “Bioclusters’ promise of helping achieving sustainable bioeconomies has invoked great interest among policymakers and academia. However, bioclusters are not intrinsically sustainable. If they are to fulfil their promise, bioclusters must undergo green-restructuring. While cluster-research has elaborated on green regional development, we need more clarity on how clusters transition to normatively desired states; we need more evidence of how green-restructuring unfolds. In this study, we conduct a longitudinal analysis to demonstrate how a biocluster green-restructures through the interactions of agency, regional and industrial structures, and phenomena at (supra-)national levels. To execute this analysis, we created a novel cluster-evolution framework that treats clusters, and the regional innovation system and sectoral systems of innovation that contain the cluster, as complex adaptive systems. We applied this framework to study the greening of the Basque pulp-and paper-biocluster, over four phases between 1986 and 2019. Our analysis helped us discover patterns of agency, structural dynamics, and of agency-structure interactions and how supra-regional phenomena shaped structures and agency over the four phases. Based on our findings, we recommend policymakers encourage not only green-tech entrepreneurs, but also institutional entrepreneurs and place-leaders who can help shape both (supra-)regional and industrial structures.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHORS]

The quality of life in an urban innovation  ecosystem: analyzing talents’ perception in Southern Brazil 

By: C. R. Foguesatto, B. Volkmer Martins, F. Tavares da Silveira, K. Faccin, A. Balestrin. International Journal of Innovation Science, DOI: 10.1108/IJIS-05-2022-0093, November 2022.

Abstract: “Purpose – Talented people with interpersonal skills and competencies are pivotal for creating knowledge, innovation and organizational effectiveness, contributing to local development. In this regard, the quality of life is a critical factor in attracting and retaining talented people in any region. This study aims to analyze talents’ perception of the quality of life in an urban innovation ecosystem. This study considers talents to be the students from Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics programs. Design/methodology/approach – This study analyzes 263 students from three of the country’s most important universities located in the city of Porto Alegre in southern Brazil. This study examines the data using principal component analysis and cluster techniques. Findings – The results indicate five clusters. The “Love for the city” and the “Mixed” ones portray high levels of a sense of belonging to the city, but differ, for example, in their perception on city infrastructure. Conversely, both the “Worried about education” and the “Worried about commercial services” ones express low levels of a sense of belonging in the city. The “Security” cluster portrays the highest level on security issues in the city. The cluster analyses provide detailed information on the factors valued by talents in urban innovation ecosystems. Originality/value – To date, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first that uses cluster techniques to measure talents’ perception of the quality of life in an urban innovation ecosystem. The findings contribute to mapping talents’ perception and building profiles which may support the development of policies and programs to attract and retain qualified people in innovation ecosystems.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHORS]

Does regional innovation policy really work for Industry  4.0? Evidence for industrial districts

By: J.-L. Hervas-Oliver, S. Estelles-Miguel, M. Peris-Ortiz, J. A. Belso-Martinez. European Planning Studies, DOI: 10.1080/09654313.2022.2135368, November 2022.

Abstract: “Industry 4.0 threatens established lock-in paradigms in some districts. In this study, we compare different innovation policies aimed at facilitating Industry 4.0 awareness and its adoption in three Marshallian Industrial Districts (MIDs), asking: ‘What’ types of innovation policies work for Industry 4.0 in industrial districts? And, where they do, ‘how’ are those innovation initiatives designed, developed and implemented for digitizing districts? Using qualitative evidence based on 24 interviews and the review of existing literature concerning Industry 4.0 in three MIDs, results show different mechanisms and approaches for creating awareness and maximizing the diffusion of Industry 4.0 in each district, as a result of each local ‘cognitive structure’. One size-fits-all policies are not realistic for digitization: collective actors leading place-based collective actions that are bottom-up and co-designed with public and private local actors is what works best. For policymakers, this study presents guidance for developing Industry 4.0 in MID settings.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHORS]

Production network: Application in  China

By: D. Yu, R. Long, C. Wang. International Studies of Economics, DOI: 10.1002/ise3.35, November 2022.

Abstract: “Based on the input–output table and the supplier–customer data disclosed by the listed companies in China, this paper builds China's production network on both industry level and firm level. We describe the characteristics of such network using various network indexes and obtain the following results: first, China's production network on industry level is featured by “small world” and “sparsity,” and continues to become sparser. The existence of hub-like sectors makes the influence of sectoral shocks on macro fluctuations increasingly important. Second, China's production network on firm level has three types of structures: horizontal, ring, and star. Automobile and pharmaceutical industries show obvious intra-industry network cluster features. This paper aims to deepen the understanding of production network on both macro and micro levels, and provide a basis for future study on the propagation of external shocks in production networks.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHORS]

Places are not like people: the  perils of anthropomorphism within entrepreneurial ecosystems research

By: R. Brown, S. Mawson, A. Rocha. Regional Studies, DOI: 10.1080/00343404.2022.2135698, November 2022.

Abstract: “The concept of entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs) has quickly established itself as a major focus within regional development research. A key conceptual framing commonly adopted by scholars theorizing about the growth and evolutionary dynamics of EEs is via anthropomorphized life-cycle models. In this article we offer a critique and argumentation as to why the validity of this approach is spurious and contestable. Arguably, life-cycle-based models overly simplify these complex spatial entrepreneurial phenomena and convey the temporal evolution of EEs as a simplistic, linear, deterministic and path-dependent process. Despite the seductively simplistic appeal of life-cycle models, places are not like people and the uncritical adoption of such crude anthropomorphic framings potentially weakens this research field, at the same time as running the risk of misinforming policymakers.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHORS]

Quantum jump in biopharmaceutical industry: a case of  Korea’s catching up with Europe and US

By: H. Jeong, C. Song, S. Kim, K. Shin. European Planning Studies, DOI: 10.1080/09654313.2022.2132781, October 2022.

Abstract: “In the science and technology-based biopharmaceutical industry, the gap between advanced countries and developing countries is large. What is interesting recently is that a latecomer such as Korea in the biopharmaceutical industry has an opportunity to make a quantum jump through new to a business model. This study investigated latecomer firms’ catching up with advanced European and American firms in the biopharmaceutical industry, focusing on the cases of Celltrion and Samsung Biologics, which are representative Korean biopharmaceutical firms. In terms of profitability, as determined by EBITDA margin, Samsung Biologics has overtaken Lonza and Catalent. In terms of firm value, Samsung Biologics has overtaken Catalent. Celltrion surpassed all firms in 2017 and 2018, however it has been caught up by Catalent since 2020. In the Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) management, Korean firms ranked lower grades than European and American firms. The driving force of the catching-up strategy revealed by this study is as follows: (1) utilize changes in the industrial structure and environment, (2) maximize the capabilities of the innovation system, (3) make strategic choices and (4) secure an independent and stable position in the relevant field.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHORS]