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Markus Grillitsch

Senior Lecturer

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How does multi-scalar institutional change affect localized learning processes? A case study of the med-tech sector in Southern Sweden

Author

  • Markus Grillitsch
  • Josephine Rekers

Summary, in English

Co-location alone is not sufficient to ensure efficient and effective interaction between economic agents. Also, institutions at multiple scales shape the behaviour of organizations and provide incentives for interaction. However, institutions, as well as the impact of institutions on economic agents, are not static, but rather change over time. In this paper we investigate this dynamic process: How does institutional change at different geographical scales affect localized learning processes? Using an intensive case study of the medical technology sector in Southern Sweden, we trace in detail how institutions at the supra-national, national and regional scale have changed over the past 15 years and how these have affected the opportunities for localized learning between firms and hospitals. Our case makes three contributions. First, it provides a detailed empirical example of the interdependencies between institutions at the supra-national, national and regional scales. Second, as institutions shape the behaviour of organizations, we demonstrate that institutional change introduced at the extra-regional scale can have profound consequences for the establishment of local innovation linkages - and thereby for the opportunities for localized learning. Third, this leads us to reconsider the ambitions of regional policies that aim to enhance localized learning.

Department/s

  • CIRCLE
  • Department of Human Geography

Publishing year

2016

Language

English

Pages

154-171

Publication/Series

Environment & Planning A

Volume

48

Issue

1

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Pion Ltd

Topic

  • Economic Geography
  • Learning

Keywords

  • Localized learning
  • institutions and institutional change
  • scale
  • innovation
  • regional development

Status

Published

Project

  • Cluster life cycles – the role of actors, networks and institutions in emerging, growing, declining and renewing clusters.

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0308-518X