

Admitted to PhD Programme: 2012-07-01
Supervisor: Karl-Johan Lundquist
Assistant supervisor: Martin Henning
- Course convener for SGEA23:3, SGEA23:4
- Teaches on EKHM51, HEKK03:1, KSMB12, SGEA20:4, SGEA23:1, SGEA23:3, SGEA23:4, SGEK03:1, SGEL36, UTVC14
Research interests
- technology shifts, structural change and economic growth
- new, renewing and expanding industries
- regional transformation
- regional labour market dynamics
- labour mobility
Research project
The Swedish economy has undergone substantial structural change over last three decades. Overwhelming forces of ‘creative destruction’, technological progress and tertiarisation of the economy led to dramatic changes in Swedish industrial landscape which boosted economic development, while at the same time posing many challenges for policy-makers. Some of the most important challenges regard labour market dynamics in times of economic restructuring, and in particular, issues connected to labour mobility across regions, sectors and labour market states.
In my dissertation project preliminary titled “Technology Shifts, Labour Mobility and Transformation of Industry Spaces: Evidence from Swedish Regions” I’m addressing the lack of systematic discussion in the literature regarding the effects of the long-term evolution of regional economy on the regional labour market dynamics.
Using a unique combination of Swedish datasets, my research project is centred on two overarching research questions. The first is: in what ways is a co-evolutionary dynamics of industrial restructuring and labour mobility patterns across and within local labour markets conditioned by technology-induced structural change?
By investigating this question it is possible to contribute to the long-standing debate on a role of labour mobility as an adjustment mechanism to existing regional disparities. In a stylised version, the two positions in the literature are that: (1) labour mobility leads to income and employment convergence across regional labour markets over time, and (2) labour mobility reinforces regional labour market imbalances. In an attempt to address this debate I formulate the second general question: does labour mobility act as an effective mechanism of adjustment to economic shocks in the long run?
Answering the latter question for the Swedish case is of particular value, as it poses explicit policy implications. Indeed, if labour mobility leads to smoothing of imbalances across local labour markets, policy measures should be aimed at stimulating workers to be mobile. If this is not the case, policies motivating workers to stay in the region of current employment should be preferred. The outcomes of my project will better inform policy-makers on the relation between magnitude and character of labour mobility needed for sustaining equality across local labour markets, while endorsing higher rates of industrial renewal and economic growth.
In addressing the issues mentioned above I try to bridge three strands of research which until now developed almost independently of each other, namely (1) macro-oriented view on evolutionary economic geography, in particular the geographic reference cycle model; (2) labour economics’ perspective on labour mobility as economic shocks absorption mechanism; and, (3) skill-relatedness and industry space theses uncovering skill-specific component of labour mobility.
Publications
Displaying of publications. Sorted by year, then title.
Dynamic recombinant relatedness and its role for regional innovation
Mikhail Martynovich, Josef Taalbi
(2022) European Planning Studies
Journal articleAgency and economic change in regions : identifying routes to new path development using qualitative comparative analysis
Markus Grillitsch, Markku Sotarauta, Björn Asheim, Rune Dahl Fitjar, Silje Haus-Reve, et al.
(2022) Regional Studies
Journal articleThe black box of regional growth
Markus Grillitsch, Mikhail Martynovich, Rune Dahl Fitjar, Silje Haus-Reve
(2021) Journal of Geographical Systems , p.425-464
Journal articleDynamic Nature of Relatedness, or What Kind of Related Variety for Long‐Term Regional Growth
Kadri Kuusk, Mikhail Martynovich
(2021) Tijdschrift Voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, 112 p.81-96
Journal articleCan foundational economy save regions in crisis?
Mikhail Martynovich, Teis Hansen, Karl-Johan Lundquist
(2020)
Working paperRelated variety, recombinant knowledge and regional innovation. Evidence for Sweden, 1991-2010
Mikhail Martynovich, Josef Taalbi
(2020) Papers in evolutionary economic geography, 20
Working paperWhat kind of related variety for long-term regional growth?
Kadri Kuusk, Mikhail Martynovich
(2018) Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG)
Working paperSkill-based measures of related variety and long-term regional development: A critical perspective
Mikhail Martynovich, Kadri Kuusk
(2018)
Conference - otherMobility and Entrepreneurship: Finding Value in Geographic Diversity
Mikhail Martynovich
(2018)
Conference paper: abstractExplaining long-term regional growth: Towards an integrated framework
Mikhail Martynovich, Karl-Johan Lundquist
(2018)
Conference paper: abstractThe role of local embeddedness and non-local knowledge in entrepreneurial activity
Mikhail Martynovich
(2017) Small Business Economics, 49 p.741-762
Journal articleThe technology shift thesis : Understanding long term growth and transformation in a regional system
Karl-Johan Lundquist, Lars-Olof Olander, Mikhail Martynovich
(2017)
ReportLabour force building in a rapidly expanding sector
Mikhail Martynovich, Martin Henning
(2017) Industry and Innovation
Journal articleGeneral purpose technology diffusion and labour market dynamics : A spatio-temporal perspective
Mikhail Martynovich
(2016) Meddelande från Institutionen för kulturgeografi och ekonomisk geografi. Avhandlingar
DissertationLABOUR FORCE BUILDING IN A RAPIDLY EXPANDING SECTOR
Mikhail Martynovich, Martin Henning
(2016) CRA Working Papers
Working paperTechnological Change and Geographical Reallocation of Labour: On the Role of Leading Industries
Mikhail Martynovich, Karl-Johan Lundquist
(2015) Regional Studies
Journal articleTehnology Shift and Long term Growth in Regions
Karl-Johan Lundquist, Mikhail Martynovich, Lars-Olof Olander
(2015) , p.1-32
Conference paperSpatial evolution of knowledge-intensive ICT services in Sweden: On the role of mobile entrepreneurs
Mikhail Martynovich
(2015)
Conference paperTechnology shifts and reallocation of labour: On the role of leading industries
Mikhail Martynovich, Karl-Johan Lundquist
(2014)
Conference paper