Innovation in the Periphery

A Critical Survey and Research Agenda

Bibliographic Data

ID23366371
AuthorsJakob Eder (0000-0002-8922-1525, Institute for Urban and Regional Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria, corresponding author)
Year2019
Volume42
Issue2
Pages119-146
Publication date2019-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Regional Science Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0160-0176 • E-ISSN: 1552-6925
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0160017618764279
OpenAlexW2795091500
LanguageEN
Citations received102
References cited100

Scholars of the geography of innovation have produced an impressive body of literature over the last decades. However, until recently this research focused on successful core regions, implicitly assuming that there is no innovation in peripheral areas. This view is being increasingly questioned, which is reflected by a rising number of papers, special issues, and edited volumes on innovation outside of agglomerations. Hence, this rapidly emerging field calls for a critical survey. In order to identify a future research agenda, this article conducts a systematic literature review of the work on innovation in the periphery (1960–2016). As such, it explores the recurring themes and key issues of the field and discusses the various periphery concepts applied, ranging from a geographic to a functional perspective on various scales. In doing so, it outlines options for policy makers and suggests avenues for future research: first, the periphery concept needs more refinement. Second, future studies should include systematic comparisons of regions. Third, an evolutionary perspective might provide new insights. Fourth, future work could explore the benefits peripheries offer for certain kinds of innovation. Fifth, urban–rural linkages might be of higher relevance than assumed. Sixth, research should go beyond the well-known examples. Finally, the analysis could be extended by applying a broader understanding of innovation.

Economic geography · Economics · Field (mathematics) · Geography · Order (exchange) · Perspective (graphical) · Political science · Regional science · Relevance (law) · Sociology · Urban agglomeration · Work (physics) · Computer Science · Cultural Industries and Urban Development · Regional Economics and Spatial Analysis · Regional resilience and development

Tools

Open DOISci-HubOpen Access