No abstract

No abstract

European integration is based on the idea of regional differentiation. Therefore, a diverse range of specific regional cultures have to be accepted, and space for individual paths of regional development is required. This also influences economic competitiveness and innovation because regional differentiation enables complementarities and synergies. Nevertheless, this European idea is under pressure as the reality of European integration is more and more driven by the homogenization, standardization and deregulation that go hand in hand with increasing globalization. A strong commitment to local/regional traditions and specialities is therefore required to counterbalance these trends and thus reinforce the underlying European model. This idea was the starting point for a European 6th Framework Programme project on the interaction between regional culture and company culture (CURE-Corporate Culture and Regional Embeddedness). The focus was on the culture of firms being influenced by regional culture, as a potential strength-this regional culture needs to be activated and can thus only be fully realized via interaction with regional companies. Increasingly, this interaction is of special interest in regional innovation studies.There are as yet however few systematic empirical studies into these topics; in regional science empirical results are discussed which highlight the "weight" of regional culture, Saxenian's (1994) comparative study on Silicon Valley and Route 128 being prime examples of the impact of regional cultures on company behaviour. Another example is provided by Maillat et al. (1996), who analyse the diverging development paths of the Swiss and French Jura Alps, demonstrating that regional consensus, shared future visions, common

No abstract