Regional worlds: from related variety in regional diversification to strategic coupling in global production networks

Yeung, Henry Wai‐chung

doi:10.1080/00343404.2020.1857719

Cited by 85 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 150 publications

(209 reference statements)

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“…The analyses of global production networks have been most prominent [65][66][67]. Here, the focus lies on economic network formation and the organization of spatial structures across the global production system [68][69][70][71][72]. Generally speaking, the role of spatial positioning and economic activities is a key concern.…”

Section: Regional Value Creationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Short Value Chains in Food Production: The Role of Spatial Proximity for Economic and Land Use Dynamics

Bertram

Chilla

Wilhelm

2021

Land

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Agricultural land demand tends to be in weak condition vis-à-vis settlement development, transport infrastructure and industry expansion. At the same time, the awareness and demand of consumers for regional food is constantly rising, in particular in urban regions. The resulting challenge is that high demand for regional food is concentrated at places where land for food production tends to be particularly under pressure. Against this background, our article reflects on the extent to which regional food supply chains support the status of agricultural demand in the competition for land. The main aim of our paper is to understand the role of proximity between the different stages of value creation, including cultivation, production (manual or industrial) and trade (retail, direct marketing). Our empirical study on the example of three products in Bavaria (Germany) shows that short distances within food value chains support the agricultural condition in land use dynamics (beer, sweet cherry, asparagus). The analyses are based on official and internal statistics as well as expert interviewing. This mixed-methods approach results in value-creation mappings and provides spatial differentiation of the economic process. Proximity between at least two stages of value creation plays an important role to explain the economic trends and land use dynamic. These findings are rooted in arguments of efficiency, tacit knowledge, networks, as well as product reputation. However, the role of proximity does not automatically play a role but has to be stabilized by strategic measures such as product innovation and marketing measures.

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Section: Regional Value Creationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Short Value Chains in Food Production: The Role of Spatial Proximity for Economic and Land Use Dynamics

Bertram

Chilla

Wilhelm

2021

Land

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“…In times calling for structural transformation due to financial, economic, environmental, or health crises, scholars have increasingly turned to the role of agency. This includes studies on the role of actors to promote novelty and diversification (Elekes et al., 2019; Neffke et al., 2018), to develop new regional development paths (Isaksen et al., 2019; Jolly et al., 2020), to strategically position regions in global production networks (Dawley et al., 2015; MacKinnon et al., 2019; Yeung, 2021), and to understand the transition to a green economy (Sotarauta et al., 2021; Trippl et al., 2020). Overall, this paper contributes to the literature on regional economic development by advancing the theoretical and analytical treatment of human agency in processes of structural change.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advancing the treatment of human agency in the analysis of regional economic development: Illustrated with three Norwegian cases

et al. 2021

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Human agency has become a core topic in economic geography complementing traditional, structural approaches to explain regional development. This paper contributes firstly with a discussion of the theoretical and conceptual relationships between the agency of individuals, organizations, and systems. Secondly, it proposes a novel analytical framework for studying how human agency, combined with external changes affects regional economic development, and how regional structural preconditions and external changes explain the activation of change agency. Thirdly, the relevance of the framework is examined through comparative studies of about 20 years of industrial development in three Norwegian regions. This illuminates the importance of human agency in regional transformation processes, how regional preconditions influence but not determine the activation of change agency, as well as why and how regional policy plays a role in the emergence of change agency. Yet, future research needs to investigate the context conditions, which promote or hinder the activation of change agency, to trace change in economic activities

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“…Henry Yeung's Regional Studies Annual Lecture paper (Yeung, 2020) aims to link and mutually reinforce two of the most influential current strands at the heart of regional studies and economic geography.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Both strands, in their own particular ways, have become dominant and continue to shape regional studies and economic geography. However, and despite notable exceptions (e.g., Barratt & Ellem, 2019;Dawley et al, 2019;MacKinnon, 2012;Trippl et al, 2018), the great paradox is that they have run, as highlighted by Yeung (2020), on parallel tracks, with limited interaction or cross-fertilization. This represents a missed opportunity, considering that there are considerable synergies between these two approaches.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…How can they be bound together in a way that gives regional studies a new boost? Yeung (2020) STRATEGIC COUPLING Yeung's (2020) starting point is what the two strands share in common, that is, Storper's (1993) regional worlds framework. This is a framework built on local context, institutional constructs, collective learning and innovation, as the drivers of economic specialization and diversification.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Costs, incentives, and institutions in bridging evolutionary economic geography and global production networks

Rodríguez‐Pose

2021

Regional Studies

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Two of the most influential strands in economic geography and regional studiesevolutionary economic geography and global production networkshave run on parallel tracks with limited cross-fertilization. The Regional Studies Annual Lecture 2020 paper by Henry Yeung proposes building bridges across both strands to improve our understanding of the uneven distribution and evolution of economic activity across the world. He puts forward the concept of strategic coupling as the foundation of such bridges. In this reply I argue that strategic coupling will not suffice, unless the variations in costs and incentives for engaging in networks and the different capacity of cities and regions to assimilate the benefits of innovation diffusion through networks are taken into consideration.

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Regional worlds: from related variety in regional diversification to strategic coupling in global production networks

Cited by 85 publications

References 150 publications

Short Value Chains in Food Production: The Role of Spatial Proximity for Economic and Land Use Dynamics

Short Value Chains in Food Production: The Role of Spatial Proximity for Economic and Land Use Dynamics

Advancing the treatment of human agency in the analysis of regional economic development: Illustrated with three Norwegian cases

Costs, incentives, and institutions in bridging evolutionary economic geography and global production networks

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