The Organization of Production in High Technology Industries: An Empirical Assessment∗

Clarke, Audrey; Holly, Brian P.

doi:10.1111/j.0033-0124.1996.00127.x

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 11 publications

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“…The second means of representing the importance of space concerns the structure of control within and between firms (Clark and Wrigley, 1997). In this approach, firms are thought to seek both scale economies and scope economies in production (Clarke and Holly, 1996): a process called flexible specialization. The intentional spatial separation (agglomeration) of production activities (for example, R&D and manufacturing, different stages of manufacturing, manufacturing and services) gives the firm options for creating cooperation and competition between the segments of production ö be they internal divisions of a firm or different firms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk, Activity Modularization, Sourcing, and Economic Geography

Penfold

2002

Environ Plan A

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Economic geography is fundamentally concerned with describing spatial variation in the economic landscape and explaining the processes through which this geography takes form. Firms are the primary units through which these processes operate. I reinterpret portfolio theory to provide a novel way of explaining and modeling the spatial implications of control structures and organizational decisions within and between firms. In this paper, I argue that each activity of the firm is like an asset with an expected rate of return and a level of risk. Firms implement spatial strategies to manage risk that trade profits for reductions in risk. These strategies encourage geographic switching and perpetuate regional disequilibria in production technology and employment. Risk management and the structure of control in a production chain explain the geographic distribution of economic activity better than do transaction costs, flexible specialization, or agglomeration economies.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk, Activity Modularization, Sourcing, and Economic Geography

Penfold

2002

Environ Plan A

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Fuzzy Concepts, Scanty Evidence, Policy Distance: The Case for Rigour and Policy Relevance in Critical Regional Studies

2003

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M ARKUSEN A. (2003) Fuzzy concepts, scanty evidence, policy distance: the case for rigour and policy relevance in critical regional studies , Reg. Studies 37 , 701-717. Regional analysis is increasingly populated by fuzzy concepts that lack clarity and are difficult to test or operationalize: flexible specialization, windows of opportunity, resurgent regions, world cities, cooperative competition. Many analyses rely on anecdote or singular case studies, while contrarian cases and more comprehensive and comparative inquiries are ignored. Methodology is often not discussed adequately. This trend has been accompanied by an increasing detachment from political and policy advocacy. In this paper, I define fuzzy concepts and relate their proliferation to an emphasis on process rather than institutions, agents and behaviour. To demonstrate my arguments, I review three highly acclaimed bodies of work - flexible specialization with its re-agglomeration thesis; world cities; and "cooperative competition' in industrial districts a la Silicon Valley. The paper makes the case for adherence to social science norms of conceptual coherence, causal theory (with both behavioural and structural components) and subjection of theory to the rigours of evidence, where the latter may encompass qualitative and quantitative techniques. Greater commitment to entering the policy debate and to making results accessible and informative to policymakers, regional planners and political activists would substantially strengthen this body of research and its usefulness. M ARKUSEN A. (2003) Des concepts confus, de maigres preuves, des politiques eloignees: les arguments en faveur de la rigueur et des politiques pertinentes dans les etudes regionales critiques, Reg. Studies 37 , 701-717. De plus en plus l'analyse regionale est peuplee de concepts confus qui manquent de la clarte et qui s' averent difficiles a tester et a mettre en oeuvre: la spe cialisation flexible, les nouvelles possibilites, les regions renaissantes, les grandes villes a l'echelle mondiale, la concurrence cooperative. Beaucoup des analyses reposent sur des etudes de cas anecdotiques ou exceptionnelles, tandis que l'on ne fait aucune attention ni aux etudes de cas opposees, ni aux enquetes plus detaillees et comparatives. Souvent, la methodologie n'est pas discutee convenablement. Cette tendance va de pair avec une separation accrue du plaidoyer politique et de principe. Cet article cherche a definir des concepts confus et a rapporter leur proliferation a l' importance accordee au processus plutot qu'aux institutions, aux agents ou au comportement. Afin de le demontrer, on fait la critique de trois faisceaux d'oeuvres qui recoivent un excellent accueil - la specialisation flexible, avec sa these a propos de la notion de reagglomeration; les grandes villes a l'echelle mondiale; et la notion de "concurrence competitive' dans les districts industriels, a la maniere de Silicon Valley. L'article prone en faveur de l'adhesion aux normes de la science sociale quant a la coherence concept...

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Fuzzy Concepts, Scanty Evidence, Policy Distance: The Case for Rigour and Policy Relevance in Critical Regional Studies

Markusen¹

1999

Regional Studies

451

152

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Many articles in this and other journals over the last decade have considered such topics as flexible specialization, resurgent regions, world cities, co-operative competition and social capital. In this edition of Debates and Surveys , Ann Markusen argues that much of this recent regional analysis has increasingly retreated into a mode of discourse in which concepts lack substantive clarity. She also suggests that such fuzzy conceptualization makes it difficult for students and practitioners to operationalize and/or to subject this body of work to scrutiny by applying real world evidence. Descriptive characterizations of 'processes' are believed to have replaced the application of behavioural and structural causality, compounding these conceptual problems. With methodologies underdeveloped, the case study or anecdote approach to analysis is often used to illustrate theoretical contentions, while the results of more comprehensive tests and instances which do not uphold the theory are frequently ignored. Comparing with some of the classic texts which addressed the problems of regions and so were located in a concern with real world policy and political engagement, the article contends that these recent tendencies are symptomatic of a body of scholarship that is increasingly abstract. To illustrate the argument, the paper reviews three core areas of work; flexible specialization and its re-agglomeration hypothesis; world cities; and 'cooperative competition' in industrial districts a la Silicon Valley. Ann Markusen makes a claim for an adherence to social science norms of conceptual coherence, causal theory (with both behavioural and structural components) and subjection of theory to the rigours of evidence, where the latter may encompass qualitative as well as quantitative techniques. Greater commitment to entering the policy debate and to making results accessible and informative to real world political activists and planners, it is argued, would substantially strengthen this body of research and its usefulness. This is obviously a provocative piece which we hope will spark off a debate on the definition and application of fuzzy concepts in regional analysis. Comments and replies are welcome.

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The Organization of Production in High Technology Industries: An Empirical Assessment∗

Cited by 5 publications

References 11 publications

Risk, Activity Modularization, Sourcing, and Economic Geography

Risk, Activity Modularization, Sourcing, and Economic Geography

Fuzzy Concepts, Scanty Evidence, Policy Distance: The Case for Rigour and Policy Relevance in Critical Regional Studies

Fuzzy Concepts, Scanty Evidence, Policy Distance: The Case for Rigour and Policy Relevance in Critical Regional Studies

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