Theories on Innovative and Sustainable Regions

Course goals

Content

Not all regions do equally well in terms of the opportunities they provide to citizens, entrepreneurs and firms. Regions face many economic, social and ecological challenges. Why do some regions thrive while others struggle? Why are some regions performing better in innovation and economic performance, and why do other regions lag behind? Why do economic activities and innovation concentrate in few regions? Why are some regions more resilient and responsive to shocks such as an economic crisis or COVID-19? How socially inclusive are regions, and to what extent do innovative regions enhance social inequality? And what makes regions more sustainable in an ecological sense? Do all regions have the same potential to transform themselves into green economies? These matters are a great concern to citizens, firms and policymakers alike. But how can these agents influence such processes?

In economic geography, several theoretical approaches address these questions. Neoclassical, evolutionary and institutional approaches explain why some regions thrive while others do not, but these approaches do so very differently. Theories differ in terms of the concepts they use, the explanations they provide, the methods they employ, the types of empirical studies they do, and the policy recommendations they make. Students will become familiar with all of these dimensions and compare the different theoretical perspectives.

This course introduces the track on innovative and sustainable regions and sets the ground for the next course on themes. In this track, we adopt a broad perspective on innovation and sustainability. Innovation goes beyond creating economic opportunities only, and also addresses broader issues including: quality of life and job opportunities for different types of workers; environmental sustainability and greening of firms and industries;  the ability of regions to renew their profiles in response to major crises and to secure their economic development in the long-run. This makes sustainability is broadly defined. It captures the ability of regions to innovate and renew itself and respond to major shocks (economically sustainable), to be socially inclusive (socially sustainable), and to green their economies (environmentally sustainable).

The following items will be delivered by students during the course:
week 40 (start): exam
week 41 (start): 1-page set-up of literature review (research question, structure of review)
week 43 (start): draft literature review
week 44 (end): final literature review plus response letter

Contribution of course to specific learning trajectories

Learning trajectory on writing & argumentation
Learning trajectory on concepts