University of Glasgow

UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

CPPR

Trade, Mobility & Geographic Concentration

 

 

Core Project:  Less Favoured Regions in an Integrating Europe

A preliminary analysis of the changing economic position of LFRs in large Western European countries has already been completed (see Working Paper below).  The project will explore these changes further by evaluating the impact of national and EU regional policy on the adjustment of these LFRs to new economic imperatives. 

  • Such imperatives centre on the 'competitiveness agenda' that encourage regions to develop specialist forms of competitive advantage in order to ensure sustainable economic growth.  
  • Regional policy has therefore been increasingly tied to a supply-side agenda that encourages LFRs to imitate more successful regions by focusing on entrepreneurialism, innovation and high-tech industry underpinned by the 'knowledge economy' discourse. 
  • There are concerns, however, that such strategies will prove unrealistic considering the existing capital and labour assets in LFRs that reflect a legacy of past dependence on traditional industries that inhibits adaptation to changing economic circumstances.

This project is being undertaken in collaboration with Dr Danny MacKinnon (Geography Department, University of Aberdeen) and Dr Andy Pike (CURDS, University of Newcastle).

Outputs:

Birch, K., MacKinnon, D. and Cumbers, A. (in press) ‘Old Industrial Regions in Europe: A Comparative Assessment of Economic Performance’, Regional Studies.

Cumbers, A. and Birch, K. (2006) Divergent Pathways in Europe's Old Industrial Regions?
- Scottish Policy Innovation Forum, Royal Society of Edinburgh (Oct 2006)
- Scotland’s Futures Forum, The Scottish Parliament (Nov 2006)

Cumbers, A., Birch, K., and MacKinnon, D. (2006) Revisiting the Old Industrial Region: Adaptation and Adjustment in an Integrating Europe, Working Paper 1

Cumbers, A., Birch, K., and MacKinnon, D. (2005) 'Revisiting the Old Industrial Region: Adaptation and Adjustment in an Integrating Europe'. Regional Studies Association Annual Conference, London (November 2005).

Research Project I: Global Commodity Chains in the Life Sciences and their Impact on Less Favoured Regions

As developed countries have lost comparative advantage in manufacturing to countries with lower labour costs, they have found new ways to achieve 'competitiveness' through the expansion of a 'knowledge economy' based on new innovations and new markets such as biotechnology.  

  • Much of the academic research in this area has focused on the 'clustering' of biotechnology and therefore ignores the important extra-local linkages that are vital to the innovation process. 
  • The focus on such endogenous regional characteristics has also meant that there is little encouragement for old industrial regions, like Scotland, that may lack an existing or strong knowledge base.  
  • However, the global commodity chains approach enables research to consider the importance of these extra-local linkages and how they might stimulate the embedding of knowledge in less favoured regions.

Grants:

ESRC Small Grant RES-000-22-2292: Kean Birch and Andrew Cumbers, Beyond Clusters: The implications of Life Science Commodity Chains for Less-favoured Regions (£73,066) (2007-2009).

Outputs:

Birch, K. (2008) ‘Alliance-driven governance: Applying a global commodity chains approach to the UK biotechnology industry’, Economic Geography 84 (1): 83-103.

Birch, K. (2007) ‘Knowledge, Space and Biotechnology’, Geography Compass 1(5): 1097-1117.

Birch, K. (2007) ‘The Virtual Bioeconomy: The ‘Failure’ of Performativity and the Implications for Bioeconomics’, Distinktion 14: 83-99 (special issue on Bioeconomy).

Birch, K. (2007) ‘The Knowledge-Space Dynamic in the British Biotechnology Industry: Function, Relation, and Association’, in Creative Regions: Technology, Culture and Knowledge Entrepreneurship by Dafna Schwartz and Philip Cooke (eds). London: Routledge

Birch, K. (2006) 'Global Commodity Chains in the UK Biotechnology Industry: An Alliance-Driven Governance Model', Discussion Paper 13.

Birch, K. (2006) 'What a Pile of Hype! A Critique of the Cluster Perspective of the Bioeconomy'. Vital Politics II Conference, BIOS Centre, LSE (September 2006).

Birch, K. (2006) 'Applying a Global Commodity Chains Approach to the Biotech Industry: A Preliminary Analysis'. Royal Geographical Society - Institute of British Geographers Annual Conference, London (August-September 2006).


Research Project II:  Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Regional Development

The impact and role that the social economy, social enterprise and, in particular, social entrepreneurship have on regional development, particularly in terms of promoting sustainability, has received increasing attention in policy and academic circles. 

  • The triple bottom line' fostered by the social economy necessitates regional policy that encourages not only economic development, but also more importantly social and ecological development through the expansion of the 'third sector'. 
  • A number of problematic issues arise here however, such as whether an emphasis on specific forms of social entrepreneurship reinforces existing hierarchies or leads to the breakdown of social cohesion. 
  • On a more practical level, the definition of the social economy, social enterprise and social entrepreneurship needs to be clarified to enable policy action and further research.

This project is being undertaken in collaboration with Dr Geoff Whittam (Business School, University of Paisley).

Outputs:

Birch, K. and Whittam, G. (2008) ‘Critical Survey: The Third Sector and The Regional Development of Social Capital’, Regional Studies 42(3): 437-450.

Whittam, G. and Birch, K. (2007) ‘Unpacking Social Enterprise: market madness or the road to salvation?’
- CPPR Seminar Series, University of Strathclyde (Feb 2007).
- Lancaster Social Entrepreneurship Seminar Series, Lancaster University (Apr 2007).

Birch, K. and Whittam, G. (2006) 'The Role of the Social Economy, Social Enterprise and Social Entrepreneurship in Sustainable Regional Development', Discussion Paper 12.

Whittam, G. and Birch, K. (2006) 'Is Social Entrepreneurship the Way to Sustainable Regional Development?' Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship Conference (October-November 2006).

Birch, K. and Whittam, G. (2005) 'Social Entrepreneurship: the Way to Sustainable Regional Development?' Regional Studies Association Annual Conference, London (November 2005).

Other Project Outputs:

Birch, K. and Cumbers, A. (2007) 'Public Sector Spending and the Scottish Economy: Crowding Out or Adding Value?' Scottish Affairs, 58: 36-56.

Cumbers, A. & Birch, K. (2006). 'Public Sector Spending and Regional Economic Development: Crowding Out or Adding Value? Report for UNISON Scotland' (January 2006).

ESRC Research Seminar Series
Neoliberalism, Anti-neoliberalism and De-ideologisation (October 2006 - September 2008).

Birch, K. and Mykhnenko, V. (2007) ‘Neo-liberal adjustment? The restructuring of old industrial regions and their cities in Western and Eastern Europe’.
- EURA Conference, University of Glasgow (Sept 2007).
- Deutscher Geographentag Conference, Bayreuth (Sept/Oct 2007).

Birch, K. (2006) ‘The Neoliberal Underpinnings of the Bioeconomy: The Ideological Discourses and Practices of Economic Competitiveness’, Genomics, Society and Policy 2(3): 1-15.

Project Coordinator: Dr. Andy Cumbers
Project Team: Dr Kean Birch