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“While a Storm is Raging on the Open Sea”: Regional Development in a Knowledge-based Economy

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Abstract

The Triple Helix of university–industry–government (UIG) relations is elaborated into a systemic model that accounts for interactions among three dimensions. By distinguishing between the respective micro-operations, this model enables us to recombine the “Mode 2” thesis of a new production of scientific knowledge and the study of systems of innovation with the neo-classical perspective on the dynamics of the market. The mutual information in three dimensions provides us with an indicator for the self-organization of the resulting network systems. The probabilistic entropy in this mutual information can be negative in knowledge-based configurations. The knowledge base of an economy can be considered as a second-order interaction effect among interactions at interfaces between institutions and functions in different spheres. Proximity enhances the chances for couplings and, therefore, the formation of technological trajectories. The next-order regime of the knowledge base, however, can be expected to remain pending as selection pressure.

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  1. Science & Technology Dynamics, Amsterdam School of Communications Research (ASCoR), University of Amsterdam, Kloveniersburgwal 48, 1012, CX, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Loet Leydesdorff

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Leydesdorff, L. “While a Storm is Raging on the Open Sea”: Regional Development in a Knowledge-based Economy. J Technol Transfer 31, 189–203 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-005-5030-6

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