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Policies for New Path Development: The Case of Oxfordshire

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Book cover New Avenues for Regional Innovation Systems - Theoretical Advances, Empirical Cases and Policy Lessons

Abstract

This chapter reflects on how evolutionary economic geography (EEG) can be extended to incorporate public policy in its explanations of path development. A weakness of EEG is the poor conceptualisation of the role of the state (central, regional, local) in regional path development. It is therefore argued that a multi-scalar perspective of policy is required and that a large set of policies deserve attention. Oxfordshire in the UK is used to explore the link between public policy and path development.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    One can distinguish between the spin-off model and the agglomeration model. The former suggests that the region grows firm by firm through spin-off dynamics. The spin-off process also includes firms formed by established firms as a process of internal diversification and university spin-offs. The latter implies that the more start-ups enter a region, the stronger the growth. In both cases firms tend to stay close to their home organisation, which can lead to new growth paths. As most spin-offs locate in the immediate surroundings of the parent organisation, the knowledge transfer mechanism contributes to localised knowledge formation as well as regional growth.

  2. 2.

    Oxfordshire has recently attracted a £115 million insulin research centre in collaboration with Novo Nordisk (https://www.ft.com/content/8db89d84-e650-11e6-893c-082c54a7f539) (accessed March 9, 2017).

  3. 3.

    http://www.oxfordshirebusinesssupport.co.uk/content/cryogenics (accessed August 3, 2016).

  4. 4.

    https://www.oxford.gov.uk/info/20238/oxfords_economy/943/oxfords_labour_market (accessed August 2, 2016).

  5. 5.

    http://www.oxfordshireskillsboard.org/ (accessed August 2, 2016).

  6. 6.

    http://www.oxin-centres.co.uk/our-history (accessed October 14, 2015).

  7. 7.

    http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http:/www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/regional/regional-dev-agencies/Regional%20Development%20Agency%20Impact%20Evaluation/page50725.html (accessed March 8, 2017).

  8. 8.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32076/cm7961-local-growth-white-paper.pdf (accessed October 27, 2013).

  9. 9.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/436242/bis-15-310-smart-specialisation-in-england-submission-to-european-commission.pdf (accessed August 2, 2017).

  10. 10.

    https://beisgovuk.citizenspace.com/strategy/industrial-strategy/supporting_documents/buildingourindustrialstrategygreenpaper.pdf (accessed May 17, 2017).

  11. 11.

    https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossvalueaddedgva/articles/gvaforlocalenterprisepartnerships/1997to2015 (accessed March 8, 2017).

  12. 12.

    http://www.cambridgeahead.co.uk/the-case-for-cambridge/ (accessed July 24, 2016).

  13. 13.

    http://www.oxfordshirelep.com/sites/default/files/Oxfordshire-SEP-2016-Final-with-images.pdf (accessed May 12, 2017).

  14. 14.

    http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/s3-platform-registered-regions (accessed May 12, 2017).

  15. 15.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/589197/170202_Oxfordshire_LEP_GD_factsheet.pdf (accessed May 17, 2017).

  16. 16.

    http://www.sciencevale.com/ (accessed January 13, 2013).

  17. 17.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/589197/170202_Oxfordshire_LEP_GD_factsheet.pdf (accessed May 17, 2017).

  18. 18.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/438763/bis-15-340-relationship-between-public-and-private-investment-in-R-D.pdf (accessed May 21, 2017)

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK

    Helen Lawton Smith

  2. Oxfordshire Economic Observatory, Oxford University, Oxford, UK

    Helen Lawton Smith

  3. Department of Geography and Regional Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Michaela Trippl

  4. School of Business, Engineering and Science, Halmstad University, Halmstad, Sweden

    Rupert Waters

  5. School of Health and Welfare, Halmstad University, Halmstad, Sweden

    Elena Zukauskaite

Authors
  1. Helen Lawton Smith
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  2. Michaela Trippl
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  3. Rupert Waters
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  4. Elena Zukauskaite
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Correspondence to Helen Lawton Smith .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Business and Law, University of Agder, Grimstad, Norway

    Arne Isaksen

  2. School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Roman Martin

  3. Department of Geography and Regional Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Michaela Trippl

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Smith, H.L., Trippl, M., Waters, R., Zukauskaite, E. (2018). Policies for New Path Development: The Case of Oxfordshire. In: Isaksen, A., Martin, R., Trippl, M. (eds) New Avenues for Regional Innovation Systems - Theoretical Advances, Empirical Cases and Policy Lessons. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71661-9_15

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