Call for Papers
Annual Meeting of the American Association of Geographers, Washington, D.C., April 3-7, 2019
Path Creation and Regional Development: Diverse Research Trajectories and Directions
Session Organisers: Danny Mackinnon (CURDS, Newcastle University, UK); Michaela Trippl (Dep. of Geography and Regional Research, University of Vienna, Austria); Arne Isaksen (School of Business and Innovation, University of Agder, Norway)
In recent years, work on path creation and regional branching has gathered momentum in Evolutionary Economic Geography (EEG) and regional studies. Building upon an established strand of sociological research, the idea that place-specific legacies and conditions play a critical role in fostering new path creation is a founding assumption of this research. In particular, new models such as the 'path as a process model' and the rapidly growing body of literature on regional diversification highlight the role of pre-existing local structures, competences and resources in facilitating new path development. Subsequent contributions have offered insights into the processes and mechanisms that underpin different forms of path development, ranging from the creation of new paths to the importation of paths from outside the region, related and unrelated path diversification and the upgrading of existing industrial paths.
EEG studies have recently attracted criticism for building on too narrowly conceptualised models of endogenous and firm-driven structural change and for neglecting the role of power, institutions and multi-scalar interrelatedness and embeddedness of firms and non-firm actors. In response, scholars have begun to develop broader conceptualisations of new path development by combining EEG with insights from research on regional and technological innovation systems, socio-technical transitions, global production and innovation networks and institutional entrepreneurship. This has opened up a range of perspectives on the emergence and transformation of regional industrial paths. Recent studies reflect a growing interest in multi-actor and multi-scalar approaches and provide richer explanations of why regions differ in their capacity to nurture new paths by harnessing local assets and attracting (and anchoring) exogenous resources. They also offer deeper insights into enabling and constraining factors that reside within old paths and innovation systems and cast light on the roles played by different forms of agency in creating and exploiting favourable conditions for new growth paths.
This AAG session aims to further advance path creation research in economic geography and regional studies. In particular, it is designed to address the tendency for researchers to adopt different terminology, theoretical approaches and substantive research foci by encouraging increased dialogue and cross-fertilisation between them. As such, the organisers are seeking a range of contributions that seek to both advance research on path creation and foster debate about future directions and agendas. We very much welcome theoretical, methodological, empirical and policy analyses which address the following themes.
. Definitions and conceptualisations of path creation relative to overlapping concepts such as path renewal, path importation / transplantation and path diversification / branching.
. Assessments of the strengths and weaknesses of different theoretical frameworks, particularly in contributing to the understanding of path creation in different types of regions (core versus peripheral) and 'challenge-led' path development driven by underlying societal transitions to green and digital technologies.
. The significance of different forms of agency and actors in fostering and shaping path creation, including entrepreneurs, trans-national corporations, universities and state agencies.
. The contribution of different mechanism of path creation such as diversification, transplantation and indigenous path creation.
. Different forms of technological and non-technological relatedness between pre-existing and emerging economic paths and the degree to which the importance of these different forms of relatedness varies across regions and industries
. The role of multi-scalar institutional environments in enabling and constraining particular forms of regional path creation and how this may change over time.
. The processes by which key 'path advocates' seek to empower and legitimate emerging paths within broader multi-scalar institutional environments.
. The influence of positive and negative local and non-local inter-path dynamics upon new path development, assessing how such dynamics affect the rate and direction of change in different types of regions.
. Sources and patterns of negative development trajectories and path failures.
. Different ways of doing path creation research in terms of methodological approaches, outlooks and techniques.
. The types of policy frameworks and initiatives best suited for supporting path development in general and challenge-led path creation in particular.
Please send 250 word abstracts to the organisers by Wednesday 17th October 2019
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We aim to notify authors by Thursday 25th October 2019.
Professor Danny MacKinnon
Director,
Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies (CURDS)
Newcastle University
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 7RU, UK
tel: +44 (0) 191 208 8604
email: [log in to unmask]
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