Anet Weterings

Residential amenities of knowledge workers and the location of ICT-FIrms in the Netherlands

*Netherlands Institute for Spatial Research (RPB), PO Box 30314, 2500GH, The Hague, The Netherlands. E-mail: oort@rpb.nl, & Urban and Regional Research Centre Utrecht (URU), Utrecht University, PO Box 80115, 3508TC, Utrecht, The Netherlands. E-mail: f.vanoort@geog.uu.nl **Urban and Regional Research Centre Utrecht (URU), Utrecht University, PO Box 80115, 3508TC, Utrecht, The Netherlands. E-mail: a.weterings@geog.uu.nl ***KPMG Economic Consulting, Antareslaan 14, 2132JE Hoofddorp, The Netherlands. E-mail: Verlinde.Heleen@kpmg.nl

Do Regional and Non-regional Knowledge Flows Differ? An Empirical Study on Clustered Firms in the Dutch Life Sciences and Computing Services Industry

In the literature on innovation and geographical proximity, inter‐organizational knowledge flows are increasingly acknowledged to take place at multiple spatial levels. Furthermore, the knowledge flows within and between regions are assumed to have different characteristics. Until now, hardly any study has examined those latter assumptions empirically. This study aims to provide empirical insights by analysing whether there are differences in the characteristics of regional and non‐regional inter‐organizational knowledge flows in the Dutch computing services and life sciences industry. The results indeed show significant differences. Confirming the assumptions in the literature, regional knowledge flows are characterized by a higher number of face‐to‐face contacts, while the knowledge exchanged through non‐regional knowledge flows is more valuable. The relations between the duration and the social base of the knowledge flow and its spatial scale are less straightforward.

Employment dynamics on business estates

The central question of this paper is: “What is the magnitude of different forms of employment dynamics on business estates in the Netherlands between 2000 and 2005 and to what extent are the employment dynamics on business estates different from employment dynamics in general?” In order to answer this question, we examine three kinds of local employment dynamics: (1) entries and exits, (2) inter-municipal relocation and (3) the growth/decline of existing firms. We find that new firm formation and inter-municipal relocation do not lead to employment growth on business estates. However, the in situ employment growth on business estates is higher than the general employment growth in the Netherlands. Therefore, it can be concluded that business estates play an important role in local employment dynamics by facilitating the growth of incumbent firms.