M. Lazzeroni

Towards the Entrepreneurial University

The article analyses the emergence and evolution of universities towards a more entrepreneurial model. The emergence of such a new entrepreneurial mission, incremental in relation to the more traditional and consolidated ones of education and research, determines the direct involvement of universities in the exploitation of research results, more intense collaborations with industry and involvement in regional economic development. It is argued, nonetheless, that both old and new performance indicators have to be defined in order to monitor both positive and negative consequencies of changes which are taking place in university missions and strategies.

The Territorial Approach to Cultural Economy: New Opportunities for the Development of Small Towns

In recent years, there has been a notable development of research on the role of culture in regional and local development models and on the relevance of the so-called cultural economy. Despite the existence of several nuances, it is possible to identify two basic research approaches to the issue. The first is focused on analysing the industry of culture, showing the processes of concentration of cultural activities in some places and the links with other sectors of the local economy. The other approach, more oriented towards the territory, emphasizes the role that a system of cultural assets can play in the dynamics of economic and social development of a specific area. In contrast to the first, which concerns larger cities, the territorial approach privileges medium- and small-sized towns and rural areas. In adopting this perspective, we present the case study of Volterra, a small Italian town whose cultural heritage has been considered in recent years as the main local development driver. By means of a direct survey and interviews with opinion leaders, we have attempted to assess the perceptions and reactions of residents and visitors and to identify the connections between the local heritage, cultural activities and strategies of urban development.

High-tech activities, system innovativeness and geographical concentration: Insights into technological districts in italy

Within the field of the geography of knowledge and technological innovation, specific attention has been paid to the phenomenon of the spatial concentration of high-tech activities and to the factors that influence the growth of new industrial areas. Within this research stream, the present work is focused on areas characterized by high levels of specialization in high-tech, and more specifically on the concept of technological districts. Technological districts (TDs) are considered to be territorial systems specialized in high-tech activities and characterized by the presence of innovative resources, such as qualified human capital, advanced research activities, the capacity to generate innovation and new technologies, and an entrepreneurial culture. Beyond discussing theoretical concepts, a methodology is proposed for the analysis and identification of TDs through the definition of a taxonomy of local systems with different levels of concentration of high-tech activities and innovative resources. The methodology has been applied to Italy and allows the identification of the most advanced technological areas, which present the basic characteristics of TDs. This methodology is also important because it can be used to compare different geographical contexts and to discuss and evaluate different possibilities in the field of innovation development policies.

Beyond ‘Town and Gown’: The Role of the University in Small and Medium-Sized Cities:

In recent years, universities have become more active in performing new activities that have been added to those regarded as ‘traditional’. This trend has led to a number of changes, among which is a transformation of the status of universities in urban and regional contexts and, in particular, an increase in their impact on the development of medium-sized university cities. From a methodological point of view the contribution of universities to urban development can be analysed from three different perspectives: knowledge and economic; relational; and cultural. Starting from these points of view, this paper analyses three cases of European medium-sized university cities (Oxford, Leuven and Pisa), in which the presence of one or more universities represents an important asset not only for the construction and evolution of knowledge spaces but also for urban development as a whole, by leaving tangible and intangible ‘traces’, reinforcing the relationship between academia and local community and contributing to the identity of knowledge cities.

Le politiche dell'innovazione delle regioni italiane: limiti e opportunità della prospettiva federalista

In Italy innovation policy is the matter of a process of devolution from the national State to Regions. For regional governments this is a transition from a situation characterized by scarce resources to one where both their jurisdiction and available resources are substantially increased. In this paper we discuss the local and regional dimension of innovation and recall the main arguments supporting the idea of a regional level of innovation policy. Later we express some doubts on the contents and on the methods used in order to design and implement regional innovation policies, with specific reference to the Italian case. Lastly, we propose four possibly emerging models of regional innovation policy.