Teodora Erika Uberti

Mapping the Evolution of "Clusters": A Meta-analysis

This paper presents a meta-analysis of the “cluster literature” contained in scientific journals from 1969 to 2007. Thanks to an original database we study the evolution of a stream of literature which focuses on a research object which is both a theoretical puzzle and an empirical widespread evidence. We identify different growth stages, from take-off to development and maturity. We test the existence of a life-cycle within the authorships and we discover the existence of a substitutability relation between different collaborative behaviours. We study the relationships between a “spatial” and an “industrial” approach within the textual corpus of cluster literature and we show the existence of a “predatory” interaction. We detect the relevance of clustering behaviours in the location of authors working on clusters and in measuring the influence of geographical distance in co-authorship. We measure the extent of a convergence process of the vocabulary of scientists working on clusters.

Treating Patents as Relational Data: Knowledge Transfers and Spillovers across Italian Provinces

The paper applies a relational perspective to patent data in order to investigate the characteristics of innovation flows within and across 103 Italian NUTS3 regions (province). In this way it is possible to use the CRENoS database on regional patenting—built on EPO data spanning from 1978 to 2003—to investigate the scientific and technological “relations” among “invention-creating ” and “invention-adopting ” territories. In particular, patents are used as relational data connecting inventors and applicants along a dual interpretation of a “knowledge production” and a “knowledge utilization” function. In addition a gravity model is used to identify frictions and attractions of the Italian innovation system. Analytical tools, such as social network analysis, spatial econometrics and negative binomial estimation procedures, are used to map and measure the structure and the evolution of a series of innovation sub-systems, both at territorial level (i.e. province) and at the industry level (i.e. five specific industries, chosen according to the Pavitts taxonomy, Footwear, Textiles, Machinery, Personal Computers and Chemicals).

The ‘‘Political’’ Geography of Research Networks: FP6 whithin a ‘‘Two Speed’’ ERA

The production of scientific and technical knowledge is mostly concentrated in specific locations. Knowledge flows very easily within regions; however, scientific and technical knowledge does flow also between different regions. The aim of this article is to analyze knowledge flows between agglomerations of innovative inputs, and their effects on the innovative performance of regions. We estimate a regional knowledge production function and we test, through appropriate spatial econometric estimation techniques, the effect of both geographical and relational autocorrelation (as measured by participation to joint research networks in the European Union [EU] Sixth Framework Programme [FP6]). We adopt two selection criteria in order to define different relational “geographies” (hence spatial weights matrices), and we model the unobservable structure and link value of knowledge flows within these joint research networks. Our results confirm established evidence that knowledge flows within interregional research networks along a top-down nonsymmetrical and hierarchical structure. However, the EU enlargement - and a modified structure of incentive for collaboration activity of European institutions- changed the direction of knowledge flows toward a top-down dynamics of knowledge diffusion from coordinator to participants for “EASTWARD” research networks (whose coordinator is in the west and most participants in the east); while the contrary (a hierarchical bottom-up dynamic of knowledge transfer) is true for WESTWARD networks (whose coordinator is in the east and most participants in the west). FP6 is therefore a platform for knowledge barter exchange for EU15, while works as a mere one-way channel for knowledge diffusion from EU15 toward Central and Eastern European countries.

The Driving Forces of Credit Brokers’ Diffusion in Italy: An Empirical Analysis

In the last decade, there has been a tremendous growth in the number of credit brokers (CB) in Italy. Some estimates maintain that about a quarter of residential mortgage loans are intermediated by CB (Europe Economics, 2009); their market shares of some leasing and consumer credit products are also significant. Despite the importance of credit brokerage services, little empirical research has been devoted to investigating its origins. In this paper we undertake an analysis of CB diffusion in Italian provinces (NUTS3 level) based on spatial panel data model that aims to estimate the relevance of spatial effects. Two models are developed in order to identify the determinants of this phenomenon. The results emphasize that CB diffusion is to some extent influenced by the socioeconomic and banking features of the area, but estimates reveal also the emergence of a ‘herding effect’ whose occurrence is probably due to the fact that access to the brokerage profession is not hindered by heavy regulatory requirements.