In her book, 'Bad Feminist', Roxane Gay claims this label shamelessly, embracing the contradictory aspects of enacting feminist practice while fundamentally being 'flawed human[s]'. This article tells a story inspired by and enacting Roxane Gay's approach in academia, written by five cis-gendered women geographers. It is the story of a proactive, everyday feminist initiative to survive as women in an academic precariat fuelled by globalised, neoliberalised higher education. We reflect on what it means to be (bad) feminists in that context, and how we respond as academics. We share experiences of an online space used to support one another through post-doctoral life, a simple message thread, which has established an important role in our development as academics and feminists. This article, written through online collaboration, mirrors and enacts processes fundamental to our online network, demonstrating the significance and potential of safe digital spaces for peer support. Excerpts from the chat reflect critically on struggles and solutions we have co-developed. Through this, we celebrate and validate a strategy we know that we and others like us find invaluable for our wellbeing and survival. Finally, we reflect on the inherent limitations of exclusive online networks as tools for feminist resistance.
In recent years, tier-two fashion countries have been making gains in the global fashion industry, with hip young brands, buzz-worthy fashion weeks and export-oriented designers. The Canadian fashion industry, on the other hand, continues to fall behind and instead has experienced recent high-profile closures of leading domestic fashion names. This paper explores why this is the case by considering a wide range of factors from a historical and institutional perspective. We argue that Canadian fashion is facing a number of systemic problems relating to wider institutional and policy weaknesses, rather than a lack of talent and know-how within the entrepreneurs and businesses in the sector. While the fashion industry is indeed global, we argue that it is in fact national and local level factors—political, economic, and cultural—that structure and constrain the Canadian fashion industry for independent designers. Through exploring the experiences of this group of actors—entrepreneurial fashion designers—in this particular context, we not only learn about Canada as an economy but also what is needed in order to develop the fashion industry more broadly. We provide a framework for analysing the range of socio-economic, historical, and political factors at the national level which affect the performance of the fashion sector and the operation of fashion designers as the entrepreneurial actors at the heart of the industry.
This paper develops a framework for analysing the role of innovation policy in regional innovation system (RIS) development. It specifically focuses on the influence of policy on a set of enabling conditions for RIS that have not been taken fully into account in previous innovation policy studies. Drawing on relevant literature on innovation systems, such as innovation policy, triple helix and policy mix etc., the enabling conditions for RIS development identified include both tangible and intangible dimensions of regional contexts, hinging around a range of wider institutional backdrops. The framework proposed provides an effective analytical tool for innovation policy evaluation and for designing innovation policies.
In this paper we consider the experience of implementing the Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3) in three regions in Finland, Norway and Denmark. We highlight the challenges each of these 'strong innovator' regions has faced in implementing S3. We elucidate the fact that each region faced different challenges when implementing S3. We extend a discussion around place-based policy, which is designed in a regionally bespoke and bottom-up manner, suggesting that this will inherently throw up unique and variable place-based challenges, questioning how to balance this uniqueness of problems with a universally applicable approach and support infrastructure.
This paper considers the unfolding of Smart Specialisation Strategy (RIS3) in one of Europe's innovation-leading metropolitan regions: Stockholm, Sweden. Theoretically, it contributes to debates around change agency and reflects more broadly, which implications arise for metropolitan innovation-leader regions and which are of more generic nature. It argues that actor endowments, dense networks, experience with participatory governance processes and good governance are not sufficient for a successful implementation of RIS3. It finds that transformative regional innovation policy is contingent upon the adequate empowerment of change agents rather than on general regional preconditions.
This paper explores a widely - employed instrument of regional innov a- tion policy: the innovation incubator. It proposes th at incubation approaches are moving away from a “traditional” approach strongly premised of physical infr a- structure and high - technology, to a more interactive, participatory, and social mode of innovation , in line with broader developments in innovation policy and theory . To practically illustrate this shift , we take two cases: a “traditional ” style of incubation in Wales, UK, and a “next generation” incubation programme in Fi n land. This paper reflect s on incub a tors as a mode of regional innovation policy, both past developments and future trends , to ensure that new policies and pr o- gramme s lea rn from best (and indeed , worst ) practice and build on , rather than replicate , past approaches.
In this short paper we introduce a research project currently underway exploring the industrial development, and accompanying socio-economic changes, in an industrial town in Sweden: Karlskoga. Here we consider specifically the confluence of factors and issues around economic development on the one hand, and population and migration on the other hand. We illustrate, through the Karlskoga case of a town that has experienced profound ups and downs both in its economic trajectory but also in accompanying population and migration trends, the importance of considering these two elements in harmony. We posit that to undertake sustainable economic development in the future, old industrial towns such as Karlskoga need to centre their efforts around quality of life and place attractiveness, and not only think of industrial development in a narrow sense. This is an introductory work relating to a project which is ongoing.
In this paper we make three points about the current state and promising future directions of qualitative research in our field of innovation policy research. First, we argue that research design and methods are dealt with quite superficially in most innovation policy studies papers and journals providing little guidance to new scholars as to how to approach their research. Secondly we argue that when methods are discussed, it tends to be a narrow range of qualitative methods that are used - most commonly a case study approach drawing on interviews and document analysis. Thirdly, we suggest broadening our approach to contain more participatory and action-based research; these are suggested as ways to include more groups in the research design, increase the impact of our work and allow us a deeper understanding of the formulation and development of innovation policy as is possible. We do not argue that the old methods should be put aside but that new additional approaches could be considered to capture the essence of innovation policy formulation.
This paper explores the translation and implementation of Smart Specialisation in Wales. It finds that rather than taking a new approach to innovation policy, Welsh policy-makers are following a largely cluster-based rationale, which omits the important entrepreneurial discovery process to identify the real strengths of the region. The fresh idea presented by this paper is that a replication of past policy approaches that have been tried and found wanting is taking place rather than a new approach to innovation policy across Europe.
This paper considers the recent developments in regional innovation policy pertaining to the smart specialisation agenda from the perspective of a peripheral and semi-autonomous region – Wales in the UK. Through a case study of innovation policy developments in Wales over the past 20 years, and also a consideration of extant literature pertaining to regional innovation policy and smart specialisation, this paper finds a number of issues or shortcomings in the current predominant smart specialisation approach. These are traced back to the strong regional innovation system logic existing in European policy; a number of unresolved theoretical problems that could undermine the efficacy of innovation policy are identified. Both conceptual and rhetorical issues with the concept of the region are highlighted, and questions are asked about the applicability and tenability of smart specialisation approaches in semi-autonomous, cross-border regions, and for policymakers operating in circumstances of multi-level governance. This paper illustrates how such regions provide us with a lens or alternative perspective through which to reconsider our predominant theoretical and practical policy approaches, and highlights a number of potential problems with smart specialisation as it is applied in a diverse range of regional settings.
This paper considers the applicability and relevance of triple helix-based policy and theory, in the weaker region context of Wales,where the success of such approaches has been questionable. It calls for a broader appreciation of the roles ofuniversities in weaker regions beyond a narrow ‘third mission’ conceptualization, moving away from a normativeapplication of the triple helix in contexts very different from those in which it was originated. Instead, it supports thebroadening of the original theory beyond the three key actors of university, government and business, and anincreasing focus on diverse regional settings and spaces.
In “Alfred Nobel’s Karlskoga”, Sweden, the municipality has placed its most famous former resident at the heart of its economic development strategy. Through an in-depth qualitative case study, we examine the tensions and complexities surrounding this process and fill an existing research gap around personality-based place-branding for regional development purposes. The findings suggests that even with a world-famous figure as talisman, personality-based place branding is a complex endeavor, where old rivalries, tightknit social structures and economic dependencies makes us question – is it even possible to build a brand which is both inclusive and truly representative of a place?
The student of innovation studies is faced with a vast, multi-national and interdisciplinary field on which she must gain an overview and make a novel contribution. There exist a plethora of academic journals, networks, conferences and fora wherein researchers of innovation discuss and advance the topic. How to manage and understand this is a major challenge. This paper helps to make sense of this often confusing and ever-shifting field by reviewing the major developments over the past 20 years, highlighting the present ‘state of the art’ and identifying some important trends going forwards. It does this through a review of the published themes of two major international conferences in the field–Danish Research Unit for Industrial Dynamics (DRUID) and Global Network for the Economics of Learning, Innovation, and Competence Building Systems (GLOBELICS) – to gain a global view on the field. At the heart of the exploration is whether the sphere of innovation studies has evolved coherently worldwide, or there are geographic differences.
As the social and economic landscape changes, universities are coming under growing pressure to contribute to the economic development of their localities. This paper explores the increasing trends towards universities as key actors in the governance of regional economic development through activities to support economic and entrepreneurship development in their regions. A case study is presented of an institution in the UK which is increasingly situating itself in the economic governance sphere. Drawing on the experiences of those working at the coalface of economic governance activities, the opportunities and potential challenges faced by a university when engaging in such activities are explored. The ultimate goal of this paper is to shed light on universities' activities in the realm of regional economic governance, an area currently under-explored in extant literature.
This paper investigates the concept of the entrepreneurial university by examining roles of academic entrepreneurship departments in driving regional economic development outcomes. While a wealth of research investigates the role, activities and function of the entrepreneurial university, very little which focuses specifically on academic entrepreneurship departments, where much of the research, teaching and knowledge exchange concerning entrepreneurship takes place. Two case studies of large and active entrepreneurship departments are presented to illustrate the different roles and activities they undertake in the sphere of economic development in their regions or locales. A dual model of engagement is proposed, whereby the entrepreneurship department operates within the framework of the entrepreneurial university, but also as a regional actor in its own right.
This paper examines the use of European Union Structural Funds to support the development of innovation policy within Wales during the period 2000-06. Drawing on data from the Welsh government and interviews with key stakeholders, it focuses specifically on the Technium programme, a high-profile technology-based innovation intervention that took a predominantly supply-side approach to supporting innovation, resulting in its eventual failure. Consistent within this is an analysis of the efficacy of supply-side policies using European Union funds to support research and development activities to aid economic growth in peripheral, weaker regions.
This paper considers a concept gaining popularity: entrepreneurial ecosystems. It finds a significant lacuna in the concept as it stands as it does not sufficiently consider learning within regional ecosystems. Considering the established centrality of learning for entrepreneurial activity and regional development, it is surprising that the entrepreneurial ecosystem literature does not yet incorporate how learning occurs in time and space within regional ecosystems. This paper presents research conducted in the North West of England over (20) years examining programmes to support entrepreneurial and regional development. It argues that learning, and the pro-active support thereof, is crucial within an entrepreneurial ecosystem and should be fully considered within theoretical frameworks and policy blueprints designed to support and encourage entrepreneurship within regions. As a tangible suggestion of how to theoretically incorporate learning into entrepreneurship ecosystem development efforts, we present an integrated learning model developed by entrepreneurship scholars through collaborations with practitioners.
Regional roles of universities in the Global South have been under-explored, and it is not clear how relevant are concepts originating from the Global North when applied in this context. The paper interrogates the concept of the ‘entrepreneurial university’ and its regional impact and engagement via a case study in Brazil. It is found that, in addition to purely entrepreneurial and economic activities and roles, initiatives relating to social innovation and entrepreneurship to solve profound regional problems are a key part of the university’s work.
This paper examines the implementation of smart specialization in Europe and exposes challenges arising from moving towards a more strategic (directional and non-neutral), place-based, and bottom-up mode of regional innovation policy. The analysis focuses on two small European nations - Wales and Estonia - and discusses the challenges that they have experienced with designing and implementing directional and non-neutral policies of smart specialization. Through a decade of research, drawing on interviews and documentary analysis, we find that in both cases, the entrepreneurial discovery process (EDP) was not conducted as it was envisioned. Furthermore, the undertaking of smart specialization has not necessarily delivered on the promise of orienting regional policy towards a more sustainable, place-based, and bottom-up approach. This has led to a situation where local problems as well as opportunities have been overlooked and local smart specialization agendas have instead been shaped by centrally chosen broad values and directions in a top-down manner.