Knowledge codification and the geography of innovation: the case of Brescia mechanical cluster

The paper re-examines the twin concepts of knowledge “tacitness” and “codification”, which both the literature on (broadly defined) industrial districts, and some recent econometric literature on “localized knowledge spillovers” have possibly mis-handled. Even within specialized local small and medi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Research policy 2001-12, Vol.30 (9), p.1479-1500
Main Author: Lissoni, Francesco
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Codification
Epistemic community
Epistemology
Geography
Industrial districts
Knowledge
Knowledge tacitness
Machinery
Machinery industry
Small & medium sized enterprises-SME
Studies
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Summary:The paper re-examines the twin concepts of knowledge “tacitness” and “codification”, which both the literature on (broadly defined) industrial districts, and some recent econometric literature on “localized knowledge spillovers” have possibly mis-handled. Even within specialized local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) clusters, knowledge may be highly codified and firm-specific. The case study on Brescia mechanical firms shows that knowledge, rather than flowing freely within the cluster boundaries, circulates within a few smaller “epistemic communities”, each centered around the mechanical engineers of individual machine producers, and spanning to a selected number of suppliers’ and customers’ technicians. Physical distance among members of each community vary a lot, but even local messages may be highly codified.
ISSN:0048-7333
1873-7625
DOI:10.1016/S0048-7333(01)00163-9