Our understanding of innovation processes has dramatically changed over
the past decades. Interactive models of innovation, differing
significantly from the linear approach, now emphasize both the
importance of networking activities both within and across firms, and
the centrality of knowledge spillovers which lie at the root of the
formation of networks. The study of knowledge spillovers has become a
major focus of research on innovative networks in recent years. Part of
this research tradition can be traced back to the early work of Alfred
Marshall on external economies through which 'industrial districts' - as
he termed them - were integrated. This book brings together a collection
of articles and book chapters which present an overview and synthesis of
current knowledge in the Economics of Innovation. It both reviews what
is known and accepted as the best thinking on selected topics in the
field and provides research findings that offer valuable insights into
the nature and process of innovation, network formation and network
activities, knowledge generation and spillovers from a regional
perspective. By presenting the articles and book chapters as a whole,
this collection is a novel combination. It is being published
simultaneously with Spatial Analysis and GeoComputation: Selected
Essays. Innovation, Networks and Knowledge Spillovers is essentially a
multi-product undertaking, in the sense that the various contributions
are largely multi-authored publications. All these co-authors deserve
the full credit for this volume, as they have been the scientific source
of the research contributions included in the present volume.
