Polarization of Innovation and the Competitiveness of Second-Tier Cities
The DEMS Management Seminar series is proud to host
Giulio Buciuni
(Trinity College Dublin)
ABSTRACT
Over the past fifteen years, the geography of innovation has increasingly concentrated in a relatively small group of global 'superstar cities' (Florida and Mellander, 2016). Following the winner-take-all paradigm, places like San Francisco, New York, London and Tel Aviv have become the hotbeds of tech innovation, attracting the bulk of global investments (Kerr, 2022) This phenomenon has brought about growing inequality within country, further separating Alpha cities from second and third-tier cities. The polarization of innovation and economic growth is today manifested in the declining economic performances of several post-industrial secondary cities, which Rodriguez-Pose termed 'left behind' places (2018). From the USA to the UK, and from France to Italy, this economic phenomenon is widening the gap between first and second-tier cities, therefore fuelling withing-country inequality and social discontent. Addressing this pressing issue, we wonder whether secondary cities can still be the loci of entrepreneurship and innovation development in today's knowledge economy. We build on the analysis of four successful second-tier cities in Italy, Ireland, USA and Germany to discuss the factors that enable secondary places to remain competitive and contribute to local entrepreneurship and innovation. These factors are: 1) global connectivity; 2) the collaboration between universities and firms; 3) local finance.
The seminar will in presence, DEMS Seminar Room 2104, Building U7-2nd floor