Demarcation and levels of analysis in knowledge based development

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify viable demarcation criteria for knowledge based development (KBD) with reference to current concepts and practices, as an introduction to the JKM 2009 annual special issue on KBD. Design/methodology/approach – Outlines viable demarcation criteria for KBD with reference to current concepts and practices. Findings – A synthetic demarcation based on collective knowledge capital mapping and balancing, together with an analytic demarcation based on three continua: territoriality, discreteness and knowledge‐intensity may help characterize and manage all KBD categories. Such demarcation includes conceptual categories such as models and units of analysis as well as practical categories such as policies, programs, publications and events. Originality/value – Synthetic demarcation may contribute to clarify the nature of KBD and systematically differentiate research and practice belonging to the field. Analytic demarcation may contribute to develop a systematic taxonomy of conceptual and practical KBD categories.