« L'économie industrielle depuis 30 ans : réalisations et perspectives ». Innovation et espace – des externalités aux réseaux

Leading on from the measurement of the geographical dimension of knowledge externalities at aggregated spatial levels, the works carried out in the economic geography of innovation have gradually turned towards the analysis of the mechanisms underlying the spatial diffusion of knowledge (absorption capacity, face-to-face exchanges, professional mobility). Bringing these mechanisms to the fore has justified new researches which have been directed at understanding individual behavioural patterns in terms of cooperation for innovation. Indeed, the dynamics of the networks of actors who nowadays characterise collective innovation phenomena and combine local and global dimensions is based upon such behaviour. Thus, it would appear that a better understanding of the factors determining the spatial configuration of these networks has become necessary in order to fully grasp the relationships between innovation and space. The objective of this article is to go back over the logic of the researches carried out in this field during the last decades.