The concept of ‘polycentric spatial development’, a central principle of the European Spatial Development Perspective, is closely linked to the concept of ‘sustainable urban development’. But ‘polycentricity’ has different significance at different spatial scales. Within a European...

Scince the 1990ies a multiplicity of young technology firms tried to enter the new markets. Some MNE`s merged or established through spin-offs new competitive firms, SME `s often found themselves in the middle of a consolidation process, developing under a strong pressure of competition new ways...

Regional development, and crossborder cooperation in particular, needs feedbacks on the impacts of public policies. Policy evaluation is one appropriate tool. The ?hidden hypothesis'- approach is characterized by two elements: (1) an emphasis on the invisible goals of an evaluated programme or...

The knowledge economy plays a key role in the spatial development of cities and towns. Options of flexible spatial organization of company locations have influenced business strategies and decision-making in choosing locations. This process establishes complex network economies in which...

We assume that the territory of Germany is experiencing a reorganisation of functional division of labour in favour of the knowledge economy. New forms of network economies and functional differentiation between cities and towns can be observed. The increasing importance of emerging network...

The objective of this contribution is to set out a theoretical context and then to investigate empirically Germany’s functional urban hierarchy based on the relational geography of the knowledge economy. Starting from a conceptual background that brings together the locational behaviour...

From 1975 to 1995, the Swiss franc appreciated in a near constant manner compared with the currencies of all of the country’s commercial partners. This paper will seek to demonstrate that the various regions in Switzerland evolve diVerently when faced with a continuously appreciating currency....