Local Labour Market Diversity and Business Innovation: Evidence from Irish Manufacturing Businesses

This paper estimates the effect of diversity within local labour markets on business-level innovation. Using survey data and Irish census data, the paper explores whether the diversity of human capital at county level is associated with higher innovation output. Diversity in age, nationality and educational attainment is measured using an index of heterogeneity and its effect on business innovation is estimated using an innovation production function approach. It is found that diversity in nationality and educational attainment is positively associated with the probability of a business product innovating. The findings also suggest that greater external labour market diversity and greater levels of internal third-level education may be substitutes. Where a business is in a diverse location, it may not require higher levels of educational attainment among its workforce to source knowledge for product innovation.     

我国文化多样性时空格局及其成因研究

基于民族视角,利用五普、六普数据,运用文化多样化指数等方法,分析我国文化多样性时空格局,研究发现:1文化多样性水平具有空间差异性,呈现出中东部较低西部边疆地区较高,乡村高城市低的空间格局。2文化多样性具有缓慢变迁性。五普到六普,文化要素多样性、文化空间多样性略有降低;文化多样性类型略有调整;中东部向边疆渐高的核心外围式格局和乡高城低格局未变。3文化多样性变化具有多元性。有13个省份文化多样性下降,18个省份上升;城乡文化多样性变化也各具特色。4文化要素多样性水平较低,文化空间多样性水平较高,文化多样性表现具有悖论性。5文化多样性演化机制具有复杂性。地理环境、民族构成、人文历史、人口流动等均是重要影响因素。     

ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE NETHERLANDS: PRODUCTIVITY,UTILITY, AND SORTING*

ABSTRACT This paper identifies the impact of cultural diversity on local economies, by explaining spatial disparities in wages and housing prices across Dutch cities using unique individual panel data of homeowners during the period 1999 and 2008. We distinguish between the effects of spatial sorting based on individual heterogeneity, interactions‐based productivity effects, and consumer amenities while controlling for interactions between the labor and housing market. In line with previous literature, we find a positive effect of cultural diversity on average housing prices. After controlling for spatial sorting, the effect of cultural diversity on housing prices is negative. The negative impact of cultural diversity on local housing markets is likely driven by a causal effect between the presence of immigrants and neighborhood quality that outweighs a positive effect of immigrant‐induced diversity in consumption goods.     

品牌创新的文化效应刍议

在经济全球化、国际竞争日趋激烈的新形式下,品牌的培育与发展已经成为各国进行经济扩张和提升国际竞争力的重要战略措施。为了保持品牌的持久活力,就要对品牌进行时时更新,即要进行品牌创新。提升企业的品牌竞争力,已经成为企业致胜的关键,而提升企业品牌竞争力的关键在于品牌创新。本文以现有品牌理论为基础,首先界定了品牌创新效应的含义,具体分析了品牌创新的必要性,然后分析品牌创新所带来的文化效应,从产品文化效应、企业文化效应、社会文化效应三方面进行进一步的分析,最后提出了提升品牌创新文化效应的建议。从文化效应的角度,对品牌创新有了一个深刻的认识和理解。     

Regulating for creativity and cultural diversity: the case of collective management organisations and the music industry

This paper explores the role of intermediary institutions in promoting creativity and cultural diversity in the music industry, and the impact of cultural policy on the performance of those intermediaries. It reviews some of the existing literature on the relationship between economic conditions and innovation in music, and argues that too little attention has been paid to intermediaries. Focusing on collective management organisations (CMOs) as one example of overlooked intermediaries, we illustrate, by way of comparison, the different priorities and incentives that drive CMO practice. These variations, we suggest, are important to appreciating how CMOs operate as intermediaries in different territories. We then turn our attention to recent attempts by the EU to reform CMO practice as part of its Digital Single Market project. The fact that the CMO has been an object of reform is indicative of its importance. However, there is more at stake here: the reforms themselves, in seeking to change the role and behaviour of CMOs will, we suggest, have profound consequences for the market in music in Europe, and for creativity and cultural diversity within that market.     

Three arguments against ‘soft innovation’: towards a richer understanding of cultural innovation

This paper critiques recent research on innovation in the cultural and creative industries. In particular, this paper examines Paul Stoneman’s idea of ‘soft innovation’ as a jumping off point for discussing theories of cultural innovation more broadly. Three critiques are advanced. Firstly, soft innovation is a theoretical perspective that has developed from neoclassical economics, and is therefore vulnerable to criticisms levelled at neoclassical explanations of economic behaviour. Secondly, the theory of soft innovation can be criticised for being contingently inaccurate: the observed reality of cultural industries and marketplaces may not reflect the theory’s premises. Thirdly, because soft innovation defines the significance of an innovation in terms of marketplace success, it implies that only high-selling cultural products are significant, a difficult claim to substantiate. This paper concludes by arguing that our understanding of innovation in the cultural sphere can benefit from a multi-disciplinary approach grounded in the full gamut of human creativity.     

Spatial dimensions increase the effect of cultural drift

The transition from hunter-gathering to agriculture (Neolithic) spread gradually across Europe from the Southeast. A reduction in cultural diversity of crop farming practices has been previously observed by comparing pre-LBK Neolithic sites in Greece and the Balkans (dated about 8500 yr BP) to LBK Neolithic sites in Central Europe (dated about 7000 yr BP). The decrease in crop diversity is statistically significant even when considering only the species less likely to have been subject to smaller productivity due to climatic factors (reductions in growing season, temperature, daylight, etc.). This reduction in cultural diversity has not been explained previously. In this paper we show that spatial drift, which occurred on the front of the advancing wave of pioneer settlements, can explain the observed loss of diversity during the LBK range expansion. Our results suggest that spatial dimensions can have a relevant effect also in other case studies in which cultural drift is important.     

Cultural diversity as a multilevel and multifaceted legal notion operating in the law on cultural policies

The objective of the present article is to highlight the obscured links between the multilevel and multifaceted legal concept of cultural diversity and its political uses. It intends to provide a clear appraisal of the concepts of cultural diversity within the legal framework in which cultural policies are immersed. It seeks to focus on the uses of cultural diversity as a legal concept that reflect intense disagreements on cultural policies, that helps legitimatize very different and variable political ideas and that emerges from very different backgrounds. After identifying the exact legal scope of the notion, the article analyses the narratives and discourses that lead to the consolidation and use of cultural diversity as a multilevel legal notion.     

西方高端人才跨国流动研究述评

基于文献分析法,对西方高端人才跨国流动研究进行述评,探讨其跨国流动的空间特征、动力机制和社会影响。跨国人才主要的流动方向为发展中国家流向发达国家,发达国家之间进行人才交换,以及发达国家向新兴工业化国家回流,在空间上高度集中在发达国家和新兴工业化国家的世界城市。其流动机制包括全球政治经济与文化转型、跨国流动渠道、政府管制以及流动者个体决策。其为流出地带来人才流失的困扰以及人才回流的红利,为流入地带来社会分化、居住隔离和种族排斥等社会问题。最后,就国内学者开展相关研究提出一些建议。     

The end(s) of national cultures? Cultural policy in the face of diversity

This paper analyses the impact of cultural diversity on cultural policies through an international overview of case studies and reflections. Cultural diversity is generally perceived as a threat toward national cultures. However, this paper argues that (1) there exist substantial national differences in the way in which diversity is perceived and integrated as a policy paradigm; and (2) cultural diversity can be used as an instrument for reconfiguring cultural policies, regardless of the governmental level in question. The authors discuss whether cultural policies of diversity exist and what they are. They also examine the practical consequences of the emergence of a new paradigm concerning the redefinition and implementation of cultural policies within a triple context: the plurality of the territorial configurations of diversity, the simultaneous coexistence of several levels of understanding this issue, and the economic dimensions of cultural diversity.     

ARE LOCAL MILIEUS THE KEY TO INNOVATION PERFORMANCE?*

ABSTRACT This study investigates how local milieus foster innovation success in firms. We complement the common practice of linking firm performance indicators to regional characteristics with survey evidence on the perceived importance of locational factors. While the former approach assumes that location characteristics affect all firms in the same way, the survey allows us to model how firms judge the attractiveness of locations using a heterogeneous set of criteria. It turns out that the availability of highly skilled labor and the proximity to suppliers matter for firms' innovation performance. Interestingly, location factors obtained from the survey provide a more accurate explanation of how local milieus facilitate innovation.     

Barriers and Limitations in the Development of Industrial Innovation in the Region

The growing interest in public policy contributing to the expansion of industrial innovation, has become increasingly significant, resulting from the interrelationship between innovation, competitiveness, and economic growth. This article presents the results of an empirical study in identifying the most important barriers to the development of innovation, as ascribed by industrial firms belonging to the high-tech sector alongside the more traditional industries. The data were collected through field survey of industrial firms, located in the Northern region of Israel. A considerable unexpected similarity was identified in the most important factors that constitute barriers to innovation, between the industrial sectors and the different regions investigated. The most significant limitations are those that relate to the high risk involved with the engagement in innovation. The risks are related, on the one hand, to the lack of financial resources, and on the other hand, to the high cost needed for this engagement, thereby affecting the time needed for return on investment. Additionally, the lack of highly skilled workers was also found to be a significant barrier.     

创新活动空间集聚及其影响机制研究评述与展望

创新的空间集聚现象是创新活动最重要的空间特征之一。传统的基于经济学的创新研究框架忽视了空间的重要性,20世纪90年代以来,随着创新地理学的兴起,对创新集聚的空间问题研究得到大力扩展和延伸。本文围绕创新活动在空间上是否集聚、在哪里集聚、如何集聚等问题,从集聚化、本地化和网络化三个方面对创新集聚的空间特征进行了梳理,并归纳总结出影响创新集聚的五种机制：知识溢出、服务共享、高技能劳动力匹配、不确定性和竞争,在此基础上讨论了当前研究存在的问题,并提出了深化创新集聚空间特征研究、完善创新活动与区域及城市间的互动理论、推动对创新网络的测度与演化研究、加强创新集聚的微观机制及模型化工作等建议。     

Cultivating digital mediation: The implementation of publicly funded digital museum initiatives in Denmark

ABSTRACT

The aim of this article is to review and re?ect on the factors defining the expected benefits that have influenced the implementation of digital mediation initiatives in publicly funded museums over the course of the last 20 years. The expectations directed towards digital museum mediation are established by taking a closer look at Danish cultural policy implementation and socio-technological development. Examples from a review of cultural policy documents, funding applications and reports, supplemented by articles from a museum practice journal illustrate trends and developments in digital museum mediation. This article identifies a development of digital museum mediation in three phases, from providing access to digitized cultural heritage to more user-oriented communication strategies such as personalization and participation. The analysis shows that, in a cultural political context, the adoption of digital mediation in institutions is part of a higher strategy where technological development acts as a catalyst for innovation in the cultural sector.     

Are the global media and entertainment conglomerates having an impact on cultural diversity? A critical assessment of the argument in the case of the film industry

This paper critically examines the dominant discourse on the global media and its impact on cultural diversity. The term cultural diversity suffers from the lack of good definition and criteria to assess its degree and change over time in specific markets. The paper also argues from an economic perspective that the distinctive economic features of the film business has led to market concentration, which, however, is ‘natural’ and does not trigger the application of competition law to rectify it. A particular problem is the assumed link between the market structure and its performance, which is not definitively supported by theory or empirical research. It is argued that the discussion in the media and entertainment studies literature is sometimes based on flawed reasoning and insufficient evidence. It is suggested that we start with the important discussion on what state of cultural diversity cultural policy should strive to achieve.     

Exploring preferences and non-use values for hidden archaeological artefacts: a case from Denmark

This paper presents a choice experiment study of a proposed wetland restoration project which aims to preserve archaeological artefacts from Stone Age villages which are presently buried within the topsoil. Wetland restoration can avoid destruction of the artefacts due to agricultural cultivation and drainage, and in addition improve biological diversity and recreational opportunities. The results indicate that even though the artefacts are not visible or usable for the population of today, but may contain information and potential value for future generations, the strongest preferences displayed is for ensuring permanent protection of archaeological artefacts, rather than biological diversity and recreational opportunities. The results are discussed in relation to the Prospect Theory: people value a loss of cultural heritage higher than a gain of new cultural goods or services. This insight is of general interest to cultural economics and cultural policy, especially with respect to heritage protection.     

城市紧凑度对中国城市创新的影响

城市空间特征与创新的关系是创新地理的重要研究议题.论文构建了城市紧凑度与城市创新的理论分析框架,提出研究假设,并选取中国地级及以上城市作为研究空间单元,从密度、土地混合利用、街道连通性和交通通达性四个方面构建了城市紧凑度指数,对2010年中国城市紧凑度进行了评价,分析了中国城市紧凑度的空间分布特征,在此基础上,采用空间...     

Diversity and cultural policy: cultural citizenship as a tool for inclusion

At the crossroads of citizenship, cultural and diversity studies, I enter in the emerging debate on cultural citizenship. Culture is seen as a channel for diversity inclusion, and cultural policy carries the function of enhancing citizenship. My reasoning will follow two steps. First, in overviewing the recent literature, I identify two main drivers making cultural citizenship: the democratic/equality and the identity/national drivers. However, I will note that the debate is concentrated in the plurality of meanings of ‘culture’, and not, as I will argue as a second step, in the plurality of citizenship traditions: a liberal, a communitarian and a republican one. This view is at the basis of different approaches of cultural policies when we focus on them as enhancing cultural citizenship in diversity contexts. At the end, I will also contend that this can ground an interpretative framework capable of distinguishing current social practices and policies.     

地理集聚能否提升我国文化产业发展质量——基于空间杜宾模型和门槛模型的检验

通过构建空间计量模型和门槛模型,探究地理集聚能否提升我国文化产业发展质量.研究结果表明:①地理集聚对我国文化产业发展质量具有明显的提升作用.其中,地理集聚对当地文化产业发展质量的影响主要通过MAR外部性实现,对邻近地区文化产业发展质量的影响主要通过Porter外部性实现,而Jacobs外部性的正向作用尚未显现.②地理集...     

打碎技术创新的文化桎梏——从文化的角度透视我国的技术创新活动

目前,羁绊我国技术创新的文化因素,既有传统文化中积淀的不利方面,也能从当代不够完善的体制中找到印记。推进我国的技术创新活动,需要从观念文化、制度文化、组织文化等方面构建有利于创新的文化环境。