演化经济地理的理论基础及其在集群研究中的应用

演化经济地理主要研究经济景观的演化过程,其理论基础包括广义达尔文主义理论、复杂性理论与路径依赖理论。将演化经济地理理论引入集群研究,运用微观一中观一宏观多尺度相结合的方法,有助于深入理解集群演化的过程及其动力机制,打开集群内部的"黑箱"。微观视角关注企业惯例及其区位行为如何影响集群的演化过程与空间特征;中观视角关注集群的知识网络结构特征、企业间知识联系,与网络演化的过程;宏观视角关注集群系统的演化路径与动力机制,以及集群与外部环境的相互作用。然而,由于演化经济地理理论与方法目前尚处探索阶段,将其应用于集群研究中仍存在不少局限。最后,结合中国产业集群现状,提出若干研究议题,认为未来中国产业集群研究需要更加注重"演化转向"。

THE THEORETICAL FUNDAMENTALS OF EVOLUTIONARY ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY AND ITS APPLICATION INTO CLUSTER RESEARCH

In the past decade,an ‘evolutionary turn’ has been taking place in the field of economic geography.The main aim of evolutionary economic geography is seeking to understand the evolutionary process of economic landscape,such as the geographies of technological progress,dynamic competitive advantage,economic restructuring,and economic growth.The micro-level perspective indicates how the routines of firms and their locational behaviors shape the evolutionary processes and spatial structures of the clusters;The meso-level perspective analyzes the structures and configurations of knowledge networks,the inter-firm knowledge relationships and the evolution of networks;The marco-level perspective investigates the evolutionary trajectories and the systematic dynamics of clusters,emphasizing the interactions between clusters and relevant environments.However,since the theoretical and methodological development of evolutionary economic geography is still in the stage of infancy,the application into cluster research is not unproblematic.In the context of Chinese transitional economy,we argue for the ‘evolutionary turn’ of cluster research,and propose some new research agendas for advancing the research on Chinese clusters.On the one hand,we need utilize the theories of evolutionary economic geography to explore the development processes and dynamics of different types of clusters in China,in order to examine the applicability of western theories in the context of China;on the other,we claim for the development of Chinese-characterized evolutionary economic geography,and the construction of theoretical framework of cluster evolution in China.