| 1. |
- Krifors, Karin, 1982-
(författare)
-
Managing Migrant Workers : moral economies of temporary labour in the Swedish IT and wild berry industries
- 2017
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Temporary migrant workers and circular migration constitute a growing global phenomenon as the management of migration becomes increasingly important to policymakers. This thesis takes academic discussions on citizenship and migration as its starting point, and examines the role of employers in terms of defining temporary migrant workers and their role in the Swedish labour market. The concept of moral economy is applied in particular to analyse the justifications and negotiations through which working conditions of migrant workers, and their role in local and transnational economies, are established and contested.The role of capital in migration management is studied through ethnographic fieldwork and through interviews with managers in the Swedish wild berry and IT industries; two very different industries that are, however, both shaped by particular structures of seasonal labour and international outsourcing and that increasingly rely on temporary foreign workers from Thailand and India respectively. The conceptualisation of supply chains in these industries offers a particular framework through which relations, as well as management discourses, can be analysed.The study explores how notions of circularity, nation, cultural difference, and transnational economic difference, are managed by private sector actors. It also explores how managers relate to public discourse and emotions in the face of global economic restructuring and changing citizenship, which situates temporary migrants as part of, yet different from, Swedish labour.
|
|
| 2. |
- Andersson, Ida, 1982-
(författare)
-
Geographies of Place Branding : Researching through small and medium sized cities
- 2015
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Place branding is commonly conceptualized with a focus on big cities, such as London, New York and Singapore, building from concepts and models from mainstream branding theory. In contrast to such conceptualizations, this thesis focuses on place branding in small and medium-sized cities. The present thesis aims to study place branding from a geographical perspective. It starts with debates theoretical and empirical understandings of place branding; what it is and how it is affecting the places where it is introduced. The thesis develops and argues for a perspective of territoriality and relationality to place branding discussing concepts, methods and empirical approaches to carry out place branding research using geographical perspectives. Empirically, this thesis focuses on in-depth studies of place branding in small and medium-sized cities in Sweden. By analyzing the development of place branding over the course of time, nuances and aspects of both territorial and relational origin emerge, situating place branding practices within a wider spatial contextualization. Four individual papers are presented, which taken together contribute to the aim of the thesis. Paper 1 introduces the place branding research field in geography and how it has developed; Paper 2 investigates the phenomena of flagship buildings located in small cities and towns; Paper 3 discusses the relationship between policy tourism and place branding; and Paper 4 analyzes how local environmental policies are affected by green place branding. The thesis demonstrates the complex and continuously interchangeable spatial structures and place contexts that create and re-produce the geographies of place branding. Here, research models and methodological examples are presented to illustrate how place branding can be studied from a geographical perspective and thus improve theoretical understandings of place branding.
|
|
| 3. |
- Martin, Roman
(författare)
-
Knowledge Bases and the Geography of Innovation
- 2012
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Despite the ongoing globalisation of economic activities, innovation does not take place randomly distributed over space, but concentrates in certain locations. A central argument to explain the spatial concentration of innovation activities lies in the ability of geographical proximity to facilitate interactive learning and knowledge exchange, which in turn is seen as an important driver for regional growth and prosperity. Intensive knowledge sharing within the regional milieu is considered pivotal to continuous innovation, while at the same time, distant sources of knowledge are important for accessing new ideas and thoughts. When, why and in what respect local or non-local knowledge sourcing and exchange matters for innovation is a key question addressed in this dissertation. The thesis applies a regional innovation systems perspective where innovation is seen as the result of interactive learning processes involving various actors from industry, academia and governments, which collectively contribute to regional innovation and growth. Moreover, the thesis takes a broad-based view on innovation where innovation is seen as critical for all sectors of the economy, and not only for science and (high-) technology orientated activities. A distinction between industries is made with respect to the type of knowledge base that underlies innovation activities (i.e. analytical, synthetic and symbolic). When, why and in what respect the geography of innovation varies subject to industry specific difference in the knowledge base is a further key question addressed in this dissertation. In order to account for the diversity of channels through which knowledge can be sourced and exchanged, particular attention is devoted to the notion of networks that connect firms and other organisations inside and outside the region, but also to other modes of knowledge transfer such as monitoring of collaborators and competitors, the mobility of knowledge embodied in skilled labour, and informal relations between individuals within knowledge communities. The dissertation reveals that the organisational and geographical scope of knowledge exchange is strongly (but not exclusively) shaped by the type of knowledge base that underlies innovation activities. The results point in the direction that symbolic industries, partly as a consequence of the context-dependency of cultural knowledge, are deeply embedded in localised knowledge networks, while knowledge exchange in synthetic industries is less locally organised and more governed by the national institutional framework. Analytical industries tend to rely less on localised sources of knowledge, and more on specialised knowledge providers in other parts of the world. The research design is inspired by critical realist ontology, epistemology and methodology, and draws on a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods. The empirical focus lies on several regional industries (or clusters) in different parts of Europe, with the main attention on the new media, food and life science industries in Scania, southern Sweden. The dissertation consists of five articles that are published or forthcoming in peer-reviewed journals, preceded by an opening part which outlines the theoretical and methodological background framing the individual articles.
|
|
| 4. |
- Moodysson, Jerker
(författare)
-
Sites and Modes of Knowledge Creation: On the Spatial Organization of Biotechnology Innovation
- 2007
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The accelerated speed and intensity of global interconnections in all segments of society during the last couple of decades have had a profound impact on the workings of contemporary capitalism. Increased pressure is put on national and regional economies to continuously upgrade their competitive advantages, at the same time as new learning opportunities occur at a faster rate than ever. For reasons like these, knowledge is described as the most important resource, and learning the most important process, for firms and organizations, as well as nations and regions, to become and remain competitive. In parallel with the forces of globalization there are however also strong forces of localization. Empirical studies reveal that knowledge intensive industries tend to agglomerate in space, often in proximity to leading universities and research institutes, and several policy initiatives raised in attempts to meet the challenges of globalization are focused on promoting local knowledge spillovers between industry and academia. Observations like these intrigue geographers interested in the spatial organization of innovation and raises important questions about what is local and what is global in "the globalizing learning economy". This study takes these observations as point of departure and develops a conceptual framework used to analyze the spatial organization of innovation in biotechnology. Biotechnology is a suitable case for such analysis since it represents a set of activities in the intersection of science and industry which displays both globalization and localization. By combining a system perspective with in-depth focus on concrete knowledge creation activities the study explains how and why knowledge interaction between firms and related actors varies with different activities embedded in the innovation processes. Empirical focus is put the Swedish-Danish bioregion Medicon Valley. The study is reported in five articles which can also be read separately. Two of the articles focus on the aggregate of dedicated biotechnology firms (DBFs) composing the bioregion, while the remaining three focus on a selection of DBFs and academic research groups involved in innovation projects spanning from basic science with not yet fully identified commercial applications to more applied product development in different subfields of biotechnology related industries.
|
|
| 5. |
- Eriksson, Rikard, 1979-
(författare)
-
Labour mobility and plant performance : The influence of proximity, relatedness and agglomeration
- 2009
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The purpose of this thesis is to shed new light on the theorizations discussing the economic benefits of geographical clustering in a space economy increasingly characterized by globalization processes. This is made possible through the employment of a plant-perspective and a focus on how the relative fixity and mobility of labour influence plant performance throughout the entire Swedish economy. By means of the longitudinal micro database ASTRID, connecting attributes of individuals to features of plants and localities for the whole Swedish economy, the empirical findings indicate that both localization and urbanization economies produce significant labour market externalities and that such inter-plant linkages positively affect plant performance as compared to the partial effects of relative regional specialization and diversification. Moreover, it is also demonstrated that it is necessary both to distinguish how well the external skills retrieved via labour mobility match the existing knowledge base of plants and to determine the geographical dimension of such flows to verify the relative effect of labour market-induced externalities. Finally, it is demonstrated that whereas general urbanization is beneficial within close distance to the plant, the composition of economic activities is more influential at greater distances. In such cases the geographical dimension influences whether plants benefit from being located in similar or different local settings. In conclusion, it is argued that the circulation of labour skills, created and reproduced through the place-specific industrial setup, is crucial for understanding the mechanisms creating geographical variations in plant performance as compared to other regional conditions often proxied as relative specialization or diversification. This is because the relative fixity of labour tends to create place- and sector-specific skills which by means of their mobility in space are likely to facilitate the recombination of local skills, make the acquirement of non-local skills possible and secure sufficient affinity between economic actors by strengthening other dimensions of proximity – all aspects regarded as crucial to facilitate interactive learning processes and contribute to sustained regional growth.
|
|
| 6. |
- Lavesson, Niclas
(författare)
-
Rural-urban interdependencies : The role of cities in rural growth
- 2017
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- A massive population growth in cities is currently being witnessed in most countries around the world. As urban populations grow, cities eventually expand geographically into what was considered countryside and nowadays distinguishing between what is city and what is countryside is getting increasingly difficult. In many Western countries, it is being observed that areas near cities seem to capitalize from urban proximity by experiencing strong growth in population and employment. By contrast, remotely located areas appear to be in fast decline, observed not least in the ongoing trend of rural depopulation. In the European context, and more specifically in Sweden, research is relatively scarce on these issues. The aim of this thesis is to examine rural–urban interdependencies and the role of cities in rural growth. Over the last decades, having spatial linkages with cities appears to have increased in importance for rural areas. Much can be learned from studying how interdependencies with nearby cities influence rural growth. Increased knowledge on the topic may be useful, not least in formulating policies aiming at, for example, increasing rural employment and counteracting rural depopulation. The findings in the thesis strongly suggest that interdependencies with nearby urban centers are not necessarily positive. In fact, it is shown that proximity to urban centers of any size is detrimental to local employment growth and entrepreneurship in rural Sweden. Rewards from urban proximity are only visible from interdependencies with the largest urban centers. This suggests that there is a threshold of urban (population) size that needs to be reached for positive agglomeration spillovers to outweigh adverse effects following from urban proximity, for example from urban competition for local jobs, consumers and rural resources in general. Importantly, though, there is a significant heterogeneity in relationships across space. Implicitly, this means that a change that would be positive in one place may be very negative in another.A strong positive association is also observed between rural-to-urban commuting and rural employment growth. Therefore, it is concluded that increasing rural-to-urban commuting could be a way to achieve growth in the countryside. Also, stimulating urban employment growth could be a way for rural areas to maintain and perhaps even grow their local population. This follows from the observation that rural residents increasingly are engaging in rural-to-urban commuting and that the common pathway into this type of commuting is from rural residents changing to urban places of work. These are also individuals who are younger and better educated than their rural neighbors and contribute more than average rural workers to the local economy, by enhancing tax incomes or strengthening local purchasing power.
|
|
| 7. |
- Bohn, Dorothee, 1984-
(författare)
-
Arctic geographies in the making : understanding political economy, institutional strategic selectivity, and agency in tourism pathway development
- 2024
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Tourism has long been promoted as a catalyst for socio-economic development in sparsely populated areas based on the commodification of culture and natural environments. This thesis examines the case of Arctic tourism in the two neighbouring northern counties of Finnish Lapland and Norrbotten (Sweden). Although characterised by similar resource endowments for tourism, these two regions have historically pursued divergent pathways, leading to different industry characteristics and spatial development outcomes. More recently, Lapland and Norrbotten have witnessed a remarkable increase in Arctic-themed tourism featuring soft nature-based winter activities and resort accommodation for export markets.To better understand the complex factors facilitating the emergence and consolidation of this pathway, a theoretical framework combining perspectives drawn from evolutionary economic geography, geographical political economy, and the strategic relational approach to structure and agency was selected. Through this theoretical lens, the thesis studies how wider politico-economic trajectories, institutional priorities and strategic selectivity, and entrepreneurial agency are intertwined in tourism path creation that takes place in path-dependent regional opportunity spaces. Empirically, the thesis rests upon a case study methodology that integrates expert interviews, document analysis, and spatial mapping of regional development funding for tourism projects and firms.The findings show that the geographical reimagination of Lapland and Norrbotten as Arctic tourism regions is part of wider socio-economic transformations. Export-oriented Arctic tourism is linked to a global political economy promoting economic growth and entrepreneurship, governed by multiscalar public-private networks, as the foundation of sustainable development and social wellbeing. For local places, the alignment with the Arctic represents an upscaling strategy to gain visibility and competitiveness within globalised politico-economic environments. At the regional level, public organisations mediate Arctic tourism pathways inter alia by granting funding and financing for firms and public-private development projects. The institutional strategic selectivity entailed therein privileges commonly established actors and business ideas over new ones, fostering pathway reproduction and the (unintended) continuation of uneven development structures. These opportunity spaces also conditioned the rise of Arctic-themed resort enclave as a distinct tourism product in Lapland and Norrbotten. Although these venues offer potential for new tourism development in previously underdeveloped locations as well as local business cooperation and spinoffs, there remain challenges, not least in relation to their limitations regarding year-round employment and a homogenous market focus implying a boom-and-bust vulnerability.To summarise, the findings of the four papers included in the thesis provide a nuanced picture of the processes that have shaped Arctic tourism in the two case study regions, raising attention to the limits and opportunities of export-oriented tourism for regional development and local communities in sparsely populated areas.
|
|
| 8. |
- Hellervik, Alexander, 1978
(författare)
-
Networks of urban interaction - Growth and centrality in the complex geography of urban activity
- 2021
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- How cities and regions grow and decline depend on technological, social and economic factors. Understanding the interplay of these forces is central in research efforts aiming to improve urban and transport planning. The purpose of this thesis is to explore how mathematical modelling and computer simulation can contribute to these efforts and a central aim is to achieve practically useful models with retained conceptual simplicity as well as correspondence to important empirical patterns. The approach combines a spatially fine-grained representation of land, with processes of urban interaction based on the theory of complex networks. Urban activity at a location is modelled as the sum of all economic interactions stemming from that location. The potentials for interactions and activity are deduced mainly from spatial constraints, such as transport networks and land use regulations. Concepts that are studied include urban growth, accessibility and urban agglomeration. For model validation, an extensive data set on Swedish land taxation values is used. These values are based on actual sales prices and rent levels and can thus be considered as reasonable proxies for urban economic activity. Comparisons are made between empirical data and model outcomes, both with regard to probability distributions and geographical distributions. The empirical probability distribution of land values is found to be well approximated by a power law, strengthening the case for modelling the system as a complex network based on a process of multiplicative growth. By combining these principles with spatial interaction mediated by a transport network, the preferential centrality model is formulated. The activity predictions generated by this model reproduces empirical geographical patterns of land values. The presented models provide explanatory links between the structure of transportation networks and the geographical distributions of urban economic activity. This makes them attractive as starting points for the further step of creating practically useful planning applications. For example, the models could be used to assess how specific transport infrastructure improvements influence urban expansion.
|
|
| 9. |
- Karsvall, Olof
(författare)
-
Utjordar och ödegårdar : en studie i retrogressiv metod
- 2016
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The crisis of the Late Middle Ages is still an ongoing discussion. Desertion of small isolated settlements in woodlands is a well known fact. In villages and hamlets, however, desertion is hidden because holdings were merged (partial desertion). This problem has been discussed extensively, but the extent and character of desertion especially on the plains, remains uncertain. This thesis focuses on ”uninhabited cadastral units” (literally utjordar) in Sweden. A large amount of plots, both arable and meadow land, were registered as utjordar in the Swedish Crown’s cadastres in the mid-1500s. They also appear on the large-scale maps from the 1600s. At that time many had become divided into smaller parts, but a comparison of the two sources shows that the same plots of land persisted for over a century. The evidence suggests that they originated from farms that were abandoned during the Late Middle Ages, more precisely vacant and divided holdings. In this thesis about 1 500 of these units are identified and spatially examined, using a retrogressive method, focusing on the origin of such plots or units. The objects of study are plains and hamlets in east central Sweden. Here, the arable land was divided and strictly regulated by common law (known as solskifte), which had been carried out before the Late Middle Ages. The basic pattern of this medieval field pattern remained in many areas between the 1500s and the 1700s. This explains why late medieval abandoned holdings appear as separated units in later periods. In other parts of Sweden, there are few data on desertion in hamlets, due to less regulation and less control of the land. In conclusion, the abandonment of farms in Sweden during the Late Middle Ages affected the central plains significantly and more widely than previously known. The retrogressive approach, the inclusion of traces found in later sources, provides a more complete understanding of the changes during the late medieval period.
|
|
| 10. |
- Onufrey, Ksenia
(författare)
-
Enabled by the past : understanding endogenous innovation in mature industries
- 2017
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Mature industries have played and still play a crucial role in national and world economies. To survive and retain competitiveness, they need to innovate, as innovation is the driver of economics growth and industrial transformation. However, existing research does not provide sufficient explanation of how innovation in mature industries can be enabled based on resources and internal development logic of those industries, i.e. endogenously. Some previous studies focused on incremental innovation patterns, which led to an underestimation of innovation potential of mature industries. Other studies acknowledged a high innovation potential of mature industries, but failed to explain how, through what mechanisms, industry-endogenous logic can bring about major innovations.Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to systematically address, explain and conceptualize endogenous industry- innovation and its driving mechanisms in mature industries. To achieve this purpose, three main issues are addressed. First, the thesis investigates and conceptualizes the notion of industry endogenous innovation mechanisms based on the path dependency theory. Second, the thesis addresses strategic choices and actions by established companies that are rooted in the industry endogenous mechanisms and result in highly innovative outcomes. Third, the thesis systematically analyses different aspects of radicalness of innovations resulting from industry endogenous mechanisms.The thesis represents a qualitative, embedded case study with two main industry cases, i.e. the global lighting industry and the Swedish pulp and paper industry. The lighting industry and its sub-cases in the form of specific lighting technologies have been studied via the analysis of patents of leading lighting manufacturers, archival and secondary data sources as well as interviews with different types of actors in the industry. The pulp and paper industry and its sub-cases in the form of innovation initiatives have been studied with the help of interviews with leading manufacturers and research institutes, as well the analysis of annual reports and secondary data sources. The outcomes of the study are presented in the form of the thesis cover paper and five appended papers.The results show that innovations of any magnitude can be endogenously developed in mature industries. At the industry level, endogenous innovation is driven by innovation mechanisms that can be conceptualized as reactive sequences and self-reinforcing mechanisms. At the level of individual companies, the exploitation strategy corresponds to the logic of endogenous innovation mechanisms by enabling highly innovative outcomes and building on a wide range of resources available in the industry. The endogenous character of innovation mechanisms imposes certain limitations on the radicalness of the outcomes in the form of trade-offs in terms of how many and what particular aspects can be radically new at once.With these results, the thesis contributes to a more balanced overall understanding of innovation potential of mature industries and allows shifting the focus of discussion from whether mature industries can develop radical innovation to when and under what conditions they can succeed in this process. The results of the thesis also suggest several recommendations for managers in established companies with regard to how they can they can take advantage of industry endogenous innovation mechanisms.
|
|
