Publications - MPIfG

Discussion Paper 01/8. Cologne: Max Planck Institute for the
Study of Societies, 2001
The Governance of Local Economies:
Baden-Württemberg and Emilia-Romagna
in Comparison
Ulrich Glassmann
The economies of Baden-Württemberg and Emilia-Romagna
have long been seen as remarkable examples of how small and
medium-sized firms could achieve outstanding economic
performance through inter-firm and institutional cooperation
at the local level. In this study it is assumed that the provision
of collective competition goods is essential for the performance
of firms in both regions. However, the way in which
these goods are provided differs according to the diverse institutional
settings in which these economies are embedded.
This project explains why diverging systems of collective
goods provision occur in comparably performing local
economies. Its two principal aims are to show empirically
how local economies differ structurally, and to use the information
obtained to test a theory of collective goods provision.
Taking as an example education, vocational training, and
technology transfer in the mechanical engineering sectors of
Stuttgart and Bologna from 1980 to the present, the study
analyzes the existence and change of cooperation strategies in
economic and political networks. Project duration at the
MPIfG was from November 1997 to November 2000. A dissertation
entitled “The Governance of Local Economies:
Baden-Württemberg and Emilia-Romagna in Comparison” is
expected to be submitted to the University of Osnabrück,
Department of Social Sciences, in summer 2003.
Main project: Governance of Local Economies.
Ulrich Glassmann
Refining National Policy: The Machine Tool Industry in the
Local Economy of Stuttgart. In: Colin Crouch, Patrick Le
Galès, Carlo Trigilia, Helmut Voelzkow (eds.), Changing
Governance of Local Economies in Europe. Oxford: Oxford
University Press (forthcoming 2003)
Ulrich Glassmann, Helmut Voelzkow
Local Production Systems Substituting the Large Plant:
Duisburg as a Test Case for Restructuring. In: Colin Crouch,
Patrick Le Galès, Carlo Trigilia, Helmut Voelzkow (eds.),
Changing Governance of Local Economies in Europe. Oxford:
Oxford University Press (forthcoming 2003)
Ulrich Glassmann
Refining National Policy: The Machine Tool Industry in the
Local Economy of Stuttgart. In: Colin Crouch (ed.), Challenges
to European Economic Governance: Responding to
Project Areas and Research Projects
Change in the Machinery Industries. EUI Working Paper SPS
No. 2002/13. Florence: European University Institute, 2002,
43–74
Ulrich Glassmann, Helmut Voelzkow
The Governance of Local Economies in Germany. In: Colin
Crouch, Patrick Le Galès, Carlo Trigilia, Helmut Voelzkow
(eds.), Local Production Systems in Europe: Rise or Demise?
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002, 79–116
European Comparison of Public Research
Systems
Uwe Schimank (FernUniversität Hagen) with Markus Winnes
Public research systems in Europe have been confronted with
new challenges since the middle of the 1970s. Growth rates of
public expenditure on R&D have declined, while the demand
for scientific research that addresses economic and societal
problems has increased. In addition, new research areas and
key technologies and the increasing importance of interdisciplinary
and international research require changes in priorities
and organizational structures. The objective of the project
is to gain insights into the problems and dynamics of
change of national research systems with different historical
traditions and institutional structures on the basis of a common
analytical framework. The project, which involves research
teams from ten European countries, is coordinated by
the “Science Policy Research Unit” (SPRU) at the University of
Sussex and co-funded by the EU. The comparative reports are
supplemented by case studies of research institutes in the area
of human genetics focusing on the mediating structures between
research institutes and their societal environment. A
central element of the whole project is the development of a
sound methodology for comparing research institutions in
different national and institutional contexts. Project duration:
May 1997 to May 1999. Two reports by Schimank and Winnes
are available as downloads from the MPIfG website. The comprehensive
report by Senker et al. can be downloaded from
the research section of the SPRU website.
Uwe Schimank, Markus Winnes
Public Sector Research in Europe: Comparative Case Studies on
the Organisation of Human Genetics Research. Synthesis
Report. Cologne: Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies,
1999, 74 pp. Online:
Markus Winnes, Uwe Schimank
National Report: Federal Republic of Germany. Cologne: Max
Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, 1999, 262 pp.
Online:
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