Introduction: Combinatorial Knowledge Bases, Regional Innovation, and Development Dynamics

The special issue zooms in on knowledge dynamics that drive innovation processes and new path development in different regional and sectoral contexts. This investigation rests on the differentiated knowledge base approach, which offers a clear distinction between analytical, synthetic and symbolic types of knowledge and deep insights into their idiosyncrasies. The introduction frames knowledge bases as theoretically discernible and differentiated forms of knowledge creation that are of particular relevance for innovation processes. The knowledge base approach goes beyond sector and regional approaches to innovation and focuses on micro-level dynamics of knowledge creation and knowledge combination within firms, industries and regions. This special issue offers theoretical advances and empirical insights into the causal linkages between such knowledge dynamics, innovation and new path development. It contributes to economic geography in providing an improved understanding of mechanism behind economic growth and development in various sectors and regions as well as to make better sense of the consistent heterogeneity of performance between firms within the same sectors and regions. All this underpins a broad-based innovation policy approach and an active role of policy makers in stimulating novel combinations of differentiated knowledge bases, which shows its roots in the (regional) innovation systems tradition.