How are firms, networks of firms, and production systems organized and how does this organization vary from place to place? This book synthesizes theories from across the social sciences with empirical research and case studies in order to answer this question.

Novel theoretical approach focusing on relational perspective of the knowledge economy Integrated treatment of theoretical perspective and empirical research Trans-disciplinary focus, using theoretical perspectives and discussion from social sciences within a relational framework Concise structure to enable reader to attain a clear analytic perspective on the dynamics of the knowledge economy at different spatial scales

Harald Bathelt is Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto, Canada, where he holds the Senior Canada Research Chair in Innovation and Governance. He received his PhD and Habilitation (post-doctoral degree) at the University of Giessen, Germany. Previously he was Professor of Economic Geography at the University of Frankfurt/Main, Germany (1998-2002) and the University of Marburg, Germany (2002-2006). His research interests are in the areas of industrial and economic geography, political economy, and methodology, and he has published on topics such as relational economic geography, knowledge-based conceptions of clusters, local buzz and global pipelines, temporary clusters, innovation systems, and socio-economic impacts of regional and industrial change. He has published books on North American high-technology industries (1991), the German chemical industry (1997), and a textbook on economic geography (2003, with Johannes Glückler). Johannes Glückler is Professor of Economic and Social Geography and Research Fellow at the Marsilius Center for Advanced Study, the University of Heidelberg. He received his PhD at the University of Frankfurt in 2004. Before joining the University of Heidelberg, he was Professor of Economic Geography at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt (2006 through 2008). He is Visiting Professor at the University of Salamanca, Spain. His research interests are in the areas of economic geography, social networks, and service industries. Johannes Glückler has published on theories of firm internationalization, urban clustering, the evolution of social networks, and the geography of knowledge. Apart from co-authoring a textbook on economic geography (2003, with Harald Bathelt), he has written books on spatial concepts in human geography (1999) and knowledge-based business services (2004). Recently, he co-edited a volume on conceptual debates in economic geography (2006).

Novel theoretical approach focusing on relational perspective of the knowledge economy Integrated treatment of theoretical perspective and empirical research Trans-disciplinary focus, using theoretical perspectives and discussion from social sciences within a relational framework Concise structure to enable reader to attain a clear analytic perspective on the dynamics of the knowledge economy at different spatial scales