Multimedia and Regional Economic Restructuring (Routledge Studies in the Modern World Economy)
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Since the explosion of multimedia, the creation and promotion of multimedia clusters has become a target for regional development strategies across the globe. This work offers the first inter-regional comparison of the multimedia industry.Analysing thirteen American, European and Asian regions, leading academics examine factors which drive the emergence of multimedia clusters and processes by which they are formed,
Multimedia and Regional Economic Restructuring (Routledge Studies in the Modern World Economy) Review
This edited volume is a collection of papers prepared for the International Conference on Multimedia and Regional Economic Restructuring, held at the Center of Technology Assesment in Baden-W rttemberg, Stuttgart in October 1997. The overall theme of the book is the impact and challenge of the information society for regional economies. The book focuses on empirical observations of the most recent evolution of the multimedia segment of the global information society. The empirical case-studies of regions are put into a common framework elaborated by the editors Braczyk, Fuchs and Wolf in a helpful introduction which gives a short definition of the term multimedia, discuss the process of the formation of the multimedia industry theoretically, and summarize the main links between multimedia and industrial clusters. Contributions are devided into three main parts. The first part addresses regions which host multimedia industries which can be classified as pioneers. These pioneer clusters are located without exception in the US, California and New York. In the second part emerging multimedia clusters are described which do not command the pioneer status of the American regions. Case studies of such routine producers are located in Canada and Europe. The third part analyses regions which try to establish multimedia clusters. In the first part Edmund Egan and Annalee Saxenian, exploring the multimedia cluster of the bay area in San Fransisco, ask some basic questions on the dynamics of agglomeration and dispersal in multimedia industries. The paper of Allen Scott on the southern california's multimedia industry lies emphazise on the form and logic of the local labour market. Scott shows that the multimedia industry is one of the driving forces behind the continued growth of urban cultural industries and that Los Angeles is a major centre of this industry. The remarkable case study of multimedia networks of Silicon Alley by Wolf Heydebrand describes the evolution and present processes of multimedia networks in New York. Through emphasizing the historical trajectories and the significance of the communicative capacity of networks their dual role of being part of economic globalization and at the same time constituting the backbone of reactive regional development strategies in the face of global competition is highlighted. The development of the new media industry of New York's Silicon Alley is also described by John Pavlik. He focuses on the institutional development and the innovations networks within the multimedia industry. The second part of the book contains six case studies of emerging multimedia clusters. The Toronto multimedia industry is analysed by Shauna Brail and Meric Gertler. The implications of their research are twofold: First, it supports and reinforces that industries based on information and communication technology rely heavily on interpersonal networks and strong backward linkages leading to agglomeration in urban centres. Second, the research demonstrates that the industry in Toronto has developed despite lacking local depth or institutional thickness that might engender inter-firm cooperation. The industry's growth has been largely a function of favourable policies supporting cultural industries nationally and provincially rather than strong institutional structures. The next two chapters include analysis of German multimedia clusters. The case of North Rhine-Westphalia, notable Cologne, is described by Josef Hilbert, J�rgen Nordhause-Janz and Dieter Rehfeld. By presenting data of the whole state the authors demonstrate that together with Bavaria North Rhine-Westphalia can be regarded as one of the German multimedia centres. Further the emerging clusters in Cologne and in the Ruhr Area are analysed in initial stages. Detlev Str�ter describes in his paper the profiling and regional restructering of Munich as a cluster of the media and telecommunication industry. The paper of Richard Naylor on the Internet industry in the Netherlands is a reflection of this industry in a whole country. It gives an overview of the distribution of Internet suppliers and possible factors influencing agglomeration. The particular reasons for the growth of the South-east England high-tech corridor in the Sussex region are analysed by Puay Tang. After an interesting overview of the British multimedia sector Tang describes the main activities undertaken by local organizations and councils in the south-east part of the region, the fastest growing segment of the corridor. Further she discusses the main entry barriers to the sector and the resources required for sustaining market presence and concludes with some policy implications. The findings of this article are primarily based on several interviews. Therefore beside structural characteristics of the industry the paper makes also statements on social networks and its impacts on the development of multimedia firms in the region. The last case study of emerging clusters is the paper of �ke Sandberg on the multimedia industry in Stockholm. The last part analyses regions which try to establish a multimedia cluster. Most of the cases included (Cardiff/Wales, Scotland, Stuttgart, Tampere) concern the intensive support from public agencies. The book ends with a discussion of political efforts in the multimedia industry in Japan and Singapore. Overall the book is a valuable collection of papers. Most of the articles are interesting and worthwhile to read. Among the weaknesses we find some case studies which only give a broad socioeconomic description of the cluster in question. Therefore there is too little room for an explicit analysis of processes, politics and networks.Most of the consumer Reviews tell that the "Multimedia and Regional Economic Restructuring (Routledge Studies in the Modern World Economy)" are high quality item. You can read each testimony from consumers to find out cons and pros from Multimedia and Regional Economic Restructuring (Routledge Studies in the Modern World Economy) ...
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