Drawing on a rich literature and case study material from selected industries, and elaborating on key concepts such as firms and competencies, industries and industrial systems, and competitiveness and prosperity, this book sets out to answer three broad research questions:
* What is competition about in today's economy?
* Why do geographical areas (local milieus, cities, regions, countries) specialize in particular types of economic activity, and why do patterns of specialization, once in place tend to be so tremendously durable?
* How can high-cost regions in general and small...