【摘要】This paper offers a new perspective on urban innovation and enters the debate on the contribution of non-material growth-enhancing factors to the socioeconomic performance of cities. Because of the often widespread availability of “hard” production factors; most cities increasingly compete for attracting non-material production factors whose role; in light of the more widespread diffusion of physical production factors;mayultimately determine their long-run economic success.Againstthis background; our paper focuses on a relatively neglected non-material factor; viz.urban risk attitude. In fact; cities offer the competitive and challenging environment where individual characteristics of actors may enjoy their highest returns; risk-loving and innovative individuals may sort in large urban agglomerations. The paper tests whether cities attracting such individuals and; thus; enjoying a more positive and open attitude towards risk; tend to innovate more.The empirical analysis of the paper is based on the most recent (2008/2009) wave of the European Values Study. Micro- data on about 80;000 individuals located in different EU urban areas are used to calculate cityspecific attitudes towards risk that go beyond individual characteristics. This city-level risk attitude variable is then used within a knowledge production function approach; as an explanatory variable for urban innovation (patent applications to the European Patent Office) along with more traditional knowledge determinants (human capital and R&D expenditures). Our empirical results show that cities with a more open and positive attitude towards risk ceteris paribus also tend to be more innovative. In addition; we find that; unlike traditional knowledge production factors; this factor faces no decreasing returns. While further research might be beneficial in order to more precisely pinpoint the extent of such effects; our findings appear to be robust and suggest a positive role for the urban attitude towards risky endeavours in explaining urban innovation.

【文献来源】Caragliu A;Del Bo C F;Kourtit K;et al. Annals of regional Science.2016（3）