【摘要】Although the bene?ts of clustering for innovation have received much attention inthe theoretical as well as empirical literature, analyses at the regional level often disregardthe characteristics of local ?rms. We tackle both at the same time: agglomeration externalities(Marshall, Porter, Jacobs) from census microdata, and ?rm data from the Community InnovationSurvey. Importantly, we allow for sectoral heterogeneity of agglomeration forces. We ?nd thatthe ?rm characteristics, including those that proxy for ‘absorptive capacity’, have a muchstronger relationship with the propensity to innovate than regular agglomeration externalities.The latter are only statistically signi?cant for a few speci?c sectors, and even then only for sometypes of innovation. Sorting of innovation-prone ?rms into speci?c locations might therefore bemuch more important to explain spatial patterns of innovation than agglomeration externalities.

【关键词】 Innovation;absorptive capacity;agglomeration externalities;community innova-tion survey;microdata;firm behaviour

【文献来源】Martijn J. Smit;Maria A. Abreu;Henri L.F. de Groot.Papers in Regional Studies.2015（2）