Cross-border regional innovation systems: concepts, approaches and perspectives

Abstract

We present and review a collection of Regional Studies papers that jointly portray the evolving literature on cross-border regional innovation systems. We clarify the scope of this research agenda and then use it to reflect on possible future directions by specifying the main conceptual and empirical developments encapsulated by these papers. We argue that this literature has predominantly focused on three different dimensions: (1) the theoretical basis and conceptual specifics of cross-border regional innovation systems; (2) analytical approaches to examine the nature and dynamics of cross-regional innovation; and (3) geographical diversities and place-based contexts in cross-border innovation systems. Even though the literature has geographically diversified in empirical terms, theoretical contextualisation in varied socio-economic and geographical settings remains a work in progress.