CRESS Events

Simulating Knowledge Dynamics in Innovation Industrial Districts: from SKIN model to SKID model

Speaker: Christina Ponsiglione (University of Naples)

Abstract

The aim of the seminar is to present the SKIN (Simulating Knowledge Dynamics in Innovation Networks) model, developed by Ahrweiler, Gilbert and Pyka (2001, 2007) to explore learning and innovation dynamics in knowledge-based industries, and to show some attempts to re-frame the model (SKID – Simulating Knowledge Dynamics in Industrial Districts) in order to analyse knowledge and innovation dynamics in Industrial Districs. Industrial Districts are geographical clusters mainly based on small and medium sized firms, in which cooperation and competition take place at the same time and high level of specialization and flexibility are reached. Another important element characterizing Industrial Districts is the strong interplay between the economic/productive system and the social system: the underlying social structure of Industrial Districts and the economic/productive system co-evolve and are influenced from each other.

Industrial Districts are particularly diffused in Italy, but they also characterize the organization of some productive areas in United States (e.g. Silicon Valley), Brazil, France and Japan (though in different forms).

I’ll present my attempts to apply the SKIN model to the case of Industrial Districts, from a theoretical and from a computational point of view. I’ll also discuss some issues related to the validation of SKID model.