Tech Nation UK?: 'placing' the local geographies of path creation in the digital sector

“在2008年经济危机之后，数字技术是英国政府为帮助刺激增长和复苏而瞄准的几个战略行业之一。虽然最初的注意力集中在支持伦敦所谓的“科技城”集群的快速增长和国际形象，但政策重点已转移到支持伦敦以外的数字领域的路径创造。在此背景下，本研究旨在对数字领域新的、地理上更广泛和多样化的增长格局中本地路径创造的本质进行更深入、更批判性的理解。超越传统的基于集群的数字部门分析，本研究结合了新兴的进化经济地理学（EEG）领域，以研究路径创造的动态。该项目开发了一种相对新颖的方法来探索四组路径创造因素之间的动态相互作用：区域资产；主要的组织和经济参与者；机制;多标量制度背景。比较研究将在三个地区进行，在不同的政策和治理背景下-纽卡斯尔，曼彻斯特和邓迪-以更好地理解促进或限制环境，调解路径创造和结果。这项研究是与Tech North合作开展的一个项目，Tech North是一个政府资助的组织，长期以来一直关注英格兰北部和苏格兰的数字技术产业发展。”

"In the aftermath of the economic crisis in 2008, digital technology was one of several strategic sectors targeted by the UK government to help stimulate growth and recovery. Whilst initial attention concentrated on supporting the rapid growth and international profile of the so-called 'Tech City' cluster in London, the policy focus has since shifted to supporting path creation in the digital sector in beyond London. Against this backdrop, this research seeks to develop a deeper and more critical understanding of the nature of local path creation in this new, more geographically extensive and varied landscape of growth in the digital sector. Moving beyond conventional cluster-based analyses of the digital sector, this research connects to the burgeoning field of evolutionary economic geography (EEG) to examine the dynamics of path creation. The project develops a relatively novel approach in exploring the dynamic interplay between four sets of path creation factors: regional assets; key organisational and economic actors; mechanisms; multiscalar institutional contexts. Comparative research will be undertaken in three localities set within contrasting policy and governance contexts - Newcastle, Manchester and Dundee - to better understand enabling or constraining environments which mediate path creation and outcomes.The research is a collaborative project developed with Tech North, a government-funded organisation who have a longstanding concern with the development of the digital technology industry in the North of England and Scotland."