Zugleich: Diss. phil. II Zürich. / Ed. commerciale de: Diss. Math.-Nat.-wiss. Zürich, 2004-2005. Literaturverz.

Die vorliegende Dissertation exploriert Innovationsaktivitäten von Unternehmen des produzierenden Gewerbes in zwei unterschiedlich strukturierten peripheren Regionen: in Südestland und dem Erzgebirgskreis. Die Arbeit erweitert bestehende Forschung, da periphere Regionen und low-tech Industriezweige sich nur vereinzelt in wirtschaftsgeographischen Forschungsagenden finden. Ausgehend von einer relationalen Perspektive fokussiert die Forschungsarbeit auf Akteursbeziehungen und insbesondere darauf, wie diese Beziehungen Wirtschaftsprozesse wie Wissensgenerierung und Innovation bedingen. Als analytische Perspektiven innerhalb dieses relationalen Rahmens werden Netzwerke und unterschiedliche Dimension von Nähe und Distanz herangezogen (geographische, soziale, kognitive, institutionelle und organisationale). Die Dissertation erarbeitet kontextualisierte Erkenntnisse zu räumlichen und relationalen Elementen von Innovationsaktivitäten in peripheren Regionen. Methodisch orientiert sich die Arbeit am Ansatz der Innovationsbiographien. Dazu werden konkrete Innovationsprojekte und ihre Netzwerke aus räumlicher und zeitlicher Perspektive rekonstruiert. Entsprechend wird im empirischen Teil der Arbeit ein evolutionäres, interaktives und wissensbasiertes Innovationsverständnis aufgegriffen. Die Arbeit stellt heraus, dass Unternehmen in beiden Untersuchungsregionen aktiv Innovationsprozesse vorantreiben bzw. an diesen teilhaben. Periphere Lage und sozioökonomische Herausforderungen prägen die Innovationspraktiken der Unternehmen entlang unterschiedlicher Dimensionen. Insbesondere lassen sich zielgerichtete Netzwerkaktivitäten, ein hoher Mobilitätgrad sowie die strategische Ausrechterhaltung bzw. der Ausbau einer umfassenden Technologie- und Fertigungstiefe identifizieren. Diese Praktiken fungieren als Mechanismen zur Überwindung potenzieller Strukturnachteile peripherer Regionen. Basierend auf diesen Erkenntnissen illustriert die Dissertation Ansätze zur Erweiterung wirtschaftsgeographischer Innovationstheorie und diskutiert Maßnahmen zur Förderung der Innovationstätigkeit von Unternehmen in peripheren Regionen. / This dissertation explores innovation activities of LMT manufacturing firms located in two differently structured peripheral regions: South Estonia and the Erzgebirgskreis. Thus, the dissertation expands existing scholarship in economic geography by investigating innovation in localities and sectors that are not part of broader research agendas. Operating from a relational perspective, this research emphasises the diverse actor relations and how these relations shape economic processes of knowledge creation and innovation. Within this relational framework, networks and multi-layered dimension of proximity and distance (geographical, social, cognitive, institutional and organisational) are mobilised as central analytical perspectives. Thereby, the dissertation provides contextually grounded insights on the spatial and relational elements that drive innovation activities in peripheral regions. Methodologically, this research is guided by the innovation biographies approach. Specific innovation projects and their networks are traced throughout space and time. Thereby, the evolutionary, interactive and knowledge grounded understanding of innovation is empirically addressed. This research finds that firms in both study regions actively pursue and participate in innovation activities. Operating at distance shapes the practices of firms in a number of decisive ways: purposive networking activities, high levels of actor mobility and maintenance of comprehensive internal capacities are identified in particular. These practices operate as mechanisms to overcome potential shortcomings of peripheral regions. Based on its findings, the dissertation outlines avenues to expand dominant approaches towards innovation theory in economic geography and provides avenues for policy measures that aim at fostering firm innovation in peripheral regions.

Eine geschlossene ökonomische Theorie der Naturkatastrophen existiert bislang nicht. Arbeiten, die sich dieses Themas aus volkswirtschaftlicher Sicht annehmen und dabei vor allem die langfristig wirksam werdenden ökonomischen Prozesse betrachten, besitzen folglich Pioniercharakter. Denn die entsprechend erweiterte Fragestellung geht über die der Versicherung hinaus: Wie sind die Folgen für eine Wirtschaft bzw. ein Wirtschaftssystem einzuordnen? Je nach regionaler, sektoraler und zeitlicher Abgrenzung - letzteres im Sinne der Einwirkzeit nach Auftreten der Katastrophe - führt zu unterschiedlichen Sichtweisen des Schadens und damit auch der Möglichkeiten, derartige Schäden aufzufangen und eine Volkswirtschaft selbsttragend und nachhaltig zu stabilisieren. Zu den wichtigen Leistungen des Verfassers zählen die definitorische Aufbereitung, eine deskriptive Analyse von Naturkatastrophen und eine Reihe von Fallstudien, die die Schadensklassifikation vorbereiten, in einem zweiten Schritt die Herausarbeitung stilisierter Fakten für Naturkatastrophen auf theoretischer Grundlage, die dann in einem schätzbaren Wachstumsmodell münden. Wichtig ist hierbei insbesondere die Abbildung der je nach Schadensart und nach zivilisatorischen Stand sehr unterschiedlich wirkenden Vernetzung: Wird durch einen Wirbelsturm ein Finanzzentrum bedroht oder führt ein Vulkanausbruch zum Verlust der Ernährungsgrundlage? Die ökonomische Analyse der unterschiedlichen Pfade des Wiederaufbaus nach einer Katastrophe und das Herausarbeiten entsprechender Muster ist als besonderer Beitrag zu betrachten, weil sie einen neuen Blick auf die Katastrophenfolgenabschätzung bieten. Aufgabe dieser Arbeit ist es, das tatsächliche Ausmaß der genannten Auswirkungen qualitativ und vor allem quantitativ zu erfassen. Von vorrangigem Interesse sind dabei zum einen die Folgen der Katastrophenauswirkungen für das wirtschaftliche Wachstum des betroffenen Landes, zum anderen die Einflußfaktoren für den Umfang dieser Katastrophenauswirkungen. Aufgrund des im weiteren Verlauf deutlich werdenden Mangels an einschlägiger empirischer Literatur wählt diese Arbeit einen umfassenden Ansatz zur Beantwortung der Problemstellung. Den Überlegungen liegt eine dreistufige Struktur zugrunde, wobei die erste Stufe innerhalb einer volkswirtschaftlichen Arbeit nicht zu lösen ist. Es handelt sich dabei um die Bestimmung der Eintrittswahrscheinlichkeit bzw. des Eintrittszeitpunktes einer Naturkatastrophe. Dieser ist die Basis für die zweite Stufe: das Ausmaß der Katastrophenfolgen. Sind diese bekannt, können in der dritten Stufe die Auswirkungen auf die Wirtschaft bestimmt werden.

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Das Clusterkonzept ist unter dem Motto "Stärken stärken" fester Bestandteil der Industrie-, Technologie- und Innovationspolitik auf allen Ebenen des Staates geworden. Aber auch auf Bestrebungen von Unternehmen oder als Ergebnis neuer Förderkonzepte sind in den letzten Jahren Initiativen außerhalb der öffentlichen Einflusssphäre entstanden, deren explizites Ziel die Förderung und Entwicklung von Clustern ist. Diese operative Umsetzung des Clusterkonzeptes, das sog. Clustermanagement, steht im Zentrum der vorliegenden Dissertation. Hierzu wurden bestehende Initiativen des Clustermanagements in Sachsen identifiziert und auf ihre Stärken und Schwächen hin analysiert, um auf dieser Basis Vorschläge für ein integratives Clustermanagement zu entwickeln.

Problem definition and methodological approach Companies seek the highest possible level of performance and competitiveness. In order to reach this goal, the company's location has to provide a number of so called location factors to offer the optimal business environment. Traditionally, this includes numerous criteria (e.g. traffic connection, markets for labour, sales and education) that are important for the individual economic success of an enterprise. Accordingly, there is a catalogue of various location factors that determines new companies' choice of and established businesses' satisfaction with their location. As legal requirements force the companies to interact with the local public administration concerning enquiries, applications and permits, the municipal administration also seems to influence the choice. Accordingly, the study addresses the question whether the public administration needs to be included as an independent key element in the theoretical discourse of local factors. To do so, the relevance of municipal administration is explored from the companies' perspective. In addition, the analysis questions the influence of local business development agencies on the location satisfaction. Besides the theoretical discussion of aspects of both administration science and economic geography, the analysis primarily includes a survey of municipal administrations, companies and local business development agencies and is thus incorporates multiple perspectives. The chosen methodological approach uses a mixed methods design in which qualitative and quantitative survey methods are connected in several ways and are also partly recursively. The research objectives are a theoretical description of the municipal administration as a local factor on the one hand and the presentation of practical approaches to improve the mentioned local factors by optimizing administrative services on the other hand. Theoretical foundations and insights An introductory discussion will illuminate the interdisciplinary background of the research in administration science and geography in order to define the problem in terms of the theory. A brief historic outline will then show that the importance of public administration for companies' location decisions has been sufficiently acknowledged by neither administration science nor geography. The theoretical approaches of New Economic Geography and New Public Management reveal that the nature of the interaction at a location is gaining importance. Thus, it becomes clear that the public administration is currently transforming into a service provider for companies. This move is also characterized by a growing “entitlement mentality” within the companies that now expect better service quality from administration. Numerous determinants of social and economic development such as globalisation, municipal financial crisis and administrative integration, just to name a few, reinforce this transformation. It will be shown that this development influences the location choice made by companies and is thus also affecting aspects of companies' location satisfaction concerning municipal administration. Empirical analyses The empirical analyses take up the implications of the theoretical considerations and look at the relevance of municipal administration and business development services for location decisions. In order to do so, the employees of communal services as well as the companies have been polled in contrasting surveys. The analyses point out that municipal administration service has a high relevance for location satisfaction but nonetheless does not meet the companies' requirements. Furthermore, there is the realistic danger of companies relocating due to constant insufficient administrative service, which would imply loss of workplaces and falling tax revenue for the municipality. Formative features of the administration as a local factor are several service criteria concerning administrative procedures. Of highest importance is the processing time of enquiries and applications. This point is even more important to the companies than the legal reliability of the information provided. The empirical results furthermore prove an overall transformation of the companies' “entitlement mentality” towards the local administration. The authorities' employees are very well aware of their importance but not of the negative ratings given by the local companies. Even though both parties describe similar quality expectations for administrative procedures, the administration employees are not able to provide the best possible service due to internal processing problems or legal barriers. Local business development agencies and their services are in a similar situation. Assessment of the relevance of local business development varies, but the overall rating is rather low. The companies wish the institutions to have more power to enforce processes within authorities as well as to offer a bundling of procedures. Conclusions for theory and practice Concerning the theoretical discourse, these results mean an inevitable modification and extension of the classic local factors model to include the influence of municipal administration as a separate factor. For questions of practical administration, the results show that reliable quality criteria are essential for the optimal location satisfaction of companies. To meet these service demands, changes in process management and bundling of procedures at key positions such as entrepreneurial service agencies have proved as suitable measures for a modernization of administration. Nevertheless, considering the increasing virtualization of service processes in public administration, it remains uncertain in what way the local significance of municipal administration services will develop in future.

Over the past decades, globalisation dynamics have experienced a shift in regard to their driving economic sectors. At the beginning of the 21st century, the global economy will no longer be primarily driven by manufacturing companies but by companies in the service sector. Among them are large retail companies that, with their demand-driven supply chains, organise the global economy to a significant degree. The retail sector represents a particular case within internationalisation dynamics. With its special characteristics and logics it poses special challenges to internationally expanding companies. This is reflected in the facts that the intensive expansion phase of retail trade began relatively late compared to other sectors and that the sector’s level of internationalisation is still comparatively low. This paper focuses on two aspects of retail internationalisation that are underrepre-sented in research. (1) International expansion is by no means the final stage of international economic integration. Coe and Wrigley (2017) speak of a new era of globalised distribution, characterised by, among other things, the concentration of leading retailers on their strong foreign markets and the withdrawal of their operations from other countries. However, our understanding of these dynamics, their drivers, and their effects is inconsistent. This dissertation contributes to closing this gap and brings a new empirical perspective into the research literature by discussing the perspective of the market of inward for-eign direct investment (FDI). This is novel as, until now, research in this area has largely been based on the view of internationalizing companies’ Western home markets. In addition, this dissertation adds a new level of investigation through the exhaustive examination of a market (for the sub-sector of grocery retailing). (2) Beyond the import of financial capital, potential knowledge transfers into the local economy are an important argument for opening up to FDI. The extent to which the knowledge base of an economy is actually improved and upgrading processes of local companies are driven by the entry of a transnational company (TNC), seems to depend strongly on the degree of a TNC’s local embeddedness. This varies according to the sector and the corporate strategy. We know very little about knowledge transfer and up-grading in the context of internationalisation processes in the retail sector, as the discussion on cross-border knowledge transfer through FDI and the discussion on the internationalisation of the retail sector have so far largely been conducted separately. This dissertation contributes to the connection of these research strands. In this respect, it helps to correct the ‘production bias’, the strong orientation of the scientific discourse on knowledge transfer and upgrading towards the manufacturing, technology-intensive industry. The overall goal of the dissertation is to make an empirically derived contribution to research on retail internationalisation and its local effects in emerging markets from the perspective of relational economic geography. The dissertation addresses the dynamics, drivers, decision-making processes, and traces of FDI in the retail sector. In addition, it examines horizontal and vertical knowledge transfers and the upgrading processes of local suppliers of fresh food triggered by FDI. The study is based on the global production network-approach (Henderson et al. 2002), which conceptualises TNCs as networks whose subsidiaries are embedded in a particular context. The global value chain-approach (Gereffi et al. 2005) and the concept of up-grading, which is discussed in its context, are used as a framework for analysis. This approach is helpful to analyse the mobility of actors within a value chain toward a more advantageous position and the role of buyer companies in these developments. The dissertation combines the GVC research with the literature on (local) knowledge transfer. It uses the distinction between explicit and implicit knowledge developed by Polanyi (1958) to analyze the extent to which knowledge is transferred by FDI across national borders. Thus, the dissertation contributes to the link between GVC/GPN research and research on international knowledge transfer/the local acquisition of skills, which has been largely lacking. The dissertation uses the regional example of Turkey. The country stands as an example for the group of emerging countries. Due to dynamic economic development and significant FDI inflows, it represents a suitable and interesting case in the context of this thesis’s research interest. To gain a deeper understanding of the internationalisation dynamics of the retail sector, including their drivers and effects on local economic development, the study follows a qualitative research approach. The analyses are based on data collected in guideline-based, qualitative interviews. A total of 71 semi-structured interviews were conducted in Turkey between summer 2015 and spring 2016. Among the interviewees are 32 managers of transnational and local food retailers, 28 managers of supplier companies of fresh fruit and vegetables, and 10 experts of the retail and agricultural sector in Turkey. The study shows current dynamics and drivers of the retail sector’s internationalisation processes. At the beginning of the new millennium, the investment trend in Turkey reversed and foreign divestments (FD) started to dominate the sector. In the meantime, all transnational food retailers have divested from the market. This development illus-trates the dynamics of the new era of retail distribution to an extent not previously described. The actors in the (former) host market emphasise the defensive character of this FD. They see the operational challenges and the inability or unwillingness of the TNC to adjust to the market as reasons for the failures in the foreign market. This assessment contradicts the statements of the management in the TNC's home markets and partly also the scientific literature, which is mainly based on interviews with these actors. They emphasise the offensive character of FD. By bringing together the perspec-tives of the host- and the home market a holistic picture of the decision-making process behind FD emerges. It shows that the divestment decision is not only the reversal of an expansion decision, but follows its own logic (see Figure 8 on page 72). The dissertation demonstrates that foreign retailers import company-specific re-sources from their corporate networks into the host market and thus influence the development of the local retail sector. Comparing the results of this work on the channels of horizontal knowledge transfer with the results of the literature subject to a produc-tion bias, it becomes clear that demonstration and imitation effects are of particular importance due to the high visibility of retail practices. However, despite the compara-tively low-tech nature of retail, transfer processes go far beyond demonstration and imitation. All transfer channels discussed in the literature on the manufacturing sector are relevant to retail. The transfer of implicit knowledge takes place in particular through joint ventures/acquisitions and the fluctuation of personnel. The study further reveals vertical knowledge transfers from foreign retailers to local suppliers of fresh fruit and vegetables and shows that TNCs proactively shape the de-velopment of their suppliers in the host market. Motivated by an initial lack of adequate suppliers, transnational retailers are proving to be an important driver for the moderni-sation of this supplying industry. The deep (purchasing) network embeddedness of re-tail favours knowledge transfer through backward integration. In order to remain a permanent part of the modernizing supplier network, suppliers must vertically inte-grate functions up and down the value chain, including agricultural production. This is driven forward by retailers through direct involvement and through the targeted selection of suppliers. After TNCs withdraw their capital from the host market, the knowledge of the subsidiaries, in former employees and incorporated in established practices, remains in the host market. The dissertation shows that local companies that take over the TNCs’ subsidiaries use this knowledge in different ways. The successful among them develop hybrid business strategies. They use the TNCs' company-specific knowledge, in particular purchasing practices. But they also bring their local resources into the company which is particularly expressed in a deep sales-side network embeddedness and speed in decision-making processes. The dissertation makes conceptual contributions at various levels. First, it illustrates the broad spectrum from localisation to internationalisation within which the processes summarised under the term globalisation are classified. Localisation processes seem to overlap with internationalisation processes, especially when internationalisation is driven by market seeking motives, which are often central in the service sector. The dis-sertation further expands the research literature by linking the literature on retail internationalisation with the literature on local knowledge transfer in the context of FDI. It thereby contributes to a better understanding of the role of TNCs in the dissemination of knowledge in global networks or chains and the formation of local capabilities. Detached from the transnational and sectoral context, the study establishes causal links between FDI and local effects by providing insights into mechanisms of knowledge transfer that remain hidden in quantitative research. The work moreover contributes to the literature on upgrading in GVCs by refining the upgrading concept for the specific context of the agri-food sector. The results of the dissertation are of applied relevance for both actors from emerging countries receiving FDI and for managers of transnational retail companies. One of the most important findings for actors from FDI-receiving economies is that FDI in the re-tail sector can also be a constructive force. A certain degree of target compatibility can create advantages for all parties involved. Local retailers can acquire knowledge from international retailers operating in the country. The dissertation shows retail managers how they can make use of this possibility. It also shows managers of local suppliers of fresh food how they can take advantage of upgrading opportunities through cooperation with foreign retailers and how they can secure themselves a place in the supply network in the long term. The dissertation further provides orientation for managers of transnational retailers in their entry into foreign markets. It gives insights into how to actively embed in the host country in the context of cross-border expansion and which factors should be taken into account when deciding on a FD.

Die vorliegende Dissertation setzt sich mit dem Einfluß ökonomischer Geographie auf die Geschichte des Heiligen Römischen Reichs deutscher Nation bis zum Deutschen Zollverein auseinander. Die Dissertation besteht aus drei Kapiteln. Im ersten Kapitel werden die Effekte von Heterogenität in der Beobachtbarkeit der Bodenqualität auf Besteuerung und politischen Institutionen erläutert, theoretisch betrachtet und empirisch anhand von Kartendaten analysiert. Es wird ein statistischer Zusammenhang zwischen Beobachtbarkeit der Bodenqualität und Größe und Überlebenswahrschenlichkeit von mittelalterlichen Staaten hergestelt. Das zweite Kapitel befasst sich mit dem Einfluß dieses Mechanismus auf die spezielle Geschichte Brandenburg-Preußens, und erläutert die Rolle der Beobachtbarkeut der Bodenqualität auf die Entwicklung zentraler Institutionen nach dem Dreißigjährigen Krieg. Im empirischen Teil wird anhand von Daten zu Provinzkontributionen ein statistisch signifikanter Zusammenhang zwischen Bodenqualität und Besteuerug erst im Laufe des siebzehnten Jahrhundert deutlich. Das dritte Kapitel befasst sich mit dem Einfluß relativer Geographie auf die Gründung des Deutschen Zollvereins als Folge des Wiener Kongresses. Durch Analyse der Handelsströme und potentieller Zolleinnahmen wird ein Zusammenhang zwischen Geographischer Lage und der Entscheidung, dem Zollverein anzugehören deutlich. Dies erklärt in Teilen, wie einnahmemaximierende Staaten dem Zollverein aus Eigeninteresse beitreten konnten. / This dissertation features three essays on the influence of Economic Geography on the development of the Holy Roman Empire until the German Zollverein. The dissertation consists of three essays. The first analyzes the effect of geographically induced heterogeneity of soil quality, which has knock on effects on the development of taxation and political institutions. These ideas are analyzed both theoretically and empirically, using a novel dataset of GIS maps. Results indicate a relationship between observability and states' geographic sizes and survival probability. The second chapter employs these ideas in the context of Brandenburg-Prussia, striving to create a centralized state after the Thirty Years War. Empirics indicate a relationship between observability and provincial contribution during the decades following the Thirty Years War. The third chapter analyzes the influence of geography on the foundation of the German Zollverein as a consequence of the Congress of Vienna. By analyzing trade flows and potential tariff revenues, a relationship between a state's geographic location and its decision to join the Zollverein is revealed. In parts, this explains how revenue-maximizing states could join the Zollverein, for their own interest.

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The aim of this dissertation is to contribute to a better understanding of highly skilled (re-)migrants as labour force in multinational enterprises (MNEs) and their role in cross-border knowledge transfers. To achieve this goal, an actor-centred research perspective will be adopted, which allows for a detailed examination of both individual employees and strategies of MNEs. The basic conceptual understanding of this work is based on the relational economic-geographical approach (Bathelt and Glückler 2002), on the basis of which research strands and theories of economic geography, international business studies and migration studies were intertwined. The empirical study is based on the example of highly skilled (re-)migrants of Turkish origin who work for German companies in Turkey. The study focuses on (re-)migrants of Turkish origin who have obtained a university degree in Germany. The study follows a qualitative research design based on 95 semi-structured interviews. The interviews were conducted with highly skilled (re-)migrants as well as with company internal and external experts. In addition to the semi-structured interviews, a netnographic collection of data from an online group for (re-)migrants of Turkish origin is conducted. The findings of this thesis show that highly skilled (re-)migrants of Turkish origin who have obtained a university degree in Germany are not to be regarded as a homogeneous group but rather have diverse educational and career paths. In addition to their high level of education, they have excellent language skills (mostly Turkish, German and English). They are also mostly familiar with the cultural and institutional contexts in Germany and Turkey, which, according to Hess (2004), is referred to as dual societal embeddedness. Highly skilled (re-)migrants of Turkish origin are important transnational experts for German companies in Turkey. They are particularly in demand if the companies 1) have a strong orientation towards German-speaking markets and/or 2) are dependent on close cooperation with German company locations. In these companies, highly skilled (re-)migrants of Turkish origin are strategically deployed in central areas of the company, where they often work at interfaces due to their transnational abilities, which require close contact with local employees and employees of German company locations. The empirical results also show that highly skilled (re-)migrants of Turkish origin make a significant contribution to the cross-border knowledge transfers in German companies in Turkey. Highly skilled (re-)migrants of Turkish origin are primarily involved in intra-organisational knowledge transfer with employees of German company locations. Due to their dual societal embeddedness and their profound language skills, highly skilled (re-)migrants are able to bridge the institutional distance between German and Turkish company locations. This is particularly important for the transfer of implicit knowledge, which is based on know-how and experience and is therefore difficult to transfer between different cultural and institutional contexts. In concrete terms, highly skilled (re-)migrants of Turkish origin facilitate cross-border knowledge transfers through three main activities: building knowledge networks, mediating frictions, transmitting knowledge. The results of a case study also show that highly skilled (re-)migrants can play a decisive role in the offshoring of knowledge intensive business services within global production networks Thereby, highly skilled (re-)migrants help to mitigate resistance and facilitate the dis- and re-embedding of knowledge within the offshoring process. Overall, this thesis contributes to the geographical (re-)migration research, to research on the geography of knowledge in MNEs, and to global production network research.