Homepage Tom Broekel


	Urban and Regional Research Centre Utrecht (URU) Section of Economic Geography

Tom Broekel

Post-Doc

Urban and Regional Research Centre Utrecht (URU)
Section of Economic Geography
Faculty of Geosciences
Utrecht University

Visiting address: Heidelberglaan 2 - 3584 CS Utrecht (The Netherlands) - room 619 (route description)
Postal address: P.O. Box 80.115 - 3508 TC Utrecht (The Netherlands)
Phone +31 (0) 30 253 3206
Fax + 31 (0) 30 253 2037
Email: t.broekel @ geo.uu.nl

Research	Publications	Other
Research interests Current research project	Working papers Journal articles Book sections	Curriculum Vitae		Click here for the Working Paper Series "Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography"

Research

Research interests

Economics of Innovation
Economics of Knowledge
Knowledge Flows and Spillover
Measurement of Regional Innovation Performance

Current research project

The stimulation of firms' economic and innovative performance is one of the most popular issues in the context of public policies. The development of successful regions as, e.g. "Silicon Valley" particularly popularized the idea that collaboration positively influences firm growth. It is now consensus that the competitiveness of firms depends on their capability to generate, apply, and exploit external knowledge. In particular, their embeddedness into regional environments and global knowledge networks determine their innovative performance.
However, while these ideas are commonly accepted, still little is known about how knowledge networks develop in space and time. The aim of my studies is to contribute to this reserach field by providing quantitative empirical insights on the structure and development of these networks. Currently, I investigate knowledge sharing activies in the Dutch Aviation, and the Dutch Space industries as well as the structure of publicly funded research collaborations in Germany. A particular focus is hereby on the role of geographic distance between economic actors.
The second major focus of my research is on how actors' embeddedness into knowledge networks influences their innovation performance. Empirical investigations are carried out on the firm as well as on the regional level. With respect to the letter I'm especially interested in how innovation performance of spatial units can and should be measured.

Publications

Working papers

Broekel, T. and Brenner, T. (2009), Regional Factors and Innovativeness - An Empirical Analysis of Four German Industries. Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography, #09.17. (pdf)

Broekel, T. and Boschma, R. (2009), Knowledge Networks in the Dutch Aviation Industry - The Proximity Paradox. Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography, #09.15. (pdf)

Buerger, M., Broekel, T., and Coad, A. (2009), Regional Dynamics of Innovation - Investigating the Co-Evolution of Patents, R&D, and Employment. Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography, #09.08. (pdf)

Brenner, T. and Broekel, T. (2009), Methodological Issues in Measuring Innovation Performance of Spatial Units. Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography, #09.04. (pdf)

Broekel, T. and Meder, M. (2008), The Bright and Dark Side of Cooperation for Regional Innovation Performance. Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography, #08.11. (pdf)

Binder, M. and Broekel, T. (2008), Conversion Efficiency as a Complementing Measure of Welfare in Capability Space. MPRA Paper, #1104430, (pdf).

Broekel, T. (2008), From Average to the Frontier: A Nonparametric Frontier Approach to the Analysis of Externalities and Regional Innovation Performance. Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography, #08.04. (pdf)

Broekel, T. and Brenner, T. (2007), Measuring Regional Innovativeness: a Methodological Discussion and an Application to One German Industry. DIME Working Papers, RAL3, #2007-13, and Jena Economic Research Papers, #2007-065 (pdf).

Broekel, T. (2007), A Concordance between Industries and Technologies: Matching the technological fields of the Patentatlas to the German Industry Classification. Jena Economic Research Papers, #2007-041 (pdf).

Coad, A. and Broekel, T. (2007), Firm Growth and Productivity Growth: Evidence from a Panel VAR. Jenaer Economic Research Papers, #2007-103 (pdf).

Broekel, T. and Brenner, T. (2005), Local Factors and Innovativeness - An Empirical Analysis of German Patents for Five Industries. Papers on Economics and Evolution, #0509 (pdf).

Journal articles

Broekel, T. and M. Binder (2007), The Regional Dimension of Knowledge Transfers: a Behavioral Approach. Industry and Innovation, 14 (2), pp. 151-175 (pdf).

Book sections

Witt, U., T. Broekel and T. Brenner (forthcoming), Knowledge and its Economic Characteristics: a Conceptual Clarification. In: R. Arena, A. Festré and N. Lazaric (eds.), Handbook of Economics and Knowledge. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. Previously as Jena Economic Research Papers, #2007-013 (pdf).

Other

Curriculum vitae

Born in 1978.

1999-2004: Studies in economics at Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena, Germany.

Title of the MA thesis (translated): "Determinants of Regional Innovativeness - An Empirical Analysis".

2004: Diplom-Volkswirt (MA in Economics) at Jena.

2004-2007: Research Fellow (PhD) at the Max Planck Institute of Economics.

Since 2008: Post-Doc at URU Economic Geography, Utrecht University.

Last update: 4 January 2008