Publication
Title
Are advanced producer services connectors for regional economies? An exploration of the geographies of advanced producer service procurement in Belgium
Author
Abstract
This paper seeks to extend research on regional urban networks under contemporary globalization through an analysis of the geographies of producer service procurement in Belgium. In contrast to approaches that merely focus on the location of a selection of globalized advanced producer service (APS) providers in a predefined set of world cities, we analyze the revealed spatial and functional linkages between consumers and producers of such services. This analysis is discussed in the broader context of economic geography literature on the resurgence of regions in vertically disintegrated, post-Fordist economies. We compare our results against the assessed positions of leading Belgian cities in the urban networks generated by advanced producer services. Major findings include: (1) the relevance of a predefined set of major cities/firms is dependent on the sector; (2) a focus on the relationships between major firms and cities may lead to circular reasoning and a closed concept, since a focus on the importance of globalized APS firms necessarily engenders world cities and vice versa; and (3) the continuing relevance of regional specificity to service provision implies that in some sectors local firms are actively involved in urban network formation.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Geoforum. - London
Publication
London : 2013
ISSN
0016-7185
DOI
10.1016/J.GEOFORUM.2013.02.004
Volume/pages
47 (2013) , p. 12-21
ISI
000320908300005
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Publication type
Subject
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 25.06.2013
Last edited 23.12.2024
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