This book examines the question of the significance of proximate vs. more distant relationships for economic agents' performance and local economic development, and includes empirical studies from around the world. Contents: Setting The Stage: Proximity, external relations, and local economic development, Arnoud Lagendijk and Paivi Oinas. "LOCALIZATION": CLUSTERS, INDUSTRIAL DISTRICTS, AND ALL THAT-EVIDENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS: Cultural industry cluster building in Sweden, Dominic Power and Daniel Hallencreutz; Industrial districts in a transitional economy: the case of Datang Sock and stocking industry in Zhejiang, China, Jici Wang, Huasheng Zhu and Xin Tong; Ethnic entrepreneurship and embeddedness: the case of lower Galilee, Michael Sofer and Izhak Schnell; Networking and project organization in the Styrian automotive industry, Franz Todtling and Michaela Trippl. ESTABLISHING EXTERNAL RELATIONS: THE SEARCH FOR SPECIALIZED OR DIVERSE COMPETENCES?: Supplier search in industrial clusters: Sheffield metal working in the 1990s, H. Doug Watts, Andrews M. Wood and Perry Wardle; Regional clusters building on local and non-local relationships: a European comparison, Arne Isaksen; The evolution of regional packaging machinery clusters in Germany, Ivo MoBig; Glob@lizing the network economy: local advantage for high-technology development, Wen-Cheng Wang; Collaboration, innovation and regional networks: evidence from the medical biotechnology industry of Greater Vancouver, Kevin Rees. ECONOMIC INTERACTION ON MULTIPLE SCALES: The process of innovation in contrasting industrial environments, Asbjorn Karlsen and Bjarne Lindelov; Globalization and the dynamics of local embeddedness in the South Hampshire electronics industry, Michael Taylor; Mobility versus embeddedness: the role of proximity in major capital projects, Neil Alderman; Variety of enterprise adaptation strategies in the emerging post-Socialist governance in Vyborg, Riitta Kosonen.

ADDING VALUE: Towards understanding proximity, distance and diversity in economic interaction and local development, Paivi Oinas and Arnoud Lagendijk; Index.