The capture and diffusion of knowledge spillovers: The influence of the position of cities in a network

Abstract

Cities concentrate economic activities, information, power and people in both quantitative and qualitative ways. Cities are also nodes of complex, interconnected networks. In Europe, the establishment of a large supranational entity has resulted in the multiplication and intensification of the relationships between politically unified countries. The majority of these relationships pass through cities. Studying the complex links that underpin the European system of cities is critical to understanding the interdependencies in the system. Here, the interconnection of European national urban systems is studied by analyzing scientific and technological collaborative-research networks. Such networks make it possible to observe the flow of scientific knowledge within the European system of cities.