搜索
1Publishedas:Hanssens,H.,Derudder,B.&Witlox,F.(2013).Areadvancedproducerservicesconnectorsforregionaleconomies?AnexplorationofthegeographiesofadvancedproducerserviceprocurementinBelgium.Geoforum,47:12-21.Areadvancedproducerservicesconnectorsforregionaleconomies?AnexplorationofthegeographiesofadvancedproducerserviceprocurementinBelgiumAbstractThispaperseekstoextendresearchonregionalurbannetworksundercontemporaryglobalizationthroughananalysisofthegeographiesofproducerserviceprocurementinBelgium.Incontrasttoapproachesthatmerelyfocusonthelocationofaselectionof‘globalized’advancedproducerservice(APS)providersinapredefinedsetof‘worldcities’,weanalysetherevealedspatialandfunctionallinkagesbetweenconsumersandproducersofsuchservices.Thisanalysisisdiscussedinthebroadercontextofeconomicgeographyliteratureontheresurgenceof‘regions’inverticallydisintegrated,post-Fordisteconomies.WecompareourresultsagainsttheassessedpositionsofleadingBelgiancitiesintheurbannetworksgeneratedbyadvancedproducerservices.Majorfindingsinclude:(1)therelevanceofapredefinedsetofmajorcities/firmsisdependentonthesector;(2)afocusontherelationshipsbetweenmajorfirmsandcitiesmayleadtocircularreasoningandaclosedconcept,sinceafocusontheimportanceof‘globalizedAPSfirms’necessarilyengenders‘worldcities’andviceversa;and(3)thecontinuingrelevanceofregionalspecificitytoserviceprovisionimpliesthatinsomesectors‘local’firmsareactivelyinvolvedinurbannetworkformation.2Keywords:advancedproducerservices;transactionlinks;worldcitynetwork;Belgium;Brussels31.IntroductionIthasbeennearlyeightyyearssinceWalterChristaller(1933)introducedcentralplacetheorytodescribethegeographiesofurbansystemsintermsoftheconcentrationofserviceprovision.UnderthedirectorshipofPeterTaylor,theworldcitynetworkframework,primarilydevisedbytheGlobalizationandWorldCitiesresearchnetwork(GaWC,)hasbecomethecontemporarystandardforassessingurbancentralityinglobalizedserviceprovision(Taylor,2001a,2004).ImmediatelyseeingtheclearreflectionofChristallerintheGaWCframework,Hall(2002)coinedit‘Christallerforaglobalage’.Hall’sneologismdescribesworldcityformationassimplyapplyingoverlaysof‘worldcities’suchasLondonandParisand‘sub-worldcities’suchasManchesterandLyonontoChristaller’sinitialcentralplacemodel.AcloserreadingoftheGaWCapproachtothecities/servicesnexushowever,revealsthatitdivergesfromclassicalcentralplacethinkingontwokeypoints.First,theprimaryfocusisnolongeronhouseholdservicedelivery,butonserviceprovisionforacceleratingcapitalcirculationandaccumulationthroughadvancedproducerservices(APS).Second,thedominantgeographicalprincipleoftheoverallsystemisnolongerthatofanestedhierarchyofcitieswithnon-overlappinghinterlands,butrathertheconnectivitybetweenmetropolitanareasininterurbanflows.InTaylor’s(2001a)specificationoftheworldcitynetwork(WCN),citiesareinterlinkedthroughthemulti-officelocationstrategiesofglobalizedAPSproviderstooffertheirclientsaseamlessglobalservice.Taylor(2001b)introducesthegeographyoftheWCNandtherebythe4conceptofoverlappinghinterworlds,definedasthecapacityofcitiestogrowanddistributeserviceconnections.InadditiontoempiricalanalysesoftheWCNperse(e.g.,Tayloretal.,2002b),theGaWCapproachhasalsobeenimplementedtoanalyseregionalurbannetworks(HallandPain,2006;Hoyleretal.,2008;Tayloretal.,2009b)andforstudyinghowregionsareintegratedintheglobaleconomyviatheWCN(e.g.,Taylor,2001c;vanderMerwe,2004;Brownetal.,2010).ThepresentpaperseekstoextendbothlinesofresearchbyfocusingontheregionalgeographiesofAPSprocurementinadenselyurbanizedregion.Thatis,ratherthanmerelyfocusingonthelocationofglobalizedAPSproviders,werevealsomeofthespatialandfunctionallinkagesbetweenconsumersandproducersofAPSandthesubsequentproductionofurbannetworksinaregion.ThisapproachallowsresearcherstoassesshowAPSprovidersare‘used’byotherfirmsinaregionaleconomyinordertofunctioninthewiderglobaleconomy.TheopenandgloballyintegratedeconomyofBelgiumprovidesanempiricaltestcaseforoutlininghowandtowhatdegreeAPSfirmsarefunctioningaskeynetworkingagents.Tothisend,weorganizedanemailsurveyinwhichweaskedrespondentstoprovideinformationontheAPSprocuredindifferentsectors(i.e.,transactionlinksbetweenserviceproviderandconsumer).Fromthissurvey,wecouldexaminetheday-to-daygeographiesofAPSfirms.WethensystematicallycomparedourresultswithGaWC’streatmentoftheintegrationofBelgium’scitiesintheglobaleconomyviaAPS.Theremainderofthispaperisorganizedasfollows.Section2presentsacriticalreviewofthewayinwhichAPSgeographieshavebeenusedinresearchonglobalized5urbanization.Basedonthisreview,wearguethatthegeographiesandfunctionalitiesoftheactuallinksbetweenAPSfirmsandtheirbusinesspartnersinaregionaleconomyhavelargelyremainedobscure.Section3situatestheproposedresearchinthebroadereconomicgeography/regionaldevelopmentliterature.Section4describesourdataandmethodology.Section5providesanoverviewcomparisonofgeographiesofAPSprocurementinBelgiumandGaWC’sassessmentofBelgiancitiesintheWCN.Inthefinalsection,weevaluateourmainfindings,andoutlinesomeavenuesforfutureresearch.2.Producers