Universities and the knowledge economy : Creating a vehicle for effective urban regeneration?

Lucy Barker, Jessica (2010) Universities and the knowledge economy : Creating a vehicle for effective urban regeneration? PhD thesis, University of Liverpool.

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Abstract

This research uses a case study approach, looking at two smaller cities (Bolton, in North West England and Lowell in Massachusetts, USA) and their main universities, to assess the path cities can take in seeking to become knowledge cities, how we can judge where a particular city is on that path, and the role a university can play in contributing to local economic and social development. Globalisation and the knowledge economy are having a profound effect on the way in which higher education operates in society and the role it is perceived as playing in relation to local and regional economies. The policy arena in particular has embraced the concept of the knowledge economy and with it the concepts of the learning region and the knowledge city as means of regeneration, in turn placing much more emphasis on the relationship between universities and their localities. At the same time, we see greater prominence given to the role of partnerships, within processes of governance, in contributing to urban regeneration. , The processes a city can take to become a knowledge city, and the role of higher education therein, is an underdeveloped area of research, especially in relation to smaller cities. This research is aimed at exploring this area, by addressing the extent to which the knowledge economy can be used as a vehicle for the urban regeneration of smaller cities, and the role higher education can play within. Looking at smaller, post-industrial cities which are in close proximity to large metropolitan cities, this research takes into account the impact that being a `satellite' city can have on these processes. The research builds on an existing typology of knowledge cities before moving on to analyse processes of governance and the role of higher education within these processes. The research then focuses on what implications these changes have for higher education, in terms of both the internal and external functioning of universities. The research concludes by addressing implications for theory and making policy recommendations.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	19 Oct 2023 17:54
Last Modified:	19 Oct 2023 18:01
DOI:	10.17638/03174256
Copyright Statement:	Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis and any accompanying data (where applicable) are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3174256