TY - JOUR

T1 - The use of the analytical hierarchy process as a method of comparing innovation across regions

T2 - The examples of the equipment manufacturing industries of Shanghai and Xiamen, China

AU - Liefner, Ingo

AU - Jessberger, Sabine

PY - 2016/6

Y1 - 2016/6

N2 - Comparing innovation across regions is challenging. Innovation processes and outcomes are shaped by different actors, interactions, and institutions. Regional contingencies complicate the comparison as evident from the existing approaches to explaining innovation across regions. Quantitative innovation measurement approaches may quantify differences between regions, but disregard regional contingencies. Qualitative, heuristic approaches may understand an individual region’s innovation history and culture, but cannot quantify differences between regions. This paper introduces an adapted version of the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to fill this methodological void. It shows that the AHP allows us both to consider regional contingency and to quantify differences between regions. This paper applies the AHP to compare innovation of the equipment manufacturing industries of Shanghai and Xiamen, China. It thus exemplifies how this method might be used for research and application in human geography, planning, regional science, and related fields.

AB - Comparing innovation across regions is challenging. Innovation processes and outcomes are shaped by different actors, interactions, and institutions. Regional contingencies complicate the comparison as evident from the existing approaches to explaining innovation across regions. Quantitative innovation measurement approaches may quantify differences between regions, but disregard regional contingencies. Qualitative, heuristic approaches may understand an individual region’s innovation history and culture, but cannot quantify differences between regions. This paper introduces an adapted version of the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to fill this methodological void. It shows that the AHP allows us both to consider regional contingency and to quantify differences between regions. This paper applies the AHP to compare innovation of the equipment manufacturing industries of Shanghai and Xiamen, China. It thus exemplifies how this method might be used for research and application in human geography, planning, regional science, and related fields.

KW - Analytical hierarchy process

KW - China

KW - equipment manufacturing industry

KW - innovation

KW - regional contingency

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84968919999&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1177/0308518X16636886

DO - 10.1177/0308518X16636886

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84968919999

VL - 48

SP - 1188

EP - 1208

JO - Environment and Planning A

JF - Environment and Planning A

SN - 0308-518X

IS - 6

ER -