The Emergence of Technopolis: Knowledge-Intensive Technologies and Regional Development - Hardcover

by Robert W. Preer (Author)

This study examines the rise of the technopolis--high technology-based regional development. It explores how and why these regions emerged and the policies that have been devised to promote them. The rapid, propulsive growth of the technopolis in the 1960s and 1970s caught many people by surprise. Silicon Valley arose in an agricultural area; Route 128 in a stagnant manufacturing region. Throughout the rest of the world, a new generation of regional development policies have appeared, the most common ones being science parks, small business incubators, and venture capital funds. This book surveys these policies from a comparative, critical perspective. It also develops a theoretical framework for understanding why regional high-technology development occurs and the role policy can play in the process.

Author Biography

Robert W. Preer is a professional journalist who has also served as the Director of the Special Committee on Long-range Policy Planning of the Massachusetts State Senate. He holds a BA from Oberlin College and a MA and PhD from Boston University.