Abstract
The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the relationship between the entrepreneurial universities activities and the local economic growth through an empirical analysis. In order to assess how entrepreneurial universities could play a primary role in creating an entrepreneurial culture, three-pillar activities of Italian higher institutions have been measured and correlated to specific economic variables at the local level. Starting from the concept of a learning region and using findings of the research, the final aim of the study was to introduce the concept of local intellectual capital and, in this perspective, to appreciate the function of entrepreneurial universities in fostering and enhancing the intangible resources of a territory. Therefore, through the analysis of research findings, entrepreneurial universities are considered as acquiring a crucial function as intermediaries that are able to manage and enhance local intellectual capital and to make possible the learning region growth. University managers have to comprehend the relevance of the surrounding environment and of developing an entrepreneurial mindset for the outliving of their institution; at the same time, governments need to design focused policies giving higher priority to nurturing local entrepreneurs, promoting successful entrepreneurial role models and removing bureaucratic impediments to start-ups and business-like initiatives.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aldrich, H. E., & Martinez, M. A. (2007). Many are called, but few are chosen: an evolutionary perspective for the study of entrepreneurship. In A. Cuervo, D. Ribeiro, & S. Roig (Eds.), Entrepreneurship (pp. 293–311). Berlin: Springer.
Andersen, E. S. (2011). Joseph A. Schumpeter: a theory of social and economic evolution. Palgrave Macmillan.
Anderson, D., Sweeney, D., Williams, T., Camm, J., & Cochran, J. (2012). Quantitative methods for business. London: Cengage Learning EMEA.
Arthur, B. (2009). The nature of technology: what it is and how it evolves. New York: Free Press.
Bellandi, M., Dei Ottati, G., & Sforzi, F. (Eds.). (2003). From industrial districts to local development: an itinerary of research. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Belussi, F. (2011). The new Marshallian districts and their process of internationalization. In P. Cooke, B. T. Asheim, R. Boschma, R. Martin, D. Schwartz, & F. Tödtling (Eds.), Handbook of regional innovation and growth (pp. 90–102). Northampton: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Belussi, F., & Sammarra, A. (Eds.). (2010). Business networks in clusters and industrial districts: the governance of the global value chain. London: Routledge.
Bosma, N., Schujens, V., & Stam, E. (2011). Regional entrepreneurship. In P. Cooke, B. T. Asheim, R. Boschma, R. Martin, D. Schwartz, & F. Tödtling (Eds.), Handbook of regional innovation and growth (pp. 90–102). Northampton: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Cainelli, G., & De Liso, N. (2005). Innovation in industrial districts: evidence from Italy. Industry and Innovation, 12(3), 383–398.
Capello, R. (2011). Innovation and productivity: local competitiveness and the role of space. In P. Cooke, B. T. Asheim, R. Boschma, R. Martin, D. Schwartz, & F. Tödtling (Eds.), Handbook of regional innovation and growth (pp. 107–118). Northampton: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Clarck, B. (1998). Creating entrepreneurial universities: organization pathways of transformation. New York: Pergamon Press.
Cook, P. (1998). Introduction: origins of the concept. In H. Braczyk, P. Cooke, & M. Heidenreich (Eds.), Regional innovation systems: the role of governances in a globalized world (pp. 2–25). London: UCL-Press.
Cooke, P. (2002). Regional innovation systems: general findings and some new evidence from biotechnology clusters. Journal of Technology Transfer, 27(1), 133–145.
Cooke, P. (2008). Regional innovation systems: origin of the species. International Journal of Technological Learning, Innovation and Development, 1(3), 393–409.
Cooke, P. N., Boekholt, P., & Tödtling, F. (2000). The governance of innovation in Europe: Regional perspectives on global competitiveness. Cengage Learning EMEA.
Cooke, P., Heidenreich, M., & Braczyk, H. (Eds.). (2004). Regional innovation systems: the role of governances in a globalized world ì (2nd ed.). London: Routledge.
Etzkowitz, H. (2003). Research groups as quasi-firms: the invention of the entrepreneurial university. Research Policy, 32(1), 109–121.
Etzkowitz, H., & Leydesdorff, L. (2000). The dynamics of innovation: from National Systems and “Mode 2” to a Triple Helix of university–industry–government relations. Research Policy, 29(2), 109–123.
Fayolle, A., & Redford, D. T. (Eds.). (2014). Handbook on the entrepreneurial university. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Felsenstein, D. (2011). Human capital and labour mobility determinants of regional innovation. In P. Cooke, B. T. Asheim, R. Boschma, R. Martin, D. Schwartz, & F. Tödtling (Eds.), Handbook of regional innovation and growth (pp. 119–131). Northampton: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Florida, R. (2006). The flight of the creative class. the new global competition for talent. New York: Collins.
Foray, D. (2000). L’Economie de la Connaissance. Paris: La Découverte.
Foray, D., & Lundvall, B. (1998). The knowledge-based economy: from the economics of knowledge to the learning economy. The economic impact of knowledge, pp. 115–121.
Groysberg, B. (2012). Chasing stars: the myth of talent and the portability of performance. Woodstock: Princeton University Press.
Guerrero, M., & Urbano, D. (2012). The development of an entrepreneurial university. Journal of Technology Transfer, 37(1), 43–74.
Haynie, J. M., & Shepherd, D. (2009). A measure of adaptive cognition for entrepreneurship research. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 33(3), 695–714.
Jacobs, J. (1969). The economy of cities. New York: Random House.
Johannisson, B. (1991). University training for entrepreneurship: Swedish approaches. Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 3(1), 67–82.
Klofsten, M., & Öberg, S. (2011). Regional entrepreneurship development: promoting spin-offs through coaching and mentoring. In P. Cooke, B. T. Asheim, R. Boschma, R. Martin, D. Schwartz, & F. Tödtling (Eds.), Handbook of regional innovation and growth. Northampton: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Krueger, N. F. (2007). What lies beneath? The experiential essence of entrepreneurial thinking. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 31(1), 123–138.
Kuratko, D. F. (2005). The emergence of entrepreneurship education: development, trends, and challenges. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 29(5), 577–598.
Lombardi, R., Trequattrini, R., & Battista, M. (2014). Systematic errors in decision making processes: the case of the Italian Serie A football championship. International Journal of Applied Decision Sciences, 7(3), 239–254.
Lundvall, B. (1992). Introduction. In B. Lundvall (Ed.), National systems of innovation: towards a theory of innovation and interactive learning (pp. 1–22). London: Pinter Publishers.
Lundvall, B. A., & Johnson, B. (1994). The learning economy. Journal of Industry Studies, 1(1), 23–42.
Markowska, M. (2011). Entrepreneurial competence development. Triggers, processes and consequences. JIBS Dissertation Series, No. 071. Jonkoping: Jonkoping International Business School.
Markowska, M. (2014). The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree: the entrepreneurial university as nurturer of entrepreneurial values. In A. Fayolle & D. T. Redford (Eds.), Handbook on the entrepreneurial university. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Marshall, A. (1890). Principles of political economy. New York: Maxmillan.
Michaels, E., Handfield-Jones, H., & Axelrod, B. (2001). The war for talent. Boston: Harvard Business Press.
Mok, K. H. (2015). The quest for global competitiveness: promotion of innovation and entrepreneurial universities in Singapore. Higher Education Policy, 28, 91–106.
Mueller, P. (2006). Exploring the knowledge filter: how entrepreneurship and university-industry relationships drive economic growth. Research Policy, 35(10), 1499–1508.
Myers, M. D. (2013). Qualitative research in business & management. London: Sage.
Nauwelaers, C. (2011). Intermediaries in regional innovation systems: role and challenges for policy. In P. Cooke, B. T. Asheim, R. Boschma, R. Martin, D. Schwartz, & F. Tödtling (Eds.), Handbook of regional innovation and growth (pp. 467–481). Northampton: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Nauwelaers, C., & Reid, A. (1995). Methodologies for the evaluation of regional innovation potential. Scientometrics, 34(3), 497–511.
Nonaka, I., & Takeuchi, H. (1995). The knowledge-creating company: how Japanese companies create the dynamics of innovation. New York: Oxford University Press.
Polanyi, M. (2012). Personal knowledge: Towards a post-critical philosophy. University of Chicago Press.
Romer, P. M. (1986). Increasing returns and long-run growth. The Journal of Political Economy, 1002–1037.
Schumpeter, J. A. (2000). Entrepreneurship as innovation. In Entrepreneurship: The social science view (pp. 51–75).
Simmie, J. (2011). Learning regions. In P. Cooke, B. T. Asheim, R. Boschma, R. Martin, D. Schwartz, & F. Tödtling (Eds.), Handbook of regional innovation and growth (pp. 107–118). Northampton: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Stewart, T. A. (1997). Intellectual capital: the new wealth of organisations. London: Nicholas Brealey.
Stryker, S. (1980). Symbolic interactionism: a social structural version. Menlo Park: Benjamin Cummings.
Trequattrini, R., Russo, G., & Lombardi, R. (2012). Defining business network. International Journal of Business Research and Management, 3(1), 29–34.
Waters, D. (2008). Quantitative methods for business. Edinburgh: Pearson Education Limited.
Wolfe, D. (2011). Neo-Schumpeterian perspectives on innovation and growth. In P. Cooke, B. T. Asheim, R. Boschma, R. Martin, D. Schwartz, & F. Tödtling (Eds.), Handbook of regional innovation and growth (pp. 43–53). Northampton: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Yin, R. K. (2003). Case study research: design and methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Trequattrini, R., Lombardi, R., Lardo, A. et al. The Impact of Entrepreneurial Universities on Regional Growth: a Local Intellectual Capital Perspective. J Knowl Econ 9, 199–211 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-015-0334-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-015-0334-8