Against a backdrop of economic uncertainty caused by a shift toward protectionism and the COVID-19 pandemic among other issues, this book suggests that international trade fairs (ITFs) represent a vital source of economic dynamism that can support national and regional economies by creating opportunities for firms to access new markets, network with key actors in their industry or value chain, and tap into valuable external knowledge flows regarding new technologies and innovations. Author Rachael Gibson argues that ITFs have become crucial nodes in the global political economy, driving global economic dynamics and mediating differences between capitalist economies regarding their technological and institutional practices and conditions. In this way, ITFs represent a decisive mechanism by which distinct national patterns of technological specialization may converge or diverge.
Trade fairs represent important platforms for networking, interactive learning, and knowledge exchange because they foster intense interactions among actors despite spatial boundaries. ITFs also tend to be organized according to a specific technological or industry focus, which means that they can facilitate interactions between firms from different capitalist varieties. Through the diffusion of state-of-the-art knowledge, ITFs may, thus, serve as drivers of economic globalization, challenging the continuation of distinct capitalist varieties by enabling cross-system convergence regarding the technological specializations of firms. Yet, it is clear that countries have retained competitive advantages in specific industries and that full convergence has not taken place. This book explores this puzzle.
Author(s): Rachael Gibson
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 220
City: Cham
Foreword: How to Connect to the World?
References
Acknowledgements
Contents
Abbreviations
Contents
Chapter 1: The Role of International Trade Fairs in the Global Political Economy
1.1 Introduction to the Study
1.2 Research Design: The Value of Studying Trade Fairs
1.2.1 Knowledge Flows as a Form of Inter-Firm Interaction
1.2.2 Adopting a Mixed Methods Approach
1.2.3 Data Collection Instruments and Procedures
1.2.3.1 The Qualitative Study
1.2.3.2 The Quantitative Study
1.3 Research Agenda and Implications
1.4 The Structure of the Argument
References
Chapter 2: International Trade Fairs: Mediators of Institutional Change
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Trade Fairs in Theoretical Perspective
2.2.1 The Basic Anatomy and Functions of Trade Fairs
2.2.2 Trade Fairs in Historical Studies
2.2.3 Trade Fairs in Marketing and Business Administration
2.2.4 Trade Fairs in Organization and Management Studies
2.2.5 Trade Fairs in Economic Geography
2.2.6 Trade Fairs in Political Science
2.2.7 Summary of Key Findings from the Trade Fair Literature
2.3 Trade Fairs as a Source of Economic Dynamism
2.3.1 Traditional Determinants of Economic Dynamism
2.3.2 Proximate Determinants of Economic Dynamism
2.3.3 Fundamental Determinants of Economic Dynamism
2.3.4 Defining the Knowledge-Based Economy
2.3.5 Knowledge-Based Economic Dynamism
2.4 The Trade Fair Sites Used in the Study
2.4.1 Trade Fairs Studied in the Quantitative Analysis
2.4.2 Trade Fairs Studied in the Qualitative Analysis
2.5 Conclusion
References
Chapter 3: The Study of Comparative Capitalisms: The Problem of Institutional Change
3.1 Introduction
3.2 National Patterns of Technological Specialization
3.3 The Study of Comparative Capitalisms: A Review of the Literature
3.3.1 Varieties of Capitalism (VoC)
3.3.2 National Systems of Innovation (NSI)
3.3.3 National Business Systems (NBS)
3.3.4 Economic Governance Approaches (EG)
3.3.5 Limitations of the CC Literature
3.4 The Problem of Institutional Change
3.4.1 Rational-Choice Institutionalism
3.4.2 Sociological Institutionalism
3.4.3 Historical Institutionalism
3.5 Conclusion
References
Chapter 4: Trade Fairs as “Organized Anarchies” and the Garbage Can Model of Organizational Choice
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Organizational Decision-Making: The Garbage-Can Model
4.2.1 “Organized Anarchies”
4.2.2 The Process Streams
4.2.3 The Ongoing Relevance of the Garbage-Can Model
4.3 The Organizational Search Literature
4.3.1 Exploitative vs. Explorative Search
4.3.2 Experiential vs. Cognitive Search
4.3.3 Organizational Search and International Trade Fairs
4.4 Studies in Behavioural Economics
4.4.1 Bounded Rationality
4.4.2 Heuristics and Biases
4.4.3 Preferences
4.5 Conclusion
References
Chapter 5: The Nature of Firms’ Search Processes at International Trade Fairs: A Qualitative Analysis
5.1 Introduction
5.2 A Typology of Search Processes at Trade Fairs
5.2.1 The Prevalence of Search Processes at Trade Fairs
5.2.2 Defining the Typology
5.3 Technological Search Behaviour at Trade Fairs and the Garbage-Can Model
5.3.1 General Results of the Qualitative Study
5.3.2 Experiential Versus Cognitive Search Processes
5.3.3 The Use of Search Heuristics at Trade Fairs
5.4 Linking Technological Search Patterns to Capitalist Varieties
5.5 Conclusion
References
Chapter 6: Identifying National Patterns of Firm Behaviour at International Trade Fairs: A Quantitative Analysis
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Cross-National Differences in Industry and Technological Information Systems
6.2.1 General Results
6.2.2 Findings Related to Firm Age, Size, and Sector
6.2.3 Results of Additional Control Variables
6.2.4 Regression Results
6.3 Cross-National Patterns of Knowledge Flows
6.4 The Core Capabilities of Firms and Potential Partners
6.4.1 Core Capabilities of Firms: General Findings
6.4.2 Core Capabilities of Partners: General Findings
6.4.3 Relationship Between Firm and Partner Capabilities: General Findings
6.4.4 Findings Related to Firm Age, Size, and Sector
6.4.5 Results of Additional Control Variables
6.4.6 Regression Results
6.5 Measuring Inter-firm Homogeneity Versus Complementarity
6.5.1 Innovation Focus
6.5.2 Low-Cost Focus
6.5.3 Customized Production
6.5.4 Constantly Changing Product Line
6.5.5 Strong R&D Capabilities
6.6 Conclusion
References
Chapter 7: Conclusion: Ongoing Specialization or Convergence of Capitalist Varieties?
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Trade Fairs as “Organized Anarchies” and Garbage-Can Processes of Search and Interaction
7.3 International Trade Fairs as Key Nodes in the Global Political Economy
7.4 Convergence or Divergence in Patterns of Technological Specialization?
7.5 Implications of a Focus on Trade Fairs for Political Science
7.5.1 Theoretical Implications
7.5.2 Policy Implications
7.6 Thoughts on a Future Research Agenda
7.7 Outlook: COVID-19 and the Future of International Trade Fairs
References
Appendices
Appendix A: Questionnaire
Appendix B: Interview Guide
Appendix C: Descriptive Results of Questionnaire
Appendix D: Description of Variables
References
