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Is the world really flat? Lecture by Professor Rob Huggins, UWIC School of Management, Cardiff

Audiences at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC) discovered the exciting potential Wales has for levelling the playing field within economic development, during a professorial lecture held last night Wednesday 18th November 2009. 

It is increasingly suggested that advances in technology have levelled the global economic playing field. Every company and individual, it is argued, can be a global economic player no matter where on earth they are located. In a flat world, the argument goes, ‘you can innovate without having to emigrate’. So, has the world really become that flat?

During the lecture, Professor Robert Huggins of UWIC’s Cardiff School of Management examined the flat world thesis from the perspective of measuring and understanding the competitiveness of locations.

In addition, he illustrated that although the economic world in certain respects can be said to be flattening, it remains incredibly spiky. Competitiveness ‘peaks’ and ‘valleys’ at a local and regional level indicate that the world is far from a level playing field.

Professor Huggins argues that uneven economic development and competitiveness differences across particular locations result from differences in the creation and use of knowledge and the capability to innovate. For government, improving competitiveness in the age of the knowledge-based economy represents a range of significant and difficult-to-achieve challenges.

 

About Professor Rob Huggins

Robert Huggins joined the Cardiff School of Management in 2008 as Professor of Management and Policy, and Director of the Centre for International Competitiveness.  Professor Huggins is an economic development specialist, and acts as policy advisor and consultant to a range of organizations within the UK and overseas. He is the originator of the European Competitiveness Index, the UK Competitiveness Index and the co-founder of the World Knowledge Competitiveness Index. He is committed to furthering research that informs both corporate strategy and public policy. Professor Huggins has published extensively and his most recent book is entitled ‘Competing for Knowledge’ (Routledge 2007) co-authored with Hiro Izushi. He is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Management School, University of Sheffield.

 

19/11/2009

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