新作坊

The knowledge economy and the social economy University support for community enterprise development as a strategy for economic regeneration in distressed regions in Canada and Mexico

摘要：

Most contemporary interest in the university-industry linkages stems from a concern to increase the birth rate of new technology-based firms and/or the velocity with which indigenous scientific capability is translated into commercial technologies. Many analysts of science parks and silicon valleys argue that this kind of knowledge-based innovation requires cosmopolitan economic and social milieux with good communication links, easy access to air transport, highly educated workers and sophisticated cultural amenities. On the receiving end of contemporary innovation systems are indigenous and other disempowered groups and economically depleted communities with little stake in scientific and technical advancement and virtually no involvement in the policy or social networks set up to steer the knowledge system. Describes an experiment to discover processes by which marginalized, economically distressed communities can use institutions of the "knowledge economy" to foster the social and technological innovation necessary for their survival. Joins the University College of Cape Breton with universities in Mexico to form structured relationships with communities on Cape Breton Island and with a Mayan community on the Yucatan Peninsula. Techniques are based on searching for economic opportunities, construction of community business organizations, training, community development and supportive aftercare services to provide the three components of community economic regeneration: finance, technology and formation.