The role of labor mobility in the cognitive architecture of an industrial cluster: the case of siteler in Ankara


Tezin Türü: Doktora

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2006

Öğrenci: BURAK BEYHAN

Danışman: AYDA ERAYDIN

Özet:

The aim of this thesis is to unveil the cognitive architecture of an industrial cluster by drawing on the roles of the labor mobility in particular as a mechanism of knowledge transmission and in general as a kind of social glue that holds together small production communities operative within a given territory. To what extent innovations occur in connection with labor mobility is one of the primary concerns of this thesis in accordance with its central role as a mechanism of knowledge spillover. In an effort to draw the wider theoretical framework within which knowledge spillover effects of labor mobility can be placed, this thesis firstly unveils the debates revolving around the increasing importance ascribed to (tacit) knowledge in (regional) economic development and the historical evolution of labor mobility studies. This thesis not only draws on but also develops a wide range of analytical tools designated for the particular needs of the questions addressed. The empirical dimension of this thesis is explored by employing a telescoping of view of both spatial and sectoral coverage. In this context, this thesis does not only attempt to grasp the small production communities operative in a socio-spatial system and to compare the innovation capacities of the respective communities by drawing on the contexts of labor mobility but also justifies the designation of the case study area and sectors in a detailed way. The method employed in the thesis is rather a holistic effort with regard to conceptualization of social, historical, economical and spatial processes.