Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

International Trade Fairs and Inter-Firm Knowledge Flows

Understanding Patterns of Convergence-Divergence in the Technological Specializations of Firms

  • Book
  • © 2022

Overview

Authors:
  1. Rachael Gibson

    1. Eval. Ctr. for Complex Health Interventions, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

  • Shows how an analytical focus on international trade fairs contributes to debates in comparative political economy

  • Explores the significance of international trade fairs in the context of the global knowledge-based economy

  • Addresses the impact of COVID-19 on the trade fair industry and reflects on the future role of international trade fairs

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this book

Log in via an institution
eBook USD 119.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

Licence this eBook for your library

Institutional subscriptions

Table of contents (7 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxii
    Download chapter PDF

  2. The Role of International Trade Fairs in the Global Political Economy

    • Rachael Gibson
    Pages 1-21

  3. International Trade Fairs: Mediators of Institutional Change

    • Rachael Gibson
    Pages 23-57

  4. The Study of Comparative Capitalisms: The Problem of Institutional Change

    • Rachael Gibson
    Pages 59-90

  5. Trade Fairs as “Organized Anarchies” and the Garbage Can Model of Organizational Choice

    • Rachael Gibson
    Pages 91-115

  6. The Nature of Firms’ Search Processes at International Trade Fairs: A Qualitative Analysis

    • Rachael Gibson
    Pages 117-136

  7. Identifying National Patterns of Firm Behaviour at International Trade Fairs: A Quantitative Analysis

    • Rachael Gibson
    Pages 137-178

  8. Conclusion: Ongoing Specialization or Convergence of Capitalist Varieties?

    • Rachael Gibson
    Pages 179-194

  9. Back Matter

    Pages 195-205
    Download chapter PDF
Back to top

Keywords

About this book

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.


Authors and Affiliations

  • Eval. Ctr. for Complex Health Interventions, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Rachael Gibson

About the author

Dr. Rachael Gibson works in the field of program and policy evaluation at the University of Toronto Evaluation Centre for Complex Health Interventions. This book is based on her recently-completed doctoral dissertation. 

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: International Trade Fairs and Inter-Firm Knowledge Flows

  • Book Subtitle: Understanding Patterns of Convergence-Divergence in the Technological Specializations of Firms

  • Authors: Rachael Gibson

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-20557-6

  • Publisher: Springer Cham

  • eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-031-20556-9Published: 03 January 2023

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-031-20559-0Published: 04 January 2024

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-031-20557-6Published: 02 January 2023

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XXII, 205

  • Number of Illustrations: 5 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Economic Geography, Globalization, Political Economy/Economic Systems

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Back to top

Search

Navigation