1. Lisbon and the Urban Knowledge Economy Dr. W. van Winden vwinden@few.eur.nl +31 10 4082740

2. Cities and the Knowledge Economy Urban regions are focal points of the Knowledge Economy But each region has its own specific strengths Lisbon goals & Knowledge economy policies are designed on national level …but should have a stronger urban dimension How can national governments empower urban regions to meet the Lisbon goals?

3. Questions How to frame the co-operation between government levels What kind of support should be given to regions How to select regions or clusters eligible for support? Which actors should be involved How to monitor progress?

4. New policy frameworks Finland: Centers of Expertise The Netherlands: Peaks in the Delta France: Poles de Compétitivité

5. The new frameworks.. Reflect the recognition that national competitiveness largely depends on regional systems..and are a step in the right direction..but do not address a number of key aspects: overregulation, rigid labor markets, cultural issues

6. Statements (1) To boost the national economy, national governments have to be selective, and should support just a handful of really internationally outstanding clusters. Urban regions need more administrative competence in the fields of R&D and innovation policy, so that they can make more out of their specific strengths. The innovative performance of urban regions depends not only on their knowledge base but also on quality of life, accessibility and quality of governance. The Lisbon Agenda should take this more into account.

7. Statements (2) For their economic development, urban regions should not receive national government funding on a project basis but rather on a longer term programme basis. National governments can not predict market trends and do not know which regions will perform well in the future. Therefore, they should not favour one region over another, but rather design general, national innovation and R&D policies. Backing the winners, i.e. supporting strong urban regions, leads to a further concentration of human capital and knowledge intensive business in already thriving metropolitan areas. This will hollow out the fragile knowledge base of provincial cities, and disrupt the spatial balance of a country.