Statistical studies evidence that openness values matter for regional innovation but not how they matter. A qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) study of 108 North–West European regions identifies four cross-case mechanisms that explain regional innovation: the diversity, cosmopolitan environment, technology transfer and creativity mechanisms. Only in technology transfer do openness values not play a role. This evidences that openness values connect diverse local and non-local social spaces to local and non-local physical places to unlock a larger potential for more dynamic innovation. QCA understands causality as configurational and identifies mechanisms rather than net effects, which answers how-questions better than statistical methods do. The focus on mechanisms highlights how innovation connects interactions between agents in social space to physical place, which makes an empirical contribution to the relational economic geography literature.

中文翻译：

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开放价值与区域创新：集合分析

统计研究表明，开放价值观对区域创新很重要，但并不重要。一项对 108 个西北欧地区的定性比较分析 (QCA) 研究确定了解释区域创新的四种跨案例机制：多样性、国际化环境、技术转让和创造力机制。只有在技术转让中，开放价值才发挥作用。这证明开放性价值观将不同的本地和非本地社交空间与本地和非本地物理场所连接起来，从而为更具活力的创新释放更大的潜力。QCA 将因果关系理解为配置性的，并识别机制而不是净效应，这比统计方法更好地回答了如何回答问题。