The question of how regions and nations develop new sources of industrial growth is of recurring interest in economic geography and planning studies. From an evolutionary economic geography (EEG) perspective, new growth paths emerge out of existing economic activities and their associated assets and conditions. In response to the micro-economic and endogenous focus of much EEG research, this paper utilises a broader evolutionary perspective on path creation which stresses the dynamic interplay between four sets of factors: regional assets; key economic and organisational actors; mechanisms of path creation; and multi-scalar institutional environments and policy initiatives. Reflecting the importance of extra-regional networks and institutions, this framework is also informed by the Global Production Networks (GPN) approach, which highlights the process of strategic coupling between firms and regions and its political and institutional mediation by state institutions at different spatial scales. We deploy this framework to investigate regional path creation in the context of renewable energy technologies, focusing specifically on the offshore wind industry. We adopt a comparative cross-national approach, examining the evolution of offshore wind in Germany, the UK and Norway. Of the three cases, Germany has developed the most deep-rooted and holistic path to date, characterised by leading roles in both deployment and manufacturing. By contrast, path creation in the UK and Norway has evolved in more partial and selective ways. The UK's growth path is developing in a relatively shallow manner, based largely upon deployment and 'outside in' investment, whilst Norway?s path is emerging in an exogenous, ?inside-out? fashion around a fairly confined set of actors and deployment and supply functions. In conclusion, the paper emphasises the important role of national states in orchestrating the strategic coupling of regional and national assets to particular mechanisms of path creation.

中文翻译：

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路径创建、全球生产网络和区域发展：海上风电行业的国际比较分析

地区和国家如何开发新的工业增长源的问题是经济地理学和规划研究中反复出现的兴趣。从演化经济地理学 (EEG) 的角度来看，新的增长路径从现有的经济活动及其相关资产和条件中出现。为了回应许多 EEG 研究的微观经济和内生焦点，本文利用更广泛的进化视角来研究路径创建，强调四组因素之间的动态相互作用：区域资产；关键的经济和组织行为者；路径创建机制；以及多尺度的制度环境和政策举措。反映区域外网络和机构的重要性，该框架还借鉴了全球生产网络 (GPN) 方法，它突出了企业和地区之间的战略耦合过程及其在不同空间尺度上的国家机构的政治和制度调解。我们部署此框架以研究可再生能源技术背景下的区域路径创建，特别关注海上风电行业。我们采用比较跨国的方法，研究德国、英国和挪威海上风电的演变。在这三个案例中，德国制定了迄今为止最根深蒂固、最全面的路径，其特点是在部署和制造方面都发挥着主导作用。相比之下，英国和挪威的路径创建以更加局部和选择性的方式发展。英国的增长路径以相对较浅的方式发展，主要基于部署和“外部”投资，而挪威的道路正在以一种外生的、“由内而外”的方式出现？围绕一组相当有限的参与者以及部署和供应功能进行时尚。总之，本文强调了民族国家在协调区域和国家资产与特定路径创建机制的战略耦合方面的重要作用。