The Finnish Competition State

During the 1990s and early 2000s, Finland underwenta profound restructuring that saw it change from acountry deep in recession to a global model of theknowledge economy. At the same time, the Helsinkiregion transformed itself into one of the mostcompetitive regions in Europe. Thisbook examines policy changes related to thesetransformations, by analysing major shifts in statepolicies, urban strategies and university activity.At the level of national policies, the book tracesadjustments in innovation, university, regional andinformation society policies. As regards urban-regional strategies, the emergence andcharacteristics of an urban competitiveness policyin the Helsinki region are scrutinised."This is, simply, an outstanding contribution togeopolitical economy. Neil BrennerProfessor of Sociology and Metropolitan Studies, NewYork University Pelkonen makes an important contribution totheoretical debates on state capacities and policydesign in science, technology and innovation. Theempirical studies are expertly conducted. Mats BennerDirector, Research Policy Institute, Lund University

Autorentext

Antti Pelkonen holds a PhD in social sciences from the University of Helsinki, Finland. His areas of specialisation are innovation policy, regional development and urban economic development policy. He has published widely on these topics in academic journals and books.