Resume:

 

This research seeks to further explore path development processes in Spanish regions by analysing the industrial sector’s response to the shortage of medical supplies during the COVID -19 pandemic. This was caused by difficulties in purchasing abroad and interrupted supply chains specially during the first part of year 2020. In this context, the project seeks to study diversification strategies in existing firms throughout the country, or the creation of new ones, aimed at manufacturing medical instruments and materials.

Without losing sight of the limited time frame, and possibly limited spatial impact, of this phenomenon, we seek to to contribute to the understanding of how the path development mechanism operates in different types of regions, addressing key challenges in the Economic Evolutionary Geography’s research agenda. In particular, the study will examine regional pre-existing conditions for regional diversification, paying special attention to knowledge bases and the role of related and unrelated variety, as well as firms’ external connections, conventions and policies. The study is based on a mixed-methods approach.

Participants:

 

Simón Sánchez-Moral (UCM) (Grant Holder)

https://www.regionalstudies.org/funding/membership-research-grant-scheme-mersa/

 

Collaborators:  Alfonso Arellano (UCM), David Martínez Turégano (European Commision), David Moreno (UCM), Mário Vale (Univ. Lisboa)