Mapping the Geography of Italian Knowledge

Nowadays, economic geography and cognitive fields are has besetted
with knowledge input and output measurement instead of assessing the
quality of the knowledge produced. In this paper, we measure the complexity of
knowledge, and map the distribution and the evolution of knowledge in the
Italian regions through a neural network approach, based on non-linear clustering
with the use of the Self-Organizing Map, and exploring in which way
spatial knowledge could be linked to complexity via a relatedness measurement,
the Knowledge Complexity Index. Our measurement is based on the analysis of
patent data from the European Patent Office, focusing on the Italian context,
between 2004 and 2012. We find that knowledge complexity is not homogeneously
distributed across Italy. The implementation of this new research line
could be helpful in terms of Italian regional diversification because its implementation
is still at an early stage at both nation and regional levels and, at the
same time, the reduction in the divergence between Regional Innovation Systems
in Northern and Southern of Italy will continue to represent the major
policy challenge.