Lukas Jonas (p), Friederike Hertweck , Shihang Hou, Britta Jensen

Stefano Basilico

We use a differences-in-differences approach to analyze the local labour market effects of introducing
tertiary computer science study programs within commuting zones in Germany, combining administrative
German labour market data with a novel dataset on where and when academic courses
were offered. Introducing computer science courses significantly increases the number of employed
computer scientists in the treated region, with the supply effect amplifying over time. However, this
increased supply is primarily absorbed by the information and communication technology industry,
with minimal dispersion into other industries. Despite the substantial increase in supply, wages for
computer scientists remain unaffected. While there are some spillover effects on other workers consistent
with endogenous technological change, the shift in local human capital appears to have primarily
functioned as an industrial policy, stimulating growth in the local information and communication
technology industry in terms of both the number of firms and overall employment.

Stefano Basilico (p), Nils Grashof

Fabiano Compagnucci

One of the most recent challenges posed by the European Union is the transition towards environmental friendly technologies to address major challenges such as the conflicting trends of a growing population and the limited amount of natural resources (European Commission, 2023). In light of this, a strategy is proposed at the European level involving a variety of organizations to renew their knowledge and skill sets to be able to develop these technologies (JRC, 2022). Germany as well as other European countries are currently introducing new green technologies to meet the standards imposed by EU (EFI, 2024, 2023). Given its diverse and broad research infrastructure comprehending both public (universities, universities of applied sciences, technical universities and research institutes) as well as private entities (BMBF, 2012, 2014; Graf & Menter, 2021), Germany is a particular interesting research case. Green technologies are complex in their nature and they rely on a higher extent on developments put forward in other technologies (Barbieri et al., 2020, 2023). The literature on technological development focuses mainly on knowledge recombination activities put forward by inventors (Cassi & Plunket, 2015; Maggioni et al., 2011). Mainly due to data limitations, only recently new studies shifted towards assessing the recombination impact of organizations for new technological advancements (Wanzenböck et al., 2024; Shin et al., 2023). We continue this line of research investigating the, potentially different, roles of public and private organizations in making new knowledge combinations with a particular focus on green technologies given their strategic importance. In particular, we focus on a combinatorial function called uniqueness regarded as important for knowledge recombination in general (Su et al., 2013; Kim et al., 2013) and even more in the case of green technologies (Barbieri et al., 2020). After identifying from which typology of organization the majority of unique combinations in the green realm come from, we also analyze their impact on subsequent inventions. We further distinguish between impact on subsequent green technologies or on other non-green technologies. Particularly in the context of a green transition, it is important to assess if the new knowledge produced by those inventions is also subsequently re-utilized or not, and in which knowledge fields. Our results important for policy makers, who should consider them in the context of accelerating the transition to green technologies. Policy makers could then consider targeting specific weaknesses in the knowledge base of organizations promoting knowledge transfer activities and more collaboration.

Fabiano Compagnucci (p), Martina Dal Molin , Giulia Urso

Madalena Fonseca

This study aims at investigating the counter-flows of students in Italy at the province level (NUTS 3) over the period 2010-2023. Students mobility has always attracted great attention of regional economists, since, according to the neoclassical model, migration flows are considered an adjustment mechanism for balancing economic and social disparities among territories (Dotti et al., 2014). Extant studies demonstrated that several factors affect the student choice process of a university, such as its overall quality and that of life in the destination provinces (Bratti and Verzillo, 2019; Ciriaci, 2014; Dotti et al., 2013). They farther show that students generally migrate from peripheral areas to selected urban and metropolitan areas, where universities are typically located (Ballarino et al., 2022; Charles, 2016). However, a new stream of research is investigating the counterflow of students, who, on the contrary, move from central to more peripheral areas (Fonseca, 2023, Dal Molin et al, 2025). These “counter-flows” of students, although smaller in scale, may represent a crucial driver for the renewal of peripheral universities as well as for the local development of inner areas (Fonseca, 2023). Based on these premises, the quantitative analysis proposed investigates the association between the increase of students choosing a peripheral universities (students living and studying in these areas; students moving from a peripheral province to a university belonging to a different peripheral province; students moving from metropolitan to peripheral areas) with data regarding the characteristics of these universities as well as their socioeconomic milieu. Results provides useful information for targeted place-based policies.

Madalena Fonseca (p)

Lukas Jonas

Most studies on innovation in the periphery focus on companies. This is understandable, since the main objective of policies aimed at strengthening innovation in the periphery is to better understand and find ways to boost the economy of these regions. In fact, whether it's technological or other innovations, the basis of studies on innovation in the periphery is the analysis of companies' behaviour. The institutional context, human capital and migration, infrastructure and other resources of the regions are not ignored, but the necessary consolidated tools to explain how these factors work and interact do not yet exist. It is necessary to continue developing methodologies to analyse these links and interactions, both quantitative, using various indicators, and qualitative.
Based on previous studies on student migration to the periphery in Portugal for access to higher education, using Ministry databases, we have arrived at the fundamental patterns of student mobility between the centre and the periphery and within the periphery itself (Fonseca, 2023; 2025). This article builds on these first studies and presents the results of a complementary, qualitative approach resulting from corporate interviews with all higher education institutions in the intermediate cities of the periphery, i.e. outside the main urban centres. The fieldwork and interviews covered top managers, rectors and presidents of institutes, directors of social action services and student representatives.
The first results show that despite the importance of the student flows to the periphery, due to their size, diversity, origins and fields of study, they are not "visible" and have so far not received any special treatment or fixation policies. This study aims to open up perspectives for actions and policies to welcome and retain these students’ lows in peripheral regions, considering their true potential for innovation. They are flows of talent and human capital and can recreate the attractive innovative environments of the big cities on the periphery, even if to a lesser magnitude.