Faculteit der Economische Wetenschappen en Econometrie>erie Research Memoranda °5348 Company Life History Analysis and Technoge A Spatial View

This paper examines the relationship between innovation dynamics in individual companies and the urban environment. First, this theme is discussed theoretically, while an overview is given of major new in-sights in this field. Secondly, company history analysis is presented as a useful method for an empirical investigation of the long term renewal of firms in a spatial context. Next, based on pilot studies a set of important data and validity problems is discussed and empirically analyzed on the basis of a small sample. These studies show that com-panies may follow distinct development paths within a challenge-response framework, e.g. incremental renewal or shockwise readjustment. Also, the pilot studies point at the influence of the urban environment on the renewal of firms