Euro Commentary: Regional Differences in the Growth Patterns of Knowledge-Intensive Business Services

Abstract

This article aims to analyse the regional dynamics of knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS), an activity usually associated with the so-called knowledge-based economy (KBE). As will be seen later, most of the studies of this sector refer to central and metropolitan regions but little has been said about the characteristics and nature of its growth in other regions.A study of the Spanish case has been made which tries to identify specific patterns of KIBS development in different kinds of regions. The results obtained indicate that KIBS interregional trade decisively shapes KIBS regional growth in such a way that, on the one hand, it contributes to the concentration of these activities in metropolitan and well-developed regions and, on the other hand, it makes KIBS growth in less developed regions (LDRs) externally dependent.