Our paper analyses the free software opportunities for developing economies. First we consider the adoption’s dimension. We show that they seem to be a credible option to support the computerization of these countries. Indeed, the free software could be an alternative to the piracy. Second we...

The paper provides new insights into the mechanisms of “ICT clusters” formation. The basic assumption is that clusters can be explained as the result of a locational norm, i.e. as an alignment of locational choices proceeding from both mimetic behaviours and sequential and cumulative...

Considering the french case of Free Software Service Companies (FSSCs), this paper analyses Free software’s market-oriented aspects. We try to answer a fundamental question for free software: is the software industry have room for an alternative economic model based on the communities’...

The objective of this article is to investigate the dynamics of relocations at the micro-economic level. By proposing a grid of “dynamics of proximities”, we focus on the coordination issues which seem to be missing from most of analyses carried about relocations. We apply our framework to...

This article develops an evolutionary model of industry dynamics in order to carry out a richer theoretical analysis of the consequences of a stronger patent system. The first results obtained in our article are rather consistent with the anti-patent arguments and they do not favour the case for...

In many industries, networks, rather than firms, have become the organizing level at which firms compete with each other. One role of competitive intelligence is to help firms understand their global environment as well as master their position in a number of industrial sectors. The pertinence...

This article develops an evolutionary model of industry dynamics in order to carry out a richer theoretical analysis of the consequences of a stronger patent system. This model explicitly takes into account the potentially positive effects of the patents: Publication of patents participates to...

The main goal of this paper is to shed some light on European regional diversity in terms of knowledge accumulation and socio-economic performances. Dynamic links between knowledge, innovation and performance are complex to address because they take place in different contexts, involving...

The objective of this article is to present the theory of structuring ( A. Giddens) through a plural approach. Indeed, this sociology defines a duality of the structure, matrix through which the social systems are produced and reproduced in and for the collective action: the structural...

In this paper, we concentrate on different aspects of the « spatial digital divide » and seek to answer three questions : Are there still spatial inequalities in the adoption of these technologies ? Is there a so-called “second level” geographical divide characterized by important...