With advances of globalisation at the close of the 20th century, economic development started to ... more With advances of globalisation at the close of the 20th century, economic development started to rely more and more heavily on innovation in information and communication technologies (ICT). Through progress in this field, there appeared new possibilities of communicating, and acquiring and processing information. The application and practical use of information and communication technologies began to determine the competitiveness of businesses, regions, and states.Most of the works on the growing role of ICT in the economy published to date have employed an approach developed within economic sciences; they have largely been analyses of a dynamic nature. The spatial aspect has often been ignored. The concept that fills the gap is the theory of the spatial diffusion of innovation employed in the geographical sciences. The present article seeks to reconstruct the spatial diffusion of ICT in the enterprises of Wielkopolska voivodeship, using the EAN bar code in the years 1990–2002 as a...
Studies of the Industrial Geography Commission of the Polish Geographical Society, 2013
Postępujące procesy globalizacji prowadzą do rosnącej konkurencji między firmami należącymi do ró... more Postępujące procesy globalizacji prowadzą do rosnącej konkurencji między firmami należącymi do różnych sektorów gospodarki. Zmieniające się wymagania rynku wymuszają na podmiotach gospodarczych wprowadzanie nowych strategii, które często zmieniają całkowicie ich struktury organizacyjne. Przewidziane w ramach tych strategii działania wiążą się z dużym ryzykiem, wynikającym z niepewnych rezultatów, wzrostu niezadowolenia wśród pracowników czy w wielu przypadkach redukcji zatrudnienia. Jednocześnie wprowadzane przekształcenia dotyczą m.in. wzrostu elastyczności firm i instytucji, także tych publicznych w zakresie świadczonych usług. Za wprowadzanie zmian w strukturach organizacyjnych przedsiębiorstw odpowiedzialni są kreatywni menedżerowie posiadający wysokie kwalifikacje. Cechy charakteru tych osób oraz niematerialny rodzaj wykonywanej przez nich pracy sprawiają, że uznawani są oni za przedstawicieli klasy kreatywnej (Florida, 2002). Powstające w wyniku ich decyzji nowe struktury orga...
The creative industries have generated much political and academic interest in recent years, with... more The creative industries have generated much political and academic interest in recent years, with the main focus on their economic and employment potential. However, much of the literature on the ‘creative economy’ disregards the ‘quality of work life’ of those in the sector and the fact that much creative employment is typically ‘nonstandard’. Creative work is typically temporary, short-term and project-based; contract working is the norm and there are high levels of self-employment and freelance working. Long working hours are typical (with work often spilling over into home life) and multiple-job holding in associated or different sectors is more frequent than in the general workforce. There is often frequent job changing; earnings areunequal and fluctuating and unpaid work is commonplace. In addition, there is little job protection or security; low levels of unionisation and uncertain career development pathways. This has led many to define working conditions in the creative sector as ‘insecure’ or ‘precarious’. Despite the high levels of risk and uncertainty, however, highly skilled (mainly young) individuals are seeking employment in the creative sector in ever greater numbers. The characteristics outlined above raise important questions about the social and economic sustainability of work and employment in the creative sector, which has implications for policy that argues for an expansion of employment in these industries under present conditions. In this chapter we present an analysis of employment conditions and ‘quality of work’ in the creative sector in three European cities (Birmingham, Leipzig and Poznan), each with different labour market conditions, in order to determine the extent to which creative employment can be regarded as sustainable or insecure and whether creative workers are indeed ‘living on the edge’. We address the following research questions: Are creative workers more exposed to ‘precarious’ and ‘insecure’ forms of employment than workers in other sectors? Do ‘precarious’ employment conditions translate into feelings of job insecurity and dissatisfaction with work, or do autonomy and self-actualisation compensate? Do the characteristics of work and employment in the creative sector reduce or increase gender imbalances? What is the effect of different labour market conditions on levels of ‘precarious’ employment and how does this affect feelings of job satisfaction and job ‘insecurity’?
Over the past two decades the cities in Central and Eastern Europe have witnessed a wide-ranging ... more Over the past two decades the cities in Central and Eastern Europe have witnessed a wide-ranging transformation in many aspects. The introduction of a market-oriented economy after half a century of socialism has brought about deep social, economic, cultural and political changes. The first stage of the changes, the 1990s, involved the patching up of structural holes left by the previous system. The post-socialist city had to face challenges of the future while carrying the ballast of the past. Rapid progress in catching up with the West transformed the city a great deal. Later on, the advent of the 21st century brought a new wave of development processes based, among other things, on creativity and innovation. Hence our contribution aims to explore the role of creativity and creative industries in the post-socialist urban transformation. The article consists of three basic parts. In the first we present the concept of a ‘creative post-socialist city’ and define the position of crea...
International Journal of Sustainable Development, 2010
The emergence of a creative sector is one of the features of both a structural change of the worl... more The emergence of a creative sector is one of the features of both a structural change of the world economy and society as well as the process of advancing metropolitanisation. Metropolitan areas are among those where this sector develops especially dynamically, and is turning into one of the most important markers of their competitiveness. The identification of mutual interdependencies between the process of accommodating creative knowledge and a competitiveness of metropolitan regions within the enlarged European Union has become a subject of an international research project called ACRE, implemented within the EU Sixth Framework Programme. The project's central question is: What are the conditions (in particular, the role of so-called 'soft' factors) for stimulating creative urban processes? The paper presents: a) an outline of the above mentioned project in the context of R. Florida's concept of a creative class and a creative city; b) preliminary results of the project on the example of the Poznan metropolitan region; c) challenges and implications for urban policy. The case of Poznan illustrates a character and typical features of creative processes in post-communist metropolises of East-Central Europe.
Much has been written recently about the importance of 'quality of place' and 'soft infrastructur... more Much has been written recently about the importance of 'quality of place' and 'soft infrastructure' in attracting those who work in creative and knowledge-intensive activities to particular city locations. These factors relate both to the 'look and feel' of the city as well as its social and cultural dimensions. Surprisingly, therefore, little empirical research has been undertaken to determine why individuals, rather than firms, make their decisions to locate in specific cities or the extent to which 'quality of place' affects the ability of cities to attract and retain talented individuals. Furthermore, 'quality of place' was conceptualized to measure the competitiveness of US cities, and there is a lack of knowledge about the extent to which 'soft' factors influence the location decisions of individuals in Western European cities, with even less known in relation to Central European cities. Here, we compare the relative importance of selected 'hard' and 'soft' factors on the locational choices of creative and knowledge-intensive workers in Birmingham, UK and Poznan, Poland. We analyse a range of indicators in order to compare 'quality of place' in both cities and how this may affect the ability of these two cities to compete in attracting and retaining the so-called 'creative class'. We then draw conclusions about the role of 'quality of place' for the future competitiveness of post-industrial European cities.
... Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, Latvia) Anders Paalzow ~ Diana Pauna ~ Vjacheslav Domb... more ... Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, Latvia) Anders Paalzow ~ Diana Pauna ~ Vjacheslav Dombrovsky ~ Roberts Kilis ~ Arnis Sauka ▪ Sofia ... University degli Studi di Milan Bicocca, Italy) Enzo Mingione ~ Francesca Zajczyk ~ Elena dell'Agnese ~ Silvia Mugnano ~ Marianna ...
With advances of globalisation at the close of the 20th century, economic development started to ... more With advances of globalisation at the close of the 20th century, economic development started to rely more and more heavily on innovation in information and communication technologies (ICT). Through progress in this field, there appeared new possibilities of communicating, and acquiring and processing information. The application and practical use of information and communication technologies began to determine the competitiveness of businesses, regions, and states.Most of the works on the growing role of ICT in the economy published to date have employed an approach developed within economic sciences; they have largely been analyses of a dynamic nature. The spatial aspect has often been ignored. The concept that fills the gap is the theory of the spatial diffusion of innovation employed in the geographical sciences. The present article seeks to reconstruct the spatial diffusion of ICT in the enterprises of Wielkopolska voivodeship, using the EAN bar code in the years 1990–2002 as a...
Studies of the Industrial Geography Commission of the Polish Geographical Society, 2013
Postępujące procesy globalizacji prowadzą do rosnącej konkurencji między firmami należącymi do ró... more Postępujące procesy globalizacji prowadzą do rosnącej konkurencji między firmami należącymi do różnych sektorów gospodarki. Zmieniające się wymagania rynku wymuszają na podmiotach gospodarczych wprowadzanie nowych strategii, które często zmieniają całkowicie ich struktury organizacyjne. Przewidziane w ramach tych strategii działania wiążą się z dużym ryzykiem, wynikającym z niepewnych rezultatów, wzrostu niezadowolenia wśród pracowników czy w wielu przypadkach redukcji zatrudnienia. Jednocześnie wprowadzane przekształcenia dotyczą m.in. wzrostu elastyczności firm i instytucji, także tych publicznych w zakresie świadczonych usług. Za wprowadzanie zmian w strukturach organizacyjnych przedsiębiorstw odpowiedzialni są kreatywni menedżerowie posiadający wysokie kwalifikacje. Cechy charakteru tych osób oraz niematerialny rodzaj wykonywanej przez nich pracy sprawiają, że uznawani są oni za przedstawicieli klasy kreatywnej (Florida, 2002). Powstające w wyniku ich decyzji nowe struktury orga...
The creative industries have generated much political and academic interest in recent years, with... more The creative industries have generated much political and academic interest in recent years, with the main focus on their economic and employment potential. However, much of the literature on the ‘creative economy’ disregards the ‘quality of work life’ of those in the sector and the fact that much creative employment is typically ‘nonstandard’. Creative work is typically temporary, short-term and project-based; contract working is the norm and there are high levels of self-employment and freelance working. Long working hours are typical (with work often spilling over into home life) and multiple-job holding in associated or different sectors is more frequent than in the general workforce. There is often frequent job changing; earnings areunequal and fluctuating and unpaid work is commonplace. In addition, there is little job protection or security; low levels of unionisation and uncertain career development pathways. This has led many to define working conditions in the creative sector as ‘insecure’ or ‘precarious’. Despite the high levels of risk and uncertainty, however, highly skilled (mainly young) individuals are seeking employment in the creative sector in ever greater numbers. The characteristics outlined above raise important questions about the social and economic sustainability of work and employment in the creative sector, which has implications for policy that argues for an expansion of employment in these industries under present conditions. In this chapter we present an analysis of employment conditions and ‘quality of work’ in the creative sector in three European cities (Birmingham, Leipzig and Poznan), each with different labour market conditions, in order to determine the extent to which creative employment can be regarded as sustainable or insecure and whether creative workers are indeed ‘living on the edge’. We address the following research questions: Are creative workers more exposed to ‘precarious’ and ‘insecure’ forms of employment than workers in other sectors? Do ‘precarious’ employment conditions translate into feelings of job insecurity and dissatisfaction with work, or do autonomy and self-actualisation compensate? Do the characteristics of work and employment in the creative sector reduce or increase gender imbalances? What is the effect of different labour market conditions on levels of ‘precarious’ employment and how does this affect feelings of job satisfaction and job ‘insecurity’?
Over the past two decades the cities in Central and Eastern Europe have witnessed a wide-ranging ... more Over the past two decades the cities in Central and Eastern Europe have witnessed a wide-ranging transformation in many aspects. The introduction of a market-oriented economy after half a century of socialism has brought about deep social, economic, cultural and political changes. The first stage of the changes, the 1990s, involved the patching up of structural holes left by the previous system. The post-socialist city had to face challenges of the future while carrying the ballast of the past. Rapid progress in catching up with the West transformed the city a great deal. Later on, the advent of the 21st century brought a new wave of development processes based, among other things, on creativity and innovation. Hence our contribution aims to explore the role of creativity and creative industries in the post-socialist urban transformation. The article consists of three basic parts. In the first we present the concept of a ‘creative post-socialist city’ and define the position of crea...
International Journal of Sustainable Development, 2010
The emergence of a creative sector is one of the features of both a structural change of the worl... more The emergence of a creative sector is one of the features of both a structural change of the world economy and society as well as the process of advancing metropolitanisation. Metropolitan areas are among those where this sector develops especially dynamically, and is turning into one of the most important markers of their competitiveness. The identification of mutual interdependencies between the process of accommodating creative knowledge and a competitiveness of metropolitan regions within the enlarged European Union has become a subject of an international research project called ACRE, implemented within the EU Sixth Framework Programme. The project's central question is: What are the conditions (in particular, the role of so-called 'soft' factors) for stimulating creative urban processes? The paper presents: a) an outline of the above mentioned project in the context of R. Florida's concept of a creative class and a creative city; b) preliminary results of the project on the example of the Poznan metropolitan region; c) challenges and implications for urban policy. The case of Poznan illustrates a character and typical features of creative processes in post-communist metropolises of East-Central Europe.
Much has been written recently about the importance of 'quality of place' and 'soft infrastructur... more Much has been written recently about the importance of 'quality of place' and 'soft infrastructure' in attracting those who work in creative and knowledge-intensive activities to particular city locations. These factors relate both to the 'look and feel' of the city as well as its social and cultural dimensions. Surprisingly, therefore, little empirical research has been undertaken to determine why individuals, rather than firms, make their decisions to locate in specific cities or the extent to which 'quality of place' affects the ability of cities to attract and retain talented individuals. Furthermore, 'quality of place' was conceptualized to measure the competitiveness of US cities, and there is a lack of knowledge about the extent to which 'soft' factors influence the location decisions of individuals in Western European cities, with even less known in relation to Central European cities. Here, we compare the relative importance of selected 'hard' and 'soft' factors on the locational choices of creative and knowledge-intensive workers in Birmingham, UK and Poznan, Poland. We analyse a range of indicators in order to compare 'quality of place' in both cities and how this may affect the ability of these two cities to compete in attracting and retaining the so-called 'creative class'. We then draw conclusions about the role of 'quality of place' for the future competitiveness of post-industrial European cities.
... Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, Latvia) Anders Paalzow ~ Diana Pauna ~ Vjacheslav Domb... more ... Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, Latvia) Anders Paalzow ~ Diana Pauna ~ Vjacheslav Dombrovsky ~ Roberts Kilis ~ Arnis Sauka ▪ Sofia ... University degli Studi di Milan Bicocca, Italy) Enzo Mingione ~ Francesca Zajczyk ~ Elena dell'Agnese ~ Silvia Mugnano ~ Marianna ...
The creative industries have generated much political and academic interest in recent years, with... more The creative industries have generated much political and academic interest in recent years, with the main focus on their economic and employment potential. However, much of the literature on the ‘creative economy’ disregards the ‘quality of work life’ of those in the sector and the fact that much creative employment is typically ‘nonstandard’. Creative work is typically temporary, short-term and project-based; contract working is the norm and there are high levels of self-employment and freelance working. Long working hours are typical (with work often spilling over into home life) and multiple-job holding in associated or different sectors is more frequent than in the general workforce. There is often frequent job changing; earnings areunequal and fluctuating and unpaid work is commonplace. In addition, there is little job protection or security; low levels of unionisation and uncertain career development pathways. This has led many to define working conditions in the creative sector as ‘insecure’ or ‘precarious’. Despite the high levels of risk and uncertainty, however, highly skilled (mainly young) individuals are seeking employment in the creative sector in ever greater numbers. The characteristics outlined above raise important questions about the social and economic sustainability of work and employment in the creative sector, which has implications for policy that argues for an expansion of employment in these industries under present conditions. In this chapter we present an analysis of employment conditions and ‘quality of work’ in the creative sector in three European cities (Birmingham, Leipzig and Poznan), each with different labour market conditions, in order to determine the extent to which creative employment can be regarded as sustainable or insecure and whether creative workers are indeed ‘living on the edge’. We address the following research questions: Are creative workers more exposed to ‘precarious’ and ‘insecure’ forms of employment than workers in other sectors? Do ‘precarious’ employment conditions translate into feelings of job insecurity and dissatisfaction with work, or do autonomy and self-actualisation compensate? Do the characteristics of work and employment in the creative sector reduce or increase gender imbalances? What is the effect of different labour market conditions on levels of ‘precarious’ employment and how does this affect feelings of job satisfaction and job ‘insecurity’?
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Papers by Michal Meczynski