Diverse diversities—Open innovation in small towns and rural areas
Summary. Innovation thrives in small towns and rural areas, not just cities. This study of seven successful Swiss firms shows that rural innovation depends on three types of diversity: internal workforce diversity, multiplexed interactions across hierarchical levels, and external connections beyond the region. The findings challenge the assumption that geographic density and agglomeration are necessary for innovation, demonstrating that rural networks can be equally diverse along certain dimensions.
Cite this article
Meili, R., & Shearmur, R.. (2019). Diverse diversities—Open innovation in small towns and rural areas. Growth and Change. https://doi.org/10.1111/grow.12291
Meili, Rahel, and Richard Shearmur. “Diverse diversities—Open innovation in small towns and rural areas.” Growth and Change, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1111/grow.12291.
Meili, Rahel, and Richard Shearmur. 2019. “Diverse diversities—Open innovation in small towns and rural areas.” Growth and Change. https://doi.org/10.1111/grow.12291.
@article{meili-2019-diverse-diversities-open-innovation-small,
title = {Diverse diversities—Open innovation in small towns and rural areas},
author = {Rahel Meili and Richard Shearmur},
journal = {Growth and Change},
year = {2019},
doi = {10.1111/grow.12291},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/grow.12291}
}
TY - JOUR TI - Diverse diversities—Open innovation in small towns and rural areas AU - Rahel Meili AU - Richard Shearmur JO - Growth and Change PY - 2019 DO - 10.1111/grow.12291 UR - https://doi.org/10.1111/grow.12291 ER -
Details
- DOI
- 10.1111/grow.12291
- Countries
- Switzerland
- Regions
- Europe
- Categories
- innovation-theory, regional-innovation-systems
- Added
- 2026-04-28