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Abstract
The article aims to examine the concept of ‘region’ in research on regional innovation systems (RIS) and thus stimulate further development of the theoretical framework of RIS. The recent debate on regions in geography and its application in economic geography, in particular RIS research, is presented. The research material for the study consisted of 93 scientific articles that use the RIS approach as their theoretical framework. The articles were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The study shows that despite the acknowledgement of differences in the formation of a region, regions and their boundaries are taken for granted in research. This reflects ontological realism. It is concluded that RIS research will gain new perspectives if the ontological basis is shifted to social constructivism.
Notes
1 An early draft of this article was published as part of my doctoral thesis (Suorsa Citation2009).
2 The NUTS classification (Nomenclature des unités territoriales statistiques (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics)) is a hierarchical system for dividing up the economic territory of the European Union for the purpose of the collection, development, and harmonisation of EU regional statistics, socio-economic analyses of the regions, and the framing of EU regional policies.