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Geographic differences in the distribution of manufacturing firms in Ontario, Canada
Author(s) -
Arku Godwin,
Cleave Evan,
Easton Megan
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
area
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.958
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1475-4762
pISSN - 0004-0894
DOI - 10.1111/area.12615
Subject(s) - corporate governance , investment (military) , economic geography , business , distribution (mathematics) , manufacturing sector , manufacturing , cluster (spacecraft) , industrial organization , point (geometry) , business cluster , regional science , economics , geography , finance , mechanism (biology) , marketing , international economics , political science , mathematical analysis , geometry , mathematics , politics , computer science , law , programming language , philosophy , epistemology
For at least the past 20 years, the Province of Ontario – as well as other advanced economic regions – has experienced a period of transition, with traditional manufacturing declining and advanced manufacturing firms and sectors emerging. Concurrently, there has been a concerted policy effort emphasising the development of industry clusters within the province, though key issues of governance and where and how to invest public funds remain. This paper presents research on the spatial configuration of firms in 26 manufacturing sub‐sectors, using point density analysis of the basis for determining the presence and spatial configuration of firms. This allows for the comparison of patterns observed in traditional, advanced, and evolving sub‐sectors. The findings show that there are patterns of clustering in all sub‐sectors, though different spatial configurations are apparent between traditional, advanced, and evolving sub‐sectors. These differences have implications for both investment and governance. Based on the findings, investment needs to be directed towards areas with locational advantages, while regional perspectives and initiatives on cluster governance are needed.