The role of external linkages and gatekeepers for the renewal and expansion of US cities' knowledge base, 1990–2004

This paper examines the role of external linkages and gatekeepers for the renewal and expansion of cities' knowledge base in US metropolitan co-invention networks. It is argued that the relative importance of direct external linkages and external relations mediated by gatekeepers varies according to specific local conditions. It is found that direct external relations, on average, contribute to broadening and rejuvenating the local knowledge base and outperform external links mediated by gatekeepers; the latter, however, are especially important in cities with a localized and specialized knowledge base, as they enable the trans-coding and absorption at the local level of externally sourced knowledge.