Temporary Knowledge Ecologies

The Rise of Trade Fairs in the Asia-Pacific Region

Edited by Harald Bathelt, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Innovation and Governance, Departments of Political Science and Geography and Planning, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada and Gang Zeng, Professor of Economic Geography, East China Normal University, PR China

Temporary Knowledge Ecologies investigates and theorizes the nature, rise and evolution of trade fair knowledge ecologies in the Asia-Pacific region. It provides a comprehensive overview of trade fairs in this key world region applying a comparative perspective that involves highly diverse developed and developing countries. The book identifies (i) knowledge generation and transfer processes through trade fairs, (ii) interrelationships between industrial specialization and trade fair specialization, and (iii) linkages between economic development, industrial policy and trade fair development.

‘Bathelt and Zeng have put together a stellar collection that is truly original. The book develops a rich understanding of trade fairs in knowledge ecologies, and in doing so provides the reader with a sophisticated analysis of the local-global dynamics of such events. Moreover, the book also offers one of the first comprehensive analyses of the role of trade fairs in the Asia Pacific region, thus illuminating the significance of such events for the global economy.’
– James Faulconbridge, Lancaster University, UK