The Interspace between Denmark and Sweden: The Industrial Dynamics of the Öresund Cross-Border Region

Abstract

Abstract Geografisk Tidsskrift, Danish Journal of Geography 106(1): 115–129, 2006 The fixed link between the urban areas of Malmö-Lund in Sweden and Copenhagen in Denmark has improved the accessibility considerably opening up for new possibilities of exploiting the economic potentials. The main objective of the paper is to analyse the implications of the industrial development of the Öresund area being part of two different national industrial structures that are based on different national systems of innovation. In order to carry out an analysis of the industrial structure the key task of the paper is to present and discuss the methodological and empirical framework that makes an analysis of the industrial development possible. The paper provides the necessary data to perform an empirical analysis with an identical division of industries based on the inter-industry differences in research and knowledge intensity. The results indicate that Sweden and Denmark develop along two different national cycles during the 1990s which are not compatible to each other. The national development and the position in the urban and regional systems are considered vital explanations in order to understand the manufacturing sectors development in the Öresund region.