Creating Regional Wealth in the Innovation Economy: Models, Perspectives, and Best Practices

Part IV. Germany, the United Kingdom, and France: Europe's Industrial Giants Adapting to the Global Innovation Economy

Germany, the United Kingdom, and France are Europe's largest economies. Despite their geographical proximity (France and Germany share a border, while the U.K. is only a short train ride from France through the English Channel), and regardless of the European Union's efforts to homogenize its political and economic environment, the three countries are and will remain fundamentally different in culture, business environment, and government philosophy.

The following section portrays three regions, or locations, within these countries struggling to adapt to the global Innovation Economy in their own, distinctly different ways. Regardless ...