The Next Frontier: Collaboration in the New Economy

Chapter 7 explores three places where the new knowledge economy has also involved knowledge communities: Silicon Valley, Raleigh, and Seattle. Silicon Valley has been a sort of poster child for regional stewardship; however, a recent rise in globalization, inequality, and residential separation has helped detach leaders from the region in ways that are worrisome. Raleigh, on the other hand, more or less exemplifies the notion of a diverse and dynamic epistemic community with clear norms and a shared origin story rooted in the Triple Helix cooperation between government, business, and universities. The chapter closes by examining Seattle, home to a mature process of consensus building through mediated gatherings of diverse sector leaders to share and interpret data together on regional issues.