[4] Regional Identity in the Information Society

The role of community and regional networks and the existence and adherence of civic norms is commonly referred to as Social Capital. Social Capital acts as part of the formal and informal regional community and identity - theses networks, provide the foundation for creating place identity and a sense of community, it generates a level of trust that is inherent in, but varied according to regional cultures. Theoretical research draws the link between the level of trust in a culture or society as a condition of prosperity for democracy as well as economic competitiveness.

Social Capital has established a relationship with the outcomes policy makers are concerned with namely economic growth, social inclusion improved health and more effective government.

Regional and community networks and civic norms include social relations, formal and informal social networks, group membership, trust, reciprocity and civic engagement. These attributes are generally considered to be the property of the group not the individual. Measuring social capital can include the development of indices including measures of community organisational life, measures of engagements in public affairs, measure of community volunteerism, measures of informal sociability and measures of trust.

The role of Social Capital in regional economic development is fundamental to the development and support of the knowledge economy. The knowledge economy is driven by a mobile and highly skilled and educated work force, the ability to attract and exchange knowledge (shared across knowledge workers) in a value added manner, hinges on the existence of trust, social and industry norms, and 'community' identity.

Since the Knowledge Economy is largely urban focused there is a need to measure the urban and rural structures for the role of city-region networks as the conduit for knowledge transfer. Similarly, how regions build the trust and community drive to prosper and be competitive can be supported by the development of the information society - this includes real and virtual networks, location marketing, place related websites, and place branding - these factors combine as part of the social capital pool that creates regional advantages and is highly valuable in the attraction of inward investment.

We are interested in how technology follows regional lines - is it being used to create regional alliances across countries and internationally or is it breaking down regional identity, does it force regions to club together to attain critical mass?