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There is increasing interest in the role academic institutions can play as catalysts of change within the territories in which they are located, by contributing proactively to shaping socio-economic development processes. This role for universities takes us beyond the typical focus on knowledge transfer activities or broad economic impacts. It highlights in particular the contributions of 'softer' disciplines such as management, economics, the humanities and public policy. This paper explores this proactive strategic role for academia in regional development by means of an analysis of a particular case of institutional entrepreneurship in the Basque Country region of Spain. The telling of such stories is critical if we are to reach a better understanding of the impact universities can have in their regions beyond a quantitative, market-focused analysis.

It is well known that the nature of potential shocks impinging on a set of countries or regions may have important implications for relevant aspects of economic policy. This paper addresses the shocks issue empirically by applying the State Space methodology and the Kalman Filter to the case of the Spanish regions. The main conclusions are as follows: (i) it seems that the shocks affecting the Spanish regions have been mostly symmetric; (ii) their effects have been persistent rather than transitory; and (iii) supply shocks have been slightly more frequent than demand shocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The European market for cannabis derivatives is being transformed. The cultivation of cannabis within the EU and the shift of demand from hashish to domestic marihuana are key aspects of this transformation. Spain, formerly central to the trade of Moroccan hashish, is becoming a marihuana-producing country. The emergence of "import-substitution" has been researched in other EU countries, but thus far the Spanish case remains undocumented.Methods: This paper is based on analysis of data of 748 cannabis plantations seized by Spanish police in 2013. The sample comprises reports of seizures identified through a survey of online news and police reports. "Event-analysis" methods were applied to these sources.Results: The analysis offers a typology of plantations, a profile of participants and the different production systems, and a model of regional distribution. Half of the plantations were small (less than 42 plants) and half contained between 100 and 1000 plants, with an average size of 261 plants. About three-quarters of plants were cultivated indoors using stolen electricity. 86% of all plants seized were from large-scale plantations (more than 220 plants). Most plantations were located along the Mediterranean coast, where population and tourism are concentrated. Over three-quarters of those indicted by police were Spanish (85%). Among the foreign owners of big plantations, Dutch nationals predominated. The number of seized plants by province was directly associated with the number of grow shops (β=0.962, p<0.001).Conclusion: The rise of large-scale cannabis plantations in the Spanish Mediterranean coast is increasingly replacing import of Moroccan hashish. Indoor cultivation supported by grow shops, that provide the technology and know-how, seem to be the dominant form of organization in this emerging industry. Large-scale plantations may have met most of the demand for marihuana in 2013. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]