Are advanced producer services connectors for regional economies? An exploration of the geographies of advanced producer service procurement in Belgium

This paper seeks to extend research on regional urban networks under contemporary globalization through an analysis of the geographies of producer service procurement in Belgium. In contrast to approaches that merely focus on the location of a selection of 'globalized' advanced producer service (APS) providers in a predefined set of 'world cities', we analyze the revealed spatial and functional linkages between consumers and producers of such services. This analysis is discussed in the broader context of economic geography literature on the resurgence of 'regions' in vertically disintegrated, post-Fordist economies. We compare our results against the assessed positions of leading Belgian cities in the urban networks generated by advanced producer services. Major findings include: (1) the relevance of a predefined set of major cities/firms is dependent on the sector; (2) a focus on the relationships between major firms and cities may lead to circular reasoning and a closed concept, since a focus on the importance of 'globalized APS firms' necessarily engenders 'world cities' and vice versa; and (3) the continuing relevance of regional specificity to service provision implies that in some sectors 'local' firms are actively involved in urban network formation.

► We study urban network formation based on the geography of producer services procurement. ► Theoretical background is the 'new regionalism' and 'world city network' literature. ► Emphasis is on local and regional actors as opposed to purportedly 'global' actors. ► The patterns of urban network formation display a high degree of sector-specificity.