Firm performance in the periphery: on the relation between firm-internal knowledge and local knowledge spillovers GrillitschMarkus NilssonMagnus 2016 <p>Firm performance in the periphery: on the relation between firm-internal knowledge and local knowledge spillovers. <i>Regional Studies</i>. One of the most established arguments in regional studies is that knowledge dynamics shape the geography of economic activities and, more specifically, that knowledge-intensive activities benefit from collocation due to knowledge spillovers, local buzz and access to labour. There are, however, competing arguments that knowledge-intensive firms also suffer from negative spillovers and are less dependent on local knowledge sources than often presumed. Using Swedish micro-data from 2005–11, this paper shows that firms with weak internal knowledge grow faster in knowledge-intensive regions. However, the growth difference disappears or is even reversed for knowledge-intensive firms.</p>