Transnational Rhine Network (ESHCC)

Prof. dr. Hein A.M. Klemann and Dr. Ben Wubs

The development of the German Ruhr area into the most important industrial centre of Europe since the 1870s, would have been impossible without the Rhine, just as the development of Rotterdam (and the surrounding towns) as the most important deep sea port of Europe. These areas developed into a European cross-border centre of economic activity without a rival. The Rhine, however, crossed borders of several states, with various national institutions and conflicting interests, which was a source of co-operation as well as conflict. By viewing regional development as a historical process, considerable leeway is also opened up for the application of two key concepts from evolutionary economics, i.e. path dependence and adaptation. Economic choices are always to some extent depended on past institutional and technological developments and it is even so that historical decisions have major influence on decisions now and in the future. Regional economies inherit past developments with negative as well as positive effects. On the other hand, a region’s lasting success depends on its adaptive capability: i.e. the capacity of firms, clusters, and state institutions to adapt to new market, technological and organizational opportunities.

Together with Prof. dr. Werner Plumpe and dr. Ralf Banken of the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, Prof. dr. Klemann and dr. Wubs venture to initiate a Transnational Rhine Network. The network explores the different aspects of long-term economic development of the Rhine clusters and focuses on two main actors in the Rhine economy, i.e. (trans)national firms and governments. It hypothesizes that both firms and markets are engaged with political institutions in a mutually dependent relationship. As a consequence, companies with important economic relations across the borders were interested in peaceful relations and open borders. Nevertheless, firms also had to support national targets, which could result in conflicts with the states and with their international interests. Central questions are: how and why did the Rhine economy became one of the most competitive economic regions in the world? What were the consequences of this long-lasting successful economic development for the political relations between the diverse Rhine States? How did cross-border economic relations influence the economic development within the diverse countries? What were the effects of shattered political surrounding for the development of firms and groups of firms


In order to realize a research program on these and related issues, the initiators organized a conference in Rotterdam between 12 and 14 November 2009. This h
istorical Rhine conference was the kick-off event for the transnational network. The event was attended by economic and business historians, as well as historians of technology, in the first place from the countries along the Rhine and its delta, i.e. Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. The aim of this first conference was to explore different aspects of long-term economic development of the Rhine clusters which were looked into from five different perspectives, i.e. geographical, macro-economical, institutional, business historical, and technological. Although these perspectives sometimes overlap it is useful to analyze the Rhine economy from these different points of view, dependent on different academic fields. The organizers aim to bring together scholars from various disciplines and make it a genuine multidisciplinary venture.

For more information on the first Transnational Rhine Conference, <link erim research centres business_history events _blank>click here.

Program Committee:
Dr. Ralf Banken (Goethe University Frankfurt am Main)
Prof.dr. Werner Plumpe (Goethe University Frankfurt am Main)
Prof. dr. Hein. A.M. Klemann (Erasmus University Rotterdam)
Dr. Ben Wubs (Erasmus University Rotterdam)