Clusters are the magic answer to regional economic development. Firms in clusters are more innovative; cluster policy dominates EU policy; ‘top-sectors’ and excellence are the choice of national policy makers; clusters are ‘in’. But, clusters are complex, clusters are ‘messy’; there is no clear logic and no one agrees to how it can be successful.
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Clusters are the magic answer to regional economic development. Firms in clusters are more innovative; cluster policy dominates EU policy; ‘top-sectors’ and excellence are the choice of national policy makers; clusters are ‘in’. But, clusters are complex, clusters are ‘messy’; there is no clear logic and no one agrees to how it can be successful.
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Clusters development takes place in an increasingly changing and complex context where global and local developments are interconnected. Various regional and innovation studies recognize the need for place-based studies to include the larger context in which clusters and regions are found. Interest and discourse on the value of complexity approaches to cluster studies is increasing, with the aim to gain deeper understanding of processes taking place in complex cluster development. This discourse was initiated by Martin & Sunley (2003) and explored extensively by Cooke (2012) in his study of ‘complex adaptive innovation systems’. Work in this area of research is limited and empirical study could add to understanding the complexity of cluster development.
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