Abstract
The significance and popularity of the cluster and industrial district concepts claim for a deeper reflection. The analysis of one of the European Commission’s (EC) policy documents shows inconsistencies that do not impede the formulation of normative statements. That way we answer the question of why and how cluster ideas have substituted industrial district principles and the consequences derived from that phenomenon.
Publication
Journal of Technology Management and Innovation
Highlights
- The question of how the cluster concept is used in the practice of policy making has been mostly overlooked.
- One of the reasons why ‘cluster’ is more popular than ‘industrial district’ is probably because it is more vague and ambiguous.
- We found the goals and means of the European Commission document titled “The Concept of Clusters and Cluster Policies and Their Role for Competitiveness and Innovation: Main Statistical Results” problematic, aligning with critical geographers who criticize this one-size-fits-all concept.