1 / 13

INSTITUTE OF INNOVATION AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

Discussing the Concepts of Cluster and Industrial District. Javi Ortega-Colomer In collaboration with Xavier Molina-Morales Helsinki – February 9th 2010. INSTITUTE OF INNOVATION AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT. Presentation Outline. Introduction Origin and Definition of Both Concepts

ulla
Télécharger la présentation

INSTITUTE OF INNOVATION AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Discussing the Concepts of Cluster and Industrial District Javi Ortega-Colomer In collaboration with Xavier Molina-Morales Helsinki – February 9th 2010 INSTITUTE OF INNOVATION AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

  2. Presentation Outline • Introduction • Origin and Definition of Both Concepts • Open Questions

  3. Introduction • The Regional Dimension • Competing and Overlapping “Neologisms” “Industrial District” & “Cluster” among others: ‘new industrial spaces’, ‘territorial production complexes’, ‘creative regions’, ‘neo- Marshallian nodes’, ‘regional innovation milieux’, ‘network regions’, and ‘learning regions’, etc. ---------------------------------------------------- • Indiscriminate Use? Because of the Editor’s Preferences? • “To Be Vague or Not To Be Vague?” • Fuzzy concepts, trans-discursive terms, neologisms, fashion labels • Unit of analysis? • “Individual Firm”, “Environment” or a Combination of both • Some Attempts to Clarify This Confusion

  4. Origin of the “Industrial District” concept • Agglomeration of Industries • Factory System or Network of SMEs? • External Economies Analysis • Economies of Specialization • Economies of Labour Pooling • and Knowledge Spillovers • A Second-Reading of Marshall’s Writings made by Becattini and his colleagues

  5. Definition of the “Industrial District” concept A socio-territorial entity which is characterized by the active presence of both a community of people and a population of firms in one naturally and historically bounded area. In the district, unlike in other environments, such as manufacturing towns, community and firms tend to merge. (Becattini, 1990: 38) • Community + SMEs + Institutions = Indivisible Parts of the Analysis • Core Industries + Related Industries + Machinery and Tools • The Sense of Belonging = Industry + Territory + Culture + Tradition + History • Cooperation and Competition • “Brand Image”: Made in Italy • Traditional Industries (blurred lines between low-, medium- and high-tech)

  6. Origin of the “Cluster” concept • Theory of Competitiveness Geographic Dimension (included later, in 1998) Activity Dimension Business Environment Dimension Innovation = Competitiveness = Productivity = Quality of the Local Business Environment = Infrastructure, Education and Legal System • Comparative Analysis selecting countries (Japan, USA, Germany), sectors and firms to build successful cases and analyze the sources of innovation/competitiveness • Porter’s Diamond Cluster ~ Related and Supporting Industries • Strategic Management Perspective

  7. Definition of the “Cluster” concept A cluster is a geographically proximate group of interconnected companies and associated institutions in a particular field, linked by commonalities and complementarities. The geographic scope of a cluster can be a single city or state or a country or even a network of neighbouring countries. (Porter, 1998: 199). • - Firms and Institutions • - Technology, Product and Market + (Territory from a Global Perspective) • Delimitation: relationships of complementarity • Cooperation and Competition • Including all industries: manufacturing and services • Wide Applicability: individual firm, cities, regions or even countries • Strategic Management perspective There is no model for clusters, but a multitude of configurations reflecting the particular circumstances of a location and a set of industries (Porter, 2009: 174)

  8. Principal participants in the conceptual debate UK – “The (so-called) Father of Economics” Marshall (1890,1920) Becattini (1989) Porter (1998, 2009) Martin & Sunley (2003) Benneworth & Henry (2004) Lazzeretti (2006) Professor Emeritus in Political Economy ~ Firenze U. USA ~ Economist at Harvard U. and consultant at Monitor http://www.monitorgroup.com.cn/en/idea/leaders/leaders10.asp UK ~ Geographers – Cambridge U. & Edinburgh U. UK ~ CURDS – University of New Castle Management Studies ~ Firenze U.

  9. Which are their main differences? • Differences in… • Rhetorical Styles • Sources of Confusedness (in different ways) • Audiences and Interests (policy/academic) • Methodologies • Dynamics: starting point, stages, firms ownership. • Types of Proximity: geographical, cognitive and relational • Relationships between employers and employees

  10. Why have these concepts become “trans-discursive”? …because of their use in different realms Research Policy Trans-discursive terms Consultancy Own elaboration based on Miettinen (2002)??

  11. What remains unresolved? • Unit of Analysis: Firm, Environment or a Combination of Both • The Normative Character of the Terms • Different Types of Proximity? • Can we separate the ideological debate from the conceptual one? • The role of institutions

  12. Discussion • Does it make sense to define a concept exhaustively or is it better to do so in a vaguer way to take advantage of a wider applicability? • Who can really profit from this intellectual attempt? • To what extent is it worth extending a conceptual debate like the above?

  13. www.ingenio.upv.es INSTITUTE OF INNOVATION AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

More Related