The editors of this volume draw together thinking from a range of disciplines and from a range of countries across Europe in order to form a theory of business cluster evolution. Topics explored include the capability approach, network dynamics, multinational corporations, firm entry and exit and social capital.

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction Understanding cluster evolution: beyond life cycles

Chapter 1 Crossing economic geography and international business to understand multinationals in clusters and industrial districts

Chapter 2 Economies And Diseconomies Of Agglomeration: Financial Services In The City Of London

Chapter 3 The dual role of multinational corporations in cluster evolution: when you dance with the devil, you wait for the song to stop

Chapter 4 Multinational Corporations And Cluster Evolution: The Case Of Cosentino In The Spanish Marble-Cluster

Chapter 5 Reverse Relocation, off-shoring and back-shoring in the Arzignano tannery cluster/district: Moving Labor and Capital in the Global Economy

Chapter 6 Ethnic Entrepreneurship In The Prato Industrial District. An Analysis Of Foundings And Failures Of Italian And Chinese Firms

Chapter 7 Cluster Evolution And MNEs: Analysis Of The Interplay In The Toy Valley In Spain

Chapter 8 The Dynamics Of Inward Foreign Investments Inside An Industrial District: Using Computer Simulation To Guide Empirical Research

Chapter 9 Cluster Life Cycles And Path Dependency: An Exploratory Assessment Of Cluster Evolution In The Basque Country

Chapter 10 Driving factors of cluster evolution: A multi-scalar comparative perspective

Chapter 11 On the emergence and evolution of clusters: the role of agency and external factors in the Galician turbot industry.

Chapter 12 Cluster Evolution And Political Lock-Ins

Chapter 13 The Evolutionary Dynamics Of Creative Clusters: How Can They Best Be Captured?

Chapter 14 Understanding Cluster Evolution: A Capability-Based Approach

Chapter 15 Organizational Configurations And Development Of The Footwear Industrial Districts: Fit, Results And Location

Chapter 16 Experiences Of Cluster Evolution In The Brazilian Ceramic Tile Industry: The Capabilities Accumulation Process Among Producers In A Developing Country

Chapter 17 Understanding Cluster Evolution

Fiorenza Belussi is Professor at the University of Padova, Italy. Her areas of interest include management of innovation and creativity; creative industries; theoretical models on innovation diffusion through gatekeepers; studies of open innovation; international business; and the impact of globalisation on local economies.

Jose Luis Hervás-Oliver is Associate Professor of Strategy and Competitiveness at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, School of Industrial Engineers, Spain. His research interests lie at the intersection between innovation and economic geography.