Cluster policy in Europe : A fad of fashion or a genuine policy instrument?

Abstract

Clusters and clustering have become attractive policy measures, because they are leverage points for action and innovations, not just descriptions of economic realities. Cluster policy is a field where scientists meet the practice; many consultants, including academics, earn well by specialising in cluster development. But what is the motivation behind cluster policies and resources engaged in cluster development? This thesis presents an empirical study responding the question: are cluster policies used to solve real problems in Europe or do they rather represent a fad in fashion? An analysis framework, “the double-I model”, is developed based on previous literature. It was used to analyse large-scale cluster policy information collected during Spring 2007 from European 20 countries. Through the double-I model, it was possible to find differences between countries related to their implementation of cluster policies. The instrumental and institutional approaches to cluster policy implementation seem to be almost equally common in the European countries.