Cluster presence and economic performance: a new look based on European data

Submitted by Lee Gibson on 07 January 2021

This paper, written by Christian Ketels and Sergiy Protsiv and published by Regional Studies journal, takes a fresh empirical look at how cluster presence matters for economic performance.

It analyses a new data set developed for the European Cluster Observatory to assess the impact of clusters on industry-level wages and regional prosperity.

It is found that industry-level wages are associated with industry and surrounding-cluster agglomeration levels to a similar degree.

For regional prosperity, cluster portfolio strength is found to matter, while the specific mix of clusters is insignificant once business environment conditions are accounted for. The data show a meaningful relationship between clusters and economic outcomes, independent of other locational qualities.

Read and download the full paper here.

Christian Ketels & Sergiy Protsiv (2020) Cluster presence and economic performance: a new look based on European data, Regional Studies, DOI: 10.1080/00343404.2020.1792435