The international fragmentation of economic activities - from research and design to production and marketing - described through the lens of the global value chain (GVC) approach impacts the structure and performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) agglomerated in economic clusters. The consolidation of GVCs ruled by global lead firms and the recession of 2008-09 exacerbated the pressures on cluster actors that based their competitive advantage on local systems, spurring an increasing heterogeneity, both across and within clusters, that is still overlooked in the literature.
Drawing on detailed studies of different industries and countries, Local Clusters in Global Value Chains shows the co-evolutionary trajectories of clusters and GVCs, and the role of firms and their strategies in organizing manufacturing and innovation activities in the context of ongoing technological shifts. The book explores the tension between place-based variables and global drivers of change, and the possibility for territories containing such clusters to prosper in the new global scenario. By adopting insights from the GVC framework and management studies, the book discusses how the internationalization strategies of firms create opportunities as well as constraints for adaptive upgrading in clusters.
This book is of interest to both researchers and policy-makers who are interested in the dynamic sources of competitive advantage in the global economy.
'This volume is a key contribution to a nuanced understanding of the global economy. It usefully combines insights from research on global value chains and industrial districts - highlighting the role of global firms in shaping local development and the importance of local factors in shaping competition in global markets.' - Stefano Ponte, Professor of International Political Economy, Department of Business and Politics, Copenhagen Business School
'Not all clusters are part of global value chains, but all global value chains are made up of clusters. This truism is revealed in all its depth and variation by the rich examples in this carefully researched and important volume' - Timothy Sturgeon, Senior Researcher, MIT Industrial Performance Center
'Inter-firm relationships may offer firms in developing countries unique opportunities to learn and innovate, which is essential for their development. This book brilliantly studies new and original evidence to look into the co-evolution of two specific forms of such relationships - Clusters and Global Value Chains -, and into the complex dynamics of leadership and interactions between local and foreign firms. A must read for scholars and practitioners interested in understanding globalization and its influence on development.' - Carlo Pietrobelli, Professor of Economics, University of Roma Tre, Italy and United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT).
"(...) this is a well written and edited book of admirably consistent quality that makes significant progress in conceptualizing and mapping the diverse trajectories, both positive and negative, of European industrial districts as they seek to compete with and/or integrate into global production structures." - Neil M. Coe, Department of Geography, National University of Singapore
