Intra-regional economic integration

Abstract

"Regional clusters have attracted a great deal of attention for more than two decades. The interest comes from two major fields: regional economics and regional economic policy. At the interface between research and policy, the cluster-oriented regional information system CORIS is located. This research project generates information on supply chains, clusters, cluster participants and their embeddedness in two Bavarian regions. It provides a unique data source used for analyses in the present publication.<br> The author first discusses the role which clusters can play in the progressing integration of markets and the international division of labour that accompanies it. For the Nuremberg region, an economic space with a coherent cluster strategy developed early by German standards, establishments' forward and backward linkages as well as horizontal and diagonal interlink ages are analysed. From this spectrum of influences, from which positive externalities for innovation and economic prosperity can be expected, Chapter 3 picks out and highlights intra-regional co-operation. The authors find that it is mainly the establishments' awareness of the cluster structures in the region that drive co-operation. The last chapter investigates the impacts of clusters on establishments directly, implementing an evaluation design based on a control group approach. It is revealed that both survival rates and employment growth of establishments demonstrating their cluster participation are significantly higher than that of firms that do not position themselves in clusters." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Litzel, N., Eigenhüller, L., Fuchs, S. & Möller, J. (2015): Intra-regional economic integration. The identification and analysis of clusters in Eastern Bavaria and Central Franconia. (IAB-Bibliothek 351), Bielefeld: Bertelsmann, 181 p. DOI:10.3278/300869w