The Dynamics of Industrial Clustering International Comparisons in Computing and Biotechnology

by Swann, G. M. Peter; Prevezer, Martha; Stout, David

• ISBN13: 9780198289593
• ISBN10: 0198289596
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1998-05-28
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Why do firms in high technology industries cluster at particular locations? Do firms grow faster at such locations and are disproportionately more new firms created in clusters? The contributors to this volume establish that new firms in computing and biotechnology have been attracted toparticular sites by the presence of opportunities not taken up by incumbent firms. These opportunities arise when the cluster is strong in a mix of industrial sectors and in its science base. By contrast, incumbent firms benefit from locating in clusters that are strong in their own industrialsector, but tend to miss out on opportunities that arise too far from their immediate sphere. This book compares the clustering process in the UK and the US in both computing and biotechnology. There are surprisingly similar tendencies towards clustering in both industries, though different structures and scale of the industries contribute to slower growth rates in the UK. There are otherconditionsco-operation, critical mass in RandD, networking across disciplinesthat are lacking in the UK, and these hinder cluster formation and growth. Policy needs to focus on infrastructure in particular regions, building on existing resources and specialisms, and it needs to support those features of a cluster that attract new resources to a region.

Author Biography

Peter Swann is the European Managing Editor of the journal, Economics of Innovation and New Technology

Table of Contents

List of Contributors	ix
1. Introduction	1	(12)
G.M. PETER SWANN
MARTHA PREVEZER
2. Clusters, Innovation, and Growth: A Survey of the Literature	13	(39)
RUI BAPTISTA
3. Towards a Model of Clustering in High-Technology Industries	52	(25)
G.M. PETER SWANN
4. Clusters in the US Computing Industry	77	(29)
G.M. PETER SWANN
5. Clustering Dynamics in the UK Computer Industries: A Comparison with the USA	106	(18)
RUI BAPTISTA
G. M. PETER SWANN
6. Clustering in Biotechnology in the USA	124	(70)
MARTHA PREVEZER
7. Clustering and UK Biotechnology	194	(31)
SIMON SHOHET
8. Comparison and Interaction between Computing and Biotechnology	225	(32)
MARTHA PREVEZER
9. Clusters and Competitiveness: A Policy Perspective	257	(41)
PAUL TEMPLE
10. Conclusions	298	(11)
G.M. PETER SWANN
MARTHA PREVEZER
References	309	(20)
Index	329