Cybergeo (Mar 2011)
Le cluster innovant : conceptualisation et application territoriale
Abstract
Following the rediscovery of Alfred Marshall’s academic publications during the eighties, a widening number of research papers - mainly drafted in Europe and the United-States - concentrates on explaining the ins and outs of the spatial and relational proximities. The unsettled notion of cluster popularized from 1990 by Michael Porter had a coronation within the academic community, instead of the substantial conceptual limits underlined by various schools of thought. Consequently, the concept of innovation cluster has increased in the communications of the spatial economists achieving scientific works on high-tech sector. Unlike the classical approach, innovative clusters assert at least three new features: the regional scale, the collaborative process of governance and then the non-immediately-marketable aspect of the relationships undertook within the cluster. If the innovation cluster’s outlines are still the subject of a large number of theoretical debates, its spatial relevance dashes within the public policies framework – and thus, at every scale from continental one to metropolitan one including the national and regional extents, whatever the country or region’s development stage is. If the innovative clusters political experiences lead to mixed results, they however demonstrate a stronger resilience of territories confronted with economic restructuring during a period of manifested crisis.
Keywords
