Empirical Explorations in Survival Clusters in Central America and in Competitive Italian Industrial Districts

Abstract

Theoretical and empirical research on the clustering of firms shows that this form of networking is an important means in promoting the competitiveness of small and medium enterprises in the global market. In the specific context of developing countries, among other positive effects, the clustering of small firms can also help avoid typical economic and societal divisions that hold back the escape from underdevelopment (Parrilli, 2004a; see also Chapters 3, 4 and 5). In this chapter, the analysis focuses on the theoretical framework that has been developed in Chapter 4 and formalised in Chapter 5, and its potential effects for analysis and policy-making in the context of ‘survival clusters’, which are quite common in developing countries, and, within that category, of the most dynamic.