Do clusters matter to firm and regional development and growth? Evidence from Latin America
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to analyse the impact of clusters on development and growth at the firm and regional level in Latin America (LA). The past 20 years have witnessed an acceleration of cluster initiatives, assuming their positive impact on firm performance and regional development. However, theoretical development and empirical meta-studies in emerging countries to validate this assumed relationship are scarce.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper reviews empirical evidence from a population of 123 studies and a sample of 45 empirical studies including 216 clusters in LA.
Findings
It concludes that clusters contribute to both development and growth at the firm- and regional-level contingent to factors such as cluster stage of development, collective efficiency, the pattern of governance of the value chain and the sector in which the firm operates; however, clusters are also a potential source of socio-economic divides.
Originality/value
Therefore, these results qualify the conclusions of studies of clusters in developed countries (Porter, 2003; Delgado et al., 2010).
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank two anonymous reviewers for their very helpful comments. Earlier versions of this article were presented at the Strategic Management Society Mini-conference on Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Argentina, 23-25 March 2003 (best papers proceedings), at the Plenary Session on Building Competitive Export Capacity of Developing Countries Firms and at the Round Table on Best Practices in the Promotion of Clusters and Global Value Chains, XI United Nation Conference for Trade and Development, Sao Paulo, 14-18 June 2004, at the United Nations Global Compact - Academy of Management Conference on Business as an Agent of World Benefit, Cleveland, October 2006, and at the 4th Latin American Congress on Clusters, Argentina, 16-20 November 2009.
Citation
Rocha, H. (2015), "Do clusters matter to firm and regional development and growth? Evidence from Latin America", Management Research, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 83-123. https://doi.org/10.1108/MRJIAM-12-2013-0534
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited