Will Policies Designed to Encourage Links between European Clusters Weaken their Internal Dynamics?

Abstract

It is now common for policy-makers and researchers to emphasise the need for clusters to combine geographically broader linkages, with clusters in other regions and countries, with local linkages within the cluster. This has resulted in policies designed to encourage the establishment of broader linkages, such as the European Commission's encouragement of trans-national links between European clusters through its Europe INNOVA initiatives. However, through an examination of the ‘Small World’ network concept, this article suggests that clusters’ internal dynamics could be undermined by such policies and that they should therefore be implemented with caution.