The core in the periphery? The cluster organization as the central node in the Apulian aerospace district

ABSTRACT

Cluster policy is often ineffective in peripheral regions with weak institutions and significant barriers to knowledge production and exchange. Nonetheless, many peripheral regions have pursued such policies in recent years, an example being technology districts in southern Italy. This paper examines one such district – the aerospace district in Apulia – where policy has focused on indirect support for networking through coordination. This has led to a substantial increase in knowledge exchange within the district, but also to a heavy dependence on the cluster organization itself as the key actor in the knowledge-exchange network.

KEYWORDS:

• clusters
• technology districts
• policy evaluation
• innovation networks
• knowledge exchange
• social network analysis

JEL:

• O30
• O31

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

SUPPLEMENTAL DATA

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2017.1420155

ORCID

Giuseppe Calignano http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6885-768X

Rune Dahl Fitjar http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5333-2701

Dieter Franz Kogler http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6744-5632

Notes

1. Throughout, DAP refers to the district as a whole and DTA to the cluster organization.

2. The questionnaire allowed for multiple answers.