Cluster development and regional industrial restructuring: agency and asset modification

ABSTRACT

The paper presents a novel theoretical framework to analyse the emergence and growth of industrial clusters. The framework focuses on the role of change agency for the modification of assets that initiate cluster development, which may also impact regional industrial restructuring. The authors distinguish between agency and assets at firm level and regional level, and argue that alignment of assets at the two levels may influence cluster development. The theoretical approach is illustrated and further advanced through a study of agency and asset modification in three recent cluster initiatives in western Norway. While the results of the empirical studies confirm the relevance of the theoretical approach, they also highlight the importance of specific regional and extra-regional contextual factors, as well as national policies and regulations, for clusters.

KEYWORDS:

• Asset modification
• cluster development
• firm-level agency
• path development
• system-level agency

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 For a more detailed presentation and discussion of the three alternative modifications, see Isaksen, Eriksen, and Rypestøl (2020).

2 The material referred to in this paper was originally collected to shed light on other related topics. In this paper, we re-analyse the data to discuss the research questions raised in this paper.

3 https://www.innovasjonnorge.no/no/subsites/forside/Om_NIC/

4 See: Isaksen, Kyllingstad, Rypestøl & Schulze-Krogh (2018).

5 See: Holmen and Fosse (2017).

6 See: Njøs, Sjøtun, Jakobsen and Fløysand (2020).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by UH-nett Vest.