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From ‘industrial districts’ to ‘knowledge clusters’: a model of knowledge dissemination and competitive advantage in industrial agglomerations

From ‘industrial districts’ to ‘knowledge clusters’: a model of knowledge dissemination and competitive advantage in industrial agglomerations
From ‘industrial districts’ to ‘knowledge clusters’: a model of knowledge dissemination and competitive advantage in industrial agglomerations
This paper integrates knowledge-based theories of the firm with geographical studies of industrial agglomeration to produce a model that helps explain the competitive advantages enjoyed by proximate firms located in geographical clusters. We propose a hierarchy of specialized knowledge stocks at both firm and cluster levels and suggest that the comparative advantage conferred by knowledge resources at each level is protected, in part, by asymmetries in knowledge flows from level to level. The paper argues that codified component knowledge is more easily spread than firm-specific architectural knowledge. Nevertheless, over time, agglomerations may develop a cluster-specific form of architectural knowledge that facilitates the rapid dissemination of knowledge throughout the cluster by increasing the learning capacity of proximate firms and thereby conferring cluster-specific competitive advantages.
knowledge-based theory of the firm, knowledge clusters, competitive advantage
1468-2702
373-388
Pinch, S.
39982453-bdf8-4686-8018-b5b8b2030c6a
Henry, N.
f4fbf698-5ce5-475d-94ea-d7a2997112ee
Jenkins, M.
ccf51ecd-2d00-41fc-be29-a72c2b866aa1
Tallman, S.
1fedb714-e122-4a37-84d4-8ae81486bb23
Pinch, S.
39982453-bdf8-4686-8018-b5b8b2030c6a
Henry, N.
f4fbf698-5ce5-475d-94ea-d7a2997112ee
Jenkins, M.
ccf51ecd-2d00-41fc-be29-a72c2b866aa1
Tallman, S.
1fedb714-e122-4a37-84d4-8ae81486bb23

Pinch, S., Henry, N., Jenkins, M. and Tallman, S. (2003) From ‘industrial districts’ to ‘knowledge clusters’: a model of knowledge dissemination and competitive advantage in industrial agglomerations. Journal of Economic Geography, 3 (4), 373-388. (doi:10.1093/jeg/lbg019).

Record type: Article

Abstract

This paper integrates knowledge-based theories of the firm with geographical studies of industrial agglomeration to produce a model that helps explain the competitive advantages enjoyed by proximate firms located in geographical clusters. We propose a hierarchy of specialized knowledge stocks at both firm and cluster levels and suggest that the comparative advantage conferred by knowledge resources at each level is protected, in part, by asymmetries in knowledge flows from level to level. The paper argues that codified component knowledge is more easily spread than firm-specific architectural knowledge. Nevertheless, over time, agglomerations may develop a cluster-specific form of architectural knowledge that facilitates the rapid dissemination of knowledge throughout the cluster by increasing the learning capacity of proximate firms and thereby conferring cluster-specific competitive advantages.

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More information

Published date: October 2003
Keywords: knowledge-based theory of the firm, knowledge clusters, competitive advantage

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 14720
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/14720
ISSN: 1468-2702
PURE UUID: c6a2f6a0-b8d6-463a-b3d2-ca065deda6d1

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 24 Feb 2005
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 05:30

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Contributors

Author: S. Pinch
Author: N. Henry
Author: M. Jenkins
Author: S. Tallman

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