Clustering - Publications - Faculty & Research

Research Summary

The Panama Canal

The Big Ditch is the first quantitative economic history of the Panama Canal and its effect on Panama, the United States, and the world economy. It makes three general arguments. First, that the Panama Canal was very important to... View Details

25 Jun 2018
Research & Ideas

In America, Immigrants Really Do Get the Job Done

work, Kerr found that immigrants tend to cluster in particular industries—Vietnamese manicurists, Korean dry cleaners, Haitian cab drivers—making it easier for new arrivals to learn how to launch businesses of their own. On the more... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Agriculture & Agribusiness; Technology; Service

February 2003 (Revised February 2008)
Case

Singapore Inc.

By: Richard H.K. Vietor and Emily Thompson

In early 2003, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong is assessing Singapore's development strategy--tax cutting combined with an industrial policy focused on six "clusters," including biomedical sciences. After 36 years of stupendous growth, Singapore has slowed down and faces... View Details

Keywords: Development Economics; Economic Growth; Growth and Development Strategy; Industry Clusters; Business and Government Relations; Competition; China; Singapore

Citation

Educators

Purchase

20 Sep 2022
Research & Ideas

How Partisan Politics Play Out in American Boardrooms

and Florida) or “blue” and liberal (California, New York, and Massachusetts), and boardrooms in various states reflect the same geographic pattern. The researchers observed more clustering of Democrats on executive teams in blue states... View Details

Keywords: by Pamela Reynolds

20 Oct 2010
Op-Ed

Export Competitiveness: Reversing the Logic

Dierx, Viktoria Kovacs, Nuno Sousa (2007), Steps towards a deeper economic integration: the Internal Market in the 21st century, Economic Papers. 271. European Commission, Brussels: January 2007. Ketels, Christian (2010), Cluster Policy:... View Details

Keywords: by Christian Ketels

Research Summary

Managing the Advantages and Tradeoffs of Collaborative Structures

By: Ethan S. Bernstein

To solve complex problems, organizations must both collect facts and use them to solve problems. In one study, my coauthors and I show that increased connectivity—measured as network... View Details

Keywords: Networks; Human Behavior; Performance; Virtual Work; Hybrid Work; Office Space; Workplace Design; Communication; Social and Collaborative Networks; Behavior; Organizational Design; Organizational Structure; Leadership; Management

25 Mar 2019
Research & Ideas

The Secret Life of Supply Chains

have the inputs, including the workforce,” says Mills. The findings also argue for policies that encourage clustering of supplier companies and buyers to magnify innovation, and creating more access to capital for suppliers. “When we talk... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Manufacturing; Service

Research Summary

Overview

By: Feng Zhu

Professor Zhu’s research focuses on the design of platform business models and its impact on platform performance. Platforms have become central to our economy. A platform is a product or service that enables two or more customer groups to interact. For example,... View Details

23 Jul 2001
Research & Ideas

How One Center of Innovation Lost its Spark

the downsides of the cluster phenomenon. After the French tire maker Michelin introduced radial tire technology—which in effect doubled a tire's useful life—Akron tire companies quickly began to lose their edge. The Akron firms faltered... View Details

Keywords: by Donald Sull; Manufacturing; Transportation; Auto

24 Jun 2008
First Look

First Look: June 24, 2008

http://89.96.193.118/book/9780750685528/loch-christoph-h/handbook-new-product.html Industrial Specialization and Regional Clusters in the Ten New EU Member States Authors: Orjan Solvell, Christian H.M. Ketels, and Goran Lindqvist... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

12 Sep 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, September 12, 2017

actions with social or future benefits. Download working paper: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=53178 A Historical Approach to Clustering in Emerging Economies By: Giacomin, Valeria Abstract—Clusters are defined as... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

29 Nov 2004
Research & Ideas

Caves, Clusters, and Weak Ties: The Six Degrees World of Inventors

cave—if you have a collection of caves within reach of each other—know other members of other caves, and it's this combination of a tight, local clustering with an occasional weak, distant tie to other clusters, that is the essence of a... View Details

Keywords: by Sara Grant; Publishing

30 Jul 2013
First Look

First Look: July 30

https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/download.aspx?name=13-052.pdf Clusters and the New Growth Path for Europe By: Ketels, Christian, and Sergiy Protsiv Abstract—This paper outlines elements of a conceptual framework that clarifies the role... View Details

Keywords: Anna Secino

2019
Chapter

Spatial Agglomeration and Superstar Firms: Firm-level Patterns from Europe and U.S.

By: Laura Alfaro, Maggie X. Chen and Harald Fadinger

We characterize the agglomeration patterns of industries and plants in Europe, distinguishing Eurozone countries and the United States. Using a micro-level index, we quantify the degree of geographic concentration in industrial activities and explore how firm... View Details

Keywords: Agglomeration; Patterns; Industry Clusters; Europe; United States

Citation

20 Aug 2019
Working Paper Summaries

Spatial Agglomeration and Superstar Firms: Firm-level Patterns from Europe and US

Keywords: by Laura Alfaro, Maggie X. Chen, and Harald Fadinger

10 Dec 2013
First Look

First Look: December 10

Geographic Clusters By: Alcácer, Juan, and Minyuan Zhao Abstract—This paper takes a close look at the reasons, procedures, and results of cluster identification methods. Despite being a popular research... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

16 Sep 2015
Keynote Speech

Revitalizing Inner Cities: The Strategic Agenda (Video)

By: Michael E. Porter

Video of Keynote presentation at the Inner City Economic Summit, Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, Detroit, MI View Details

Keywords: Economic Development; Urban Development; Economics; Industry Clusters; United States

Citation

07 Nov 2006
First Look

First Look: November 7, 2006

administrative, cultural, and corporate capital of the Ruhr, Germany's industrial heartland of smoke, coal, and steel. Art became a source of competitiveness. Through creative cooperative efforts, which we could call cluster activities... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

10 Jun 2014
First Look

First Look: June 10

Convergence, and Economic Performance By: Delgado, Mercedes, Michael E. Porter, and Scott Stern Abstract—This paper evaluates the role of regional cluster composition in regional industry performance. On the one hand, diminishing returns... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne