The Competitiveness of Clusters in Globalized Markets: Implications for Regional Development

The debate on the competitiveness of local and regional clusters in the current globalized markets is a priority as globalization puts pressure on such production systems and forces them to find new ways of competition and sustainability. Many traditional clusters may be constrained by the growth of transnational value chains and production networks that benefit from cheap resources and workforce as well as softer regulations that may be reaped in other parts of the world. This situation is even more palpable with the internationalization of innovation networks that may replace the former relevant regional and national innovation systems. This volume discusses the features of successful clusters and the threats and opportunities they currently face in such a globalized environment and offers some perspectives and solutions to sustain the resilience of local and regional production systems. This book was published as a special issue of European Planning Systems.