Re-Post on Clusters by Joe Cortright

I continue to find many people perplexed about the whole "cluster thing." For those looking for a good overview of what we are trying to do in this arena, read the article by Joe Cortright on the subject.

Here is a starting summary:

In recent years, "cluster strategies" have become a popular economic development approach among state and local policymakers and economic development practitioners. An industry cluster is a group of firms, and related economic actors and institutions, that are located near one another and that draw productive advantage from their mutual proximity and connections. Cluster analysis can help diagnose a region's economic strengths and challenges and identify realistic ways to shape the region's economic future. Yet many policymakers and practitioners have only a limited understanding of what clusters are and how to build economic development strategies around them.

Download the article here.