How the practice of clustering shapes cluster emergence

摘要

How successful clusters emerge remains unclear. The paper investigates how the exercise of system-level agency contributes to cluster emergence. It applies a practice perspective and finds that system-level agency is enabled by the 'practice of clustering': a recurring set of coordinated and future-oriented activities through which regional actors collectively attempt to restructure the regional context to support cluster emergence better. The findings suggest that the specific practice of clustering that takes root in a given region helps explain why some nascent agglomerations develop into a functioning and viable cluster, while others do not.