Local industrial clusters have attracted much attention in the recenteconomic and geographical literature. A huge number of case studies have beenconducted. This paper presents a meta-analysis of the case studies of 159 localindustrial clusters in various countries and industries. Based on an...

A stochastic model of the evolution of the firm population in a regionand industry is developed. This model is used to make predictions about theexpected probability distribution of the firm number in regions and their dynamics.Data on the spatial distribution of firms in Germany is used to...

This paper studies the frequency of observing a certain number offirms or employees in a region for a given industry. Various predictions for thesefrequencies are deduced from theoretical considerations. Then, the empirical distri-butions of 198 industries in Germany are analysed. It is found...

This essay argues that economic systems should be defined in terms of clusters ofcomplementary institutions. To show how such an approach can be carried out, I use acluster analysis technique and data on forty different economic institutions in OECDnations to isolate four quite different...

Entry into an industry often clusters in regions where the industry is already concentrated,which is suggestive of agglomeration economies. Regional public research activities mayexert another attracting force on entrants into science-based industries. Empirically theseproximity effects are...