This paper has two main objectives. First, it aims at briefly reviewing the concept of Regional Innovation System (RIS) as it has been proposed in the literature, and especially in light of the use that this notion has often had for policy purposes. Second, it reviews considerable empirical...

This presentation addresses the Inter-American Development Bank's approach to cluster projects in Latin America and the Caribbean, and presents lessons learned and challenges.

The literature on small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) finance highlights linkages with large firms in value chains as a possible way to enhance access to credit. However, much of the literature on value chains emphasizes issues of coordination and governance of those linkages and their...

Cluster development programs (CDPs) have been adopted widely in many countries worldwide. Many such programs aim to promote economic development by forming and strengthening inter-organizational networks. Despite their widespread diffusion, we know very little about CDP outputs or the impact...

National and local governments, international organizations and donors are increasingly using the instrument of cluster development programs (CDP) to promote economic development. This paper builds on the recent experiences of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in financing and executing...

Esta presentación ofrece una revisión de los asuntos relacionados con cadenas de valor y la productividad de empresas. El documento explica conceptos como innovación, "upgrading", competición, organización de negocios, oportunidades y rentas. Utilizando un análisis de varias teorías y...

This paper presents a retrospective review of several key areas of work of the Capital Markets and Financial Institutions Division (CMF) of the Inter-American Development Bank. Presented with each chapter as an independent piece, the paper analyzes the operations portfolio of CMF from 2006 to...

This article explores in depth the role of indigenous and foreign innovation efforts in technological change and catching up in emerging economies. It also looks at the interaction between indigenous and foreign innovation. The article presents original evidence and argues that, despite the...

This paper presents the theory of enterprise clusters and industrial districts, and contrasts it with the evidence of two productive agglomerations in the fashion sector in Colombia. The empirical evidence on Bucaramanga and Medellín, that host the largest groups of Colombian textile and...

Do the programs that aim to promote and develop industry clusters (also known as Cluster Development Programs, or CDP) work? Do they have an impact on enterprise development? This paper offers an insight into the methods that can help answer these fundamental questions through solid quantitative...