Abstract
Since Porter introduced his diamond model of industry clusters, clusters have become a mantra in economic development literature for many academics and professionals alike. There is, however, little consensus on how to define and identify industry clusters. Firms may co-locate looking for high quality suppliers, a large pool of skilled workers or local knowledge stock. Therefore, characteristics of industry clusters may differ according to the type of 'glue' that creates formal and informal ties and binds firms together. Most previous cluster studies investigated the first two factors, but knowledge still remains unexplored. This study presents an exploratory analysis of US industry clusters from the perspective of knowledge and its flows using a common data reduction technique and patent data. The study also examines geographical patterns of knowledge-based clusters in the US in terms of employment and patents. The analysis shows that the distributions of employment and patents are significantly associated. However, the degree of association varies cluster by cluster.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.