Localized creativity, small high-tech entrepreneurship, related innovation platforms, social capital embedded in dynamically open territorial communities and context-specific though continuously upgrading policy platforms are all means to face new challenges and to promote increased absorptive capacity within local and national territories. The contributors illustrate that these capabilities are much needed in the current globalized economy as a path towards sustainability and for creating new opportunities for their inhabitants. They analyze the challenges and development prospects of local/regional production systems internally, across territories, and in terms of their potential and territorial connectivity which can help exploit opportunities for proactive policy actions. This is increasingly relevant in the current climate, in which the balanced allocation of resources and opportunities, particularly for SMEs, cannot be expected to be the automatic result of the working of the market.

Exploring conceptual and methodological aspects, and documenting original accounts of innovative territories, this book will be of great interest to academics, students and researchers within the fields of economics, industrial organization, and technology and innovation.

Contributors: A. Amighini, C. Aragon, M.J. Aranguren, H. Bakhshi, P. Bianchi, A. Bravo-Biosca, F. Comptour, P. Cooke, J.R. Cuadrado-Roura, J.L. Curbelo, L. De Propris, M. Delgado, A. Eriksson, S. Franco Rodriguez, J.J. Gibaja Martins, P. Gratzke, C. Iturrioz, J. Karlsen, C. Ketels, S. Labory, M. Landabaso, M. Larrea, L. Lazzeretti, B. MacAulay, A. Murciego Alonso, M. Navarro Arancegui, M.D. Parrilli, M. Perlo Cohen, R. Rabellotti, A. Rodriguez-Pose, M. Sanfilippo, A. Saxenian, A. Vazquez Barquero, S. Westlake, J.R. Wilson, F. Zhang

The debate on the competitiveness of local and regional clusters in the current globalized markets is a priority as globalization puts pressure on such production systems and forces them to find new ways of competition and sustainability. Many traditional clusters may be constrained by the growth of transnational value chains and production networks that benefit from cheap resources and workforce as well as softer regulations that may be reaped in other parts of the world. This situation is even more palpable with the internationalization of innovation networks that may replace the former relevant regional and national innovation systems. This volume discusses the features of successful clusters and the threats and opportunities they currently face in such globalized environment and offers some perspectives and solutions to sustain the resilience of local and regional production systems.

This book was published as a special issue of European Planning Systems.

Localized creativity, small high-tech entrepreneurship, related innovation platforms, social capital embedded in dynamically open territorial communities and context-specific though continuously upgrading policy platforms are all means to face new challenges and to promote increased absorptive capacity within local and national territories. The contributors illustrate that these capabilities are much needed in the current globalized economy as a path towards sustainability and for creating new opportunities for their inhabitants. They analyze the challenges and development prospects of local/regional production systems internally, across territories, and in terms of their potential and territorial connectivity which can help exploit opportunities for proactive policy actions. This is increasingly relevant in the current climate, in which the balanced allocation of resources and opportunities, particularly for SMEs, cannot be expected to be the automatic result of the working of the market.

Exploring conceptual and methodological aspects, and documenting original accounts of innovative territories, this book will be of great interest to academics, students and researchers within the fields of economics, industrial organization, and technology and innovation.

Contributors: A. Amighini, C. Aragon, M.J. Aranguren, H. Bakhshi, P. Bianchi, A. Bravo-Biosca, F. Comptour, P. Cooke, J.R. Cuadrado-Roura, J.L. Curbelo, L. De Propris, M. Delgado, A. Eriksson, S. Franco Rodriguez, J.J. Gibaja Martins, P. Gratzke, C. Iturrioz, J. Karlsen, C. Ketels, S. Labory, M. Landabaso, M. Larrea, L. Lazzeretti, B. MacAulay, A. Murciego Alonso, M. Navarro Arancegui, M.D. Parrilli, M. Perlo Cohen, R. Rabellotti, A. Rodriguez-Pose, M. Sanfilippo, A. Saxenian, A. Vazquez Barquero, S. Westlake, J.R. Wilson, F. Zhang

The debate on the competitiveness of local and regional clusters in the current globalized markets is a priority as globalization puts pressure on such production systems and forces them to find new ways of competition and sustainability. Many traditional clusters may be constrained by the growth of transnational value chains and production networks that benefit from cheap resources and workforce as well as softer regulations that may be reaped in other parts of the world. This situation is even more palpable with the internationalization of innovation networks that may replace the former relevant regional and national innovation systems. This volume discusses the features of successful clusters and the threats and opportunities they currently face in such globalized environment and offers some perspectives and solutions to sustain the resilience of local and regional production systems.

This book was published as a special issue of European Planning Systems.