ARE CLUSTERS VIABLE SOLUTIONS FOR LAGGING REGIONS? EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM CEE COUNTRIES

This paper discusses to what extent clusters can flourish and generate significant outputs for the lagging regions, aiming to point out criteria and classifications resulted from the international literature typologies of a particular relevance for the study of clustering phenomenon in such regions. Then, it concentrates on empirical evidence from various Central and East European countries, so as to provide some reflections on the most appropriate support policies for cluster development based on successful experiences recorded by less developed regions in these countries.