Clustering Dynamics and the Location of High-Tech-Firms

The book presents a comprehensive analysis of the process of high-tech firms clustering from a theoretical and empirical perspective. The theoretical analysis shows the effects of geographical and agglomeration factors on firms' location decisions and demonstrates that critical mass and carrying capacity are crucial phenomena in the "life cycle" of the cluster. The empirical analysis, based on an original database of four OECD countries, measures the effects of scale versus agglomeration economies and of inter-industrie synergy versus inter-cluster competition on the growth path of the cluster. The analysis points to some policy implications on high-tech cluster development and science parks' planning and supervision