Policy Measures and their Effects in the Different Phases of the Cluster Life Cycle

B<sc>renner</sc> T. and S<sc>chlump</sc> C. Policy measures and their effects in the different phases of the cluster life cycle, <italic>Regional Studies</italic>. In recent years, policy measures have frequently been applied to clusters. This paper analyses whether different types of policy measures should be applied in different stages of the cluster life cycle. Two approaches are used to obtain answers to this question. First, insights are gathered from the existing literature on policy measures and evaluated. Second, a mathematical model is set up in order to examine the effects of various policy measures in the different life cycle phases. It is found that the adequate kind of policy measures depends on the cluster's current stage in its life cycle.