Development on the ground: clusters, networks and regions in emerging economies

The book has gathered together a series of outstanding essays by academics and policy experts from around the world to show how the theory of local economic development (as formulated in more economically advanced countries) has major significance for countries in the world periphery. These essays present a general conceptual discussion of the role of clusters, networks and regions in the growth and development of low-and-middle-income countries, focusing specifically on such diverse issues as the role of technology and labour markets in local economic development, regional dynamics in mixed economies, the logic of value chains, the effects of globalization on cities and regions in the world periphery, and the possibilities and limitations of cluster-based strategies of economic development. Exploring various countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, the essays suggest that development is not only a function of macroeconomic processes, but also proceeds from the ground up via the emergence of localized clusters of production and their associated socio-economic infrastructures. The results of the research will be useful to policy makers as a guide to understanding and dealing with a wide diversity of development issues, as well as to scholars seeking new analytical approaches to these issues.