Overview

In The Capacity to Innovate, Sarah Giest provides insight into the collaborative and absorptive capacities needed to provide public support to local innovation through cluster organizations. The book offers a detailed view of the vertical, multi-level, and horizontal dynamics in clusters and cluster policy and addresses how they are managed and supported. Using the biotechnology field as an example, Giest highlights challenges in the collaborative efforts of public bodies, private companies, and research institutes to establish a successful ecosystem of innovation in this sector. The book argues that cluster policy in collaboration with cluster organizations should focus on absorptive and collaborative capacity elements missing in the cluster context in order to improve performance. Currently, governments operate at different levels from the local to the supranational in order to support clusters, and cluster policies are often pursued alongside other programs, leading to uncoordinated efforts and ineffective cluster strategies. The Capacity to Innovate advocates for a coordinated effort by government and cluster organizations to support capacity elements lacking within the specific cluster context.

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9781442650060

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Reviews

In the dense field of cluster research, it is challenging to come up with a new perspective on the topic. Yet Sarah Giest's recent publication, The Capacity to Innovate, does precisely that. It examines the process of cluster development from the novel lens of cluster management, deploying the concepts of collaborative and absorptive capacity to study the role of cluster managers in building, sustaining and expanding cluster development. -- David A. Wolfe, University of Toronto * <em>Regional Studies</em> *

Over the past thirty years, clusters have attracted the attention of an impressive number of scholars and policy makers. While we have gained significant knowledge about how clusters work, we know less about the functioning and impacts of cluster policies. The Capacity to Innovate contributes to such an understanding and will better inform a new breed of cluster policies for the future . - Elisa Giuliani, Professor, University of Pisa This book is a timely contribution focusing on the biotechnology sector through four in-depth case studies, in addition to presenting theoretically informed chapters and an international survey of cluster initiatives across different sectors. The result is highly relevant, recommended for policy makers, practitioners, and cluster managers, in addition to academics studying clusters. - Bjoern Asheim, Affiliated Professor at the Centre for Innovation Research (CIRCLE), Lund University This is a timely and highly relevant book. Focusing on 'capacity to innovate' Giest suggests a new framework for studying the effectiveness of cluster policy. It provides a fresh new angle about a long under-estimated question, namely, how can governments develop effective policy stimulating innovation in clusters. With good theoretical insights and solid empirical basis, this book will be useful for academics and cluster managers alike. - Susana Borras, Professor of Innovation and Governance, Copenhagen Business School

"""In the dense field of cluster research, it is challenging to come up with a new perspective on the topic. Yet Sarah Giest’s recent publication, The Capacity to Innovate, does precisely that. It examines the process of cluster development from the novel lens of cluster management, deploying the concepts of collaborative and absorptive capacity to study the role of cluster managers in building, sustaining and expanding cluster development."" -- David A. Wolfe, University of Toronto * <em>Regional Studies</em> *"

Author Information

Sarah Giest is an assistant professor in the Institute of Public Administration at Leiden University.

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