Asian Industrial Clusters, Global Competitiveness and New Policy Initiatives

This book provides a comprehensive overview of what Asian industrial clusters might teach us. At a time when the dynamics of the worlds economy are increasingly being influenced by developments in Asia, the question takes on a particular relevance because of the explosion of clusters throughout the region; and because of the different models which can be seen developing in the various countries.Based on robust empirical studies and interviews conducted in each country, the studies collected in this book were initially presented at an international workshop at the Institute of Human Sciences, Lyon. These studies explore the emergence of new clusters in China and Thailand, the transformation of traditional systems of activity into new linkages ready for global production in Vietnam and Thailand, the creation of agglomerations of specialised suppliers in Malaysia, and the development of new poles of competitiveness and the creation of scientific knowledge clusters in Japan.The wide range of case studies in this collection offers a rich store of theoretical and practical lessons for analysts, policy-makers and economists. The book will also be a useful guide for graduate students as well as researchers in economics, sociology and political studies.