Laggard Clusters as Slow Learners, Emerging Clusters as Locus of Knowledge Cohesion and Exclusion

The paper adopts sociometric analysis to explore the process of knowledge acquisition and diffusion in clusters of firms. By comparing the knowledge systems of two clusters selected for being at different stages of their development path, this study shows that the knowledge system of the laggard cluster is weak, highly disconnected and vulnerable, while in the case of the emerging, dynamic cluster, the knowledge system is characterized by a more connected yet uneven knowledge acquisition and distribution process.