2007/08/24 by Henry Renski, HENRY RENSKI, JUN KOO +3 · 1 citation
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · #Global trade and economics #Regional Economics and Spatial Analysis #Spatial and Panel Data Analysis
paper · doi:10.1111/j.1468-2257.2007.00375.x
openalex publication_date 2007/08/24 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
ABSTRACT Regional analysts often identify industry clusters according to a single dimension of industrial interdependence, typically by trading patterns as revealed in national or regionalized input–output data. This is despite the fact that the theory underpinning regional industry cluster applications draws heavily on Marshall's theory of external economies, including the important role of labor pooling economies and knowledge spillovers in addition to spatially co‐located suppliers. This article investigates whether industry clusters identified based on trading relationships (value chain clusters) are meaningfully different in industrial composition and geography than those derived from an analysis of occupational employment requirements (labor‐based clusters). The results suggest that value chain linkages are a weak proxy for shared labor requirements, and vice versa.