Clusters - regional concentrations of related firms and organizations - are seen as being an important element of economic growth and innovation. But there is little understanding of how clusters come into existence, and little guidance provided on the role of policies that are conducive to the formation of clusters.

Cluster Genesis focuses on these early origins of clusters. The case histories of well-known, established clusters, as well as more recently-developed clusters are discussed, including:

- The Hollywood motion picture cluster,
- Silicon Valley,
- Boston and San Francisco biotech regions,
- The Biotech industry in China,
- Medicon Valley in Scandinavia,
- The Irish ITC sector.

Leading scholars contribute chapters examining cluster genesis, the divergent processes by which clusters arise, how multinationals contribute to cluster development, and how economic development policy may promote or hinder cluster genesis.

Cluster Genesis uses a variety of methodological perspectives, examines a range of policy options, and draws on a number of rich case histories, and will be key reading for academics, researchers, and students of Economics, Innovation, Sociology, Geography, and Management Studies, as well as economic development officials and policy makers.

About the Author:
Pontus Braunerhjelm earned his Ph.D. at the Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva, Switzerland, in 1994. His research centers around issues related to entrepreneurship, knowledge, localization and industrial dynamics and growth. His has published extensively in journals and also contributed to several books internationally published. In 2000 he participated in the CEPR Monitoring European Integration report (with co-authors R. Faini, V. Norman, F. Ruane and P. Seabright). Dr. Braunerhjelm is presently heading two larger research projects: One on endogenous growth and entrepreneurship and the other on microeconomic dynamics within Europe. He has been a regular participant in the 'wise men' group of economists that annually evaluates the Swedish economy and presents policy recommendations (SNS Economic Policy Group). Presently Pontus Brauerhjelm holds Leif Lundbad's chair in international business and entrepreneurship at The Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm.
Maryann Feldman is the Jeffery S. Skoll Chair in Technical Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Professor of Business Economics at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Prior to joining Rotman, Dr. Feldman held the position of Policy Director for Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering and prior to that she was a research scientist at the Institute on Policy Studies at the University. Dr. Feldman is on the Advisory Panel for the U.S. National Science Foundation's Program on Societal Dimensions of Engineering, Science and Technology. Her research and teaching interests focus on the areas of innovation, the commercialization of academic research and the factors that promote technological change and economic growth. A large part of Dr. Feldman's work concerns the geography of innovation - investigating the reasons why innovation clusters spatially and the mechanisms that support and sustain industrial clusters.