2. Cluster-Based Strategies for Resilience and Inclusivity
Mercedes Delgado, MIT
TCI 2018, Institute for Competitiveness & Prosperity
October 16-18, 2018
3. Outline:
Cluster-Based Strategies for Resilience and Inclusivity
• Mapping clusters to identify comparative advantages
• Clusters and resilience to economic shocks
• Clusters and inclusivity in job creation
5. Industry Clusters are Everywhere
A cluster is a geographical concentration of related industries and firms connected
through various types of linkages and spillovers and supporting institutions
Distribution & E-Commerce in Hangzhou
Medical Devices in MinneapolisAutomotive in Indianapolis
ICT in Christchurch NZ
6. What Makes a Good Cluster?
• A set of related industries versus specialization in one narrow industry
• Industries and firms related by various types of links
• Input-Output
• Labor occupations and skills
• Knowledge/technology
• Many clustered firms that compete and cooperate
• Startup and Incumbent
• Small and Large
• Domestic and Foreign
• Support Institutions: Finance, Universities, Chamber of Commerce, and
Innovation Spaces (co-working, industrial parks, accelerators, labs)
7. What Types of Industries are Geographically Concentrated?
Traded versus Local
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
1 179
Hospitals (Local Industry)
Surgical and Medical Instrument
(Traded Industry)
Specialization of Industry in a Region
(Location Quotient based on Employment)
Regions (179 Economic Areas in the U.S.)
8. How Important is the Traded Economy?
• In the traded economy, wages, patenting, and STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering and Math) jobs are much higher than in the local economy
• What happens within the traded economy?: Define traded clusters
Traded vs. Local Share of the U.S. Economy
EMPLOYMENT
INCOME
PATENTS
36% 64%
51% 49%
91%
10%90%
9%
STEM
9. Defining Clusters of Related Industries: Cluster Analysis
• To define clusters, we use cluster analysis: numerical methods to classify
similar objects (industries) into groups (Everitt et al., 2011)
• Creates groups (clusters) in such a way that objects (industries) in the same
group are more similar among themselves than to those in other groups
Biopharmaceuticals Cluster
Medicinal and
Botanical
Pharmaceutical
Preparation
Biological Product
(except Diagnostic)
In-Vitro Diagnostic
Substance
Surgical & Medical
Instrument
Surgical Supplies
Optical Instrument & Lens
Ophthalmic Goods
Dental Equipment & Supplies
Medical Devices Cluster
Source: Delgado/Porter/Stern (2016)
10. Benchmark Cluster: Medical Devices
Source: Delgado/Porter/Stern (2016)
NAICS
5 Industries Industry Name
Within Cluster Relatednessic
Rank
(1 = best)
Score
333314 Optical Instrument and Lens 1 1.97
339115 Ophthalmic Goods 1 2.48
339112 Surgical and Medical Instrument 1 2.18
339113 Surgical Appliance and Supplies 1 2.34
339114 Dental Equipment and Supplies 1 1.61
Description: Establishments in this cluster primarily manufacture surgical, medical, dental,
optical, ophthalmic, and veterinary instruments and supplies.
Within Cluster Relatedness:
industries ranked best in this
group than in any other group
12. Portfolio of 51 Traded Clusters and their Connections
Note: Delgado/Porter/Stern (2016). Clusters with solid lines are highly related (dark line=stronger relatedness).
Dotted lines are the next closest clusters.
15. Amazon’s HQ in Seattle Exploits Agglomerations
Cities Specialized in Information Technology Clusters, 2015
Seattle, WA
• Metro Areas with Dual Specialization in Production & Innovation have 55% of IT patents
• Seattle (and neighboring cities) is highly specialized in IT
• About 2,300 patents and 70,000 jobs (5% of IT patents and 6% of IT jobs)
• Amazon had +1,000 patents granted in 2015, +80% concentrated in the West
• 45% in Seattle WA, 23% in Bremerton WA, 14% in San Jose, CA
Delgado (2018)
16. HQ2 Candidate Cities are Specialized
IT, Distribution & e-Commerce, or Communications Equip. & Services
16
17. HQ2 Candidate Cities with IT Cluster Specialization, 2015
Specialized in all 3 clusters: IT, Distribution and e-Commerce, and Communication Equip. and Services.
Employment specialization in IT and Communications Equip. & Services clusters.
Employment specialization in IT and Distribution & e-Commerce clusters.
Average IT wages (e.g., 201K in Seattle)
Delgado (2018) and US Cluster Mapping Project.
Los Angeles CA
$105
New York, NY
$115
Philly, PA
$130
Boston MA
$113
Raleigh, NC
$106
Seattle, WA
$201K
Austin TX
$109
Dallas TX
$115
19. Clusters Matters for Economic Performance
Growth in Startup Activity
Source: Delgado/Porter/Stern (2010, 2014).
Delgado/Porter (2017).
Delgado/Zeuli (2016).
CLUSTER
ENVIRONMENT
Within a Cluster
Related Clusters
Neighboring Clusters
Industries that are part of a strong cluster environment register higher growth
in jobs, startup activity (employment and count of startups), innovation, and
resilience to economic shocks.
Growth in Innovation
Resilience to Economic Shocks
Inclusivity in Jobs
20. Do Clusters Matter for the Resilience of their Regional Industries?
• Cluster theory suggests agglomeration arises across related economic units
(Marshall, 1920; Porter, 1990, 1998)
• Empirical approach: If clusters matter for mitigating shocks, then a regional
industry located in a ‘strong’ cluster will grow relatively faster during the
recession period (as compared to industries in weak clusters)
Surgical & Medical
Instrument
Surgical Supplies
Optical Instrument & Lens
Dental Equip. & Supplies
Ophthalmic Goods
Medical Devices Cluster
Strong
Surgical & Medical
Instrument
Medical Devices Cluster
Weak
21. Same Industry in two Regions:
Who was Resilient to the Great Recession?
Medical Devices Cluster
Madison-Baraboo, WI
Surgical Supplies
Dental Equipment &
Supplies
Ophthalmic Goods
Medical Devices Cluster
Salt Lake City, UT
Surgical & Medical
Instrument
Surgical & Medical
Instrument
Annual Employment Growth of
Surgical & Medical Instrument Industry
Medical Devices Cluster
Recovery
2007-2009
(Great Recession)
2009-2011 Ratio of Employment2011
to Employment2006
Salt Lake City, UT 5% 6% 1.11
Madison-Baraboo, WI -31% -6% 0.93
22. • Using all industries, clusters and regions, we find a positive relationship between
the annual employment growth of industries and the strength of their clusters
during the full business cycle, and specially during the crisis (2007-2008)
Estimated Effect of Cluster Specialization on
Region-Industry Annual Employment Growth, 2003-2011
0.000
0.020
0.040
0.060
0.080
0.100
0.120
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Fig 1: Clusters of Related Industries
-0.020
0.000
0.020
0.040
0.060
0.080
0.100
0.120
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
No Effect!
Fig 2: Random Clusters of Unrelated Industries
Source: Delgado/Porter, 2017.
Related vs. Unrelated Industries Mitigate Economic Crises
24. Supply Chain vs. B2C Industries
Delgado and Mills (2017). MIT Sloan Research Paper No. 5241-16
• Supply Chain (SC) industries sell their output primarily to other businesses:
e.g., semiconductors, engineering services, cloud computing
• B2C industries sell primarily to personal consumers
e.g., food, apparel
• SC industries are more likely to develop inter-firm, inter-industry links
• They produce inputs and have more (downstream) industry links
• SC industries are more vulnerable to crisis (face more uncertainty)
No. Industries 779
Employment 42M
Growth 2007-2009 -3.1%
No. Industries 64% No. Industries 36%
Employment 62% Employment 38%
Growth 2007-2009 -4.3% Growth 2007-2009 -1.2%
All Traded Industries, 2012
Supply Chain Business-to-Consumer
25. Supply Chain Industries are More Resilient In Clusters
• New finding: SC industries experienced greater cluster effects than B2C during the
whole business cycle and, especially, during the recession
• This suggests that inter-firm, inter-industry links matter especially for resilience
Estimated Effect of Cluster Specialization on EA-Industry Annual Employment Growth, 2003-11
SC Industry: Coef. of Ln Cluster Spec B2C Industry: Coef. of Ln Cluster Spec
26. How to Improve Resilience to Economic Crises?
• Avoid diversity of unrelated industries
• Avoid industry specialization: Large industries in weak clusters are very
vulnerable
• Instead, improve the breadth of existing and emerging clusters
• Why do clusters matter during an economic crisis?
• Pooling resources (skills, knowledge) among related and co-located industries
• Collaboration between proximate suppliers and buyers
• Presence of many firms that compete in related but distinct markets
• These benefits are particularly important when industries face uncertainty
28. The Distribution of Economic Success is Uneven
Inner Cities and Small Cities are in Distressed
• Inner cities are economically distressed parts of a city (unemployment, poverty)
• 30 million people live in inner cities in the U.S. in 2011 (10% of population)
• Do clusters matter for job growth in Inner Cities and Small Cities?
• Cons: lower skills, smaller size, and worse social conditions
• Pros: high density of population and employment, and proximity to the city
Inner City Central City MSA
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson
MSA
Delgado and Zeuli (2016), Economic Development Quarterly.
29. Mapping Inner City and Surrounding Region
Indianapolis, Indiana: Inner City (IC), Central City (CC) and MSA
• Inner City Central City Metro Area (MSA)
• The inner city belongs to the Indianapolis Central City that belongs to the
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson MSA
• We measure the presence of a cluster in the 3 mutually exclusive geographies:
IC (green area), the surrounding CC (grey area) and the rest of the MSA (orange area)
Inner City Central City MSA
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis-Carmel-
Anderson MSA
30. Connected: Strong in Boston Inner City & City
Weak in Boston Inner City, Strong in City
Down-
stream
Chemicals
Biopharma
Leather
Printing
Services
Performing
Arts
Hospitality
& Tourism
Aerospace
Plastics
Distribution
& eComm.
Fishing &
Fishing
Products
Production
Environ-
mental
Services
Plastics
Construction
Downstream
Metals
Comm-
unications
Equip. &
Services
Video
Production
Business
Services
Music &
Sound
Recording
Delgado and Zeuli (2016). ICIC and US Cluster Mapping Project.
Boston Inner City and its City (Central City and the MSA). Strong (Specialized).
Boston Inner City Connectivity to Strong Clusters in the City
Education &
Knowledge
Creation
Marketing
Services
Insurance
Services
Financial
Services
IT &
Analytical
Instruments
Medical
Devices
Recreation
& Electric
Goods
Lighting
Jewelry &
Precious
Metals
Inner City Central City
31. Inclusive Prosperity by Connecting Micro Areas to Regional Clusters
Strong Clusters in Indianapolis, Indiana EA and in its Micro Areas
Mapping the cluster composition of a region and its small cities to inform policy:
• The Indianapolis Economic Area contains 12 Micropolitan Areas
• A connected Micro Area specializes in clusters that are strong in the nearby EA
• Regional clusters vary in their connectivity to Micro Areas: Automotive vs. Biopharma
• Micro Areas vary in their connectivity to clusters in the surrounding Indianapolis EA
There are many opportunities to develop firm and people networks
across nearby cities and their clusters in ways that creates inclusive prosperity
Biopharma Medical
Devices
Auto Production
Tech
Metalworking
Tech
Plastics Upstream
Metal Mfg
Environmental
Svc
Distribution
& eComm.
Printing
Svc
Coal
Mining
Micro Areas in
Indianapolis EA
Bedford, IN Connected Connected Connected Connected
Connersville, IN Connected Connected Connected Connected
Crawfordsville, IN Connected Connected Connected Connected
Frankfort, IN Connected Connected Connected
Greensburg, IN Connected
Logansport, IN Connected Connected Connected
New Castle, IN Connected
North Vernon, IN Connected Connected Connected
Peru, IN Connected Connected
Richmond, IN Connected Connected Connected
Seymour, IN Connected Connected Connected Connected
Vincennes, IN Connected
32. IC-Industry growth is Higher in Connected Clusters
Y=IC-Industry Employment Growth, 2003-11 (N=35,641)
Ln IC-Industry Employment2003 -0.259**
(0.009)
Strong/Weak Cluster Specialization in Inner City (IC), Central City (CC) and MSA (r1, r2,r3):
IC-Strong & CC-Strong &MSA-Strong 0.374**
(0.030)
IC-Strong & CC-Strong &MSA-Weak 0.366**
(0.040)
IC-Strong & CC-Weak & MSA-Strong 0.254**
(0.028)
IC-Strong & CC-Weak & MSA-Weak 0.173**
(0.021)
IC-Weak & CC-Strong & MSA-Strong 0.190**
(0.049)
IC-Weak & CC-Strong & MSA-Weak 0.116*
(0.065)
IC-Weak & CC-Weak & MSA-Strong 0.086**
(0.029)
The Omitted dummy is IC-Weak & CC-Weak & MSA-Weak
Industry FEs (755 industries) Yes
IC FEs (327 ICs) Yes
R-Squared 0.234
33. Connecting to Compete
Policies to Integrate Distressed Places into their Regions
What not to do: Generic policies or ‘best practices’
• Policies to attract any type of firms may not be effective.
• Choosing generic clusters (e.g., ‘high-tech’ clusters or ‘Artificial Intelligence’ clusters) and
What to do: Tailored policies to improve the ability to connect places to their nearby
clusters
• Step 1: Map the cluster composition of the region and its cities (industries, firms, people)
• Step 2: Develop initiatives to connect the IC to the nearby clusters:
• STEM skills needed by the regional clusters
• Supply chain services: e.g., logistical, design and engineering services (Delgado/Mills, 2018)
• Capital & social infrastructure that increases the circulation of ideas, people, goods and services
35. Selected References
• Delgado, M., 2018, “Firms in Context: Internal and External Drivers of Success,” in GL. Clark, M.
Feldman, M. Gertler, and D. Wójcik, (eds.), New Oxford Handbook of Economic Geography.
• Delgado, M. and K. Mills, 2018, The Supply Chain Economy and The Future of Good Jobs in
America, HBR.org.
• Delgado, M., 2018, “The Co-location of Innovation and Production in Regional Clusters.” DRUID
Working Paper.
• Delgado, M., M.E. Porter, and S. Stern, 2010, “Clusters and Entrepreneurship,” Journal of Economic
Geography 10(4), 495–518.
• Delgado, M., M.E. Porter, and S. Stern, 2014, “Clusters, Convergence, and Economic Performance,”
Research Policy 43(10), 1785–99.
• Delgado, M., M.E. Porter, and S. Stern, 2016, “Defining Clusters of Related Industries,” Journal of
Economic Geography 16(1), 1–38.
• Delgado, M. and M.E. Porter, 2017, “Clusters and the Great Recession,” Working Paper.
• Delgado, M. and K. Zeuli, 2016, “Clusters and Regional Performance: Implications for Inner Cities,”
Economic Development Quarterly 30 (2), 117–136.
• Porter, M.E., 1997, “New Strategies for Inner-City Economic Development,” Economic
Development Quarterly 11, 11-27.
• Porter, M.E., 1998, On Competition, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA.
• Porter, M.E., 2003, “The Economic Performance of Regions,” Regional Studies 37, 549–78.