Building High-Tech Clusters
Silicon Valley and Beyond

Examines how clusters of industrial and technological innovation such as Silicon Valley get started.

Timothy Bresnahan (Edited by), Alfonso Gambardella (Edited by)

9780521827225, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 5 April 2004

382 pages
23.5 x 16 x 2 cm, 0.663 kg

Review of the hardback: 'By covering a wide range of cases around the world they can make meaningful comparisons and contrasts … a collection of essays with a clear purpose and in a coherent manner … is certainly a book worth reading and recommending.' Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy

This book was first published in 2004. National economic growth is fueled by the development of high technology clusters such as Silicon Valley. The contributors examine the founding of ten clusters that have been successful at an early stage of growth in information technology. Their key finding is that the economics of starting a cluster is very different from the positive feedback loop that sustains an established cluster. While 'nothing succeeds like success' in an established cluster, far more difficult, risky and unlikely are the initial conditions that give rise to successful clusters. The contributors find regularities in the start of the successful clusters studied, including Silicon Valley around 1964. These cases contain 'old economy' factors such as competencies, firm building capabilities, managerial skills, and connection to markets, more than the flamboyant 'new economy' factors that have been highlighted in prevailing years.

Preface
List of contributors
1. Introduction Timothy Bresnahan and Alfonso Gambardella
2. Learning the Silicon Valley way Gordon Moore and Kevin Davis
3. Israel's Silicon Wadi: the forces behind cluster formation Catherine de Fontenay and Erran Carmel
4. In the footsteps of Silicon Valley? Indian and Irish software in the international division of labor Ashish Arora, Alfonso Gambardella and Salvatore Torrisi
5. Agglomeration and growth: a study of the Cambridge hi-tech cluster Suma Athreye
6. Clusters, competition, and 'global players' in ICT markets: the case of Scandinavia John E. Richards
7. Taiwan's Hsinchu region: imitator and partner for Silicon Valley AnnaLee Saxenian
8. The role of government in regional technology development: the effects of public venture capital and science parks Scott Wallsten
9. Imitating Silicon Valley: regional comparisons of innovation activity based on venture capital flows Michael Horvath
10. Old economy inputs for new-economy outcomes: what have we learned? Timothy Bresnahan and Alfonso Gambardella
Index.

Subject Areas: Economic geography [RGCM], Economic history [KCZ], Political economy [KCP], Economics [KC], Sociology & anthropology [JH], Regional studies [GTB]