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| Cluster Initiative Greenbook | |
|---|---|
| Title | Cluster Initiative Greenbook |
| Author | OECD and European Commission |
| Country | International |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Industrial clusters, regional development, innovation policy |
| Publisher | OECD Publishing; European Commission |
| Pub date | 2001 |
Cluster Initiative Greenbook
The Cluster Initiative Greenbook is a handbook developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the European Commission that articulates a framework for designing, implementing, and evaluating regional industrial policy interventions through cluster initiatives. It synthesizes best practices from programs associated with the European Union, the World Bank, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and national agencies such as BUSINESSEUROPE and Enterprise Ireland. The Greenbook has informed initiatives linked to the Lisbon Strategy, the European Regional Development Fund, and bilateral programs involving the United States Agency for International Development.
The Greenbook provides practitioners with an operational taxonomy, project cycle guidance, and evaluation criteria for cluster initiatives used in contexts like DG REGIO funding, Interreg projects, and OECD Local Job Creation strategies. It targets policymakers, intermediaries, and stakeholders active in networks such as EUREKA, MANUFUTURE, European Cluster Alliance, and national cluster programs in countries including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and Finland. The publication situates cluster initiatives within broader policy mixes including instruments promoted by the World Economic Forum and frameworks applied by multilateral lenders such as the International Finance Corporation.
The Greenbook emerged from co-operation between the OECD LEED Programme, the European Commission's Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme, and regional offices involved in post-socialist transition work in Central and Eastern Europe. It drew on case studies from flagship initiatives like Silicon Fen, Pistoia Alliance, Pôle de compétitivité, and cluster programmes in Andalusia and Bavaria. Influences included research from academic centres such as Harvard Kennedy School, London School of Economics, and INSEAD, and policy dialogues convened at forums like the World Bank Group and the OECD Forum. Iterations incorporated feedback from projects funded under the Structural Funds and operational lessons from public–private partnerships exemplified by Business Cluster Development Programme models.
The Greenbook prescribes a phased methodology covering diagnosis, stakeholder mobilisation, strategic planning, governance design, implementation, and monitoring. It recommends tools such as cluster mapping inspired by Michael Porter’s work and value-chain analysis related to UNIDO approaches, combined with governance architectures drawing on models used by Chambers of Commerce, Industrial Associations, and regional development agencies like Saxony Economic Development Corporation. Evaluation protocols reference indicators used in OECD Innovation Strategy reports and impact assessment templates similar to those adopted by European Investment Bank operations.
Core concepts include cluster specialisation, critical mass, collective efficiency, and innovation systems, framed with references to paradigms from Porter-influenced cluster literature and evolutionary economics debates associated with Richard Nelson and Bengt-Åke Lundvall. Principles emphasize stakeholder inclusivity (firms, research institutions like Max Planck Society and CNRS, vocational actors such as Fachhochschule colleges), facilitation roles played by intermediary organisations like Tekes and SERN, and mechanisms for public support consistent with World Trade Organization rules and European Commission state aid guidance.
Practical applications described in the Greenbook encompass initiatives in sectors such as biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, information and communications technology, and creative industries. Representative cases include cluster development in Cambridge (UK), Medicon Valley, Lombardy, and Basque Country, along with projects supported by European Structural Investment Funds and technical assistance from organisations like the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Implementation guidance addresses legal forms (consortia, foundations, associations), financing mixes involving venture capital actors, public procurement instruments, and capacity-building partnerships with universities like Technical University of Munich and Politecnico di Milano.
The Greenbook influenced successive policy frameworks including regional strategies linked to the Europe 2020 agenda and informed cluster benchmarking exercises by the European Cluster Observatory and the Global Cluster Initiative Survey. Critics from scholars associated with Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society and practitioners from NGOs have argued that some Greenbook prescriptions risk promoting one-size-fits-all templates, privileging incumbent firms over nascent entrepreneurs, or insufficiently addressing social inclusion concerns emphasised by ILO policy analysts. Debates also reference tensions highlighted in comparative studies by OECD Reviews of Regional Innovation.
Extensions and complementary instruments include the European Cluster Collaboration Platform, the Cluster Mapping Project in the United States, the Global Innovation Index indicators, toolkit publications by UNIDO and the International Labour Organization, and software platforms used for cluster analytics developed by private firms collaborating with research centres like Fraunhofer Society. The Greenbook’s methodologies have been integrated into training modules offered by institutions such as the European Institute of Innovation and Technology and regional development agencies employing monitoring dashboards used by the European Investment Bank.
Category:Publications by the OECD Category:European Commission publications