As more and more scholars and policy experts struggle to determine what makes a successful region (urban or otherwise), there is a growing interest in the notion of cluster strategies and how they may be best deployed. Basically, this economic development strategy states that a group of related firms or companies in close proximity can create a number of productive and competitive advantages for the region. Recently, Joseph Cortright of The Brookings Institution researched the academic literature on industry clusters, and subsequently released this compelling 66-page paper in March 2006. The paper begins with a review of the existing literature on the subject, then proceeds to discuss why they are relevant, and also includes a section on future research questions that might be asked by those interested in the field. As Cortright concludes, �"cluster research should evolve to become a creative and informative mixture of art and science.�
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