In The Capacity to Innovate, Sarah Giest provides insight into the collaborative and absorptive capacities needed to provide public support to local innovation through cluster organizations. The book offers a detailed view of the vertical, multi-level, and horizontal dynamics in clusters and cluster policy and addresses how they are managed and supported. Using the biotechnology field as an example, Giest highlights challenges in the collaborative efforts of public bodies, private companies, and research institutes to establish a successful ecosystem of innovation in this sector.

The book argues that cluster policy in collaboration with cluster organizations should focus on absorptive and collaborative capacity elements missing in the cluster context in order to improve performance. Currently, governments operate at different levels - from the local to the supranational - in order to support clusters, and cluster policies are often pursued alongside other programs, leading to uncoordinated efforts and ineffective cluster strategies. The Capacity to Innovate advocates for a coordinated effort by government and cluster organizations to support capacity elements lacking within the specific cluster context.

About the Author
Sarah Giest is an assistant professor in the Institute of Public Administration at Leiden University.

Reviews

"In the dense field of cluster research, it is challenging to come up with a new perspective on the topic. Yet Sarah Giest's recent publication, The Capacity to Innovate, does precisely that. It examines the process of cluster development from the novel lens of cluster management, deploying the concepts of collaborative and absorptive capacity to study the role of cluster managers in building, sustaining and expanding cluster development."

-- David A. Wolfe, University of Toronto * Regional Studies *



Book Information
ISBN 9781442650060
Author Sarah Giest
Format Hardback
Page Count 200
Imprint University of Toronto Press
Publisher University of Toronto Press
Weight(grams) 420g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 159mm * 13mm