Page - (000175) - in Knowledge and Networks

169© The Author(s) 2017 J. Glückler et al. (eds.), Knowledge and Networks, Knowledge and Space 11, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-45023-0_9 Chapter 9 Topology and Evolution of Collaboration Networks: The Case of a Policy-Anchored District Laura Prota, Maria Prosperina Vitale, and Maria Rosaria D’Esposito Despite all the increased mobility of capital, goods, and labor, modern globalization has failed to produce a placeless market economy. Contrary to expectations, local differences have radically emerged, creating uneven economic landscapes (Amin & Thrift, 1995). Regions and localities increasingly compete to attract and retain resources through innovation (Cooke, 2005; Cooke, Uranga, & Etxebarria, 1997; Morgan, 2007). Innovation, from this perspective, is intended as a collaborative process linking science, technology, industries, and institutions within a coherent system able to produce positive spillovers and favor systemic learning (Asheim, Smith, & Oughton, 2011; Morgan, 2007). From a theoretical point of view, these interactions are likely to produce vital regional innovation systems with enhanced potential for growth (Doloreux & Parto, 2004). The industrial-cluster model proposed by Porter represented a first concrete example of this process of systemic learning. Since Porter’s conceptualization (Porter, 1998), clusters have become a flagship model for innovation all over the world, inspir- ing policies in Europe and other OECD countries at all levels as well as in emerging economies. As clusters were replicated and sustained by public policies, there emerged an array of diverse empirical applications reflecting different aims, gover- nance, institutions, and composition. According to Martin and Sunley (2003), how- ever, this organizational variety made the very meaning of the cluster concept vague and pointless, calling for a detailed classification of experiences and practices. L. Prota (*) • M.P. Vitale • M.R. D’Esposito Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, I-84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy e-mail: laura_p@fastmail.fm; mvitale@unisa.it; mdesposito@unisa.it