Cluster Renewal : complex Processes in Two Agricultural Engineering Clusters of North-Western Germany

Abstract

This cumulative thesis contributes to the recent discussion in evolutionary economic geography research (EEG) on how regional industrial clusters evolve over time. It identifies a research gap in the understanding of socio-technical cluster renewal processes in the recent EEG literature. To face this gap, it introduces two concepts that did not play a prominent role in the EEG literature so far, but that allow a better understanding of the role of industry-specific as well as cluster-external factors for cluster renewal: the modes of innovation concept as well as the literature on geographies of sustainability transitions. The developed theoretical expectations are investigated in two qualitative case studies on two agricultural engineering clusters of North-Western Germany that experienced socio-technical re-orientation in the early 21st century: the Osnabrück-based farm trailer and the Vechta-based stable technology industries.