1
Clusters in Transition Economies

• LEED/ CEI/ EBRD Project 2001 - 2002
• Dina Ionescu Johanna Möhring

2
Why Clusters?

• Motors for growth and social innovation (OECD
  Bologna Charter on SME Policies 2000)
• Interest in clusters from policymakers
• framework conditions
• best practice
• cluster mapping

3
Aims of the project Clusters in Transition
Economies

• Raise awareness about concept of clusters among
  government and business circles
• Establish picture of conditions on the ground
• Adopt transnational perspective
• Adapt OECD LEED best practice to particular
  conditions of post-communist economic systems
• Create synergetic effect

4
Format of the Project

• Five seminars 2001 - 2002 in Slovenia, Slovakia,
  Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary grouping
  together
• government representatives
• NGOs
• entrepreneurs
• participants from neighbouring countries
• international experts of the OECD LEED network/
  Partners Club

5

• Final conference in Trieste in autumn 2002
  bringing together seminar participants
• Cluster study publication in 2003 with chapters
  on Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland and
  Hungary
• cluster mapping
• cluster policies in place
• policy recommendations/ lessons learned from
  seminars

6
New Angles

• Foreign investment and cluster development
• Social capital and trust
• Regional exchange and transborder clusters
• Rural/ urban clusters
• Capturing the diaspora
• Women/ youth entrepreneurship
• National minorities

7
Outlook

• LEED-ing the way further (south-)east