| Economic
developers throughout the country now recognize
that businesses benefit from locating in clusters,
where they can share a skilled workforce, suppliers,
and customized support services (i.e., accountants
and lawyers who know the industry). Clusters
are most often defined as “a geographically
bounded concentration of similar, related or
complementary businesses, with active channels
for business transactions, communications and
dialogue, that share specialized infrastructure,
labor markets and services, and that are faced
with common opportunities and threats.”
(A Governor’s Guide to Cluster-Based Economic
Development, National Governor’s Association).
As a result, it benefits regions to focus on
existing clusters – to take care of the
needs of the companies within them-- so the
companies and clusters will grow.
For states like Louisiana whose existing
clusters are primarily in industries that
are not expected to generate large numbers
of new, quality jobs in the coming years,
growth will be achieved by focusing on selecting
emerging clusters, those for which the state
has some private sector base as well as research
assets to support growth. Louisiana must continue
to target its investments in both the existing
and emerging business clusters in order to
see growth that can set the state apart regionally,
nationally, and globally. |
