Emergence, growth and transformation in local clusters - Environmental industries in the region of Upper Austria

Description

The environmental technology industry is considered to be a growing industry driven by urging climate-, energy- and waste problems and related regulations, among others. However, not all locations have the same preconditions for its emergence and growth. Based on regional economic, geographic and cluster theories it may be argued that particular factor- and demand conditions, regional industry structures and institutional configurations should play a role, but so far this has not been sufficiently explored. This paper focuses on the region of Upper Austria that appears to have a highly developed environmental technology industry. The sector has evolved since the beginning of 1970s with roots in engineering, machinery, and instruments firms and has experienced fast growth and transformation. The paper explores the development and evolution of the environmental technology sector in the region and the factors and conditions affecting it. Characteristic changes of the cluster in relation to national level industry are addressed. Empirical findings are based on national survey data (1993-2007) and on exploratory interviews with local industry experts and stakeholders. Findings suggest that the region is one of the dominant locations of environmental technology industry in Austria in terms of number of firms and employees and that it has been characterized by relative high growth. The sector seems to benefit from existing industries and engineering competences in the region and is also supported by two cluster initiatives.

Period	27 Aug 2013 → 31 Aug 2013
Event title	53rd ERSA Congress
Event type	Unkonwn
Degree of Recognition	International