Michael Porter to Launch New U.S. Cluster Mapping Tool
24 Sep, 2014
A new cluster mapping tool has been created to provide detailed data on the presence of “clusters” – regional concentrations of related industries – and the profiles of regional economies throughout the United States. It also features a unique listing of initiatives, government agencies, and other entities engaged in cluster-based economic development, enabling public officials, policy makers, businesses, and other organizations to gain actionable insights supporting fact-driven policy decisions that can foster regional economic growth and competitiveness.
This tool is based on pathbreaking research led by Michael E. Porter, Harvard’s Bishop William Lawrence University Professor, based at Harvard Business School. Professor Porter will formally launch the tool on Monday, Sept. 29, as part of a two-day conference called Mapping the Midwest’s Future, which will be held at and in conjunction with the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs in Minneapolis. This event will host participants from 12 Midwest states and four Canadian provinces.
Four years in the making, the new tool was developed by the U.S. Cluster Mapping Project at Harvard Business School’s Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, with funding from the U.S Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration. Partners included researchers at MIT’s Entrepreneurship Center, Temple University, and a range of regional partners across the U.S.
“Providing powerful information on economic geography and performance, the site is an essential and so far painfully missing tool for assisting economic development efforts all across America,” Porter says. “It is designed to provide the fundamental data necessary for regions and businesses to understand their competitive position and the drivers of their economic performance, as well as help them facilitate the process of creating a ‘path forward’ for developing local and regional economies.”
Illustration by Ohmega1982 at Free Digital Photos.net
Source: Harvard Business School
