ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book draws on some conclusions on how clusters of small firms in developing countries can innovate and socially upgrade. Even though they do not represent an extensive and comprehensive sample, the cases present an interesting diversity of sectors, contexts and actors involved. Clusters of small firms (SMEs) in developing countries face tremendous challenges to socially upgrade. These clusters and their firms generally lack human, financial and technical capacity to innovate and improve their economic/social/labor/environmental standards, and consequently the well being of the communities they are located. The effectiveness of the external intervention to make clusters innovate and socially upgrade depends on several factors, especially those related to the cluster context and the kind of relation between external actors and cluster actors.
