ABSTRACT
There is growing agreement in evolutionary economic geography on the necessity for historical perspectives, to fully understand both the origins and the evolution of clusters (Boschma and Fornahl, 2011; Menzel and Fornahl, 2010; Ter Wal and Boschma, 2011). This chapter aims to contribute to this research line. We draw on in-depth case studies on six Basque industrial clusters – papermaking, maritime industries, machine tools, energy, electronics and ICTs, and aeronautics – to identify the driving forces behind the origins and evolution of the selected clusters. This analysis allows both scholars and policy makers to understand the basis for past and current competitive advantages of clusters and to evaluate whether such advantages may be sustainable in the future. From a broader and more ambitious point of view, and given the link between clusters’ performance and regional competitiveness, it also attempts to introduce the role of history into the analysis of regional policy (see Aranguren et al., 2012; Boschma, 2004; Martin, 2010; 2011; Martin and Sunley, 2006; Navarro et al., 2014; Valdaliso, 2013).
