ABSTRACT
One of the best examples in Finland is Tampere region, which has used the cluster approach as a powerful prism to give focus to several disparate policy measures and programmes operating at regional level. The contraction and expansion effects on the regional economy have left Tampere region with a mixed industrial structure, containing sectors which are still in the process of restructuring and new economic activities which have been expanding rapidly. The central government was responsible for the initial cluster analyses of the Finnish economy and for defining a policy framework governing public sector interventions in support of cluster development. Tampere region's approach to supporting cluster development has taken place within the national framework of the Centre of Expertise programme, but it has drawn on local policy networks. As with other Centre of Expertise programmes across the country, the Tampere strategy was based on the designation of key institutions to oversee cluster policy implementation in the different sectors.
