National prosperity is created, not inherited. It does not grow out of a country's natural endowments, its labor pool, its interest rates, or its currency's value, as classical economics insists.

A nation's competitiveness depends on the capacity of its industry to innovate and upgrade. Companies gain advantage against the world's best competitors because of pressure and challenge. They benefit from having strong domestic rivals, aggressive home-based suppliers, and demanding local customers. 

Clusters are geographic concentrations of industries related by knowledge, skills, inputs, demand, and/or other linkages. A growing body of empirical literature has shown the positive impact of clusters on regional and industry performance, including job creation, patenting, and new business formation. There is an increasing need for cluster-based data to support research, facilitate comparisons of clusters across regions, and support policymakers and practitioners in defining regional strategies.

National prosperity is created, not inherited. It does not grow out of a country's natural endowments, its labor pool, its interest rates, or its currency's value, as classical economics insists.

A nation's competitiveness depends on the capacity of its industry to innovate and upgrade. Companies gain advantage against the world's best competitors because of pressure and challenge. They benefit from having strong domestic rivals, aggressive home-based suppliers, and demanding local customers. 

This Policy and Impact Study by the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, State and Local Policy Program at the University of Minnesota is the second in a series of four developed as part of the U.S. Cluster Mapping Project, an effort supported by the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The report illustrates how Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) has benefited from applying a cluster approach as a conceptual framework for diagnosing the regional economy and as a platform for joint action to address the challenges identified. The cluster framework provided public and private regional leaders with a common language for understanding regional competitiveness, significantly enhancing the effectiveness of their dialogue. By organizing the policy discussion around clusters, the programs that were developed became targeted enough to have an effect on the issues that mattered for MSP. The cluster-based approach was first applied in workforce development, but over time has been used in other policy areas as well, including in the creation of a broader regional economic development strategy.

This report analyzes the economic competitiveness of rural areas in the United States. It summarizes a selective, interpretative review of the literature on the economic performance, the composition and evolution of rural economies in the United States, the nature of the business environment in rural regions, and evidence on the role of clusters in these areas. It also briefly reviews U.S. policies and recommendations for rural regions, concluding with an interpretation of the state of rural competitiveness and areas for future research.

This report on Wichita, Kansas is the second of five regional reports completed as part of the Clusters of Innovation Initiative, a private-led collaboration aiming to inform key decision makers across the U.S. on the value of cluster-based regional economic competitiveness. This project is unique in its coverage of five regions and 15 individual clusters using a common methodology, individually and comparatively.

This report on San Diego, California is the first of five regional reports completed as part of the Clusters of Innovation Initiative, a private-led collaboration aiming to inform key decision makers across the U.S. on the value of cluster-based regional economic competitiveness. This project is unique in its coverage of five regions and 15 individual clusters using a common methodology, individually and comparatively.

This report on the Research Triangle region of North Carolina is the fourth of five regional reports completed as part of the Clusters of Innovation Initiative, a private-led collaboration aiming to inform key decision makers across the U.S. on the value of cluster-based regional economic competitiveness. This project is unique in its coverage of five regions and 15 individual clusters using a common methodology, individually and comparatively.

This report on Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the third of five regional reports completed as part of the Clusters of Innovation Initiative, a private-led collaboration aiming to inform key decision makers across the U.S. on the value of cluster-based regional economic competitiveness. This project is unique in its coverage of five regions and 15 individual clusters using a common methodology, individually and comparatively.

This report on the Atlanta-Columbus area of Georgia is the last of five regional reports completed as part of the Clusters of Innovation Initiative, a private-led collaboration aiming to inform key decision makers across the U.S. on the value of cluster-based regional economic competitiveness. This project is unique in its coverage of five regions and 15 individual clusters using a common methodology, individually and comparatively.