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Mapping a nation of regional clusters

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Advanced Manufacturing in the American South: An Economic Analysis Supporting Regional Development

by Cliff Waldman and Matthew N. Murray, Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation and Southern Governors' Association November 15, 2013

The Southern Governors’ Association, under its 2013 president Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, commissioned the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI) to conduct an economic analysis on the value of a regional approach to support the South's advanced manufacturing sector. As the report shows, a cluster strategy of economic development is a fitting framework for promoting a strong advanced manufacturing sector in the South and beneficial spillover impacts for the broad regional economy. Innovation deficits and labor force gaps are the biggest challenges that the South faces, but they are not insurmountable. Well-placed investments in the development of science and technical education can yield measurable returns. The Southern states have been effective in promoting a low-cost strategy of economic advancement, particularly in manufacturing. This strategy should be supplemented by investments that will promote value added in the production process, an element of business competitiveness that is just as important as low costs.

Source

PDF icon Advanced_Manufacturing_in_the_American_South.pdf
Cluster
Regional Economy
Clusters: 
Aerospace Vehicles and Defense ,
Automotive ,
Metalworking Technology ,
Production Technology and Heavy Machinery ,
Local Industrial Products and Services ,
Local Motor Vehicle Products and Services ,
Plastics ,
Upstream Metal Manufacturing ,
Upstream Chemical Products ,
Downstream Chemical Products ,
Downstream Metal Products ,
Information Technology and Analytical Instruments
Regions: 
Alabama ,
Arkansas ,
Georgia ,
Kentucky ,
Florida ,
Louisiana ,
Maryland ,
Mississippi ,
Missouri ,
North Carolina ,
Oklahoma ,
South Carolina ,
Tennessee ,
Texas ,
Virginia ,
West Virginia
Author: 
Cliff Waldman and Matthew N. Murray
Publication/Specific Source: 
Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation and Southern Governors' Association
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The U.S. Cluster Mapping Project is led by Professor Michael E. Porter at the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, Harvard Business School.

This project is funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration.