Cluster Policies in Bulgaria: European Integration, Postsocialist Dynamics and Local Level Initiatives

Abstract

This article investigates public policies aimed at developing industrial clusters in Bulgaria by looking at initiatives at supranational, national and local levels. It argues that cluster policies have functioned as paths directing actions in the postsocialist transformation of Bulgaria. In doing so, it seeks answers to the following research questions: what are the connections between policy implementation, institutional changes and economic transformation at the national and local levels in Bulgaria; what is the role of the European Union in shaping these changes; and what is the role of local actors in shaping the policies and development trends within one specific cluster? Through an analysis of government policies, data and empirical research, the article shows how different groups (foreign consultants, local elites and national administrators) have understood the concepts of ‘clusters’ and ‘industrial districts’ in different ways, then used these concepts as a tool to access foreign resources. The analysis highlights both similarities and differences in cluster policies at the three levels considered. Résumé Cet examen des politiques publiques de développement de pôles industriels en Bulgarie s’intéresse aux initiatives de niveaux supranational, national et local. Il affirme qu’au cours de la phase de transformation postsocialiste, ces politiques ont servi de mesures d’orientation de trajectoires. Parallèlement, l’étude cherche à répondre aux questions suivantes: quels sont les rapports entre mise en œuvre des politiques publiques, évolutions institutionnelles et transformations économiques tant au plan national que local? quel rôle l’Union européenne a‐t‐elle dans la configuration de ces changements, et quel poids les acteurs locaux ont‐ils dans la détermination des politiques et des axes de développement concernant un pôle particulier? En analysant les politiques gouvernementales, les faits et l’étude empirique, l’article montre que différents groupes (experts étrangers, élites locales et représentants de l’administration nationale) n’ont pas appréhendé de la même manière les concepts de ‘pôles’ (clusters) et de ‘districts industriels’, et qu’ils les ont ensuite utilisés afin d’accéder à des ressources d’origine étrangère. Ainsi, il est possible d’établir similitudes et divergences entre les politiques relatives aux pôles industriels, et ce, à chacun des trois niveaux étudiés.

A cosmopolitan analysis of the contradictions in EU regional and enlargement policies as drivers of Europeanization

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Spatiotemporal Agglomeration of Real-Estate Industry in Guangzhou, China

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