期刊名称：Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Innovation
印刷版ISSN：2299-7075
电子版ISSN：2299-7326
出版年度：2020
卷号：16
期号：3
DOI：10.7341/20201630
语种：English
出版社：Nowy Sacz Business School National-Louis University
摘要：This special issue of the Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Innovation, entitled Proximity and Innovation in Clusters: How Close, How Far?, tries to shed new light on the concept of proximity, which is a cognitively attractive but still scarcely explored area. The earliest publications on proximity were published at the end of the twentieth century, and the development of this concept was strongly influenced by the French School of Proximity. However, the most influential publications are by Ron Boschma, who distinguished five fundamental dimensions of proximity: geographical, social, cognitive, organizational, and institutional. Proximity is particularly essential for the development of cooperation among business entities embedded in a specific territory. The idea of proximity is reflected in all concepts of regional development based on knowledge and innovation. This also applies to the cluster concept, in which references to all the abovementioned dimensions of proximity can be found. Applying the category of proximity to the cluster concept can be treated as an attempt to understand and explain factors of a non-economic nature that may affect (positively or negatively) the development of innovation in clusters. Proximity is recognized as a factor facilitating access to knowledge and fostering the development of innovation. However, there are no unequivocal findings regarding the relevance of particular dimensions of proximity from the point of view of innovation development. Until now, the superior role of geographical proximity in creating a competitive advantage through innovation has been particularly emphasized in the literature. However, more and more authors have begun to depreciate the role of physical proximity, all the more so because it can be partially, or even entirely, replaced by other dimensions of proximity. Furthermore, being too close might also have a negative impact on the development of innovation in clusters – maximizing proximity may lead to isolation and closure.
