Cast apart by the elites: how status influences assortative matching in industrial clusters. Issue 7 (9th August 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Maghssudipour, Amir; Balland, Pierre Alexandre; Giuliani, Elisa
• Is Part Of: Industry and innovation. Volume 28:Issue 7(2021)
• Page Start: 836
• Page End: 859
• Publication Date: 2021-08-09
• Subjects: Industrial clusters -- status -- knowledge network evolution -- assortativity -- SAOM -- wine industry -- Italy; Industries -- Periodicals; Industrial management -- Periodicals; Industrial policy -- Periodicals; 338.005
• DOI: 10.1080/13662716.2020.1860738
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1366-2716

Abstract

ABSTRACT: In this article we investigate how status considerations influence inter-firm knowledge transfer in industrial clusters. Using evidence of a highly dynamic wine cluster and network analysis methods of Stochastic Actor-Oriented Modelling, we find that status considerations drive assortative matching in the formation of ties within a cluster. This means that low-status firms are cast from the 'circles that count', while high-status firms are likely to interact with similar others. Far from being an equal space of knowledge sharing, some clusters may instead be spaces of social hierarchies and elitist ties.