The Entrepreneurial Spark: Individual Agents and the Formation of Innovative Clusters

This paper outlines the development of a high-tech industrial cluster in the U.S. Capitol region through the efforts of entrepreneurs who adapted to both constructive crises and new opportunities. We examine the initial spark of entrepreneurship and how it influences the formation of high technology clusters. The perspective taken is that entrepreneurs are a critical element in the formation of clusters and their actions are important in the analysis of clusters as complex adaptive systems. In addition, we consider how this perspective and the role of entrepreneurship may influence economic development policy.

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