Journal of Forest Economics > Vol 18 > Issue 3

The fall and the fragmentation of national clusters: Cluster evolution in the paper and pulp industry

Joonas Järvinen, joonas.jarvinen@aalto.fi , Juha-Antti Lamberg, Lauri Pietinalho
 
Suggested Citation
Joonas Järvinen, Juha-Antti Lamberg and Lauri Pietinalho (2012), "The fall and the fragmentation of national clusters: Cluster evolution in the paper and pulp industry", Journal of Forest Economics: Vol. 18: No. 3, pp 218-241. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfe.2012.04.002

Publication Date: 0/8/2012
© 0 2012 Joonas Järvinen, Juha-Antti Lamberg, Lauri Pietinalho
 
Subjects
 
Keywords
Cluster evolutionCluster vitalityGlobal competitionStrategyFuzzy set analysisPaper industryTechnology service business
 

Share

Download article
In this article:
Introduction 
Theoretical background 
Economics of the pulp and paper industry 1980–2008 
Evolution of strategic networks 
Method and data 
Results 
Discussion 

Abstract

A common expectation in evolutionary cluster studies is that national clusters engage in competitive interactions that lead to a continuous stream of changes in global dominance. Our fuzzy-set analysis on the evolution of the paper and pulp industry demonstrates that globalization has dramatically changed this situation. National clusters have largely faded away; the value chain dominance is now held by technology suppliers who are global hubs in majority of identifiable business activities in the focal industry. Our results imply that when industrial decline is accentuated by industrial concentration in some part of the value chain the national clusters may lose their importance.

DOI:10.1016/j.jfe.2012.04.002