Logistics cluster and its future development: A comprehensive research review

Abstract

Logistics clusters play an essential role in bridging production and consumption. Researchers, government authorities, and investors have widely recognized the benefits of logistics agglomeration, and extensive research on this topic has been performed in recent years. The aim of this study is to present an intellectual landscape through a structured literature review of logistics cluster research. First, following the logic of “what-why-how”, we found that logistics cluster research can be divided into three parts: the concept and quantitative identification of logistics clusters, the agglomeration externalities of logistics clusters, and the competitiveness and growth mechanism of logistics clusters. Second, the bibliometric results indicate that: (i) logistics clusters have gradually developed from an engineering or operations management discipline into one involving multidisciplinary approaches of geosciences, sustainable science, etc.; (ii) the focus of research has gradually shifted from the development and operation of logistics clusters to the exploration of the clusters growth mechanism; (iii) researchers start to concentrate on spatially explicit analyses of the economic and environmental effects of logistics clusters, and the exploration of sustainable growth paths for clusters. Finally, in consideration of these trends and the emerging situation, we propose some new research topics, such as (i) the convergence and competitive effect of logistics clusters, (ii) data science and analytics in logistics clusters, (iii) the application of new theories and technologies to transportation and supply chain, etc. in logistics cluster scenarios, (iv) sustainable operation of logistics clusters, and (v) quantitative modeling research in logistics clusters. Overall, much room is left for theoretically and practically expanding logistics cluster research. This study can further the unveiling of the systemic nature of logistics cluster research and provide new insights for scholars, practitioners and policymakers.