Industrial Clusters Research Articles

Industrial clusters, creating a strategy for continued success

PurposeThis study aims to describe and propose an effective strategy for an industrial cluster and investigates industrial cluster-promoted growth.Design/Methodology/Approach: A qualitative study was carried out within the Irish Medtech cluster with key stakeholders from the cluster. FindingsThe findings demonstrate significant opportunities for further cluster development and to potentially double the number of spin-outs and value of R&D investments while enhancing an entrepreneurial culture. This study also recommends that multiple agencies collaborate to achieve the future strategic objectives of the cluster. The soft infrastructure of regulatory and intellectual policies is as important as the hard infrastructure of roads and buildings. Practical implicationsThis study has implications for government policy, informing how they align the local needs of compact industrial clusters with policies to make the Irish cluster more unique and gain a sustainable competitive advantage. The approach is applicable and has implications for all industrial clusters.Originality/Value: This is one of the first studies to look at the Irish Medtech cluster in terms of its shortcomings and future opportunities.

A New Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm for Outlier Detection: Industrial Data Clustering in Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing

In this paper, a novel outlier detection method is proposed for industrial data analysis based on the fuzzy C-means (FCM) algorithm. An adaptive switching randomly perturbed particle swarm optimization algorithm (ASRPPSO) is put forward to optimize the initial cluster centroids of the FCM algorithm. The superiority of the proposed ASRPPSO is demonstrated over five existing PSO algorithms on a series of benchmark functions. To illustrate its application potential, the proposed ASRPPSO-based FCM algorithm is exploited in the outlier detection problem for analyzing the real-world industrial data collected from a wire arc additive manufacturing pilot line in Sweden. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed ASRPPSO-based FCM algorithm outperforms the standard FCM algorithm in detecting outliers of real-world industrial data. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Note to Practitioners</i> —Electric arc (which is governed by the current and arc voltage) plays a significant role in monitoring the operating status of the wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) process. The nominal periodic current and voltage may occasionally change abruptly due to anomalies (such as arc instability, unstable metal transfer, geometrical deviations, and surface contaminations), which would affect the quality of the fabricated component. This paper focuses on detecting possible anomalies by analyzing the current and voltage during the WAAM process. A novel clustering-based outlier detection method is proposed for anomaly detection where abnormal and normal instances are categorized into two separate clusters. A new particle swarm optimization algorithm is put forward to optimize the initial cluster centroid so as to improve the detection accuracy. The proposed outlier detection method is applied to real-world data collected from a WAAM pilot line for detecting abnormal instances. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed outlier detection method. The proposed outlier detection method can be applied to other industrial applications including electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and medical engineering. In the future, we aim to develop an online outlier detection system based on the proposed method for real-time for anomaly detection and defect prediction.

Муниципально-территориальное устройство арктических регионов: системно-агломерационный подход (на примере Ямало-Ненецкого автономного округа

One of the primary challenges in municipal reforms lies in the initial perception of the municipal and territorial structure merely as a means of managing administrative entities (cities, settlements, or regions), rather than as a mechanism for unlocking the economic potential of territories. This perspective detrimentally impacts the efficacy of regional strategic planning and hinders the attainment of goals outlined in national Arctic programs. It also acts as a barrier to innovation-driven socio-economic and sustainable development and impedes progress in the quality of life. This article explores the potential of employing an agglomeration-based systems approach to improve the system of municipal management in the Russian Arctic in alignment with sustainable development goals. Drawing upon the newly proposed model of an industrial cluster, alongside historical, socio-economic, and agglomeration-based systems analyses, we delineate the approximate boundariesof naturally forming macro-agglomerations, using the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (which encompasses Western, North-Eastern, and South-Eastern agglomerations) as a case study. The theoretical outcomes of the study include the following: 1) an original model of an industrial cluster, which singles out fundamental elements and aspects of cluster management; 2) a methodology for identifying primary indicators of naturally occurring macro-agglomerations based on the analysis of the fundamental elements identified within the model; 3) a pertinent analytical framework and procedure tailored to the features of Arctic regions. These tools can be used to refine the regional municipal management system and shape socio-economic policies in the Russian Arctic, thereby bolstering the regions' potential to achieve national strategic objectives. In conclusion, we propose recommendations to align the municipal and territorial structure of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug with emerging macro-agglomerations. This alignment is crucial for fostering a synergistic growth effect and realizing the socio-economic and innovative-driven development potential of the territories under consideration.

Comparative analysis of architectural and landscape solutions of the Norra Djurgårdsstaden district in Stockholm and the residential complex “Scandinavia” in New Moscow

The reorganization of industrial clusters, the development of new territories attached to cities is a dynamic process of expansion, development and improvement of urban spaces in modern conditions. This process is typical for both European capitals and the largest cities in Russia. The article provides a comparative description of the architectural and landscape solutions of the implemented projects of development and improvement of the North Jurgardstaden district in Stockholm (Sweden) and the residential complex “Scandinavia” in New Moscow (Russia). Similar climatic conditions of the two capitals, the presence of complex terrain and water bodies in the built-up areas made it possible to study the techniques of the so-called Scandinavian "style" on the basis of architectural and landscape analysis of these urban quarters. The study of the functional organization, architectural and landscape solutions, spatial and coloristic expressiveness of the North Jurgardstaden district in Stockholm and the Skandinavia residential complex in New Moscow allowed us to critically evaluate the copying of design solutions without taking into account the specifics, urban context and scale of a specific territory.

The legal basis for ensuring national economic security on the example of assessing the socio-economic asymmetry of the subjects of the Russian Federation

In this article, an analysis of relevant, according to modern researchers, methods of assessing the socio-economic asymmetry of regions in the aspect of ensuring national economic security is carried out and their significance for the present development of the economy is revealed. As part of such an analysis, the interaction between the socio-economic development of the regions and national economic security is investigated, as well as the types of possible development of regions from which asymmetric is distinguished. Among the methodological foundations for assessing the socio- economic asymmetry of the regions of Russia, the article discusses and notes the dominant advantages of using the following methods: the method of expert assessments, the method of reformatting the territorial and administrative structure of the region to reduce asymmetry, assessing the impact of the industrial cluster on the socio-economic development of the region, SWOT analysis. As an example, calculations of socio-economic asymmetry were made based on statistical data for 2019 and 2020 in the Central and North Caucasus Federal Districts for the fundamental indicator of socio-economic development — the gross regional product. Using the results of the calculations, the relevance of the problem of interregional differentiation of socioeconomic development in Russia for the present period is assessed and some ways of solving such a problem are proposed, possible at this stage.

The role of industrial clustering: from layoff to self-employment after the Chinese state-owned enterprise reform

ABSTRACT It is generally agreed upon that industrial clustering can stimulate the formation of new businesses. However, the role of industrial clustering in the transition from layoff to self-employment is rarely investigated. This study exploits the Chinese State-Owned Enterprise Reform as a policy shock to employment, for examining whether laid-off workers are more inclined to be self-employed in regions with highly developed industrial clustering. The empirical results first reveal that prefectures with a higher SOE workers ratio in 1995 experienced a larger increase in the new entry of self-employed households in the following years. Following that, we further detect the heterogeneous effect of regions with and without clusters. The results illustrate that the reform increased the number of new self-employed households in regions with industrial clusters, and the effect is insignificant in prefectures without industrial clusters. This study implies adopting a cluster-based development strategy in transitioning countries could alleviate the negative effect of mass unemployment.

Особенности проектирования кластеров как больших организационно-экономических систем

The need for accelerated reindustrialization of industry highlights the task of modernization based on modern principles of the procedure for designing new enterprises, holdings, clusters and other complex economic structures, united by a category of large organizational and economic systems. The problem is that if the development of a promising image of an industrial enterprise is carried out using an established technology (analysis of the initial data – development strategy development – building a business model – development of projects of production and social subsystems, as well as management subsystems – preparation of a business plan), then the procedure for designing an industrial cluster is not yet clearly regulated. Only the requirements for industrial clusters applying for state support for their development have been identified. The absence of such regulations leads to a situation in which some of the already created industrial clusters cease to exist due to miscalculations made during their formation and the organization of the initial stage of operation. The features of organizational design of industrial clusters – a promising form of regional concentration of production are consiered. The article discloses the features of industrial clusters and their differences from industrial enterprises from the point of view of design, and also proposes a procedure for performing this work, which includes an original set of actions that ensures the achievement of the goals of the participants in this association. Its specificity is associated with the cooperation of legally independent economic entities from various spheres of the economy, interested in obtaining an additional effect from the coordination of their activities in the region, on the terms of informal unification without losing the freedom to choose their areas of activity, but within the framework of coordinating the joint achievement of common goals.

Introducing Industrial Clusters in Multi-Node Energy System Modelling by the Application of the Industry–Infrastructure Quadrant

To reach climate neutrality and circularity targets, industry requires infrastructure guaranteeing available, accessible, affordable, and sustainable supply of renewable energy and resources. The layout and operation of the required grids are a key topic in energy system modelling, a research field under constant development to tackle energy transition challenges. Although industry is a core player, its transformation and related policy initiatives are not yet fully reflected, resulting in a research gap. The industrial cluster concept, stimulating local cross-sectoral co-operation, circularity, and optimisation, offers untapped potential to improve the spatial representation of industry in energy system models and paves the way for cluster transition research. This paper introduces the Industry–Infrastructure Quadrant to visualise the relationship between industry and infrastructure presence by means of five distinct area categories. A complementary methodology integrates industrial clusters for multi-node selection in energy system models, solely relying on open-source data and cluster algorithms (DBSCAN). A case study applied to Belgium results in ten nodes to represent the territory, accurately reflecting crucial infrastructure elements and future needs whilst improving industry representation in terms of space and composition. The work serves as a first step towards a deeper understanding of the prominence of industrial clusters in sustainable energy systems.

Collaborative development model and strategies of multi-energy industry clusters: Multi-indicators analysis affecting the development of coastal energy clusters

The paper explores Coastal Energy-Based Industrial Clusters (EBICs) and their role in advancing energy efficiency and sustainability through collaborative innovation. Economic growth theory and energy sustainability have been introduced into industrial clusters to illustrate indicators that have a greater impact on the development of EBICs. This paper proposes an EBICs development model based on the Cobb-Douglas function, in which accounts for various factors that drive the progress of such clusters. The outcomes of the economic model also provide insights into how the interaction of various factors affects the economic growth of EBICs and their eventual dominance in the energy market of coastal regions, dependent on gradually investing in areas such as research and development (R&D). Different development strategies demonstrate that the final development of a cluster has low dependence on the cluster's initial advantages. The study also illustrates how clusters can gradually monopolize the energy market, even with initial disadvantages. Through quantitative analysis, it showcases the transformation process of developing advantageous clusters into sub-clusters. Next, an energy symbiosis framework for coastal is proposed, which places greater emphasis on the multi-energy complementary system and reduces production costs. Finally, this paper also sheds light on shaping energy strategies for public authorities who shape economic policies at various levels of aggregation and in diverse dimensions.

Inclusiveness of Tanzania’s small-scale jewellers into global value chains: exploitation of artisanal industrial clusters

PurposeIn developing countries like Tanzania, gems and jewellery industry mainly consists of disintegrated and unstable micro and small workshops which operate in a way that misalign value addition processes. This study is aimed to bridge gap by focussing on exploitation of industrial clusters in social normalisation and economic resilience to developing countries. The world economic shocks has been not only individually experienced but also globally shared while disrupted lives across all countries and communities and negatively affected global socio-economic growth.Design/methodology/approachFurthermore, the explorative design was adopted in this study in order to explore needs of respondents, and with the aim to direct the study towards a descriptive design. The sample frame consists of participants in gems and jewellery activities in Tanzania whereby sample was drawn from Dar es Salaam and Arusha. Semi-structured interview was used to collect quantitative data to establish evidence of Tanzanians’ SSJs linked to global value chains (GVCs).FindingsResults revealed the benefits of exploitation of artisanal industrial clusters to Tanzanians’ SSJs when linked to global value chains (GVCs). Findings of the study demonstrate the importance of artisanal industrial clusters in facilitating Tanzanians’ SSJs to access GVCs. Further, insufficient education, trust and social protection directly affects inclusive GVCs, inferring that the impact of artisanal industrial clusters on inclusive GVCs in social normalisation and economic resilience.Research limitations/implicationsStudy findings reveals shortcomings in existing regulatory framework of linking Tanzanians’ SSJs to artisanal industrial clusters, for improvements to better support the inclusiveness in GVCs. Findings of this research invite interventions on institutional capabilities and entrepreneurial competencies to enhance the capabilities of small-scale jewellers (SSJs). Like other studies, this study involved cross-sectional data, limit targeted study population as representative of SSJs in industrial clusters and GVCs in economic crises at limited time.Practical implicationsThe study findings makes important practical contributions to the Tanzania’s SSJs by examining mediating role of artisanal industrial clusters hence informing policymakers of mining sector how to improve accessibility on GVCs by focus on offering great institutional capabilities and entrepreneurial competencies. These findings will help SSJs and policy makers to get better understanding of the relationships in exploitation of artisanal industrial clusters when accessing GVCs. Therefore, they can make better decisions on implementing artisanal industrial clusters as well as management accessing GVCs, so that SSJs will attain the best possible performance.Social implicationsThis emphasises the importance of community empowerment in the GVCs process through artisanal industrial clusters. Study findings indicate the influence of industrial relations to social dynamics which are previously inadequately addressed and scantly researched. In actual fact study propose initiatives that ensure local communities benefit socially from the integration of SSJs into GVCs through artisanal industrial clusters. Findings suggest local communities that take into account inter-sectionality of artisanal industrial clusters and inclusive GVCs, by considering how factors like education, trust and social protection status intersect to influence the social inclusiveness of SSJs.Originality/valueThere is limited evidence of linking Tanzanians’ SSJs to GVCs in social normalisation and economic resilience and few researchers have explored this topic. This article leverages exploitation of industrial clusters in normalisation and economic resilience to developing countries such as Tanzania as way of improving shared prosperity, sustainability, inclusive growth, cohesion, value chain upgrading and financial inclusion to SSJs.

Unveiling the impact of foreign investment entry in industrial clusters: the case of Castelló and Sassuolo

ABSTRACT This paper explores the impact of foreign investment, through acquisitions and mergers of local firms, on leading industrial clusters. While previous research has highlighted the increasing involvement of cluster firms in internationalization and knowledge globalization, the role of foreign investment requires further investigation. Power asymmetries between MNEs and partner firms are prevalent in global value chains, joint ventures, and strategic alliances, shaping the contemporary global economy. By analysing two clusters specialized in ceramic tile production (Castelló, Spain, and Sassuolo, Italy), this study aims to evaluate the impact of foreign investment on leading clusters, specifically distinguishing between multinational enterprises (MNEs) and investment funds. The research examines the perceived effects through a qualitative analysis, capturing the subjective impressions of local actors involved in acquired firms, independent local firms, technological suppliers, and supporting institutions. This paper contributes to the literature by addressing contradictory findings and providing insights into the balance between knowledge absorption and spillovers from MNEs or investment funds to local firms.

Small and Medium Enterprises Amidst the Pandemic and Reopening: Digital Edge and Transformation

Using administrative universal business registration data as well as primary offline and online surveys of small businesses (including unregistered self-employments) in China, we examine (i) whether digitization helps small and medium enterprises (SMEs) better cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and (ii) whether the pandemic has spurred digital technology adoption. We document significant economic benefits of digitization in increasing SMEs’ resilience against such a large shock, as seen through mitigated demand decline, sustainable cash flow, ability to quickly reopen, and positive outlook for growth. After the January 2020 lockdown, firm entries exhibited a V-shaped pattern, with entries of e-commerce firms experiencing a less pronounced immediate drop and a quicker rebound. Moreover, the pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation of existing firms and the industry in multiple dimensions (e.g., altering operation scope to include e-commerce, allowing remote work, and adopting electronic information systems). The effect persists more than one year after reopening, and it is more pronounced for certain sectors, firms in industrial clusters, and areas with more digital inclusion but less financial efficiency, constituting initial evidence for the long-term impact of the pandemic and the supposedly transitory mitigation policies. This paper was accepted by David Simchi-Levi, finance. Funding: This research was funded in part by the China Natural Science Foundation [Grants 71874008, 71441008, 71873121, and 72192844], Peking University, the Kauffman Foundation [Junior Fellowship], and the FinTech Chair at Paris–Dauphine University–Université Paris Sciences et Lettres. Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.02424 .

Novel Evaluation Method for Cleaner Production Audit in Industrial Parks: Case of a Park in Central China

With respect to peak carbon and carbon neutrality, China’s economic structure is developing towards low carbonization, circulation, and cleanliness. There is an urgent need to expand the scope of cleaner production audits, improve cleaner production efficiency, and promote cleaner production through regional coordination. The 14th Five-Year National Cleaner Production Implementation Plan proposed selecting 100 parks or industrial clusters to conduct an overall cleaner production audit innovation pilot. To promote the coordinated development of cleaner production areas, this study constructed a set of cleaner production index systems for industrial parks, established an evaluation model based on the binary semantic evaluation method, and selected an industrial park in central China as an audit pilot. The binary group θ1=(2, −0.1084) of the rating results was determined to be a cleaner production park. Based on the evaluation results, the clean production potential of the park was analyzed, and suggestions for clean production were put forward. Sixteen representative enterprises in the park were selected to build twenty-one ecological chains, providing reasonable suggestions for constructing a systematic and circular enterprise symbiosis network.

PROBABLE CHANGE OF PRODUCTION CHAINS WITH INDUSTRIAL NETWORKS AND CLUSTERS BASED ON SPECIALIZATION AND DIVISION OF LABOUR AFTER THE PANDEMIC

After the COVID-19 pandemic, the whole world will operate remarkably differently over its global production chain. This paper develops a general equilibrium model with endogenous industrial cluster and endogenous industrial network based on the division of labor and specialization to formalize and explore the interrelationship and rules of industrial cluster, network of division of labor, the economies of specialization and agglomeration under the new era of post-pandemic global economy. The model suggests that institutional efficiency of mutual trust, and competition among countries and industries will facilitate important circular effects, which will propel and shape the arrangement and allocation of industrial clusters, the position located at the production chain, and consequently the status of economic growth. In particular, the improvements in institutional efficiency of mutual trust over economic and technology systems will expand the demand for transactions and network size, which in turn will determine the development of cluster and network scope, as well as the position of the network. It offers a partially economic explanation of the current concern of de-globalization, decoupling and de-risking after the pandemic.

Gold in phosphorites: Accumulation forms and practical significance

Research subject. The gold-bearing potential of modern (oceanic) and ancient industrial types of phosphorite ores, including aphanitic, microgranular, granular, nodular, shell and karst. Aim. To assess the ability of phosphorites to accumulate gold to industrial concentrations. This issue has been actively discussed in the geological community in recent years due to the advent of high-precision methods for studying matter. Methods. Russian and foreign publications, unpublished geological data, as well as the authors’ data collected over a 30-year period of studying phosphorites. Results and discussion. In the section, 14 packs of rocks were identified, which are represented by 6 lithological types of secondary dolomites. Their distribution along the section, along with the presence of characteristic faunal remains, made it possible to establish three members in the section, which can be correlated with the Katian, Hirnantian, and Ruddanian stages of the General Stratigraphic Scale. Conclusion. Conditions for the possible joint accumulation of phosphates and gold are manifested in black shale basins, as well as in shelf shallow waters with glauconite-sand sediments. However, due to significant differences in the natural features of gold and phosphates, their industrial clusters are formed separately from each other. This is evidenced by the insignificant accumulation of phosphorus in the ores of gold deposits of black shale formations,as well as its low-quality concentrations in industrial phosphorite beds of phosphorite-bearing basins. For gold, phosphorites are only temporary collectors, the productivity of which depends on the combination of many, frequently random and slightly related factors.

Ecological and human health risk assessment of pharmaceutical compounds in the Sirsa River of Indian Himalayas

The Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) region of Indian Himalayas is one of the most important pharmaceutical industrial clusters in Asia. This study investigated the distribution, and ecological and human health risks of four most frequently used pharmaceuticals [ciprofloxacin (CIP), norfloxacin (NOR), cetirizine (CTZ) and citalopram oxalate (ECP)] when co-occurring with metal ions in the Sirsa river water of the BBN region. The concentration range of the selected pharmaceuticals was between ‘not detected’ to 50 μgL−1 with some exception for CIP (50–100 μgL-1) and CTZ (100–150 μgL-1) in locations directly receiving wastewater discharges. A significant correlation was found between the occurrences of NOR and Al (r2 = 0.65; p = 0.01), and CTZ and K (r2 = 0.50; p = 0.01) and Mg (r2 = 0.50; p = 0.01). A high-level ecological risk [risk quotient (RQ) > 1] was observed for algae from all the pharmaceuticals. A medium-level risk (RQ = 0.01–0.1) was observed for Daphnia from CIP, NOR and ECP, and a high-level risk from CTZ. A low-level risk was observed for fishes from CIP and NOR, whereas CTZ and ECP posed a high-level risk to fishes. The overall risk to ecological receptors was in the order: CTZ > CIP > ECP > NOR. Samples from the river locations receiving water from municipal drains or situated near landfill and pharmaceutical factories exhibited RQ > 1 for all pharmaceuticals. The average hazard quotient (HQ) values for the compounds followed the order: CTZ (0.18) > ECP (0.15) > NOR (0.001) > CIP (0.0003) for children (0–6 years); ECP (0.49) > CTZ (0.29) > NOR (0.005) > CIP (0.001) for children (7–17 years), and ECP (0.34) > CTZ (0.21) > NOR (0.007) > CIP (0.001) for adults (>17 years). The calculated risk values did not readily confirm the status of water as safe or unsafe because the values of predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) would depend on various other environmental factors such as quality of the toxicity data, and species sensitivity and distribution, which warrants further research.

The 156 Projects and Regional Industrial Clustering of China—Evidence from Production Networks

The 156 Projects and Regional Industrial Clustering of China—Evidence from Production Networks

Formation of Economic Sovereignty of the Russian Federation: Regional Aspect

The relevance of the research topic is determined by the development and improvement of the state policy for the formation of economic sovereignty of the Russian Federation. The import substitution policy implemented in recent years has yielded positive economic solutions that make it possible not to experience a shortage of goods and production components. With the support of federal and regional authorities, the subjects of economic sovereignty formation (special economic zones, industrial parks, industrial and innovation clusters, etc.) are actively developing. Purpose. The main purpose of the study is to substantiate promising areas for ensuring the economic sovereignty of the Russian Federation in the context of the development of regional investment infrastructure. Objectives: of the study are as follows: substantiation of the directions for ensuring economic sovereignty, analysis and assessment of investments in fixed assets of the regions of the Central Federal District, study of the rating of the subjects of the Central Federal District in terms of investments in fixed assets. Methodology. The methodological basis of the study was the works of domestic scientists in the field of theory and practice of economic policy, economic regulation, and increasing the stability of the economy in the face of sanctions. The results of the study show that the most promising areas for ensuring economic sovereignty are the financing of infrastructure and high-tech industries, the development and support of industrial parks, industrial clusters, the development of investment activity, including through the support of large investment projects, and increasing the efficiency of investments in fixed assets. Conclusions. The results of the study show that the most promising areas for ensuring economic sovereignty are the financing of infrastructure and high-tech industries, the development and support of industrial parks, industrial clusters, the development of investment activity, including through the support of large investment projects, and increasing the efficiency of investments in fixed assets.

Evaluation of Low-Carbon Economic Efficiency under Industrial Clustering and Study of Regional Differences, Taking Xinjiang as an Example

As a major resource region, Xinjiang is both China’s energy security base and an important hub connecting Asia and Europe. Following the country’s call for carbon emission reduction, the Xinjiang government proposes to accelerate the construction of eight major industrial clusters in 2023. The concept of sustainable development is also reflected in the industrial clusters in areas such as new energy. In this study, we combined panel data from 14 regions and cities in Xinjiang from 2006 to 2020 and analyzed the synergy between the development of industrial clusters, carbon emissions, and economic growth using a coupling coordination degree model. Subsequently, we used the super-efficiency slack-based measure (SE-SBM) and Dagum’s Gini coefficient to analyze the spatial disequilibrium of efficiency measures and efficiency cases. The results show the following: (1) Overall, the industrial clusters, carbon emissions, and economic growth in the 14 regions and cities of Xinjiang are not well coordinated. The best reported level has been medium coordination, but there exists a certain degree of correlation among the three. (2) Low-carbon economic efficiency under the influence of industrial clusters in the 14 regions and cities shows significant regional differences. The regions and cities with low-carbon economic efficiency greater than 0.8, which is significantly better than the other regions in terms of efficiency, are all located in northern Xinjiang. (3) During the study period, the overall regional difference in low-carbon economic efficiency under industrial clusters in Xinjiang decreased from 0.183 to 0.17. However, the regional differences were still large. The conclusions indicate that policies for industrial clusters in Xinjiang can promote industrial development, and there may be a correlation between them and the low-carbon economy. This will effectively contribute to local sustainable development. However, overall regional differences are significant, and the degree of coordination is low. Therefore, we suggest that the government can share the advantages of development by constructing cross-regional cooperation platforms. At the same time, the Xinjiang government should make full use of the rich local wind and solar energy resources and explore a low-carbon path toward transforming the traditional energy industry. It can also be seen that industrial clusters in Xinjiang can effectively promote local sustainable development.

Analysis of Competitiveness in the Domestic Semiconductor Cluster Using Entropy Technique: Based on the GEM-ESG Model

Purpose - The study aims to conduct an empirical analysis of semiconductor cluster integrated competitiveness with a focus on the GEM-ESG model. Specifically, the study seeks to compare and analyze the development factors of semiconductor clusters in different regions. The results of the empirical study will reveal a clear concentration phenomenon in the semiconductor industry clusters of some regions.&#x0D; Design/Methodology/Approach - Previous research has established the factors influencing the competitive advantage of industrial clusters. The study collected competitive indicators from major South Korean cities and regions, incorporating these into the GEM model, and exploring ESG indicators relevant to the semiconductor industry. The study utilized Entropy Technique analysis to empirically assess the competitiveness of the South Korean semiconductor cluster and conduct comparative testing of the research findings.&#x0D; Findings - The results revealed a concentration phenomenon in the semiconductor industry clusters of Yongin and Chungbuk Province. Additionally, the study highlighted the importance of factors such as “groundings (G)”, “enterprise management (E)”, “market conditions (M)”, and ESG practices in determining competitiveness.&#x0D; Research Implications - Through empirical analyses, the study emphasizes the significance of GEM and ESG factors in the analysis of industrial clusters, particularly in contributing to long-term sustainability and competitive advantage focusing on the collaboration and alignment of ESG values.