Innovation Cluster Development Potential in the Regions of Turkey: a Geographical Perspective

Abstract

The assessment of firms' innovativeness levels in a specific territory can be assumed to be an important indicator of future innovative collaboration, some of which might also be cluster setup initiatives. Assuming that geographical proximity can also provide a favorable opportunity for strengthening interfirm ties, the goal of the chapter is to discover the best innovation variables for Turkish firms in terms of being members of potential innovative cluster formations. Following an overview of the innovation parameters used in the study, the current situation of the firms in question and their problems are briefly stated. The analysis part includes a regression test to discover the variables affecting firms' innovativeness in order to tackle the problems stated. Regression results have shown that intellectual capital, technology infrastructure, and geographical concentration levels affect the innovation performance of the firms in different regions. The conclusion involves further policy improvements for empowering regional innovation capabilities.