Porter's Industry Clusters in Irish Indigenous Industry

Studies by Porter (1990) and others find that competitive and successful industries usually occur in the form of clusters of industries which are linked together through vertical or horizontal relationships. This paper assesses whether the sectors of Irish indigenous industry which look most competitive and successful form such clusters. It is concluded that there is only limited or qualified evidence of Porter-type clusters in Irish indigenous industry but, despite this, there has been a relatively strong competitive performance by most of Irish indigenous industry over the past decade. We also comment on policy implications.