Clustering as a Tool of Competitiveness, the Case of the Czech Republic

This paper deals with the issue of clusters as relatively new tools of competitiveness in economies and examines their linkage to state through cluster policies and initiatives. At the beginning, a theoretical development of the concept is presented. Afterwards, the cluster concept as such is introduced, putting down a wide scale of supportive rationales, presenting also possible risks and explaining a linkage to innovation and competitiveness. The second part of the thesis treats the issue of cluster policies as possible means of a cluster creation. Aside from examining cluster policies in different views, an emphasis is put on the justification of the role of state which can take part as either contributive or disturbing factor. The empirical part of the paper presents the case of the Czech clustering. Firstly, the Czech cluster policy is analyzed concerning its targets, instruments, approaches and other relevant issues, focusing on shortcomings and problems of the policy. Further, a case study of the Moravian-Silesian automotive cluster is presented. In this part, the particular cluster is observed with a view to its origin, development and activities. The endeavor is to compare the case with the classical Porter model and find out its inadequacies.