Industrial Clusters: Ambassadors for Regional Development: Case Study of Agadir Agreement ^∗

Abstract

Building industrial clusters is getting much more political attention and strategic orientation in all developing countries. This study started by revising the conceptual and theoretical frameworks for industrial clusters, followed by some insights and contributions about empirical bases for clusters' dynamics and processes. The study focused on the case of Agadir Agreement between four Arab countries (Egypt, Jordon, Morocco, and Tunisia), which was initiated after the Euro-Mediterranean partnerships, and the rationale of the agreement was based on the concept of cumulative value-added origin. The study based its methodology on analyzing the international and bilateral trade flows of six industrial goods from the automotive sector among the four countries and with the EU countries to detect the degree of industrial collaboration and the achieved success of each country in this sector. The study indicated that the four countries used the concept of industrial clusters for economic development, but the results of the analysis showed that till now Agadir Agreement only achieved a shallow integration, while failed to deeply integrate as one big collaborative industrial cluster.

Citation

Hammad, S. (2023), "Industrial Clusters: Ambassadors for Regional Development: Case Study of Agadir Agreement ^∗ ", El Ebrashi, R., Hattab, H., Hassan, R.S. and Bouchra, N.H. (Ed.) Industry Clusters and Innovation in the Arab World, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 309-351. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80262-871-520231014