The Role of Leading Firms in Explaining Evolutionary Paths of Growth: Italian and Turkish Clusters on the Move

We study the birth and evolution of industrial clusters in Turkey in a traditional manufacturing sector such as footwear, which has a considerable weight on the overall export of the country. We distinguish different paths of growth, highlighting the role of external and internal knowledge and skills. We discuss, Among the external triggers of development we discuss, in particular, the role of external designers. As for the internal triggers, we show the important role played by medium and large local companies in cluster development.