Clusters as Tools to Measure Sustainable Value Chains

The literature and practice have proven the connection between competitiveness at all levels (company, region, national) and its position in international value chains, hence the need to “measure” their economic impact. Traditionally, this has been conducted by using complex quantitative data based on statistical sources translated into input/output tables that are difficult to calculate and interpret and rely on outdated data. While the contribution of clusters as drivers of economic competitiveness has been extensively debated over the last 30 years, it is more recently, after the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to tremendous disruptions in international value chains, that their role of generators and drivers of international value chains has been recognized, proven by the rapid response they have been able to provide in “repairing” the disturbances. The current paper proposes a cluster-based value chain analyses method in which the main measurement unit is the density of the chosen indicator along the value chain links (number of enterprises, turnover, R&D expenditure, exports). The results were checked by classical methods and proven to be congruent. The method allows for a rapid response to sudden disruptions and can be used for both cluster managers as well as economic policymakers at regional and national levels.