Circulative Linkages of Knowledge Activities in Innovative Clusters

클러스터에서의 지식활동의 순환과 연계

This paper argues that there are circulative linkages between knowledge creation, sharing and utilization in innovative clusters. Based upon discussion about characteristics of circulative linkages between three types of knowledge activities, this paper presents three hypotheses: the more regions generate knowledge, the more active they share knowledge (hypothesis I); the more regions share knowledge, the more vigorous they utilize knowledge (hypothesis II) and the more regions generate knowledge, the more vigorous they utilize knowledge (hypothesis III). Empirical analysis into the Korean case turned out that hypotheses I and III were strongly supported, but hypothesis II weakly supported, probably due to inaccurate proxies for knowledge activities. This study may help guide provincial governments to choose policy goals to promote knowledge activities. It also leads to the conclusion that maintaining balance among three types of knowledge activities (creation, sharing and utilization) is a way of their policy making for the promotion of innovative clusters.