Virtual Incubation in Industrial Clusters: A Case Study in Pakistan
研究发现，在产业集群中，新企业因缺乏人脉而处于劣势，但分包合同能像虚拟孵化器一样帮助新企业成长，从而维持集群的活力。
Abstract In industrial clusters, transaction costs are kept low and free riding is discouraged by a community mechanism developed through dense and repeated interactions among entrepreneurs. In such environments, new entrants without established reputations and connections are put at a distinct disadvantage. This negative effect on new entry must be neutralised for an industrial cluster to expand. Using enterprise level data from Pakistan, this study finds that personal networks are indeed important for successful enterprise operation, which works to the advantage of incumbents, but that subcontracting plays the role of virtual incubation in nurturing new enterprises, reinforcing the cluster's dynamism.