This book investigates cluster-life-cycle (CLC) analysis to inform the entrepreneurial
discovery process (EDP) in order to support the effectiveness of the smart specialization
strategy (S3). It focuses on the evolutionary analysis of clusters' development stages
(emergence development maturity decline transformation) highlighting how different phases
of the CLC have a different role in informing S3-policy-making and identifying regions'
potentials to specialize. In so doing it offers an original conceptual model that explains
what information can be provided by CLC analysis in the effective design and implementation of
S3 and EDP systematizes clusters' stage-specific features and unveils the role played by each
CLC stage. It contributes to the emerging academic debate on the role of the CLC concept in
policy-making by highlighting the importance of CLC analysis in dynamically investigating
regional contexts and tailoring development policies such as S3. The book is an invaluable
resource for academics and regional policy makers providing them with guidance and
recommendations on how to effectively approach the design and implementation of S3 and EDP by
fully tapping the potential of CLC analysis.
