Clustering the productive economy: a strategy for competitiveness, well-being, prosperity and inclusive development

A call to use cluster strategies to achieve a productive, coopetitive, prosperous, inclusive and sustainable economy was made today by the prominent Spanish academic Jon Azúa, President and founder of Enovating Lab, when giving the XVIII Raúl Prebisch Chair at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Santiago, Chile.

Jon Azúa, former Vice President and Minister who promoted the great productive transformation based on cluster policies in the Basque Country, offered a keynote lecture titled “Clusterizing a productive, competitive, prosperous, inclusive and sustainable economy: towards the co-creation of the desired economic development.”

He was received by the Executive Secretary of ECLAC, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, who welcomed him on behalf of the institution. “This Prebisch Chair is a tribute to the memory of Raúl Prebisch, one of the most influential thinkers in our history, but it is also a platform for critical analysis, to think about the future and enrich our thinking with new ideas that allow us to contribute to the regional conversation on how to move towards more productive, inclusive and sustainable development,” he noted.

“Today’s speaker, Jon Azúa, is a man of thoughtful, adaptive and intelligent thought and action, based on a powerful combination: a clear vision of the future complemented by continuous and deep reflection on how to move towards that desired future. In view of the importance of productive development policies (PDPs) for the great productive transformation that the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean require to escape not only the trap of low capacity to grow and transform, but also the trap of high inequality and low social mobility, and in view of Mr. Jon Azúa’s experience on the what, how and why of the PDPs, the enormous relevance of today’s conference for the region and for work is more than evident of ECLAC”, he emphasized the senior United Nations official.

In his presentation, Jon Azúa explained that “clusterizing an economy is an instrument at the service of a purpose and the purpose is none other than to provide ourselves with a true strategy of competitiveness, well-being, prosperity, wealth, inclusive, co-creating value between that society, putting people at the center of our process and our work,” he indicated.

“We must think about how and what is absolutely necessary to carry out a transformation and be able to overcome what you (ECLAC) have called the great gaps in growth and development in Latin America and ask ourselves how we can address the inevitable, absolute and essential economic and social transformation that our countries and the world in general require,” Azúa insisted.

Firstly, he stressed, to address a process of these characteristics we must take ownership of our future. “Each and every one of us, all regions, all countries and especially every person who has the attribute of some authority or leadership to transform their own society, has to make the effort and the will to take ownership of their future. It is not about waiting to see what futures come to us; “It is about wanting a certain future and trying to do everything possible to achieve it,” he declared.

Regarding the “clusterization” (of economic activity), Jon Azúa explained that “it is a more than natural glove, it is putting economy and territory together, it is being able to facilitate development, instrumentation, institutionalization of human capital, social, institutional necessary in a country for its development, and act accordingly.”

Meanwhile, he defined “coopetitivity” as the ability to collaborate with different agents, without leaving aside our positions. “We all always talk about collaborating, it seems like it is something natural and the easiest thing in the world, but it is very difficult. But at the same time we must compete with the same people and institutions with which we collaborate since we cannot completely renounce our principles. It is a kind of ‘schizophrenia,’” he exemplified.

He added that clustering enables and facilitates trust, dialogues between different agents, the search for shareable objectives, the understanding of what is happening in a region and a country, the convening capacity of governments, beyond their programs and policies. to promote an agreement and a commitment, and ultimately makes joint progress possible.

He added that public and private areas do not have to do the same; Each one has its role and responsibility regarding competitiveness and this clusterization (of the economy). “The center and true commitment of both is in co-creating value at the service of society and people. We need to redefine a new Strategic Framework for new industrial and competitiveness policies, different active roles of the areas/territory, roles of companies and challenges/aspirations,” he said.

Finally, Jon Azú stated that “we do not want more lost decades. That means combating and overcoming the gaps that impede our growth and inclusive development and focusing on the co-creation of value and its equitable distribution,” he stressed.

The Raúl Prebisch Chair was created in 2001 by the then Executive Secretary of ECLAC José Antonio Ocampo, as a way to pay tribute to the prominent Argentine economist on the centenary of his birth. In August 2001, the Commission had the renowned Brazilian economist Celso Furtado as its first lecturer for the new chair. Since then, prominent figures such as Joseph Stiglitz, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Rubens Ricupero, Dani Rodrik, Enrique V. Iglesias, Tulio Halperin, Fernando Savater, Aldo Ferrer, José Antonio Ocampo, Danilo Astori, Luiz Gonzaga de Mello Belluzzo, have taught the chair. Rolando Cordera, Mariana Mazzucato, Ricardo Ffrench-Davis, Ha-Joon Chang and Rebeca Grynspan.