Proximity and knowledge sharing in clustered firms

The past decade has seen considerable interest in organisational clustering, however, the influence of proximity on knowledge sharing within clusters has remained unexplored. This paper responds to this research gap by theoretically investigating the contribution of different proximity dimensions to knowledge sharing. The aim of this paper is to theoretically investigate the utility of relational and geographic proximity dimensions in understanding the nature of knowledge sharing in clusters. This investigation adds to the existing literature by exploring the mechanisms through which proximity conveys knowledge-related advantage. The output of this process is a framework that categorises the contribution of different proximity dimensions in terms of the knowledge-based value they bestow on clustered organisations.