The objective of this research is to examine in depth the brokerage roles that supporting institutions play in conducting local business and applying technical knowledge inside clusters. We identify three main roles: a coordination role, characterized by the efforts that organizations play in internally coordinating themselves and establishing a shared institutional framework; an interconnector role, where organizations foster communication along the value chain of the industry; and a gatekeeper role that allows organizations to connect cluster members with external networks. Results obtained in the Toy Valley cluster provide evidence that each kind of supporting organization tends to specialize in specific roles, since universities are best for a coordination role with regard to technical knowledge while private organizations are key for vertical communication and coordination. Similar results were obtained when analysing the extra-cluster contacts that these organizations develop as gatekeepers, as they tend to establish specific communication conduits with similar alters in external networks.

The objective of this research is to understand how new social and environmental practices are introduced and developed in clusters. From an international perspective and based on cluster literature, we propose that leading firms and supporting organizations are the main drivers of these practices. In particular, we work on the hypothesis that firms with solid international experience, innovative capacity and resources, as well as having stable relationships with local organizations, positively affect social and environmental practices within clusters. Empirical evidence gathered on 175 Spanish footwear firms located in clusters obtained in 2018 reveals that firms are the conduit for incorporating new social and environmental practices in traditional clusters. This is particularly true of larger, highly internationalized firms or those of more recent creation. Contrary to our expectations, the role of innovation capacity and local supporting organizations has not been endorsed. Finally, policy and managerial implications for the local dissemination of social and environmental practices are presented.

This paper examines how the institutional environment (from a multi-level approach) and the moderating role of innovation networks and rural location explain which mechanism (institutional fostering or escapism) underlies the phenomenon of accelerated internationalization of small and medium-sized enterprises. By analyzing a dataset of 2289 firms from Argentina, Colombia, and Peru, the results suggest that the access of strategic resources and capabilities may either reinforce an institutional fostering or institutional escapism effect. The findings show that institutional fostering is associated with formal institutional voids and rural location, while institutional escapism is associated with local informal institutions, corporate sustainability certifications, and innovation networks. The institutional escapism effect is higher for firms that have social or environmental certifications. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Social learning is the main policy-design mechanism that involves interactions between agents. This study provides an overview of the research on policy design using social learning. Descriptive and co-citation analyses were used to identify emerging research lines and thematic similarities between scientific publications. The database used for the bibliometric analysis contained 271 articles published between 1979 and 2022 in 152 journals indexed by the SSCI. We propose a study based on the origins and the future research agenda of social learning for policy design. The results reveal that “environment”, “governance”, and “social” represent the knowledge base. These topics have evolved over time and have become established as a consolidated intellectual structure. In addition, a new topic called “media and news” has emerged, focusing on the challenges of spreading fake news and learning manipulation in a post-truth world. The cluster “Media and news” is gaining significance due to its impact on the dissemination of information and the shaping of opinions in contemporary society.