The article aims at investigating the commonalities and differences between cluster policies in selected East Asian and Southeast Asian countries: Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, and China, to outline the Asian model of a cluster policy. Clusters play a significant role in the economic development of these countries, and some practical experiences from Asia may be used to shape the cluster policy in the recovery process after the COVID-19 pandemic. The conducted research contributes to a better understanding of the cluster formation process, cluster development, and policy aims in the analyzed countries. In Singapore and South Korea, which are among the most innovative countries in the global economy, cluster policy is to a great extent part of innovation policy, focusing on facilitating the networking and cooperation between science and business, the flow of knowledge, transfer of technology, and developing innovative technologies of key economic importance. In China and Thailand, which are developing countries, there is a much stronger role of foreign direct investments, which take the central place in the cluster structure. However, one common characteristic of cluster development patterns in all the analyzed countries is a top-down approach, where clusters are emerging and developing mostly as a result of governmental decisions and public programs.

The EU has been leaning towards evidence-based policymaking with the aim of ensuring coherence between industrial, environmental, climate, and energy policy. It focuses on supporting the development of a business environment which would enable sustainable growth, job creation, and innovation. It is generally agreed upon that, at the current level of development, the EU should focus on boosting innovations and theory and practice deliver an array of suggestions on how to achieve this goal. Among them clusters and cluster-led development play a prominent role. Poland inherently follows this belief and has introduced cluster policy to its policy mix by supporting cluster initiatives and cluster organizations. The objective of the paper is to investigate the evolution of cluster policy in Poland, identify its success factors, and propose recommendations for cluster policy. This case study of cluster policy in Poland is based on a series of in-depth interviews as well as secondary data. The conclusions resulting from this case study indicate that adoption by the government of a cluster policy at the national level and implementation of a comprehensive strategy for cluster development at regional and national levels is a basic condition for cluster policy success. Positive results can be achieved if public intervention is continuous and tailored to the needs of cluster organizations at different development stages with particular emphasis on the internationalization of cluster activities, which was a key measure highly evaluated by the respondents. The paper touches upon the timely issue of the future direction of cluster policy. The debate on it is accompanied by another debate on how to build an economic ecosystem capable of reaching sustainability goals.

This article aims to investigate the relationship between cluster organisation membership and the performance of companies in terms of their technological maturity. The article introduces and operationalises a new concept of technological maturity which reflects competitiveness, innovativeness, and market reputation of a company in a particular sector. To compare the technological maturity between cluster organisation members and non-members a composite index was created. The study is based on theoretical and empirical analyses. The empirical part is based on firm-level data collected in the survey from 464 companies identified in the technological fields covered by the National Smart Specializations in Poland. A set of statistical tests has been employed to assess whether (a) the indicators differ significantly between cluster organisation members and non-members (b) the composite index differs significantly between cluster organisation members and non-members. Results of the analysis show a positive relationship between being a member of the cluster organisation and the technological maturity of the company. The regression analysis proved that the relationship remains significant when controlling for the industry, geographical location, and size of a company. The article contributes to the discussion about the role of cluster organisations and their economic impact.

The paper aims to investigate the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic through the prism of local finances in the Mazovia region. The rationale for this research comes from the observation that lockdown and a reduced economic activity affect revenues of local budgets. Thus, a question arises about the effect of decreased local budgets on local expenditure and the implementation of development strategies. The method applied was a survey carried out on a sample consisting of all the local administrative units (LAU) in the region. The results show that the "scissors effect" of rising expenditure and falling revenues applies to all the LAU. The analysis provides evidence that the characteristics of urban and rural LAU have consequences not only for their resilience against the COVID-19 pandemic but influence their strategies and actions adopted in response to the crisis.

This article presents the role of clusters in the Polish innovation system. This role has evolved in recent years due to maturing of cluster organisations and the expansion of their ability not just to provide services for cluster members but also to perform selected public tasks. This study aims to provide a better understanding of the nature and extent to which clusters can contribute to the objectives of development policies and thus to the economic development of the Polish economy and answer the question what role clusters can play in the innovation system. Based on a survey of 44 cluster organisations in Poland and interviews with cluster managers, the study explores the possibility of engaging Polish cluster organisations in the implementation of public policies. The results confirm that many of the Polish clusters achieved such a level of development that they themselves see the possibility of engaging in public tasks, for example education and specialised training, helping enterprises in digital transformation, monitoring technological trends, and so on. Therefore, it is justified pursuing a dual cluster policy. This duality means focus on two objectives: supporting cluster organisations on the one hand and implementing cluster-based development policies on the other hand.

This study aims to explore cluster activity in the field of green transformation, which we showed through the lens of the attributes of both the cluster and the cluster organization. The study was conducted in the period 2021‒2023 mainly in Polish National Key Clusters. The selection of clusters was based on the similarity resulting from their maturity and the differences resulting from industry affiliation and location. We conducted a two-stage quantitative survey in which we assessed cluster green transformation activity from the perspective of cluster managers and from the perspective of cluster enterprise representatives. Our study showed that for the development of cluster cooperation within green transformation, the role of geographical proximity is crucial. It was with this cluster attribute that the most popular green practices identified in the study were linked. They are associated with relationship building, learning and knowledge sharing processes, and growth of innovation potential.